December 2013 – The Pajama Chef

Welcome to December Mystery Dish! Should be a good post for my last recipe of the year. I didn’t intend to take a two week break, but it’s been nice to unplug. 🙂 Sherri at The Well Floured Kitchen was this month’s host for Mystery Dish, and the ingredients she chose for us included: Dark Chocolate, Greek Yogurt, Berries, Coconut Oil, Walnuts, Fish, Baby Spinach, and Pecorino Romano Cheese. We had to use at least two, and I chose to use fish and berries… cranberries to be specific. I know cranberries aren’t always thought of as traditional ‘berries’ but they are in season and I love them so I wanted to use them! For more info on berries, check out Wikipedia. 🙂

Ben helped extensively with this recipe–he came up with the idea to make fish tacos, and I wanted to try my hand at a cranberry salsa. Fruit salsas are so complimentary to fish tacos, and this one, though a little more tart than most, was absolutely amazing. I used two types of fresh herbs [rosemary and parsley] and tangerine to flavor it up, then added a little sweetness and tartness with honey and red raspberry vinegar. My goal was to make the salsa be different from my usual cranberry relish [fresh cranberries, sugar, and an orange], and I think I succeeded!

While I was cranberry salsa-ing it up, Ben was busy preparing the fish tacos. He’s the fish taco expert in the family, and decided to season the tilapia with some olive oil and vinegar–but not just your average olive oil and vinegar. He used some special blood orange-infused olive oil and coconut-infused white balsamic vinegar from the Bumble Olive Oil Company in his hometown [Toledo, Ohio]. If you can get your hands on these infused oils, DO IT! So good. But if not, use extracts or juices to create the same effect. The result? A sweet, tender, flaky fish that pairs so well with some tart salsa and crunchy cabbage. I also whipped up some Mexican rice with dinner… aka my favorite side ever. Yum yum and yum! Hope you enjoy!

one year ago: White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies
two years ago: Classic Sugar Cookies
three years ago: Cranberry Scones

Baked Fish Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
click to print

Ingredients:

3-4 tilapia filets [frozen or fresh]
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil [mine was blood-orange infused]*
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar [mine was coconut infused]*
1/4 of a sweet yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tangerine, sliced and seeded [leave on peel]
1/2 cup parsley
4 sprigs rosemary
2 tablespoons red raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups fresh cranberries
freshly ground black pepper
salt
tortillas, for serving
chopped red cabbage, for serving
lime wedges, for serving
sour cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, then place tilapia filets in baking dish. Combine olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl, then brush mixture over tilapia, turning to coat. Cook for 13-15 minutes or until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. If you use fresh fish, the cook time will be reduced.

Meanwhile, combine onion, garlic, and tangerine in a food processor. Pulse until nearly smooth, then add parsley, rosemary, vinegar, honey, and cranberries. Pulse a few times to break up cranberries, then season with pepper and salt to taste.

Gently slice fish into strips, then serve in tortillas with cabbage and sour cream, squeezing lime wedges overtop before enjoying.

Time: 25 minutes.

Yield: 3-4 servings.

Note: I used infused evoo and balsamic vinegar. You can add a few drops of coconut or orange extract for a similar flavor profile, or a little orange juice or zest.

Please check out the rest of the Mystery Dish posts when you have a chance too. They all look SO delicious!

1. Cinnamon Coffee Cake from Buttercream Fanatic
2. Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Oil Cookies from Chez Catey Lou
3. Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart from The Dessert Chronicles
4. Berry Chocolate Streusel Bars from Baking a Moment
5. Green Berry Smoothie from I Want Crazy
6. Baked Fish Tacos with Cranberry Salsa from The Pajama Chef
7. Dark Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Brownies from Joyful Healthy Eats
8. Healthy Homemade Granola Parfait from Yummy Healthy Easy
9. Pear Cranberry Crockpot Oatmeal from See Hubby Cook
10. Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Culinary Couture
11. Raspberry Chocolate Crumb Bars from I Dig Pinterest
12. Dark Chocolate Walnut Coconut Macaroon Fingers from The Well Floured Kitchen

