Saucy Fish Tacos and Scuba Diving

I remember the first time I saw fish tacos on a menu, my thought was yuck, fish taco, REALLY.   Boy have I eaten those words.  I love FISH TACOS and they are now my go to for lunch.  It took Eric, our dive captain to convince me to try them.   2 years ago, just after I started working for Hilton Worldwide, we decided to take advantage of some of the perks and drive down to Key Largo.  

After our first day of diving, with Blue Water Divers, we asked  Eric where to go for lunch.  

 By the way, if you are in Key Largo, looking to scuba or snorkel, we HIGHLY recommend Eric and Christi, they are AWESOME!!!

 Eric suggested we try Sharkey's, it is just a short walk down the canal from their dive boat, and he said I had to try the fish tacos.  I was starving by the time we got to the table, all I wanted was a beer and a sandwich with FRENCH FRIES!!

I gotta admit, fish did sound good, I had just spent the last 2 hours swimming through schools of yellow tail snapper.  And, Eric had showed us an incredible day of diving, so I thought I would trust him on the tacos. (and steal some of Gordy's fries)  They were incredible, VERY saucy, just like me!  I have to have them EVERY TIME we go to Key Largo.  

Over the last couple of months, I have been trying to duplicate the recipe at Sharkey's, and last night, I came pretty close.  These are a little spicier than Sharkey's, but I like my food "Hot, hot, hot".

I made a Chipotle-Cilantro Sauce by combining 2 chipotle peppers with some of the adobo sauce, 1/2 cup cilantro, the juice of one key lime, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of garlic salt in my food processor.  I blended it well and put it in the fridge to flavor.  

Just before dinner, I sprinkled 2 grouper fillets with some



Old Bay Blackened Seasoning and seared them in my cast iron skillet, turning after about 2 minutes. 

 I heated 4 flour tortillas in the microwave and filled them with some shredded cabbage, cheese and the fish.  I topped it all with the chipotle sauce.  Next time (lunch this weekend) I am going to also add some sliced avocado and maybe some mango salsa, I think it would compliment the heat of the sauce.  If you feel you need to "lighten" up the sauce, I would suggest using lite sour cream and mayo.  And if you don't like your sauce with a lot of kick, use just one chipotle pepper and a little less sauce.

Chipotle-Cilantro Sauce for Fish Tacos

Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
1-2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, to taste
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, or to taste

Using your food processor or blender, purée all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Crab Stuffed Chicken Breast and Butterflies. Everyday is Valentine's Day for Me!!!!

Just a quick post to share what we are having for Valentine's Dinner, Crab Stuffed Chicken Breast with Hollandiase Sauce.  Sorry the pictures aren't my best, wanted to use my new plates, but they are not very photogenic.   I love the hummingbird.  And I LOVE BUTTERFLIES!!!

Gotta let you all in on a funny little secret......we had company Sunday night for dinner and I was trying to get everything done before they came.  Crab and Brie Fondue,  Cream of Crab soup, roasted asparagus and pan seared steaks.  Before they arrived, I put everything together, or so I thought.  When I got up the next morning and opened the fridge, I realized I FORGOT TO ADD THE CRAB MEAT TO THE SOUP.  Oh well, the soup was good, just a little thin :)  The best part, now I have 8 ounce of opened crab that I HAVE to use.  We had lamb Saturday night, Steak Sunday night, so I am thinking chicken.  And oh how wonderful chicken sounded stuffed with crab.  I found this recipe on CopyKat and just had to try it.  I had all the ingredients and it looked pretty easy.  It was yummy!!! 

Mahi Mahi Rangoon

If you are looking for something a little on the sweeter side to prepare for a Valentine's Dinner, I have just the recipe, Mahi Mahi Rangoon.  It is easy to prepare and takes less than one hour from start to finish, less if you choose not to marinade the fish for the full 15 minutes.  I made this the other night for myself since Gordy was out of town, he is not a big fan of fish.   I had picked up a Mahi Mahi fillet, with the intention of preparing Mahi Mahi Matecumbe, but when I got home, I realized I forgot the tomatoes.  No worries, my second choice was Mahi Mahi Rangoon and it is so much easier to prepare!  Perfect, I was exhausted from a day of running errands and shopping.

The Perfect Steak, Perfect for A Romantic Valentine's Dinner

Just as with our pizza, I have been trying to master the art of the perfect steak, and I think I have finally succeeded!!!

Yum, Pizza Night

We love pizza in our house!!   
Over the last couple months, Gordy and I have been perfecting our recipe and technique   I think we finally have it down!!!   The original recipe I started with was from Tyler Florence, I believe, but I have tweaked it just a bit.  We made 2 pizza the other night and almost demolished both of them, they were JUST that good.  I did manage to hide 3 pieces in the fridge, I mean a girl has to eat lunch.

Easy General Tso’s Chicken

I love being a member of the FoodBuzz Tastemaker Program, I get to try some great products!!! 

Liebster Blog Award

Wow, this is just what I needed.
I did not have a great week last week.  My laptop of 5+ years finally said goodnight.  Okay, I admit it, sometime I hold onto things longer than I should. 

Thank you O Olive Oil....Pear and Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese and Pecans

This salad was the PERFECT choice to go with our Fried Oysters!

Crispy Panko Coated Fried Oysters with Easy Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Oh how I LOVE fresh oysters!!!

Saucy Spinach, Mushroom and Walnut Stuffed Pork Chops

I love to make stuffed pork chops, they are so easy and make such an elegant presentation.  I love them stuffed with Apple, Bacon Sage and Fontina, I love them stuffed with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Rosemary
 and I love them stuffed with Spinach, Mushrooms and Walnuts!

Key West Roaster. The Perfect Birthday Dinner for Apollo

We LOVE roast chicken in our house, it is SO versatile!!  I love to do it on the grill or in the oven.  I always find the largest one in the store because there is so much to do with the leftovers!!!  Gordy always wants to know why our chickens come with "meatless" legs.....it is because the chef can't resist eating them as she carves.  Perks of being the chef :) 

Any Day Gourmet, Even Tuesday, Saucy Gourmet Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

This has always been a family favorite in our house.  It is not your typical DRY meatloaf that everyone avoids, this meatloaf is VERY saucy, just like me! My mom has made it ever since I can remember, I loved it as a child growing up and I love it as a mom. Both my children love it, except for the year our son turned 4.  He sat down to dinner one night, I put a plate of meatloaf in front of him and he exclaimed he DID NOT LIKE meatloaf.  I told him that was fine, it wasn't meatloaf, it was a giant meatball,  He gobbled down all his dinner and to this day, we still call meatloaf, a giant meatball 

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

I know just about everyone and their brother has posted a blog about Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.  Sorry, I just can't resist finally posting one.  I mean, it is one of our favorite meals  and it is perfect for a casual dinner, a dinner party, or a buffet.  I love to make it the day before, and let it flavor over night.  

As I mentioned in my last post, I made this for company Thursday night and it was a hit (as you can tell by the picture above).  I like to serve over mashed potatoes, but it is wonderful over noodles or rice.  Julia's recipe is time consuming, but OH BOY, IS IT WORTH IT!!!

Spicy Lasagna Soup

Burrrrr, it has been cold in Florida this week.  

Chicken Barley Chili

The plan for last night's dinner Chicken Pot Pie, YUM!