December 11, 2015

Friday Favs

December 11, 2015/ sherri d'alessandro

Happy, Happy Friday! This is a very good day because I'm off and am planning on participating in multiple Christmas-related activities on this long weekend. I'm having a smaller Mistletoe Mingle tomorrow night and will be cleaning, cooking, and singing Christmas carols up until then. I hope whatever your weekend entails, it includes laughs, holiday activities, and a Christmas cookie or two! Here are my favs of the week.

{O Tannebaum}

{Christmas Cactus in Bloom}

{Trees Giving Light}

{Early Morning Sky}

{Copper Guild Antique Find!}

December 09, 2015

Mahi Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream

December 09, 2015/ sherri d'alessandro

Goooood day my friends! I know, I've been a tad absent lately! This time of year at work is pretty bananas and so I haven't really had any down time. But alas, things are starting to steady so I'm hoping to get back into a more consistent blog rotation again. Cool?

I've had a craving for real fish tacos so I picked up some wild-caught frozen mahi over the weekend. Although fresh is typically best, stocking up on some wild-caught filets can really help keeping a healthy routine. Right? Right!

Let's be honest, what makes this dish is the simple and delightful avocado cream. (Can I put this on everything?) That and the combination of the Mahi with sautéed peppers and onions makes for a mouth watering (and healthy) taco.

NEED: (makes two servings or four tacos)
- Two Mahi filets (another firm white fish will work - try to stick with WILD caught fish)
- One red pepper, slivered
- 1/4 red onion, slivered
- 1 avocado
- Juice of 1 lime
- 4 GMO-free corn tortillas
- Evoo, salt, pepper, to taste

Start to sauté peppers and onions in a sauté pan with a bit of Evoo and salt.

Pat the fish dry and drizzle with Evoo, salt, and pepper. Broil on high until cooked through. (Always pat seafood with paper towels before cooking and seasoning. The extra water could end up boiling it and the taste and texture will be kind of awful.)

In a separate bowl, blend avocado, salt, and lime juice. I used a stick blender but if you don't have one just use a food processor.

Heat tortillas evenly and then stack the goods as you wish. I did put a couple dabs of sriracha on each tortilla for an extra zing but, it's not needed.

Plate and serve. Rob and I flipped over this taste combo. I've made avocado cream in the past but the recipe called for a few extra ingredients that ended up giving it a weird taste. Tonight, I kept it simple and it paid off.

There are so many healthy benefits to this meal including but not limited to: protein, healthy fats, vitamin c, fiber, quercetin, antioxidants, antinflammatory agents, b6, folate, and beta-carotene!

Enjoy and have an awesome Wednesday! Xo

November 30, 2015

Weekend Sunshine_XLVI

November 30, 2015/ sherri d'alessandro

Goooood day, my friends! I hope you all had a Thanksgiving weekend filled with laughter, stuffing, wine, TV, lawn sports, pie, and a some movement! My Thanksgiving was truly fantastic. As I mentioned in the previous post - I have so much to be thankful for this year. My mom and I got started cooking on Wednesday with my nieces and nephew. The kids helped me make stuffed mushrooms before realizing that cartoon movies at Nana's house are a little more fun that stuffed mushrooms haha!

Later that afternoon, I decided to make my (or Martha Stewart's) rosemary butter cookies. There is nothing "fit" about these cookies but they are certainly "fun and flavorful". They are delicate, delicious, and pair perfectly with a glass of chardonnay. My favorite cookie!

Later that evening, my dad came home and the three of us went for a bite and espresso martinis. Not so fit, no. Delicious, yes? (Side note: I only drink espresso martinis with real espresso... anything else just isn't as good, not to mention 100% sugar).

On Thanksgiving morning, I made my famous deviled eggs. I am telling you right now that you cannot go wrong with these eggs. They are a huge hit. Also, follow my instructions on the boil. The shells will peel off with complete ease and the yolks will be the creamiest yellow. See above and below.

I used capers in half the eggs this time... that salty brine is truly delectable.

The rest of Thanksgiving was awesome. I got in a nice boxing workout in the basement at my parent's house in the morning. After that, we headed to my sister's house and had all the best apps and dinner was of course so, so delicious (mashed potatoes and stuffing, please!). After dinner, we played soccer on the lawn with the kids before dessert. A day filled with all of my favorite things!

Friday morning, it was go-time for me. I work in the shopping center business so as you can imagine... Friday and Saturday were extremely busy days at work. I got to the gym bright and early on Friday morning to squeeze in a workout before all the madness. Sooooo many people there on Friday morning, huh?!???