spanish cod is whats for supper.

i have entered a phase of life where i want to try new things. i literally will walk around the store in the veggie section & look at everything that i have never heard of & wonder, what can i do with thisssssss. this is coming from a person who doesn't eat too many cooked veggies- i am a raw veggie girl. so i was on pinterest the other day & saw this -- this blog has some amazing recipes so take a few minutes & wonder about their page.

i had bought some cod at the local kroger the other day so i knew i wanted to make a dinner with it, but i had no idea it was going to be this good. like for real good & it is easy. i made a few changes to the recipe bc i had to work with what i had & what my grocery store allowed me to get.

here is what you will need:

• 2 chunky cod fillets (you could use haddock or pollock if you prefer)
• 100g diced cooking chorizo
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 large glass white wine
•  1 small box visconti crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large  onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Knorr chicken stock pot cheats in 31/2 cups boiled water
• Juice of 2 juicy lemons
• 2 tsp sugar
• Fresh flat leaf parsley
• Olive oil for cooking
• Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
• Sea salt and black pepper
• rice to serve with

--

*big thanks to my husband for sharpening knives & cutting stuff for me. 

step 1.

fry chorizo in some olive oil until edges are a little crispy - when it is done put it to the side in a bowl

step 2.

pour yourself a glass of the wine you will be using. you really need to make sure it is going to work for you. 

i usually use cheaper wine if i am cooking with it unless it is a dessert. you can't go cheap on dessert you guys. 

step 3. 

add your onion to the oil left from the chorizzo & then add garlic.

let the onion cook for a minute or two before you add the garlic.

this smell makes me the happiest person in the world. 

step 4.

now add your saffron, your wine, your stock, your box of visconti, & your sugar- bring to a simmer. 

taste & add your salt & pepper to taste. i did a lot of tasting, bc it was so good. 

step 5. 

add your can of drainer & rinsed chickpeas, lemon juice & cook for about 5-6 minutes. 

step 6.

add your cod filets, & chorizzo- put the lid on & let simmer for 8-10 minutes. 

step 7. 

sprinkle dish with fresh parsley

* i grow my own- its such a good feeling to go outside & cut your own, or pick your own veggies. 

step 8.

EAT!

i served this straight from the pan & with rice. 

i love one pot meals. 

cory loved it. 

i loved it. 

you will love it.

thank you to the kitchen alchemist for getting my creative brain going with this dish. you are the bomb. 

happy cooking. 

--e

cinnamon rolls y'all.

lets get real. you can never eat just one. nope, you eat one & then one becomes two & then two becomes 3 until your body starts shutting down from a sugar overload, but you don't care. just drink some lemon water take a nap & then start all over again. right?

working with yeast is something that took me a minute to get use to. its kind of like me- impatient & unpredictable. you can't poke it too much or it gets really upset & will ruin everything. it literally has ruined my days before. #breadgonewrong #ruinedcinnamonrolls you get the point.

so for these rolls i found this recipe here

this is everything you will need- if you are like me you organize everything before you start making it. i cannot even cook without my kitchen being super clean.

stuff you need:

2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 large eggs
6 cups AP flour
1 TB canola oil
4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup cinnamon
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 cup butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 TB milk

sidenote: i did not have a lot of brown sugar- i had like 1 cup, so i used that & organic cane sugar & coconut sugar

i also used haitian vanilla
instead of using the canola oil for the bowl i used butter.

first things first- microwave your milk for 3 minutes
now add softened butter
add 1/2 cup sugar & yeast
stir a little, cover with a towel and let sit for 5 minutes.

now transfer this little bit of stuff to a bigger bowl & stir in your salt & eggs

now mix in 1 cup of flour at a time

knead for 5 minutes

make a ball with your dough pick it up & butter your bowl (this is where she used canola oil)

put the dough back in and flip one time

cover and let is rise for 1 hour

*this is always super fun when you go back in an hour & literally see how it has doubled in size. you literally squeal bc you know you nailed it. its all in those moments when you know if you got it right or not. 

now after the hour is done punch the dough down and let it sit for 10 minutes. 

now divide dough in 1/2 and roll each half into a rectangular shape

now for the filling you will mix together the brown sugar & cinnamon.

spread your melted butter over each half & let the sprinkling begin. 

make sure to get to the edges.

now roll them as tight as you can. pinch the edges closed when your finished rolling. 

divide them into whatever size you would like. you can make huge ones or little small ones. 

now i used a 9 x 14 dish and let some butter melt in the pan and sprinkled the bottom of the pan with my sugar mix. lay each little roll down on the pan and let them sit for 1 hour bc they will get bigger. 

plop them in the oven 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

when you pull them out you can start on the frosting. 

its really easy. 

mix together

1/2 cup butter softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

4 TB milk

if you want it thinner add more milk. 

then spread it over those bad boys. 

fix a plate & get down to business. 

hope you guys enjoy these as much as i did.

my sweet tooth has been fixed..... for now. 

-- E

tacos with a twist.

i love tacos. all kinds of tacos. i had tacos tuesday night & last night i made tacos again.

however, these were made with lots of love & a lot of flavor. i found this recipe here on pinterest.

i usually take a recipe & switch things up & do my own thing, & last night it could not have been more perfect. we had a friend over & we all set down & enjoyed a meal together. there is something so special about sitting together as a family or with friends & enjoying something you have created. its very intimate & there are no distractions, just each other & conversation.

so, this meal came about with a pot roast sitting in the freezer waiting to be man handled & so i did that pot roast a favor & turned it into something yummy. a pot roast + love + garlic + other yummy things = korean tacos

i put 2 TB of minced garlic & 1 TB butter in the pan & let it get a little brown. 

i added the pot roast. this was like 2 lbs. 

let it get brown on each side & the start adding your other ingredients. 

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

3TB of minced garlic (you can use garlic cloves, i just didnt have any

2 TB rice wine vinegar

1 TB sesame oil

1 ts red pepper flakes

you guys, your house is going to smell like korean heaven. 

you let it cook slowly for about 8 hours. i put mine on around 11:30 & it was done around 7:00.

ahhhh. i can still taste it. the meat literally just pulls apart so easily. so after i pulled the meat apart i put it in a little dish with a cute lid bc i am all about presentation. 

then i started on the lime cream. 

1 cup sour cream - i used a little more

1 lime zest

juice from 1 lime

salt- like a little dash.

i had some corn that i twice baked- i just put butter, cayenne pepper & sprinkled with parmesan. 

it was so good. 

we had some cilantro, black beans, & this is actually mexican cheese  you just break apart with your fingers., & last but not least juice from the pot of meat.

i got corn tortillas & regular ones & we feasted. so good. 

if you are wanting something really easy for your family this is the way to go. 

--E