Too much basil & frozen fish.....?

Yep- what's a girl to do... Found a bag of Rockfish in the back of the freezer, and the fresh basil from Nana's backyard is slowly turning brown (that'll happen when she sends close to a pound of it...!)

Hello Tagine, it's time to get creative:
juiced two lemons (Thank you 4th mother)
halved 6 key limes (Thank you Grandma J)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 teaspon of red chili flakes
6 whole garlic cloves
as much fresh basil as possible (Thank you Nana)
the frozen fish we're trying to get rid of...! Place in Tagine....


Now, this is fish, so let's cook this for no longer than 30 min. on 'simmer'. (lest it dry out)

Oh yeah, forgot about the 2 baby bok choys that are starting to wilt. Hello, Kasha Pilaf:

used a bag of steamable broccoli & carrots (diced), added cut up bok choy
cook broccoli and carrots until good and sauteed
add 2 cups chix broth, cook for 1 min
add 1 cup kasha
put bok choy on top
Cook for 20 min on low (follow box directions)

NOTE: don't let Kasha undercook, lest it turn into mush; don't overcook it either, lest it turn into popcorn.

Tagine Recipe - lemon basil garlic chicken

Tagine recipe - a burst of flavor baking can never deliver!

Thanks to the Tagine I never bake- it's just not necessary with such an amazing device, especially when I've got frozen solid poultry that we're somehow supposed to eat within the next hour. In fact, frozen chicken comes out even better with this bad boy- no need to defrost!

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Chicken tagine recipe

Tonight's dinner was a succulent Lemon-Basil-Garlic Chicken.

Requirements:

1 tagine

2 lemons from a tree (not the kind that go 'poof' when you cut them)

5 whole cloves of garlic

a shit-ton of fresh basil (OR, 4 sprigs fresh rosemary)

2 chicken breasts (preferably frozen!)

optional: 1/4 cup olive oil

How to do it:

squeeze/juice your lemons

add all the basil (or rosemary), creating a "bed" for chicken to cook on top of

add chicken. bury garlic in there somewhere.

cook on 'low' for 1 hour.

The best part: remove chicken from tagine. take your immersion blender, and blend everything together, creating a 'gravy' or 'dip'. Use as a side-dip for your chicken (or top off on chicken)

Some favorite side dishes include:

Steamed Spinach (4 cups of spinach steamed in 1 cup of chicken broth is awesome, and good for 2 people)

Seasoned garlic potatoes: 2 totally diced up GOLD potatoes; olive oil, garlic salt & dried herb (either basil or rosemary, whichever you didn't use above) & COAT potatoes-shake in ziploc bag or toss in bowl- cook on foil lined cookie sheet in oven or toaster oven, at 425 for 20 minutes (or until golden color).

A family favorite.

Santa Barbara Sunset

oil
16x20

asian stir fry - with mahi mahi

asian stir fry

First Lenten Friday=no meat

easy stir fry

-1/2 bag of chop suey
-1 bag of trader joe's mahi mahi pieces
-a pinch of 21 seasoning salute, & ginger
-2 baby bok choy
-teeny bit of oil
-sauce (1 cup chix broth, 1/2 lemon squeezed, 2tb cornstarch, 2 TB soy sauce)
-basil

asian stir fry

Heat oil in wok, brown fish, add seasonings, cut up greens and toss in, cook 8 mins on med-high

add in basil, cook & stir, 2 mi

add sauce, simmer for 1 min

quick, perfect after working late!

Warm tidings in winter

Ellwood

Coal Oil Point

Ellwood Beach

Riviera

Paddleboarders

Ledbetter

Hendry's

Hendry's

Valentine's day - Cupid's box

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day bouquet - my style

:

Valentine's Day - Cupid's gift to me

Cupid brought me my wonderful friend Elisa for Valentine's day. Her birthday is today :) Here is her birthday present that I made her: a shadowbox of glorious memories we share: at our wineries (corks), the beaches where we live (shells & sand dollar), and the picture of us on our boat. That won't get old, especially since she's moving to the east (wrong) coast to pursue her dreams: