Tuna Hallalujah

 OMG!!!  Absolutely love this dish.  Of course I am a big fan of Tuna anyway,  but this really is amazing.  It's Horseradish-Crusted Ahi Tuna with Miso Aioli.  This recipe is from The TERRAPIN restaurant in Rhinebeck, New York.  Serves 4.  
White Miso Aoili:

1Cup Mayo, 1/4 C white miso, 1 Tb rice vinegar, 1 large garlic clove, minced, 1 1/2 tsp hot chili sauce (such as sambal oelek or srirachai) Whisk these ingredients in mediumbowl to blend.

Then Mix 1 Cup grated fresh peeled horseradish, 1/2 Cup prepared horseradish and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs in medium bowl.  Divide mixture among  4 1" thick tuna steaks- (about 1 1/2 lbs), pat evenly over top of each steak, crust should be about 1/4" thick.  Heat 2 Tb sesame oil on nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add tuna steaks, crust side  down.  Cook until crust is browned, about 3 minutes.  Using spatula, turn steaks over and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Serve tuna with miso aioli.  
We grilled this on cast iron, it was fun, quick and we were so impressed with the flavor. It was such a wonderful surprise.

Coconut Pancakes

In the new January issue of Bon Appetit that arrived in my mailbox,  Mark Bittman was featured.  I made his Vegan Recipe for Spiced Coconut Pancakes with a tropical fruit salad this morning.   The recipe made twenty good sized pancakes, so I can freeze some and have them at will.   One of my favorite quick breakfasts, when I'm short on time, is to slather a tablespoon of almond butter and a sprinkle of dried cranberries on a homemade pancake.

In addition to the pineapple, banana and mango he used in his tropical fruit topping, I added persimmons and clementines.  Yummy and healthy.

Christmas Salad

My Christmas salad of green, white and red.

I love these metal garden markers.  Looking forward to spring when I can put them out in the herb garden. 

Radish Umeboshi Pickles

Just made a jar of Radish Umeboshi Pickles from Alicia Silverstone's Book.  I love these things, and they are so easy to make. Place 6-7 red radishes, washed and thinly sliced, in a glass jar.  Pour in 1/2 Cup Umeboshi Vinegar and 1 Cup water, so they are completely submerged.  Cover the jar with cheesecloth held by a rubber band. They need to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days, then cover and place in the refrigerator.  They'll be good for 10 days,  if the jar isn't empty before then. :) According to Wikipedia  Eating umeboshi in Japan is the equivalent of the United States "an apple a day."

Wooden plant hangers

This is our prototype for the wooden plant hangers I needed.  Bob built me two of them, and I am very pleased.  It looks like we might tweak the design slightly, but overall it's a keeper.  The metal bracket we attached, swivels, which is part of the design.  We mounted these brackets 15' up the wall, adjacent to the middle landing, where I will be able to water them. When fall arrives, our evening temperatures can drop into the low 40's, so I start bringing in some of the outdoor plants I want to keep, and then the shuffle begins.

 I've got a few more hanging plants we need to find locations for; permanent locations, not hanging from one of the guest bathroom showers.  I do have many indoor plants, year round, but I think it's especially important during the winter, when we close up our homes, and turn on the heaters.  We need those plants to help us recycle the carbon dioxide and give us fresh air.  Every little bit helps.

Lasagna, Soup & Red Velvet Cupcakes

  Made these easy lasagna roll ups earlier today.

Cooked the noodles, then spread boursin cheese and mozerella on them, rolled 'em and  placed them in a greased glass dish.  Pureed a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, 1/2 Cup of spicy salsa, and 1 Cup of leftover sauteed broccoli and mushrooms and poured that on top.  Grated some fresh parmesean on top of it all, and baked it for 30 minutes.  On to Vegetable soup.

  Sauteed onion, carrots and celery in olive oil for about ten minutes;  added chopped parsley, white swiss chard, and three leaves of cabbage. Cooked a little bit longer, then added about 1/4 Cup of tomato paste, S & P and 4 Cups of cannelli beans, 1/2 of them mashed. Poured in four cups of vegetable broth, along with some Tuscan seasoning, and a couple dashes of Shoyu. Oh yes, I also threw in a 2" parmesean cheese rind; really adds great flavor.

Of course I saved the best for last.  Red Velvet Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting..  Yum.Yum. Yum.   The recipe was from Health.com.  Originally I was going to make the Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes...but OMG...when I saw how much butter was in both the batter and the frosting...I decided against it.  But they do sound wonderful.  Will have to make them for a day when many people will be around to enjoy them. That way there won't be any leftovers to tempt me.

Key Limes

 Christmas packages have started arriving at my door.  The box I received two days ago was a package filled with 5 dozen ripe key limes from my girlfriend in Cudjoe Key, Florida. What a wonderful treat.

For the past two days I have been juicing and freezing; and now I have 48  key lime ice cubes in freezer bags.  That should last me a while.  I might have to make a key lime pie soon,  just because I can, but that will only take 1/2 Cup of juice, I'll still have plenty left:)

Maple trees in Ga

This photo was taken on Tuesday morning, November 30th, at our friends house in Atlanta, looking into their backyard just before we flew back home.  It was amazing to see the different colors of foliage still in abundance.  We just loved it.  The autumn colors have been gone for over a month in Colorado.