FINALLY!

I've made salsa about 2 dozen times in the last month! lol. Mexico is still fresh in my mind, what can i say. ;)

After using all diff kinds of onions and tomatoes, and playing with heat in different degrees, i FINALLY did it, came up with a great salsa- fresh and bright, with a hint of heat.

After a month of endless salsa concoctions, when i served my hubby this salsa, he said, you need to hurry up and write this version down. lol. So here you have it, my salsa recipe.

Meli's Salsa

Generous handful of cilantro
1/4 large red onion
Juice of 1 lime
1 ripe tomato, quartered and seeded
1 can of Ro*tel Original diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained well
4 slices of pickled jalepeño (optional)
Pinch of salt

Throw the cilantro, red onion and lime into a food processor, pulse a couple times. Add the seeded tomato and jalepeño, pulse some more. Drain the Ro*Tel tomatoes in a mesh strainer, squish out as much liquid as possible. Throw that into the food processor for one last blitz. Sprinkle with salt and turn out into a serving dish. Enjoy!


This can be enjoyed immediately or can be refrigerated. I think it gets better as the flavors mingle.

Miami Spice Sneak Preview!

Guess what, guess what, guess what?! You don't have to wait till August to Spice it up, Miami Spice sneak preview is here!

Miami Spice

Now through the end of June, over 30 participating restaurants are offering their Miami Spice Sneak Preview menu. If you've never Spiced before, Miami’s top restaurants offer three-course meals (Lunch $23, Dinner $36) featuring signature dishes created by world-renowned chefs. It's a delightful experience, and a great way to try something new or FINALLY go to one of those restaurants that don't normally fit into your budget.

And after taking a look at the extensive restaurant list and their mouth-watering offerings, it's a good thing we're getting a preview cause there's a ton of GREAT restaurants on the list this year! :D

So go out and savor the flavor of Miami's best restaurants!

One Blissful Bite

It's party season again (wait, does this season ever really end?)! Anyhoo, i was off on another quest for something different to serve. I came across this mouth-watering recipe on my new fave recipe site RecipeZaar.

Pear and Blue Cheese Tartlets

I made the recipe as written, except i used crumbled blue cheese and chopped pecans. Needless to say, this was fabulous and so easy to throw together.

This tartlet was a perfect little bite: sweet pears, pungent blue cheese and a nutty crunch all in a light crispy shell.

Deliciously blissful!

Coral Gables Restaurant Week Extended!

Coral Gables Restaurant Week

Last week some friends and i were able to enjoy Caramelo's restaurant week lunch special, and from start to finish, it was excellent, especially for the price. It's actually one of the best lunch deals on the list.

But i have to say, the restaurant week dinner menu from Flemming's, looks out of control. I swear i drooled on my keyboard when i read braised short ribs. lol.

Much to my surprise, i just found out that Coral Gables Restaurant Week has been extended until June 15th. I guess when the eating's good, the week is a whole lot longer then 7 days!

So get out there, and indulge in a taste of some of Coral Gables best restaurants!

Eating Los Cabos

I'm baaack, from a wonderful adventure in Los Cabos, Mexico! We enjoyed the sun and the surf and the activities, but you know me, the best part was sampling the local cusine. And that, we did plenty of!

Unfortunately, i didn't get a photo of every meal devoured, i WAS tipsy for most of the time, that tequila is no joke, lol. But I did remember just about every place we ate (or drank) and remembered to snap photos when i didn't have my face in a margarita. ;) So here you go, great places to eat (and drink) in Los Cabos!



Pepe's Taco
Lázaro Cárdenas S/N, Col. Centro,
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, CP 23410 Mexico.
Phone: (624) 143-4810
Small open air restaurant, quick and inexpensive. Good Tacos Pastor, but i liked the chorizo tacos better.

The Corner Cafe & Cantina
www.thecornercabo.com
Matamoros and Lazaro Cardenas,
Cabo San Lucas
52-624-143-6666
Home of the world's largest margarita! We opted not to have it, but the one i did share was still huge and it was the best classic margarita on the rocks i had the whole trip.

Mama's Royal Cafe
Hildago y Zapata
Cabo San Lucas 23410 Mexico
52 624 143 4290
Mama's made a killer breakfast, but self-proclaimed 'best french toast', in my opinion fell a little flat, but the chilaquiles and the fresh oj were delicious. And this is the only place in the world where i've been serenaded at breakfast! Nice touch! ;)

Mango Deck
www.mangodeckcabo.com
Located on Médano Beach, Cabo San Lucas
Phone: 52 (624) 143-0901 / 143-6777
We rented wave runners right next to the place, walked over to the deck for a free shot and ended up taking another shot from a man with a giant sombrero. He had the best tequila shots in town. After tasting various other kinds of tequila around town, i now suspect it's cause it was watered down. Whatev, it was GREAT!

Mi Casa
www.micasarestaurant.com
Avenida Cabo San Lucas, corner Lazaro Cardenas
Cabo San Lucas, BCS México
52-624-14-31933
Ok, so i know i said the other place had the best margarita in town, but i specifically meant CLASSIC, ON THE ROCKS, cause THIS PLACE had the best FROZEN MANGO margaritas. lol. The food was amazing as well, all v. traditional.

Pitahayas
www.pitahayas.com
Corredor Turistico Km. 10 Lote D, Cabo del Sol
Cabo San Lucas, B.C.S. México
52 624 145 6126
This is a popular restaurant for something a little different, it's Pacific Rim cuisine, a slight touch of Indonesian flavors. V. nice meal, everything was beautiful and delicious, which admittedly, the photo of the lentil soup looks vile, but it was amazing, with every bite was a new taste sensation.

