Quick Halibut with Capers in White Wine Reduction

Halibut is one fish I have never cooked. Eaten and enjoyed? Heavens, yes. A rather delicate fish and not as common of a catch as salmon, I didn't want to try a practice recipe on what the Fisherman brought home.  But I certainly didn't have a tried and true recipe ready in my handy recipe binder. A 5 minute Google search yielded this little gem from Allrecipes.com. So, I took a deep breath and got started. This recipe was so simple and had so much surprising flavor! Ready in under 30 minutes, start to finish. A new favorite.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 8oz halibut steaks (I used 1 piece about 10oz)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons capers with liquid

Heat medium size frying pan. Add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the fish and brown on both sides. About 6 minutes. Remove before finished cooking.

Add the wine, scraping brown bits up, and reduce until almost evaporated. Toss in butter, garlic, salt and pepper and simmer for a minute or so.

Return the fish to the pan and coat with sauce. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately, pouring sauce over each fillet. I served over quinoa. For more of my favorite recipes, follow along with my Pinterest board, Eat!
Enjoy!
xo,
Amy

Thrift Score

One 15 minute mad dash (with a couple of rests on the stairs) through a tiny, local shop yielded this little haul. Happy day! Not sure what the vintage sheet will become...an easy gathered skirt for something "new" to wear after this wee one gets here, I'm thinking. The tiny Scottie dog bowl simply had to come home with me. Perfect for the end of season fresh strawberry snack or to hold crafty bits later. A happy haul, for sure.

Simple Marinara Sauce

My ingredients vary widely as does how much of this or that I throw in. Cooking with what I have on hand, what needs to be pulled from the garden or what might have been deliciously bountiful at the farmers market is what ends up in the pot. I also don't actually measure. Adjust for what works to your own taste. You really can't go wrong. Here is my basic go to recipe:

6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes, include juice
3-4 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes (or an additional 28oz can tomatoes)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
dash of balsamic vinegar or red wine
salt and pepper to taste

If you feel daring or need to clear out the veggie bin (note the end of summer squash chopped and simmered into the pot above) toss in one or more:
1 shredded carrot
2 stalks chopped celery
1/2 bell pepper
3 small squash, chopped

Heat heavy, large pan over medium heat. Add oil. Toss in onions until clear. Then add garlic. Cook for a minute or so. Pour in tomatoes, herbs, vinegar or wine, and any other veggies that please you. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, uncovered. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. For more of my favorite recipes, follow along with my Pinterest board, Eat!
Enjoy!
xo,
Amy

Lola. Our Black Sex Linked Hen

Lola is one of our Black Sex Linked laying hens. See the touch of iridescent in her feathers? She's a pretty one and likes to strut her stuff. Here she is coming in from the rain.

The other girls pretend not to notice as Lola rocks to her own tune. 

 A few things to ponder if you are considering this breed:

• mega layers! these girls lay around 300 eggs per year.

• chosen for their above mentioned egg laying power house but sometimes used as dual purpose
• they are less aggressive than Rhode Island Reds but they can be pretty darn bossy themselves
• a hardy bird, good for colder climates
• averaging 5.5 to 9 pounds
• their name come from the direct link between their color and their sex: females are a beautiful iridescent black, males have much more red
• beautiful chocolate brown eggs
• a cross between Rhode Island Red and Barr Rock

Do you have chickens or thinking about them? What are your favorite breeds? For more ideas and resources on raising chickens, follow along with my Pinterest board, Chickens and Garden!

Enjoy!

xo,

Amy

Dilly Beans with Thyme

Dill is not my favorite herb. And it's very difficult to find fresh here on the Central Coast. So, I used the thyme I had in abundance from our garden and, boy howdy! This is my current favorite snack. They should really be called Pickled Green Beans with Thyme but I grew up on Dilly Beans so regardless of the herb, that is what I shall always call them. Like bacon in any given recipe, I also double the garlic from the original recipe to be eaten enjoyed as well.

Recipe originally found in Ball Blue Book with a few tweaks of my own.
Ingredients:
2 pounds green beans
1/4c canning salt
2 1/2c water
2 1/2c vinegar
2tsp pepper flakes
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
one big handful of thyme or other herb that sounds good to you (dill, oregano, etc)

Trim ends off the beans and cut to fit in the jar. Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pack beans lengthwise leaving a 1/4" headspace. Tuck garlic and herbs in around beans. Sprinkle pepper in each jar.Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/4" headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims. Adjust two piece lids. Process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.

Yield: about 4 pints, 2 quarts, or 8 half pints.

This is not a complete canning lesson. More of a simple recipe. For a few great canning tutorials online, head here:

• Ball Jar Company has an abundant website full of recipes, tips, and resources. See the basics here.
• Simple Bites Canning 101 is easy to follow and you'll enjoy poking around this lovely food blog

For more of my favorite ideas and resources on canning, please follow along with my Pinterest board, Can It!

Enjoy!

xo,

Amy

Bed Rest DIY Project Round Up

All is well but Chillaxin' is the order of the week by my midwife and by order of my Fisherman. Carrying both of my boys required three months of full bedrest. Practicing Spanish, stacks of audiobooks, learning new embroidery stitches...I kept busy.

I'm not worried about this wee one either, just taking it easy to keep things calm and rolling along in good time. A little walk here and there and getting up to cut out 24 tiny  pinwheels are all on my Can Do list. Then it's back down for resting. Not exactly resting. One can get a heck of a lot done while laying on your side. Trust me.

Later this week I'll be sharing more of what I've been working on but for now, here's a round up of projects to do while on bedrest, full or moderate. Oh, and here's a great over-view article with a list of things you might not of thought of if this is your first rodeo time on bedrest. One word to the wise: ask for help in prep and gathering materials. People want to support you, they just might not know dropping by a handful of glue sticks will make your day.

1. Stitching Handwriting on Cards 2. Sweater Wreath 3. Home Management Binder 
4. Handmade Envelopes from Magazines 5. Paper Pinwheels  6. Organize Recipes
7. Photobooks 8. Scrap Map 9. Learn to Embroider Videos

For more of my favorite crafty ideas, follow along with my Pinterest board, Handmade!
Enjoy!
 xo,
Amy

Radishes: Pickled, Fermented, Just Plain Sliced

Headed out to the garden today and found a handful of radishes ready for harvesting. Our fall garden is just starting to kick in. Time to plant more radishes! The first two I nibbled on while the chickens kept me company. Now...what to do with the rest. I'm thinking...

Marissa of Food in Jars has a quick pickled radish recipe posted on Serious Eats.

Or maybe give fermenting a try? Serious Eats shares how here. 

Martha has a plethora of radish recipes just waiting for me to try.

We'll see! How do you like to enjoy your radishes? For more of my favorite foodie ideas and recipes, follow along my Pinterest board: Eat!