In five short years I have cooked and baked my sweet
Everyone is actually asleep while I write this post, and it's the only time at night where it's peaceful for me. I really should be in bed cuddling with Eric, but he's exhausted as well. He's working long hours and making the big money to ensure that I get to be a stay home mommy. Luckily Elena and Emilio sleep through the night, and give me a solid 8+ hours of sleep. I wasn't even sure that I wanted to write a food post until I read Courtney's post. My actual anniversary was a week or two ago, but as you can tell my life has been a little hectic because I'm a stay at home mommy.
But you know what, that's been the best part of my year - that I'm a stay at home mommy. I'm here everyday for Elena and Emilio. I hear their first cries in the morning, change their dirty diapers and make all the tears go away, and feed them. We play peek-a-boo and sing songs about monkeys jumping off the beds to make them smile. Or I make goofy faces and make weird noises so they can laugh at me. I take Elena to the playground so she can feel the air in her hair when she swings, and I see her big goofy smiles as she slides down the slide or laugh at her when she makes the silliest faces. I coo and ahh at Emilio's lovable face, and cuddle him close as I nurse him to sleep. I rock them both to sleep if need be and watch and sing along to Daniel Tiger and Mickey Mouse cartoons. I do all of this in a day and sometimes more because I'm a stay at home mommy. They bring me absolute joy and there's nothing else in life that matters more.
So on the occasion when I have a moment to spare, I will share a recipe that we have liked. Blogging has been my biggest hobby these past 5 years and now having two kids has prioritized my time. Nowadays, most recipes that you might see on the blog are meals that we have eaten or recipes that we have shared with family and friends. Most days I have been cooking foods for all three of us to enjoy and I will admit that there are foods that Elena will not tolerate. Not everything is blog-worthy, her favorite foods have been Greek yogurt, string cheese, bread and butter, nectarines, bananas and scrambled eggs. There isn't much recipe planning going on there, just simple cooking for my little foodie. She is definitely a picky foodie baby, and she's having a little trouble since she only has 6 teeth or so. However, I bet once all her teeth come in, she will be chomping on food without any hesitations.
This recipe is a summer hit in my books. This has been one of my favorite savory ways to enjoy tomatoes from the garden. Lately, Elena will walk around the garden with me and point at everything. She even ate dirt when I wasn't looking for the one second that I took my eyes off her, it's a rite of passage to eat dirt as a kid, right? I try and point and explain to her what everything is and let her hold the tomatoes that I have picked. It is important for me to prepare meals that our family will enjoy because I'm creating food memories for my family. These food memories will shape our paths as eaters further into the future than any of us really expect and will soon become great food memories in the years to pass. Maybe Elena will remember picking tomatoes with me and watching me work in the garden and quite possibly she will remember the food that I made along with it, too. Those are the memories worth treasuring.
Happy Labor Day weekend!
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
ZipList Add Recipe
{Printable Recipe}
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- Tomato Vinaigrette:
- 1 medium tomato, peeled (if desired), seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Fish:
- 6 to 8 ounce (4 each) halibut fillets
- olive oil to coat pan
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Tomato Salsa:
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced, seeds removed
- 2 bell peppers, red or combination of colors if available
- 1/2 cup small sweet onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives (optional for garnish)
- Prepare tomato vinaigrette. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomato until smooth. Add the sherry vinegar. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Taste for seasonings, add salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Bring the halibut to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Toss salsa ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, coat the pan generously with the olive oil making sure that the oil is spread even. Once the oil is hot, place the fish in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the fish is golden underneath. If your pan is not large enough, cook fish in batches until all fish has been cooked. Carefully flip the fillets. Cook for a few minutes, until a fork cuts through easily and the meat is opaque white and flaky.
- Arrange the fish on the plate and drizzle with the tomato vinaigrette. Garnish with tomato salsa and chopped chives.
- If halibut is not available, try another flaky white fish like cod.
I also love to blog because I love sharing my stories to all of you and I plan on sharing all these recipes to my kids in the years to come, too. I have future sous chefs in the making!