Girasoles de la Hacienda Restaurant
Corredor Turistico Km 10 Lote D, Cabo del Sol,
Cabo San Lucas 23410, Mexico
52 624 145 6126
Beautiful views from way up here, the Mexican coffee is an after dinner drink AND a show! We stayed at this hotel (Hacienda del Mar), so we returned to this restaurant for breakfast one morning (more chilaquiles, woop) and lunch (amazing fish tacos) another, both we delicious, fresh and local.

Billygan's Island
www.billygans.com
Paseo del Pescador on Playa el Médano.
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
(624) 143-4830 or 144-3908
Smack next to The Office, they offer you beach loungers and umbrellas for FREE, all you have to do is drink there, and we did, all day long, listening to cheesy club music circa 1990. For me it was a blast from the past and a fun day at the beach singing old tunes, nothing really authentic here, but a GREAT location on the sand.

The Office
www.theofficeonthebeach.com
Playa El Médano,
Cabo San Lucas, BCS México
52 624 143 3464
Live Jazz playing, toes in the sand, enjoying the crashing waves, the sun setting and the amazing FRESH seafood. Life is good at The Office!

La Golondrina Restaurant
www.lagolondrinarestaurant.com
Paseo del Pescador (next to City Club),
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
52-624-1433705
Huge open air restaurant, Huge Menu, Huge portions, Huge amount of food that comes with what you order! lol. Big fun at La Golondrina!

More Slow Cookin'

Though i LOVE to cook, in the middle of the week i feel brain-dead in the kitchen. Luckily, i've found another great set it and forget it recipe!

Cuban-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew

1 large sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 lb)
1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with green chiles
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/4 cup orange juice
2 medium scallion(s), chopped (green parts only)
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped

Place potato, pork, tomatoes, garlic, orange juice, scallions, salt, cumin and pepper in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker; cover and cook on low setting for 7 hours.

Stir in lime juice and cilantro; cover slow cooker and cook for 5 minutes more. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving (including some cooking liquid.)

I honestly don't know how Cuban this is, 1/4 tsp of cumin doesn't really make it Cuban, but whatev, it was really tasty and super simple to throw together! :)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I'm about to go out and get a margarita to celebrate, but i first wanted to tell you about a place we re-discovered this weekend, T-Mex.

We were craving tacos, so i went to yelp and people were raving about this place, T-Mex. What the heck? Ok, lets do it!


2 steps into the restaurant, i realized, i've been here before, one drunken nite long ago! lol.


The thin and crispy tortilla chips are homemade, the ground beef for the tacos was seasoned perfectly, the beer was cold and the guac was creamy and delicious, can't ask for much more then that!

Definitely a little gem on the beach, but why the name change, is it still as good as San Loco? Apparently, it's better, T-Mex IS San Loco, only a little greener! And green is GOOD! :D



T-Mex
235 14th St
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 538-3009

Worst Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

YUCK! I never used whole wheat flour before i tried this recipe, and now i know why. This cookie TASTED like a diet cookie, which simply means, it tasted like crap. When my hubby tried them, one bite in, he asked me, what's wrong with this cookie? I laughed it off and told him wheat flour, i know, and i totally agree! He said no, not the taste, the texture, this looks like a cookie, but doesn't feel like one. Strike one, taste. Strike two, texture.

But they smelled good, so i left them on my counter for a week, it was easy to resist temptation. Maybe that was the whole point! ;)

Anyone have a GOOD cookie recipe that uses whole wheat flour?

Straight off the Box

I got this recipe straight off a box of Publix brand angel hair pasta. It's a simple and tasty recipe, and if you don't do fish, the lemon butter sauce would go great on chicken as well.

Tilapia With Lemon Butter Sauce
Serves 4

4 teaspoons flour, divided
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
large zip-top bag
5–6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup white wine

Place 3 teaspoons flour and seasoned salt in zip-top bag; shake to mix and set aside. Chop parsley coarsely, leaves only, and measure (2 tablespoons). Slice lemon in half. Set both aside.

Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Check fish for bones by pressing on fillet with finger tips and remove. Add fish to zip-top bag; seal tightly and shake to coat.

Place 1 tablespoon butter in pan and swirl to coat. Add fish and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to center of pan. Turn fillets, using spatula, distributing butter under each fillet. Cook 3 more minutes until fish is golden and flakes easily. Place fish on serving plates.

Place remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon flour, wine and juice from lemon in sauté pan. Heat 1–2 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir parsley into butter sauce and serve over fish.

I served it with angel hair pasta (lol) tossed in a simple pesto, straight from the jar.

This is a perfect quick weeknight meal, little prep, lots of flavor! ;)

Like a Bowl of Sunshine

Lemony Chicken Rice Salad
Serves 4

2 small shallot(s), or 1 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1 tsp table salt
3 medium scallion(s)
8 oz chicken breast, cooked, skinless, diced
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper

Coat a nonstick pot with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add shallots; cook until softened, stirring, about 1 minute. Add rice, salt and appropriate amount of water to cook rice according to manufacturer’s directions. Cool.

Slice white parts of scallions into thin rounds. Cut green parts into 1/2-inch-long strips.

In a large bowl, toss together rice, scallions and remaining ingredients. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

I used leftover rice from the night before, and precooked chicken breasts and it was ready in just a few minutes. Literally, just throw everything in a bowl and mix!

This recipe is delicious and super simple to throw together, but a total pita to photograph.

See, i'm sure this does nothing for you, but don't judge on the photo alone, the taste is fresh, bright and sunshiny. I SWEAR! ;)