flower pretzel bites

The cutest one-year old human baby showed up on our doorstep dressed as a baby chick to deliver these Easter treats to us.  CUTEST THING EVER!  These treats are super spring-like and super addictive I might add. 

flower pretzel bites (Barlow family)
I'd never seen them before but you can find the recipe all over the internet-
Go HERE
or HERE
or HERE

moqueca (brazilian fish stew)

This knocked my socks off.  Best fish stew recipe ever.  I don't know what more I can say except to give it a try.  The smoked paprika and coconut milk was a combination I hadn't tried before and it was a winning combination with the fish and fresh vegetables.  I was looking forward to a bowl of fish/seafood stew over spring break at the coast but I'll have to order something else.  This soup can't be outdone.

moqueca (brazilian fish stew) (Simply Recipes)
4 tilapia loins from Costco (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 to 2 pounds firm white fish)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup green onion greens, chopped
1/2 yellow and 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed and chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used a can of petite diced tomatoes)
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
pinch red pepper flakes
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped with some set aside for garnish
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk

Place fish pieces in a bowl, add the minced garlic and lime juice so that the pieces are well coated.  Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper.  Keep chilled while preparing the rest of the soup.
In a large covered pan, coat the bottom with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat on medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and cook a few minutes until softened.  Add the bell pepper, paprika and red pepper flakes.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Cook for a few minutes longer until the bell pepper begins to soften.  Stir in the tomatoes and green onions.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered.  Stir in the chopped cilantro.

Use a large spoon to remove about half of the vegetables.  Spread the remaining vegetables over the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the fish.  Arrange the fish pieces on the vegetables.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Then add back the removed vegetables, covering the fish.  Pour coconut milk over the fish and vegetables.

Bring soup to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Garnish with cilantro.  Serve with rice or with crusty bread.

italian chicken pasta salad

For Sunday stations I had the kids take turns helping me with dinner tonight- they did a lot of chopping for this salad and apple brownies for dessert.  Great recipe.

italian chicken pasta salad (adapted from food network) 
8 ounces cooked spiral pasta
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
1 cup diced English cucumber
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped pitted olives
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


Combine oil and vinegar for the dressing.  In a large bowl combine everything else and pour the dressing over the top.  Toss well.  Enjoy!
Note:  Even better the next day.

red curry coconut tilapia

Success!  And even after having lost the recipe I wanted to try.  I knew the recipe called for fish, coconut milk and red curry paste.  I figured out the rest and it was SOOOO good.  My husband kept trying to convince our non-fish eaters to try some because he thought it was so good.  It was fine that they weren't convinced because the two of us ate enough for four of us.

red curry coconut tilapia (pass the peas, please)
4 tilapia loins, thawed (Costco's are the best!)
1 (15.5 ounce) light coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon Splenda (if you're not sugar sensitive, use real sugar)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
4 green onions, sliced

In a large pan, heat the coconut milk on medium low.  Add the red curry paste and stir into the milk.  Stir in the sugar.  Add the fish.  Season with salt, pepper and a generous amount of garlic powder.  After the fish looks cooked on one side, flip the fish over.  Add green onions to the pan and continue to cook until the fish is opaque.
Serve over steamed rice.  I served mine with brown jasmine rice, kimchee and broiled asparagus.

braised pork, carrots and fennel stew

No joke- this is one of my most favorite meals.  The ingredients are so fresh and so simple but the flavor is just soooo good.  It reminds me what the family in Pride & Prejudice eats as the family sits around the dining room table.  I made this recipe back in 2013 when it came out in Real Simple magazine and loved it then but lost track of the recipe.  I am so glad I re-discovered it.  I had always made it with sweet potatoes but decided to try carrots this time and loved it.  If you've never tried fennel- try it!  Fennel is a hit at my home because of great recipes like this.

braised pork, carrots and fennel stew (Real Simple magazine, December 2013)
 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus leaves for serving
2 sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (I used a can of sliced carrots; wish I'd used 2 because they were so good!)
2 fennel bulbs, quartered, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, for serving
crusty bread for serving

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Season the pork with the fennel seeds and 1 1/2 teaspoons each salt and pepper.  Cook, turning occasionally until golden grown on all sides.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add the broth and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until the pork can be pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and fennel bulbs.  Cook, covered, until the pork is tender and the vegetables are soft, 15 to 20 minutes more.  Remove the thyme sprigs.
Serve the stew sprinkled with the thyme leaves and fennel fronds and with the bread on the side.

blueberry banana coconut smoothie

My daughter and I made this smoothie for the family during "Sunday stations" when we decided to blend up something we'd never tried before.  I wanted to use up some coconut cream so we found this recipe.  It was a super big hit.  After making one recipe we made another batch because everyone wanted more.  It's thick and really smooth.  One of my husband's favorites for sure.

blueberry banana coconut smoothie (adapted by eating made easy) 
1/2 can (15.5 ounce) coconut cream from Trader Joe's
2 tablespoons water
2 ripe bananas
2 cups frozen blueberries 

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Add 2 tablespoons more water if necessary.

flip flop cookies

A cute girl I know is having a swim party tomorrow so I'm getting ready.  These were too cute not to make and they're sure to not be a flop.

flip flop cookies (you can find the all over the internet!)
Nutter Butter cookies
icing, colored
red hots, mini m&m's or whatever!

Lay out your cookies, pipe some icing onto the cookies and place a red hot where the lines meet.
Aloha!