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

December 15, 2013November 29, 2014 Sarah

Week of December 16

Monday: chicken & butternut squash stew
Tuesday: spaghetti with meat sauce
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Sriracha fried rice
Friday: frittata or some kind of breakfast for dinner 🙂
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: out to eat

Reviews

Book Review: Your Beautiful Purpose

December 14, 2013December 14, 2013 Sarah

One last book review to be caught up by the end of the year. Woohoo! The book I have to share with you today is a bit different from my ‘cheesy Christian fiction’ genre of choice. This book, Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson, is nonfiction. It’s a Christian book that focuses on helping women find their purpose in life through God. It’s a self-help book of sorts, but is very much based in the Bible so knowing this, let’s dive in! I read this book as part of the book review program offered by Bethany House Publishers.

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

Let God Breathe a Fresh Purpose Into Your Soul

We so want each day to matter–to serve God in big and small ways. But how, especially when everyday responsibilities, work, fears, and other obstacles get in the way?

Like a trusted friend, Susie Larson shares practical, scriptural ways to overcome whatever keeps us from living fully in God’s will. Susie will help you learn to:

Discern the best use of your time and gifts
Confidently pursue God’s unique desires for you
Stretch your faith and deepen your impact

Respond today to that nudge in your spirit–that desire to use your gifts and passions more fully in God’s work. Lay down lesser commitments and lay hold of God’s beautiful purpose for your life.

As usual, my five point review:

First of all, as I already mentioned, this book is based on the Bible. Most chapters center on one or more passages of scripture to illustrate the chapter’s theme [i.e. waiting on God, stay your course, follow His lead, etc.]. For the most part, I agreed with how the author used the passages, but what I really appreciated was that the study questions at the end of the chapter encouraged readers to read and study the passage on their own again. This way, we don’t have to just take the author’s word for what the Bible is saying–but we can read it and let God speak to us about it. These sort of books don’t always encourage that, so I really liked that about the book.
I found the tone used in the writing of this book to be both encouraging and challenging. Susie is also a radio talk show host and national speaker, and it seems that she writes in a fairly conversational style. She isn’t an author who would write about things she isn’t comfortable saying out loud to her friends or to stranger. I like that!
I liked that this book included so many true, inspirational stories of women who have let God transform their lives in many different ways and in different circumstances. Susie also shared many examples from her own life, which I loved.
This book is hard to read because you can’t just skim through it. It’s challenging and convicting. I had to put it down and come back to it time and time again, hence this late review. But it is good. It is powerful and hopeful. With a forward by Ann Voskamp, I had no doubt it would be!
This book has a companion DVD series, making it perfect for small group discussion. Personally my biggest complaint with the book is that I felt I was missing something by not reading it in a group [which is encouraged at the beginning by the author]. I’d recommend this book more for group study, instead of individual study but either way it is a good read!

What are you reading lately?

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!

Reviews

Book Review: Rebellious Heart

December 13, 2013December 13, 2013 Sarah

I know… I know, I just posted a book review last week! I have two more book reviews to share so I am caught up before Christmas, so bear with me. 🙂 Today I’m going to talk about Jody Hedlund’s Rebellious Heart. I read this book as part of the awesome book review program offered by Bethany House Publishers.

Here is the description of the book from the publisher:

Massachusetts, 1763. When Susanna Smith and Benjamin Ross act to save the life of a runaway indentured servant, they’ll risk everything for love and justice in a nation on the brink of revolution.

And as usual… my five point review.

