Mahi-Mahi with Blood Orange-Pomegranate Salsa

With the thermometer still flirting with below freezing temperatures, I was longing to be transported to warmer climes even if it was just in the kitchen.  Colder weather brings the best citrus selection and the offerings at the supermarket were my inspiration for this dinner.  Citrus fruit add brightness to recipes and provide a  big dose of vitamin C in our diet at a time of year when we really need it.  Pomegranates boosts the antioxidant power of this healthy dish.  To create the salsa I chose a combination of blood oranges, Honeybells, pomegranate, lime and jalapeno for their rich jewel colors.  You can substitute whatever citrus fruit you prefer or have available.  Wake up your taste buds and take them out of hibernation with this invigorating dish. Plus you’ll feel like you are actually sticking to your resolutions of eating healthier just as your resolve is weakening!  A win-win.

MAHI-MAHI WITH BLOOD ORANGE-POMEGRANATE SALSA

4 4-oz wild caught, center cut Mahi-Mahi fillets(Costco), thawed if frozen, seasoned with salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 blood orange

1 Honeybell orange

2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded, membranes removed, diced finely

zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped coarsely

seeds of 1/2 pomegranate, about 1/2 cup

To make salsa:  using a sharp knife, peel oranges and remove all the bitter white pith.  Working over a small bowl, cut between membranes to release the fruit segments, catching the juice.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Combine all remaining ingredients and mix gently.  Salsa can be made up to a day ahead but it is best served fresh.

While flavors of the salsa meld, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter  in a frying pan.   Sauté 2 fillets of fish at a time, turning once, about 3 minutes per side, until fish is opaque.  If your BBQ grilll is not buried in a foot of snow as ours is, or if you can sweet talk someone into grilling in the snow, you can grill the fish instead.

Transfer to a serving plate.  Spoon salsa over fish.  Serve with a side of vegetables and a starch.  We served steamed broccoli with a side of brown rice and quinoa.   Add a wedge of lime on the side.

A fast and healthy dinner to transport you to the tropics in the heart of winter.   A feast for the eyes too!

The Ultimate Man-Cookie: Triple Chocolate Bacon

“The question that women casually shopping for perfume ask more than any other is this: ” What scent drives men wild?”  After years of of intense reasearch we know the definitive answer.  It is bacon.  Now, on to the far more interesting subject of perfume!”  Tanya Sanchez

Looking to say Happy Valentine’s Day sweetly to the guy in your life?  If your man loves chocolate and bacon, this could just be the perfect cookie for him.  Decadent, loaded with chocolate, they are absolutely delicious with the surprise salty crunch of the bacon.  A perfect marriage of sweet and salty.

Chinese New Year party: The Art of Take-Out

In major cities across the country lucky enough to have Chinatowns, there will be many celebrations of the Chinese New Year starting with the new moon on January 30th this year.  Philadelphia hosts many Lion Dance parades throughout the month of February and it is one of our family’s favorite destinations.

 The lion is a symbol of prosperity and good luck.  Being this lion is believed to be vegetarian,  businesses try to lure him to their door with hanging vegetables and fireworks.  No visit to Chinatown is complete without sampling the wonderful cuisine.

Un-Canny! Salmon Cakes so good, no one will suspect where they came from.

In an effort for more sustainable seafood, there is a surge in high quality salmon, caught in the wild, canned quickly and guaranteed to surprise your taste buds.  With cans of salmon in your pantry, a meal can be whipped up on short notice.

Love at First Bite: Tea-infused Chocolate Truffles

A few weeks ago I received a small packet from Victoria, British Columbia.  The sender was my beloved Goddaughter and niece, Jessica.  It contained a hand-written thank you note on a gorgeous botanical motif card.    In this age of technology, a hand-written letter is a gift to be cherished, an intimate connection between the writer and the recipient.  This post is an ode to the joy and art of letter-writing and of course, to the love of chocolate, since,  with this beautiful card, Jessica had sent a packet of loose-leaf, Cream of Earl Grey tea from the famous Greenville Island Market of Vancouver along with a hand-written recipe card for tea infused chocolate truffles.

Got Leftovers?

One of my favorite forms of cooking  is reinventing leftovers.  It is what Prince Charming, my wonderful husband, thinks is one of my biggest assests.  He looks in the fridge and thinks there’s nothing to eat.  I look in the fridge and see a whole meal I can create out of nothing.  Being quasi empty nesters, it seems we have a lot of leftovers these days as we learn to adapt to cooking for just the 2 of us.  Add to that a frequent  lack of motivation to shop for groceries without 3 hungry teens in the house to feed, the need to get creative with leftovers becomes a necessity!  Or you might say it is my love of creating “giblottes” that just kicks into high gear.  (Giblotte is a French-Canadian slang word for cooking with whatever you come across. )

Simple Sunday Supper with a Recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding

On a recent Sunday I found myself facing a dilemma.  I was up to  my eyeballs doing mountains of laundry and getting 2 sons packed to go back to school the next morning with last minute shopping of toiletries for good measure.  I was also awaiting the overnight visit of my sister and husband who were travelling from Canada in uncertain weather and a great distance.  It had been more than 6 months since we we last together and I wanted to be hospitable in spite of the chaos of sending kids back to  college.  This would also be the last chance to sit down around the table with our 3 sons alll together for a long time.  I decided a make ahead menu, a casual but inviting table setting and keeping it simple would have to rule.   Not knowing when our visitors would arrive meant I needed a meal that could sit and be kept warm as long as necessary.

Amazing Amaryllis

If you’re like me and you can’t get through winter without getting your hands dirty, planting amaryllis bulbs is the perfect antidote to a gardener’s winter blues. Amaryllis bulbs can still be found in good nurseries or florists and the show-stopping, magnificent blooms can burst into your world in a few short 4-6 weeks.  They are easy to plant and the colorful reward for your effort will make you swoon.

Hot-Chocolate-On-A-Stick

My oldest son Sébastien travelled to Belgium while studying abroad at The University of St-Andrews in Scotland.  While there he discovered Hot-Chocolate-On-A-Stick and declared it the best hot chocolate ever.  I set out to find the recipe and make it for him at home.  Several recipes I researched contained Eagle Brand Condensed Milk and cream which would really limit shelf life and the sending of it as gifts and also require cold storage.  After much digging around I finally found the decadent Belgian hot chocolate sticks Sebastien raved about.   This recipe will rival Brussel’s Wittamer Café beverage which is considered to be the best hot chocolate in the world!

Currant Cream Scones for a Fireside Afternoon Tea

If you’ve been missing Downton Abbey, let’s set up a fireside afternoon tea and travel back in time.   Although my living room is not as  opulent and magestic as Highclere Castle’s, I’m hoping it will transport you to England to take Afternoon tea with classic English cream and currant scones.