Red Snapper & Black Beans

While waiting for the Texas Bar Results to come out, there was no doubt in my mind that Sebastien had passed. However, when we found out it was actually true we wanted to celebrate!! Instead of going out to a fancy dinner, I decided to clean the house & cook one myself... ah the celebration of the poor :)

Here is Tobias waiting in the clean family room 

Even though the snapper was a bit pricey, this dish turned out yummy, so it was worth it for a once in a while type of thing!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained & rinsed
3 Tbs chopped red onion
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/8 tsp pepper, divided
1-2 drops hot pepper sauce (although I added a lot more!)
3 Tbs flour
2 red snapper fillets, 8 oz each (you can also use grouper)
1.5 tsp butter
1 Tbs minced fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. In saucepan, combine beans, onion, 1 Tbs oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1/8 tsp salt, dash pepper, & pepper sauce. Cook, uncovered, over low-heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, in shallow bowl, combine flour, & remaining salt & pepper. Dip fillets in flour mixture.

I wasn't sure if I could cook it with the skin on or not, so I decided to take it off...grossest thing EVER. It felt sooo fishy.

3. In a large skillet, heat butter and remaining oil over medium heat. Cook fillets 5-6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Top with bean mixture; sprinkle with cilantro.

Not the best picture, but I love when my boys play together!! And how do you like our "kitchen table"??  It doubles as a coffee table. HA! 

 Hope you enjoy making this dish too!!

XOXO,

Rally to Restore Sanity

So this is a little bit late, but on October 30th I took advantage of living in DC & went to my first "political" rally! Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert (of The Daily Show and Colbert Report fame, respectively) put on a Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on the National Mall. There was an estimated 250,000 people in attendance to hear the musical guests and other speakers.

Sebastien & I got separated from our group and thought we would just catch up with them when we got there...didn't happen.

Here I am sporting my Halloween shirt!

Always exciting to see the Capital

People on their way to the Rally

These people were from Hawaii!! Crazy

There were so many people there our phones didn't even work!

This is where we waited until we got in. 

There were 3 different sections - VIP (who knows how you get in there!), Special Guest (had to have a ticket), and regular...ew. No one wants to be just regular! So I sat on an electrical box until we convinced the guards at the gate (yes guards!) to let us in as Special Guests :)

SWAT Team!

Collective Cheek Pop!

Haha I liked this instruction - laugh like a mad scientist! This is the view from my seat on the box

Kid Rock

Finally Inside!!!! WOO!

It was a really fun day with GREAT weather!! The overall message was basically think for yourself. Try to see through the games that are being played in the media and politics right now and vote for who you think is right and who can change what needs to be fixed. There was no blatant support for either democrats or republicans, which I thought was great. Thank you Jon & Stephen!!

XOXO,

DC Day Trip: Skyline Drive

A couple weeks back, I decided it would be fun to take advantage of the beautiful fall season here on the East Coast & go to Skyline Drive. It's actually part of Shenendoah National Park in Virginia. It took the three of us (Sebastien, Tobias, & myself) about 2 hours to get there from DC, but that included us getting lost...oops! It should probably take about 1.5 or so.

It costs $15 to take the 1.5 drive down Skyline - something I wasn't aware of until we got there...

This was our first attempt at a family picture on the mountain

A fellow traveler offered to take it for us

We brought a picnic in the fabulous picnic backpack/basket Isa gave me for Christmas last year, but there weren't really any places to picnic except giant areas in the forest where you couldn't see the pretty views. Even though we were STARVING, I didn't want to stop there. We drove about 30 miles in & found a spot at an observation spot that seemed to be big enough to set up a picnic.

We had stopped at the Farmer's Market in DuPont earlier that day & gotten some cranberry pecan bread & a couple jars of jam that we wanted to try :) YUMMY!!

Notice Tobias is wearing his Texans bandana b/c they had a big game that day! 

Sebastien is on this picnic because the game was not on TV :)

I went to Skyline Drive when I was little & living in Va, & I just remember the trees being SO beautiful! I kind of jumped the gun going so early into Fall this time though. The trees hadn't really changed that much, so while the view was really pretty, it wasn't the full "Skyline Drive Effect" that I had hoped for.

My mountain version of the "feet on the beach" picture

So as you can see, it's pretty but there aren't a whole lot of colors going on. Maybe we'll get to go another time this month! Fall trees changing is one of my FAVORITE things, so I want to be sure I take full advantage while I'm in a place where they actually change!!

XOXO,

DC Eats - Ris

Isa & RV (Sebastien's parents) came into town last weekend, which means we finally got to eat a fancy dinner! Sebastien & I have eaten out a couple times, but nothing too crazy. He picked up an issue of Washingtonian the other day that had a list of 25 restaurants to check out, so we chose one from there & we were on our way!

We decided on Ris because it didn't seem too out there (other restaurants featured dishes like fried tongue... no thank you!), & it seemed to be reasonably priced. The inside had a modern but elegant feel, but we asked to be seated outside because it was such a beautiful evening!!

Inside Dining

We all started with an appetizer: Scallop Margarita- lime marinated scallops with chile, orange, avacado, and tequila ice; Jumbo Lump Crab Cake- the jalapeno corn cream made it different & yummy!; Crudos- sesame seared tuna; & the special for that night which was sardines. Wish I could remember how they were cooked, etc - sorry! Everything was great, but the consensus at the table was the Isa's sardines were the best!