I NEVER WANTED THIS BOOK TO END. Never never never. It was SO good. So engaging, so funny, so frightful, so wonderful. The story is based on the true story of John and Abigail Adams, which is really interesting. Makes me want to read more about them! Reading about the Colonial era is something I haven’t done very much of since I was into Felicity and the other American Girl dolls back in the day, but now I want to explore Goodreads and see what else is out there!
Knowing that Benjamin [or Ben, as he goes by in the book] is really John Adams puts a bit more perspective and context into this character. Nevertheless, watching Ben develop from a “nobody” as initially stated into a man of purpose throughout the story was amazing. Really, Susanna developed a lot too, but that’s typical of female leads in Christian romance novels. I love seeing strong men in these books because that’s who men should emulate nowadays, not weak men that [can] be common because of societal pressures and gender equality. [BTW this isn’t a political stance on gender, just a statement that Ben the character is strong and I like that.]
It was really interesting–and really heartbreaking–to consider one of the key themes of this story. Justice is a huge part of this book, and this era of history–who deserves justice, what is justice, who has justice, etc. The runaway indentured servant that Ben and Susanna are fighting to save is named Dotty, and she has suffered terrible abuses. It was just SO sad what she had been through, and I had to keep reminding myself that Dotty was not a real person. However, her story unfortunately was all too common, and often [in real life] the perpetrators were never punished because of societal views on the practice of indenturing people and the role/importance of women in society. Dotty’s story also provides a nice backdrop for considering the colonies and British rule… however Ben my husband tells me [from the Assassin’s Creed video game] that perhaps some the outcomes of British rule like taxes that the Colonists fought against may have been a bit more justified than our history texts lead us to believe. That is a whole ‘nother issue though, but I just wanted to acknowledge that perspective. This doesn’t change the fact that indentured servitude often resulted in mistreatment of people–women AND men, so Dotty’s story is still very important.
Faith definitely plays an element in this story but not in a preachy, over the top way. The work of Susanna and Ben in caring for Dotty, and the work of Susanna and her mother in caring for poor widows and orphans in their community is certainly a response to God… but the faith journey is not part of this story at all. I’m not sure that would have added much to the story anyway, as it was very powerful already.
Lastly, I’ve read nearly all of Jody Hedlund’s wonderful historical fiction books. They are all well researched. She does a great job at developing both characters and plot, and this tale is no different. I heartily encourage you to pick it up for your next plane ride or reading day on the couch. I think it’s my favorite Jody Hedlund book by far!

What are you reading lately?

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies

December 11, 2013December 13, 2013 Sarah

Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies. A mouthful of words, a mouthful of deliciousness. Seriously you guys… there is SO MUCH DELICIOUSNESS in these lil cookies. Dried cranberries. Pistachios. Lemon. Orange. Butter. Yum yum yum.

I made these cookies for the 2013 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, and sent them to Alicia at Balancing Motherhood [who I found out is a fellow KD sister! AOT!], Renata at First Time Foods, and Emily at Pink Tiger in the Kitchen. I hope y’all liked them! I know we certainly did. They are buttery and nutty, full of holiday cheer.

I’m usually wary of baking with nuts and dried fruit, even though I love both on their own. I guess I associate nuts and dried fruit in sweets with old people cooking, or something weird like that [no idea why]. I’ve been trying to think of an exception for a good five minutes, but no can do. WAIT! THESE cookies are the exception. The nuts and dried fruit are totally necessary for adding the right amount of crunch to the chewy citrus butter cookies. If you don’t like cranberries and pistachio, feel free to swap out your favorite alternatives. Cherry-pecan? Blueberry-walnut? Whatever your little heart dreams up is what you should make. Unless you like directions. Then stick with cranberry-pistachio. 🙂

In addition to sending out cookies, participating in the cookie swap means you get some in the mail too! I was fortunate to receive Double Coconut Macaroons [top] from Mary Beth at A Carrot and A Cupcake, and Cranberry Pistachio Pudding Cookies [bottom] from Starr at Chicago Foodie Girl. Both were sooo good and I’m anxiously awaiting the recipes! Hopefully I’ll be getting my third batch soon!

Hope you enjoy!

one year ago: Cranberry Orange Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
two years ago: Cranberry Pineapple Sauce

Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies [from Vanderbilt Wife]
click to print

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of 1 orange
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Place butter and sugars in a bowl and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add milk, lemon juice, orange zest, and egg, then mix on low to combine.

Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then mix on low until combined. Fold in pistachios and cranberries with a wooden spoon.

Spoon onto cookie sheets by tablespoons. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are brown. Centers may look a little soft. Let rest on cookie sheets for 3-4 minutes before moving to cooling rack. Store in airtight container.

Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

Notes: Dough can get pretty soft, so just pop in the refrigerator between batches. These cookies freeze and ship well, too!

Linked up with: Foodie Friday, Weekend Potluck.