{Recipe} Macadamia-Crusted Fish

Today I have another recipe to share with you. I know I know -- I keep promising pictures of the house but to be honest, pictures are going to have to wait just a few more days. We are having our housewarming party this weekend, SO everything (sans craftroom) will be mostly completed and ready to be shown =)

My grandparents gave us a cookbook as part of our wedding gift and we just now pulled it out this weekend to try a new recipe. I'm so happy we did this! The recipe we decided to try was

Macadamia-Crusted Mahi Mahi

::INGREDIENTS::
1 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 egg
2 tsp water
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2-4 fillets mahi mahi (<-- we used trigger fish)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp ginger

::DIRECTIONS::
-In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, macadamia nuts, salt, and pepper.
-In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and water.
-Coat fillets with flour, the dip in egg mixture; roll fillet in nut mixture.
-In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook fillets for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden brown.
-In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger. Optional: microwave sauce, uncovered, on high for 30-60 seconds.
-Drizzle sauce over fish.

This was a fairly simple recipe from our Taste of Home cookbook. We paired it with mac 'n' cheese, although I think next time we will try some garlic mashed potatoes. No judging the sides either -- I know the meal isn't balanced...that's how I roll haha =)  Oh and J didn't like the ginger, so he made his own sauce with the soy sauce and brown sugar.

I loved the texture and flavor of the crust mixed with the sauce. As previously mentioned, we used trigger fish as we didn't have an mahi.

Where do you normally find your new recipes?

The Best Dessert. EVER.

This year, we hosted Thanksgiving. I was so excited to do so but so nervous! There was so much food to be prepped and cooked and I had the scary task of undertaking the pecan pie. This may seem silly to you, but for the entirety of my life, my mother has made THE best pecan pie ever. I had to live up to that standard. I was so scared. I wanted to bake it and then try it and if it was good, I would make another. Well with us trying to get completely settled before Thanksgiving, I didn't have the opportunity to make a pie and try it. Thanksgiving morning was the only time I had to make the attempt. Needless to say it was amazing. My mom LOVED it - she liked it better than what she had made. Well low and behold, the recipe I used was one that she lost in a move ten years ago. So this was her original recipe from her grandmother =)

:Ingredients:

Pillsbury pie crust (in the refrigerated section)

1 cup Karo Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

:Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350

Over low heat, combine Karo and sugar in a small pot. Stir the mixture periodically until sugar has melted (I complete the next steps and by then the sugar has melted)

Roll out pie crust into a pie pan -- be sure to sprinkle a little flour into the bottom of the pie pan before you insert the pie crust. Also sprinkle a little flour onto the dough before adding the pie part.

Chop up pecans, until you have 1 cup; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs. Add sugar/syrup to eggs and mix together. Gradually mix in chopped pecans. Add 1 tsp vanilla and mix together. Pour pie mixture into pie crust. Bake 45-60 minutes; or when top is golden brown and the pie doesn't jiggle =)

This was SO YUMMY-LICIOUS that I made a SECOND pie Saturday afternoon and one at my parent's house for them Saturday night =)

The Wedding was Beautiful

Just wanted a share with y'all a couple pictures from our friend's wedding. It was really sweet -- they both became very choked up during the vows. They looked so excited and just glowing all night! It was also fun to get out of the house and not have to worry about installing baseboard or unpacking a box lol =)

    

 

 

I'm so glad we were able to be part of their special day =)

Happy Wedding Day

One of my sister's best friends is getting married today! I have watched this girl grow up over the past several years - her and my sister have been friends since at LEAST high school! Now 8 years later, my family and I will get to watch her walk down the aisle, while my sister stands by her side as her maid of honor.



Engagement Picture



Picture from my sister's wedding in which she was a bridesmaid

I am so so happy for her and her groom-to-be; I know she is going to be beautiful!

Congratulations Krysten and Billy!!!

Lots of pictures to come next week from this and a (hopefully) finished house!

Happy Friday!

Thanksgiving is BEFORE Christmas

Hello!!

We still do not have the computer up and running, although we DO have internet at the house. BUT since the computer is still in a box, probably until Saturday, I have no pictures to post =/

We have been super busy with getting the rest of the house unpacked - we only have the craft room and the man-room/office to unpack. Then it will be time to hang pictures =) I'm really looking forward to that because I feel like having stuff on those huge walls will help bring everything together.

