summer cooking

 

we use our grill pretty much year round.

because we live in a climate that allows for that sort of thing.

but in summer we use it about 5 days a week.

we are grillers.

 

grill of choice?

 

 

the weber.

 

i love it bc it's small, relatively un-hideous and easy to clean.

it's also right around $100.

and ina uses one.

 

 

mostly we cook chicken and steak and pork chops on it but once in a while we grill up some fish.

this past saturday was one such occasion.

and let me tell you..

that shit was really good.

 

at whole foods i was perusing the fish selection and noticed a fish i had never heard of..

paiche.

the lady behind the counter pronounced it PA-CHAY.

i pronounced it PESH,

like DEPECHE MODE..

which essentially morphed into DEFISH MODE and this is when the weird looks started.

 

anyway..

she assured me it was sturdy which was what i was looking for.

i wanted to cook the fish really simply, directly on a grill with just some salt and pepper, a little oil and lots of fresh dill.

she was trying to sell me on a plank.

and i was like...defish mode wants dill and cedar and maple are not friends with dill.

 

there was no skin on defish mode so i knew it could stick to my weber and ruin my life later.

but i was willing to take a gamble.

so paiche it was..

 

 

 

i lubed DFM up with some evoo and s&p and laid a bunch of fresh dill on top and let him sit at room temp for about 20 minutes..

 

i didn't even oil up my grill!  which i do not recommend.

i just forgot, he barely stuck to it though.

i can only attribute this to the fact that the grill was hot as fuck and seared him to an acceptable state of crispness, which made him lift off the grill with some ease.

but again...i do not recommend this.

oil your grill people.

 

 

it came out perfect.

 

i served it (and this is honestly maybe what took it into post-worthy territory) with some buttermilk dressing..

 

which i dressed some arugula with and also spooned over the fish.

 

it was so damn good.

i also served it with a cucumber salad,

which was delicious as well.

i sucked down the remains the next day and it was even better. 

 

 

if you can't find defish mode anywhere..you can substitute any firm, white fish.

snapper, cod, halibut...

but try to find it if you can.

if you have a whole foods you can go up to the fish department and ask them to order it for you.

they will more than likely look at you funny (esp if you call it defish mode) but be persistent.

i flirted with the guy who works in the freezer isle stocking all my GF shit and now i am NEVER without my amy's gluten free sandwich rounds.

 

anyway..

the recipe is simple:

1 3/4 lb fish of choice (this equalled about 3 4-6 oz portions for us)

fresh dill

salt and pepper

olive oil

coat fish like the picture above.

let rest at room temp for 15 to 20 minutes.

stick on a piping hot, oiled grill and leave for 5-7 minutes on one side until a crust forms.

flip and leave for 1-2 minutes.

(less time if your fish is smaller or thinner)

a sprinkling of maldon sea salt at the end is a nice touch.

 

 

buttermilk dressing:

 

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup créme fraiche (sour cream works)

1/4 rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

3/4 tablespoon celery salt

1 teaspoon (or to taste) hot sauce

salt and pepper (careful with the salt bc celery salt is salty)

1 teaspoon of chopped fresh dill

 

mix all ingredients together.

taste.  

add more salt and/or hot sauce as you desire.

 

 

cucumber salad:

 

2 cucumbers ( i use hot house, or "seedless" or european cucumbers bc i like the taste better)

1 small red onion 

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 

1/4 cup of mirin

1 teaspoon agave nectar or 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil or mild tasting oil

salt and pepper

 

peel the cucumbers and cut them in half.

scoop out the seeds.

chop them into half-moons.

peel and chop the onion in half.

slice thinly into half-moons as well.

add all ingredients together in a bowl. 

adjust seasoning.

 

at the last minute toss your aruglua with the dressing and then spoon additional dressing over the fish.

 

eat that fucker bc it's gooder than hell.

 

 

happy tuesday!

 

 

new. i. phone.

were you as shocked as me to see some crazy ass chickens and wayward snakes pop up when you visited this morning?

i'm referring to the new art at the top of the page. 

at least that's what i see when i look at it.

 

the chickens have escaped

20 x 30 canvas.

 

gotta keep it fresh and exciting around here.

 

it's monday.

it's july. 

i leave for england in 11 days and i got a new iphone.

 

 

five!!

i made the plunge.

 

here's why..

 i was eligible for an upgrade from my iphone 3 (the lamest).

and i had the option of $99 for a 4 with siri-

or $199 for a 5 with siri.

the five's camera is seriously better than most cameras anywhere.

plus pictures are a big part of my job.

so it's a TAX WRITE OFF!!!

 

and now we don't have to lug around a video camera with us on vacation because iphone 5. 

