Mangos are tricky little fruits.

Well, folks, as usual on Monday, there was a lot of eating going on around here a few hours ago.  And as usual, I’m going to fill you in on every little detail.  Try to contain yourselves...

It wasn’t my turn to pick, because I picked last week, but as no one at my parents house was returning my phone calls, I chose something off recipezaar - oops, I mean food.com - almost blindly.  I’ve been looking over my food archives (that sounds kind of impressive doesn’t it?  I have archives... of FOOD) and realized that I am so one note.  I make chicken.  And chicken.  And some more chicken.  Oh, wait, lets throw a little steak in there... oh, and more chicken!  And just for flavor - some crazy salad with a little lemon.  

I have GOT to broaden my horizons.

So today I made fish.  For the record, I really like fish, if it is done well.  mr isn’t always a huge fan of fish.  So we do eat it, but not a lot.  And since it’s been about a millennia since I made it, and it was definitely time for a change, AND mr requested something light, I chose fish.  Specifically Grilled Teriyaki Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa.  

Sounds pretty delicious, right?  And what goes well with fish?  Well, lots of things, actually.  Rice, certain pastas, potatoes, broccoli... anyway, I went with asparagus, of my own creation.  And for dessert?  Nothing better with this summery fare than a yummy Lime Pie, but I changed it up a little, so I’m going to include my version here, too.

I really should have known that here in the landlocked states it’s ridiculously difficult to find mahi mahi.  After trying two other stores besides the normal grocery store I shop at, I gave up and bought orange roughy.  I’ve never had orange roughy.  Turns out, it’s pretty tasty.  The mahi mahi recipe definitely works with orange roughy - take note.  

Per normal, I had a lot of things going on at once.  By the time I was making the mango salsa, I had the fish marinading in the fridge and half the cake made.  I cut everything up, saving the mango for last, and low and behold, here in the landlocked states it’s nearly impossible to get a ripe mango as well.  So I tossed it.  And then had to run to the store later with my mom after everything else was done so I could get a different, RIPE mango.  Apparently color doesn’t really matter.  Mangos are ripe when they are soft and smell good.  Wish I had known the first store around.

I made the asparagus fairly normally.  There really are no big surprises here, but in case you are interested (because it was tasty):

Lemon Poppyseed Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus (1/2 lb)

1-2 dashes of olive oil

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 Tblsp poppyseeds 

salt and pepper to taste

Boil water in a medium pot.  Snap the woody ends of the asparagus off by gripping the stalks on each end and bending gently.  It will automatically snap where the woody part starts.  (my mom IL taught me that!) Put the asparagus in the water and boil for about 4 minutes, maybe a bit less.  Drain it.  Put the asparagus in a large ziplock bag with all the other ingredients.  Shake it up.  Serve warm.

That's it.  Simple and tasty.  

The fish and salsa were really good.  I don’t grill things, because I don’t know how (we just got our very first charcoal grill yesterday.  And mr made hamburgers right away.)  SO, I broiled the fish instead.  Usually I bake it and I love it broiled way more.  If you broil your fish, spray a non-stick spray on a broiling pan, broil it on one side for about 5 minutes and then flip it and cook for about 8 minutes.  That’s it!  Done!  mr said the fish was the highlight of the night for him.  I think that’s pretty big talk.

When I make the salsa again, however, I will only put in a portion of the jalapeno I put in this time.  But that’s because I didn’t read the recipe well enough and where it said “1 tsp jalapeno”, I put in “1 jalapeno.”  Whew.  That was spicy!  But I kept eating it anyway, even with my lips peeling, my upper lip sweating and my tongue blistering because I couldn’t stop - it was just that good.  mr didn’t think it was quite as good as I did, but there’s no accounting for taste.  Mom and dad loved it.  I changed it a little from the recipe on food.com so here it is (definitely worth a try for any whitefish you make.):

Mango salsa

1 large mango

1/4 of a red onion 

1 Tblsp olive oil

2 Tblsp lime juice

2 Tblsp fresh cilantro

1 Tblsp fresh mint

1 TSP jalapeno

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp salt

Chop it all up, put it all in a bowl, mix it, chill and serve!  Delicious!

I served it all with some crusty french bread and butter.  Yum!

I.LOVED.DESSERT.  Which is good.  I needed a good dessert.  Plus, since I had doctored the recipe significantly, I was nervous.  mom loved it so much, she had seconds.  Wait, thirds?  Hmmmm.... I’ll never tell.  But this is dessert only minutes after placing it on the table:

if that’s any indication for you.  Enough hype.  Here you go:

Creamy Dreamy Lime Pie

lime curd

1/2 cup sugar

4 Tblsp butter, cold and cut into pieces

3 egg yolks

5 Tblsp lime juice

about 2 tsp lime zest

Crust

5 full graham crackers

about 1 cup of animal crackers

1/4 cup of pecans chopped really fine

about 2 Tblsp coconut

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 Tblsp coconut milk (from a can)

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 small carton of heavy cream

1/4 cup sugar - maybe a little more to taste

Filling

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 Tblsp lime zest

2 Tblsp lime juice

lime curd

1/2 of the homemade whipped cream 

Make the lime curd:  In a saucepan, whisk the yolk and sugar until well combined.  Add the butter and lime juice.  Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Do not allow it to boil.  Stir in the zest.  Chill.

Preheat oven to 350.

Now make the crust:  Put the crackers in a large ziplock bag and beat with a meat mallet until they are fine crumbs.  Add the pecans and beat a little more.  Pour into bowl and add coconut, coconut milk and butter.  Mix well.  Press tightly into a pie pan.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Chill in the fridge until firm.

Make the whipped cream:  Pour the cream into a bowl and beat with a mixer.  Keep beating until it starts to get thick.  When it begins thickening, SLOWLY add the sugar, just a little at a time, while continuously beating.  Keep adding until you have no more sugar and beat until the cream is nice and thick and fluffy.

Cream the cream cheese.  When it is smooth, add the coconut milk and beat well.  Add the lime zest, juice and curd.  Mix well.  Fold in a little less than 1/2 the whipped cream you made.

Place in the fridge and chill for about 2 hours.  

Add the rest of the whipped cream to the top, garnish with limes and serve!

I will definitely make this again, even if mr doesn’t like coconut.

I mean, seriously:

Lessons learned?  If you want a ripe mango, always take your mom to the grocery store with you.  Or move to Florida or Mexico or something.

linked:



SIMPSONIZED CRAFTS AND THEN SOME