Scallop Margarita

The "Fish on Friday" entree special was trout, but since they were all out (even though it was only 8pm!) we got 2 Carolina Grouper & 2 Grilled Brace of Quail. The grouper was served on a fried green tomato with rice, artichokes, shrimp & preserved lemon. Loved it! The quail came with wild almond rice, chanterelle mushrooms, figs, and pancetta. I didn't try the quail because I'm a baby, but it looked yummy! And we learned (with the help of the iphone) that "brace of quail" just means two quail. Who knew?

Dessert was - Eh, nothing to write home about. I got the summer fruit cobbler & Sebastien got the chocolate milkshake. I wasn't really impressed with either, but you can't really mess them up.

Overall, we all really liked the restaurant! We had great wine & great service too. I'd definitely recommend this restaurant for a date night. *It's pronounced just like "wrist" but without the "t"*

Ris
2275 L St, NW
www.risdc.com

XOXO,

365 Day Challenge

I wish I could take credit for this, but I saw it on a couple friend's facebook pages & absolutely LOVED the idea!! Here's the challenge - every day take a picture of something that makes you happy. Easy! You can post it for the world to see, or you can keep it to yourself. It's such a simple concept, but I think it will help us all to remember to be happy with the little things in our lives & appreciate each & every day no matter what kind of day it is!

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."
-- Mary Jean Iron


Day 1: beautiful fall trees in my beautiful neighborhood!

XOXO,

Fall Recipe - Chunky Pecan Muffins

This recipe for Chunky Pecan Muffins was sent to me by my Momma. They are oh so delicious, & not the least bit healthy! YEAH! As noted on the recipe - it only makes a dozen so double as needed. These babies went FAST at my house (and there were only 3 people eating them!)

Chunky Pecan Muffins

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup melted margarine, divided

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl.

2. In separate bowl, mix egg, milk, syrup, & 1/2 cup margarine.

3. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

4. Stir in pecans & vanilla.

5. Fill greased muffin pan 2/3 full & bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes

6. Combine sugar & cinnamon in one bowl, & the rest of the melted margarine in another.

7. Dip tops of warm muffins in margarine & then dip in sugar mixture.

SO GOOD! They are so easy (as you can tell) & very fall-y. By the time I thought to take a picture, they were all gone. Enjoy!

XOXO,

Fall Recipe - Pumpkin Bread

So I have decided that I love cooking & baking - who would have thought?? I am a little timid still about trying to put my own spin on recipes, but I've been forced to do just that a few times recently because I don't want to go buy a whole bottle of something to use for just a tsp. ANYWAY. I thought I'd share some recipes that I've been trying!

The cold weather we've been having here in DC just screams for pumpkin bread! My mom gave me a recipe box when I moved, but alas no pumpkin bread recipe! I was forced to google it. Anyway. I found a lot of good ones, but this one seemed the most unhealthy, so I thought it probably tasted the best! Haha. I was right! Delicious :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread: (Yields - 2 medium loaves)

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, half melted
3 eggs
16 oz pure pumpkin (1 can)

Also, I decided to add in some pecans to one loaf (since it makes two - just in case it wasn't good!) But it is DELICIOUS! I had some left-over pecans from when I made some muffins (recipe to come later - AMAZING!), but I would guess it was about 1/2 or so.

Below are the directions with my own add-ins denoted by a *

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
      * Umm...why don't they ever just say PAM! Everyone uses pam or knows what it is. It's easier to    
       say.
2. Combine flour, spices, salt, baking powder, baking soda in medium bowl, set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, dump in the sugar. Take the butter and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, so that it's half melted. Dump it into the sugar. Add the eggs. Cream these three ingredients together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and combine well.
     *I don't believe in a woman getting a stand mixer until she's married. Not quite sure where that notion started, but I'm sticking to it - hence, no mixer for me. So here's how I altered those directions:
      - But the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt it. Dump the sugar in THAT bowl (too hard to get melted butter out of a bowl - duh!). Add the eggs. Mix it together with a fork (nope, don't have a whisk either) until your arm hurts. Switch arms. Switch arms one last time. Ask your friend (Michelle!) what "fluffy" is supposed to look like. Stir it a little more. You're done with that part! Add the pumpkin. Stir some more.
4. In three batches, add the dry ingredients and mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch.
5. Pour half the batter into one of the prepared pans. 
   * For the next loaf, I added the pecans! Chopped them up fairly well & mixed them into the batter, then dumped the rest in the remaining pan.
6. Bake side by side for about an hour or until a knife comes out clean.
    * Our oven, though not as old as our apartment, doesn't restrain itself to the set temperatures of what it's knob says. It likes to be more free. While I support this, it makes it hard to cook. I must have cooked my bread for 1.5 hours and it is still not quite what I wanted it to be. However, I did enjoy licking the knife every time it came out with batter on it! YUM!


Here are my creations. You can see which one we like best - pecans! Duh. 
Enjoy! 

**Tip: Just a little precaution - tsp = teaspoon. Tbs = tablespoon. I wouldn't want you to make the same mistake I made when I was younger that I can never live down - my Salt Block Chocolate Chip Cookies, as my brother so lovingly named them. Gross! Happy Baking :)

xoxo