Grandma and Samantha

Enjoying the day at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum

Scallops With Sweet Cucumber and Mango Salsa

Quick, easy and light

From Real Simple Magazine

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice (such as jasmine) -- I used brown rice.
2 mangoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Kirby cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the mangoes, cucumbers, ginger, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; set aside.

3. Rinse the scallops and pat them dry with paper towels. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook until golden brown and the same color throughout, about 2 minutes per side. Divide among individual plates and serve atop the rice with the salsa.

4 Years Ago Today.....

We Said

I DO!

Best Friends

Big Girl Bed

So we finally caved and converted Samantha's crib into a Toddler Bed.

I feel like an idiot even sharing this since we saw it coming but I will share.....she fell out of her crib TWICE!!!!

She is okay, no broken bones.

The first time happened about a week ago. We have a video monitor that we have been watching closely so that we can run in and get her if we see her bending forward over the rail. We were not ready this particular time because it was in the morning. It is only at night where we have a problem with her trying to climb out.

We heard a loud BOOM and we rushed to her room to find her on the floor. She was fine, a little startled but wasn't really crying.

The other time happened last night. She didn't want to go to bed (as usual) so we kept putting her in her crib and letting her cry it out. I kept watching the monitor and would go in and get her when she was about to fall out. We tried watching TV, reading books, singing songs, just about everything to try and get her to go to sleep.

On nights like this she has ended up in our bed but since she fell out of our bed one night (so I guess she has taken three falls) I didn't want to go that route anymore.

I tried one more time to put her in her crib and before I could get to the monitor to check, I heard the dreadful BOOM again. This time she was frantic and so were we - that was the end of the crib.

While Samantha fell asleep on the couch, Todd got to work on converting the crib.

Here she is last night (we can't really count this as a "real" night since we put her in the bed already asleep):

She slept through the night, until around 7 AM and was so excited to get out of her bed all by herself and come see us:

She loved her new bed so much that she wanted to eat her breakfast in bed:

The rail does not go all the way across the bed for some reason so we put some pillows down in case she rolled out.

The first "real" attempt at putting her to sleep was for this afternoons nap. It took a little longer than usual to get her to go to sleep but I think a lot of it has to do with how excited she is with her new bed.

At just 20 months, I think she is a little young for a toddler bed but I thought we would try it for a week and if it isn't working, then we would get a crib tent.

The strangest thing about this whole process is having her get out of her bed by herself and come see us rather than us going to get her. It has really hit home that she is not a baby anymore :(

ABC's

It looks like all those annoying toys that play the "ABC" song are starting to pay off.

By the way, she picked out this outfit this morning. She looks a bit like a synchronize swimmer.

Chili-Spiced Grilled Halibut with Grilled Corn Saucy Salsa

While I know that Rachael Ray is not every one's favorite, you have to admit, she's got a pretty nice food media empire going on with books, TV shows, magazines etc. I think it's pretty amazing given that she is not even a classically trained chef.

Do I find her catch phrases like EVOO and Yum-O! annoying - YES.

Have I ever made one of her "30 minute meals" in 30 minutes - NO.

But I digress, I have made several of her recipes and they are for the most part really good. Here is a halibut recipe that is great for barbeque's and is healthy (most of her recipes I find are not on the healthy side). I am still trying to master how to BBQ fish without overcooking it but I think I did an okay job at it this time.

Recipe by Rachael Ray

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 ears of corn, shucked
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 6-ounce 1-inch halibut fillets
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
juice of 2 limes

Instructions

Preheat a grill pan or outside grill to high.

Drizzle the shucked corncobs with a little of the vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the shucked corn on the grill. Turn the corn and char on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool enough so that you can handle them.

While the corn is grilling, preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno, bell peppers, and brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add the vegetable or chicken stock and continue to cook for about 4 minutes.

For the halibut, in a shallow dish combine the remaining two tablespoons of vegetable oil with the chili powder and a little salt. Add the fish and coat thoroughly. Place the seasoned halibut on the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

With a knife, cut the charred corn kernels from the cobs. Add the corn kernels to the skillet with the onion mixture, stir, and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes, or until the corn is cooked through. Add the cilantro and lime juice and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Serve the grilled halibut with some of the grilled-corn saucy salsa over the top.