 

i have a funny story to share about buying the phone..

it goes back to all the racist nonsense last week and how my brain and heart have been affected for life.

i waited in the store for a while as there were only 2 men working and they were both with customers.

when the young, black man came to help me (he was super nerdy cute..like pharrel..black nerd glasses and wingtips with brightly colored laces and a sweater vest)..

he took me to look at the phones i was to choose from and said..

do you want the black one....or the white one?

it hit me in my face like someone trying to wake me from a coma. 

i smiled and giggled nervously..

 if i said i wanted the white one he would think i was a total racist.

so i have to choose black!

seriously..not even kidding this is what went through my mind.

i said "black!!"

then.."no...wait a minute..white!!!"

then.."hmmm...well i like the white a lot..BUT ONLY BC I HAD BLACK LAST TIME!"

how pathetic is that?

but also hilarious.

in the end i chose white.

which is sort of inaccurate anyway bc in person it is way more silver than white.

 

 funny how the conscious and subconscious work.

 

anyway..

i am sure you all are dying to see the eighthundredandthousand pictures i took this weekend with my new phone..

so here you go:

 

this candle smells like what narnia probably smells like.

my new fave. 

gilt had a half off diptyque sale a while back, i got 2 for the price of one. the other is lilas and it smells ordinary. not impressed.

 

 

smoothies.

 

kennilworth ivy looking sharp.

(from seed bitches!!)

 

prettiest.

 

nicolas bb.

 

 

belle.

 

 

fiona pretends to be a kitty.  a lot. 

 

easy summer styling.

 

the cutest drain pipe ever.

 

one of my top 3 fave houses in my hood.

 

this one is my absolute favorite.

looks like a farmhouse.

a rather unfortunate front walk though.

 

this one was a shit hole before they completely transformed it.

they did an amazing job.

i wanted to get more pics..bc the side/garage/portico thing is fantastic.

but i felt weird taking pictures of people's houses to begin with.

 

 

i gave mike a much needed haircut.

 

GF banana bread.

SO good.

recipe to follow.

 

this picture is kind of no big deal in terms of anything pretty..

but i wanted to include it bc with my old phone not only would it be grainy and dark,  but i wouldn't have been able to get half of what you see here in the shot from standing in the same spot.

still dark bc it was overcast but not grainy!

 

so happy.

 

i have more food pics and a few really awesome shareworthy recipes to come tomorrow.

but for now make this banana bread.

based on smitten kitchen's crackly banana bread only slightly re-adjusted and made gluten free by me. 

3 ripe bananas
1 large egg or 2 small.
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed until it liquefies.
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

 

Preheat your oven to 350°F and butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In the bottom of a large bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until virtually smooth but a few tiny lumps remain. Whisk in egg, then oil, brown sugar, syrup and vanilla extract. Sprinkle baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves over mixture and stir until combined. Stir in flours until just combined.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes. Cool loaf in pan on rack.

serve warm with BUTTERRRRRR. 

 

if you are using the almond and coconut flours it will brown on top really quickly.

if it looks like it's getting too dark adjust your oven temp.

i was changing mine from 350 to 400 back to 350 for a good portion of the cooking time.

you could also substitute any GF all purpose flour.

 

 

this post was long.

damn.

 

 

happy monday!!

 

 

sunday sale

 

i am a fan of free people but their prices are steep.

so..sale!!

 

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

 

here is my experience with their clothes.

1. they run big. so order a size (or 2) smaller. even if you think, "no way". 

2. read the reviews!!  i have been deterred from many an item based on the reviews.

 

i am ordering that red sweater so don't take the last small. 

 

 

early morning glow

 

so last night i put a different kind of mask on my face.

 

it was 100% clear.

 

and it was this:

 

 

in a post last week i shared that a reader had suggested we all use this on our grills during a long flight and then take it off when we landed revealing glowy baby skin.

so i bought it.

it came in the mail yesterday and i tried it last night..

 

the results are kind of awesome, right?

 

that is a glow akin to someone eating a raw vegan diet.

and my 7 days a week nutella on toast/wine habit only proves that this stuff works.

 

plus it smells like straight up rose heaven.

 

get it, ok?

you won't regret it.

 

speaking of regret.

 

you may have noticed that i pulled all posts surrounding paulagate cum mfambgate. (haha you said cum)

there was just too much out there being written about me that simply wasn't true.

i am still getting hate mail on the hour and if you could sit in my shoes for one minute you'd see that i made the right choice to pull it, rather than continue to defend my point. 

even if i know the things being said are juvenile and incorrect it's not fun being on the receiving end of such negativity and poison.

my readers who know me know where i come from and who i am. 

and that is all that matters to me.

the rest can go scratch. (to quote the most graceful, eloquent housewife of all time- teresa guidice)

if anyone out there wants to email me and talk about anything constructively i encourage them to do so.

but i am done talking about it on the blog.

i promise.

and i will be deleting any comments that are hurtful in any way.

 

 

in other news-

i am WAY more famous now than i was last thursday.

i think i blew up squarespace for a minute.