We purchased appliances on Friday after work -- the refrigerator and dishwasher will be delivered and installed on Saturday. The microwave won't be delivered until December 7 =( BUT at least we still had the counter top microwave to bring to the new house...even if we don't use it, at least it is an option for us =)

We have volunteered to host Thanksgiving for our families this year! I am so excited! We will have the space to actually host and the available seating and counter space! I am really looking forward to cooking and baking for our families =)

I walked into WalMart this weekend and there was a Christmas countdown I walked by -- 43 days...what?! that can NOT be correct. it was people! Today marks 39 days until Christmas!

Has anyone else seen the Christmas decor already go up - even on the light poles in parking lots?! I have friends on FB who have even pulled out their Christmas decoration already. Now I LOVE Christmas and the whole Christmas season just as much as the next person, but can we please give thanks first?! Maybe I really feel this way this year because I am looking forward to decorating and being festive for Autumn/Thanksgiving, but there are already Christmas tree tents up on the sides of the road! J and I usually wait until at LEAST the weekend after Thanksgiving, if not until December before we put our Christmas decor up.

For Christmas this year, my family has planned a progressive dinner for Christmas Eve. The Husband and I are hosting the appetizers and drinks; my sister and her husband will host the main dinner; we'll all go to church and then it's back to my parent's house for dessert and gift giving. I'm really looking forward to this as well =)

I just love the holiday season and this time of year =) I can't wait to start sharing pictures and crafts with you again =) AND I am looking forward to hosting dinners and parties this year =) Oh and let us not forget the 2nd annual cookie baking party =)

Do you decorate for Autumn? When does your Christmas decor make an appearance?

Make Sure to Thank a Veteran

Today is Veteran's Day -- which I am sure you all know. I thank my dad every year for his service and dedication to his family and country.

 

Daddy joined in the early '80's; He and my mom met serving in the U.S. Navy way back in 1984 and have been together since. My mom discharged from the service while my dad continued to make a career for himself in the organization.

He has stationed with the Marines, deployed on a ship for 6 months in the mid-90's, stationed in Iraq for a year, spent 6 months in Cuba and finally retired August 2009. I am so proud of the things he has accomplished and I love to hear his stories now that I can grasp the situation and accomplishments at my adult age.

 

So much of my family has served: my paw-paw, my mom's dad, my father-in-law, my aunt's husband. Everyone knows someone who has served.

Make sure you thank a Veteran today - they sacrifice so much of their family time to make sure that we all sleep soundly at night. Our freedom isn't free.

Thank you Veterans, Active-duty members, and all the supportive family and spouses of these amazing men and women.
Happy Veteran's Day!

Pieces of Me

Exhaustion -- I mentioned it the other day and today I am still loaded with it. When I get exhausted, I become either delirious and giddy or I become very emotional. This go round - I have been the latter.

I am so tired that the other night when I was trying to get baseboards painted, I couldn't find the rag I was using the previous night. I found it FINALLY and picked it up. The Husband said he needed it. I saw he had another and he said he needed that one too. I became very dramatic and WHINED, yes, I whined. I also about burst into tears because what was I going to use?!

Being this tired, I let my mind wander. I think about all sorts of things. Today I found myself thinking about the past: friends, boyfriends, events, all of it. I don't regret anything about my past because I know all roads and bumps and whatevers led me to this moment, this place in my life.

Do you ever think about people who aren't in your life any more? Do you wonder where they are and how they have been? Do you go so far as to see if they are on Facebook?

I have found myself thinking a lot about a particular girl who I thought was a very close friend of mine. We met as RAs (Residence Assistants) for the college apartment complex we were living my sophomore year. We became very close and after the first year as an RA we decided to stop and we became room mates. It was awesome! There aren't many college memories that I have that don't include this girl. We always had such a great time together and we helped develop our occasional craft into a full blown obsession where scrapbooking and knitting became our Friday night highlight. We would make frozen umbrella drinks and go to movies together; we went looking at apartments together when our boyfriends and us decided it would be fun for the 4 of us to live together. We threw amazing parties and drank a lot together. We theifed a banner from another phase of the apartment complex and hung it in our apartment. We went to Friendly's a lot and had ice cream. I miss this girl and I probably shouldn't but she was a big part of my life. We moved in together with our boyfriends and the 4 of us had a fairly good coexistence. 

