better than mr. fish taco tacos

there's a little taco stand at the bay of sea of cortez in mexico called "mr. fish taco". i've had the privilege of eating there maybe a dozen times. it's good...but it's not this good. i could make a killing off tourists in puerto penasco. i think that's my next plan. happy tasting!

courtesy of: food network mag
serves: 4
30 minutes

- vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup mayo
- salt
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/4 lbs skinless halibut fillet, cut into 2" x 1/2" pieces
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup fresh salsa

1. heat about 3" of veggie oil in a medium pot over med-low heat until a deep fry thermometer reads 375. meanwhile, toss the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, honey, and mayo in a bowl. season with salt.

2. warm the tortillas in a skillet over med-low heat or wrap in a damp cloth and microwave for 25 seconds. wrap in a towel to keep warm.

3. mix the flour, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a shallow bowl. dredge the fish in the flour mixture, then fry in batches until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 min. transfer with a slotted spoon or skimmer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. season with salt.

4. halve, pit, and slice the avocado. fill the tortillas with the fish, avocado, slaw, and salsa. serve with lime wedges.

shrimp boil

oh southern domestic goddess who invented the "clam bake"... you are good.

it never fails. every time i take my kids to the supermarket, my oldest begs for shrimp. BEGS! it's ridiculous. i saw this recipe and knew we had to try it at least once, for her. not only did e devour her plate, but my other two children did too and, if i'm honest, it was the first time i have ever gotten over stuffed on my own cooking the first time i ran the recipe {i'm too critical and too skeptical of new dishes i make, it usually takes a few runs to get it just right}. this one will not disappoint and it will be made several times over. happy tasting!

courtesy of: food network mag
serves: 4 {or two small adults and three small children}
40 min {seriously!}

- 2 lemons, halved, plus wedges for serving
- 1/2 cup old bay seasoning {yes, 1/2 CUP. this is not a typo}
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 large red onion, quartered
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 lb baby red potatoes
- 4 ears corn, husked and snapped in half
- 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, unpeeled
- 2 tbsp butter
- hot sauce for serving {optional}

1. fill a large pot with 4 qts water {i had to use my lobster pot}. squeeze the lemon juice into the water and add the squeezed lemon halves, watch for seeds! add the old bay, garlic, and onion. tie the thyme together with kitchen twine and add to the pot. cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.

2. add the potatoes to the pot and cook until just tender, about 10 min. add the corn and cook another 5 min.

3. meanwhile, if your shrimp has not been deveined, do so and rinse. add to the pot, cover and cook until pink, 2-3 min.

4. transfer the shrimp and vegetables with a slotted spoon or skimmer to a large bowl. add the butter and about 1 cup of the stock. mix until the butter is melted. transfer the shrimp and veggies to a platter. serve with remaining broth, lemon slices, and hot sauce.

DONE!

lemon cupcakes, raspberry filling, lemon buttercream

vampire bakery was in full swing on friday night with many sweet confections coming from my oven in the wee hours of saturday. i was frosting these luscious delights at 2am. warning: they are sweet, sweet, sweet, but the raspberry filling is the perfect compliment. happy tasting!

courtesy of: missi
adapted from: baking bites and sprinkles cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes

lemon cupcakes:
- 2 2/3 cup flour, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 c butter, room temp
- 1 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest or 1 tsp lemon extract (i used 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk

1. preheat oven to 350. line muffin pan with cupcake cups.

2. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. in a very large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and lemon until just combined. add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla. alternate 1/3 flour mixture and 1/2 milk, starting and ending with flour mixture, and beat until just combined.

4. divide batter among muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. bake for 16 - 19 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. cool completely on a wire rack.

while cupcakes are baking, start the raspberry filling.

raspberry filling:
- 24 oz frozen raspberries (not thawed and not packed in syrup)
- 1 1/3 cup and 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp cornstarch

1. in a large saucepan, combine raspberries, 1 1/3 cup water, sugar, and lemon juice. bring to a boil and then simmer for 15- 20 min.

2. remove the mixture from heat and strain. return strained mixture to heat.

3. dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup water and add to saucepan, whisk to combine. bring back to a boil and simmer for 5 min, stirring occasionally.

4. remove from heat and cool completely, stirring occasionally. it may take a while to set up, but it will thicken like jelly. (the leftovers are excellent on toast!)

5. using a flavor injector, icing bag and tip, medicine syringe, or whathaveyou, fill the cooled cupcakes with approx 1tbsp raspberry filling.

while everything cools, make the icing.

lemon buttercream icing:
- 1 cup butter, room temp
- 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 lemon, juice and zest of (i used 2 tsp lemon extract)
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt

1. combine butter, sugar, and salt. beat until well combined.

2. add lemon and vanilla and continue to beat for another 3-5 min or until creamy.

*buttercream will crust and is thick. i added yellow food coloring as seen above.

3. frost cooled, filled cupcakes and enjoy!

pb cereal cookies

over the snack table today, i was reading the side panel of our cheerio's box when i came across this strange recipe. since i had all four ingredients listed, i decided to try it and you know what? it was good! i particularly like the added crunch from the cheerio's. happy tasting!

courtesy of: cheerio's box
yield: 2 dozen cookies

- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups cheerios (any flavor)

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. in a bowl, with a wooden spoon, combine sugar, peanut butter, and egg until well mixed. add cereal.

3. drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet (i used parchment paper) and pat down tops. bake for 12 - 15 min. cookies may appear undone, but will firm as they cool. allow to cool 2 min and remove to a wire rack.

watermelon salad

summertime always makes me think of watermelon and in arizona, we have an abundance of both. not sure what to do with all that seedless heaven? solution: watermelon salad! there are so many variations of this fresh, light dish that i could never decide which one is best. i can decide that this one is the easiest and my favorite. happy tasting!

courtesy of: missi
adapted from: food network magazine
serves: 6-8

- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cups watermelon, cubed and patted dry
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- handful of mint, thinly sliced
- 1/4c olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- handful of cashews, chopped (optional)
- 6oz goat cheese, crumbled

1. in a small bowl, soak the red onion in cold water for 10 min.

2. then, in a large bowl, combine watermelon, cucumber, onion, and mint. add olive oil and lemon juice. toss. top with cashews and goat cheese.

3. refrigerate 20 minutes and serve chilled.

*tip: add cold pasta the following day for a quick pasta salad.