So, I’m about to tell you about something I don’t really talk about.

Serious stuff.

No jokes.

Soul bearing honesty. If you are not into that, go ahead and skip down a bit to the recipe. It is a really good one and you shouldn’t let my sad babbling ruin that.

I have a wonderful, beautiful, blessed life. A life that in my mind is so awesome, that there is pretty much nothing I should feel bad about. Ever.

With that being sad, I am human. And part of being human is being imperfect. So even though my life is really awesome, that doesn’t mean I’m always happy.

Just so you know, I’m only sharing this information with you in the off chance that perhaps one of you out there is feeling the same way and this might help both of us out.

Basically, I am a perfectionist.

It is not as much about how I perform in life, but how others perceive me in life. Over the years, I seem to have developed this need to have EVERYONE like me. Apparently, in my mind I have to be a one-woman comedy show, therapist’s office, business enterprise and personal chef to everyone at every time.

And last night I had a break down. A full-blown crying to my mother in my bathrobe while I have a towel on my head, meltdown.

Women, I’m sure you just related. Men, you just thought of me as a crazy lady from a romantic comedy.

After my meltdown I had a really great moment where I felt relieved for sharing my feelings. I realized that if I can’t turn this around myself in a couple of months, I need to get help. And there is nothing wrong with that. For you, or for me.

There is nothing wrong with doing whatever you can to be a better, happier you.

So while I try and figure it out, I’m going to do my best to fill my life with all the things that make me happy.

Cooking is a big one.

So here is a little something I cooked up while trying to figure things out.

You will need…

1 ½ lb calamari (only tubes, no tentacles) sliced into ½ inch rings

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced and zested plus 1 extra lemon cut into wedges for garnish

2 roma tomatoes, diced

2 cups arugula

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the tomatoes, arugula and vinegar in a medium bowl. Toss together well and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over high heat until the butter has melted.

Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Then, add in the calamari rings. Season with salt and pepper and add in the lemon zest, oregano and juice.

Toss the calamari with the seasonings and cook until the calamari is opaque and cooked through.

You want the calamari to be lightly browned and cook through but not too rubbery.

As soon as the calamari is cooked through, serve over a bed of the tomatoes and arugula.

Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Light Lemon and Garlic Calamari

1 ½ lb calamari (only tubes, no tentacles) sliced into ½ inch rings

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced and zested plus 1 extra lemon cut into wedges for garnish

2 roma tomatoes, diced

2 cups arugula

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the tomatoes, arugula and vinegar in a medium bowl. Toss together well and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over high heat until the butter has melted.

Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Then, add in the calamari rings. Season with salt and pepper and add in the lemon zest, oregano and juice.

Toss the calamari with the seasonings and cook until the calamari is opaque and cooked through.

You want the calamari to be lightly browned and cook through but not too rubbery.

As soon as the calamari is cooked through, serve over a bed of the tomatoes and arugula.

Serve hot with lemon wedges. 

 Well friends, I think I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

What I thought be a delightfully dull weekend turned into one super fun party with lots of appearances by different friends and lots of good food and drinks.

And now I’m fighting just to keep my eyes open.

But I didn’t to go to bed with out sharing this show stopper.

If you are looking for something that is light and tangy and stunning, this fish dish is for you.

You will need…

For the Fish:

4 halibut filets, about 6 ounces each

½ cup roasted and salted almonds

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

1 cup blood orange juice (6 to 8 oranges depending on how juicy) plus 1 extra blood orange, segmented

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

Micro greens

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

 

Start by pouring your blood orange juice into a small sauce pan simmer over medium heat until it has reduced to about ¼ cup.

While the juice is reducing, place the almonds in a food processor and blend until the almonds are very fine.

Then in a medium sauté pan, combine the olive oil, shallots and garlic and cook over medium heat until the shallots are translucent.

Add in the vinegar and reduce the liquid by about half.

Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cream.

Lower the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon butter at a time until it is completely combined.

Heat over low heat just until the sauce has thickened to the desired thickness.

While the sauce is thickening, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Pat the fish dry and season it well with salt and pepper. Dunk one side of the fish into the finely chopped almonds and ad it to the hot oil almond side down.

Sear the fish about 4 minutes a side, just until the fish is cooked through, flipping once.

Serve the fish hot over a bed of the cheesy cauliflower, topped with a couple of orange segments, some micro greens and drizzled with the sauce.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Almond Crusted Halibut with Blood Orange Sauce

For the Fish:

4 halibut filets, about 6 ounces each

½ cup roasted and salted almonds

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

1 cup blood orange juice (6 to 8 oranges depending on how juicy) plus 1 extra blood orange, segmented

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

Micro greens

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

Start by pouring your blood orange juice into a small sauce pan simmer over medium heat until it has reduced to about ¼ cup.

While the juice is reducing, place the almonds in a food processor and blend until the almonds are very fine.

Then in a medium sauté pan, combine the olive oil, shallots and garlic and cook over medium heat until the shallots are translucent.

Add in the vinegar and reduce the liquid by about half.

Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cream.

Lower the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon butter at a time until it is completely combined.

Heat over low heat just until the sauce has thickened to the desired thickness.

While the sauce is thickening, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Pat the fish dry and season it well with salt and pepper. Dunk one side of the fish into the finely chopped almonds and ad it to the hot oil almond side down.

Sear the fish about 4 minutes a side, just until the fish is cooked through, flipping once.

Serve the fish hot over a bed of the cheesy cauliflower, topped with a couple of orange segments, some micro greens and drizzled with the sauce.