I actually think the problem had been the guy I was dating and we were living with. He wasn't exactly a positive or even a super friendly individual. He and I broke up -- it was ugly. He moved out and I continued to live there. 

She and I and several of my friends celebrated my birthday in April 2007 at the apartment and one day in May I came home after visiting my parents in Georgia and they were gone. They took all their things and some of mine. They didn't leave a note, she didn't give me any explanation, nothing. I was so sad and then I was mad. It seemed so cowardly to me that they just up and left - they didn't say anything. She didn't say good-bye. She didn't even tell me they had intentions of moving out. 

I called her. I emailed her. I never heard back. We remained 'friends' on facebook and I would send her messages every once in a while - I told her I hoped her and her boyfriend had fun on their road trip across the country for his career move; I congratulated her when her and her boyfriend became engaged; I congratulated her when they got married. I emailed her asking what happened and why I had never heard from her. Nothing - I did this for about 2 years. Finally, I un-friended her. She didn't want to be a part of my life on any level, she made that clear. So it was the only thing I could do. It wasn't malicious it was just the end for me. She doesn't need to know about my life when she clearly doesn't want me in hers. Petty? Maybe. I am still sad when I think about it because there was never any closure, there was nothing.

I think about her a lot - I want to reach out to her but I know she will never respond.

Have you had relationships fall apart in front of you and you didn't see it? Did you ever get closure??

I think that's enough Debbie Downer out of me!!! On a very happy and positive note: ALL THE FLOORS are down in the new house!!!! We are one step closer to moving in. I am moving in on Saturday with or without The Husband haha! Ok probably not - I will wait but I am so ready! I can't share pictures because I don't have internet at home STILL; super happy with our services right now! I'm hoping we can have it successfully transferred this weekend and then bring on the pictures! =)

I hope y'all are having a fabulous week and that the next two days cruise by so you can enjoy your weekend =)
For those of you who made it to the end of this post - I love you ♥

Last Night I Dreamnt of Paint...

HI!!!!!!

Oh my gosh!!! it has been a LONG week!!!

I am a homeowner! yay me!!!

I am EXHAUSTED!

My husband was convinced we could get every wall in the house painted, all the baseboards pulled up and painted, rip all the carpet and linoleum out and refloor the entire house in less than a week.

We tried REALLY hard....let me just tell you that we didn't succeed. I'm not surprised I definitely did NOT have my heart set on moving in by yesterday.

So we have made MAJOR progress -- all the walls have been painted and all the flooring has been ripped out. We installed the wood flooring and over half the tile has been installed. The other half should get done tonight and tomorrow; grout will go in on Thursday and we can OFFICIALLY  start moving on Friday(ok we could have officially moved on Halloween but there was a lot of work to do)!!! HOORAY!! I am so so excited!!!

I have been taking progress pictures throughout this whole thing that I really want to share with everyone. For now - I will just share some 'teaser' pictures that I have been taking on my phone:

  

See -- told ya they were quick cell pictures =)

I am hoping that we can move the couple things we have been storing at my parents house into the new house on Friday after work. That way we can take the dog over and he can kind of get use to the whole idea of living in a new place. Saturday morning, the plan is to get up and move all our stuff to the new house. The rest of the day Saturday and Sunday will be dedicated to unpacking and making it our home!! =)

I am so incredibly excited!! Please prepare yourself for many posts about the house and lots of pictures showing our day to day progress. 

I would LOVE to start those posts tomorrow BUT our internet provider turned off our services at the old house and hasn't made it back to turn it back on. I had forgotten I made an appointment to transfer the services for this past Saturday so they turned the cable and internet off at our current home and tried to turn it on at the new house. We weren't there for it SO we have no internet or cable at home which means the shows we would normally have recorded last night didn't happen =( BOOO!!!  I called first thing this morning -- literally on my drive to work -- and told them we still did not have services so SUPPOSEDLY they are going to take care of it today. Somehow I think we are still going to have a problem.

So that has been my life lately -- work, get home and change, go to the new house, bust my butt until we just can't any more, sleep, wake up and do it all over. It is going to be 100% worth the exhaustion but right now I have to replenish my caffeine supply.

I hope you are having a great week!!