Fish Tacos

We had fish tacos for dinner and they were delicious!  Not a big surprise because if they weren't delicious, I probably wouldn't be posting about them.  Displayed here are all of the fixings.  Pan fried sole (marinated in grapeseed oil, lime juice, ground cumin, oregano, chili powder, and garlic; and coated slightly with flour before frying), fried green pepper and red onion, grated cheddar cheese, salsa from a jar with horseradish and Tabasco sauce added to it, and sour cream. 

Wrap it in a slightly warmed tortilla, and voila!  Fish tacos!  :)

My New Beta Fish!!!

Aki bought me a fish today!  Well, I'm not sure if it was actually for me, but I claimed it for my own since I have decided that he has enough fish for himself.  It is a very cute beta fish that is all silvery and shiny!  I think it is from Thailand.  Aki went to Menagerie today because a new shipment came in and bought the fish because it looked so nice.  He called it an "unplanned purchase."  It is set up on my desk here in its own tiny tank, so that I can watch him when I am doing work and bored (i.e., all the time).  He is so cute.  I have established that it is a "he," but am still deciding on a name.  Any ideas?

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

I have been very sick for just over a week now and Aki has been so amazing to me.  He has taken care of me so well, and I am finally on the mend (last time I said that I may have jinxed myself)!  Some of the things he has done for me are:  cooked every single meal, brought me things (e.g., water, cough syrup, kleenex), took care of me in the middle of the night, made me ginger honey tea, put vapor rub on my back, set up my humidifier each night, and cleaned (my dirty kleenexes off of the floor).  He let me take his pillow for the week so that I could sleep sitting up and I am sure he has not gotten a good night's sleep all week due to my coughing (and lack of a pillow).  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  I will make it up to you when I am well and cook you delicious things and pack you yummy lunches.
Here is a picture of a delicious meal Aki made for me a few weeks ago (when I wasn't sick and could actually drink wine!), when I was particularly stressed out.  It was so delicious I can't even describe it.  The pasta had a cooked smoked salmon vodka tomato sauce, which we both have never had before, and I have no idea how I have lived so long without tasting such a thing.  MMM.  The salad had avocado, goat cheese, and green onion, with a delicious dressing which I will post below.  And gerbera flowers are my favourite.  <3

Salad dressing recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com):
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Nathan Phillips Square Farmers' Market

I am writing another blog post this morning, as I am trying to delay proofreading a 104-page document.  Please, will be you be a dear and proofread my work?  On another sad note, there is only one more week left of the Nathan Phillips Square "Fresh Wednesdays" Farmers' Market.  I have really enjoyed going there every Wednesday since the Summer.  After it is over, I suppose I will have to go back to shopping at Chinatown for my fruits and vegetables.  Definitely not the same!  Anyways, this is what I picked up this week:

I am especially pleased with the swiss chard.  It's a true beauty!

Aki steamed the swiss chard quickly, and then made a delicious sauce to accompany it.

It consisted of:
-tahini/almond butter (2-3 tbsp)
-honey (1 tbsp)
-water or broth (1 tbsp)
-soy sauce (1 tsp)
-sesame oil (1 dash)

*mix together, put into microwave for 30 seconds to make runny, and pour over vegetables!

Delicious Potato Salad

I woke up with a huge craving for potato salad, but by the time I actually got out of bed and made this salad, it was lunch time!  So, I got to eat my potato salad at a socially acceptable time (i.e., not for breakfast).  I like cooking without a recipe, especially for those foods that you really can't mess up, even if you tried. 

Things thrown into the salad include:
-potatoes (unpeeled, cooked al dente)
-green onion
-hard boiled eggs
-bacon*
-onion*
-tiny pickles
-dijon mustard
-white wine vinegar
-mayonnaise
-ancho chilli powder

*fried these up separately first, before adding into salad

Yum!  Potatoes are so delicious (as is bacon)!

Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Yum yum yum!  This was my pre-Thanksgiving dinner, which consisted of basil & oregano chicken, mashed maple sweet potatoes, broccoli salad, fresh cranberry sauce, and not one but TWO pumpkin pies.  Then we had some fun with cupcake decorating and picture taking.

Here is the pumpkin pie recipe, adapted from a recipe posted in the Toronto Star many years ago.  We just used pre-made pie crust, but you can use the crust recipe from the Peach Melba Pie posting if you wish to be ambitious and impress people.

Pumpkin Pie

398mL pureed pumpkin (from a can is fine, but real pumpkin is better!)

2/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C white sugar

1 T flour

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t each of salt, nutmeg, ground ginger

1/4 t each of allspice, black pepper

1 C whipping cream (heavy cream or even half and half is just fine)

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 C orange juice

3 T orange liqueur (this is vital!)

1 1/2 t vanilla

Prick pie dough and bake at 400 degrees, 5 min until dry (but not brown).  Cool.

Reset oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugars, flour, spices.  Add cream, eggs, orange juice, liqueur, vanilla; whisk together.

Pour into shell and bake 45 to 60 min until slightly wobbly.

Enjoy!

PS. I use more than called for of all of the spices to get a really nice flavourful, spicy pie.