WELCOME!!

Hello Adoring Fans!!! Oh, who am I kidding… hello family members and friends that I specifically gave my web address to. And, hello people who followed a Pinterest link to get here! My name is Christine Palmer. I am an attorney in Atlanta, GA who likes cooking and entertaining WAY more than practicing law, hence this site. My husband calls me “Wifestine”, which is my graduation from “Bridestine”, the name he gave me while we were engaged and wedding planning. You’ll hear me talk about him a LOT. His name is David and he’s not just my Husband. That man is the Love of my Life, my best friend, my partner-in-crime, and the poor victim of a lot of my ‘DIY’ ideas! Luckily, most of my recipes are awesome, so he gets paid in food. And Love.

May 6, 2011

 

~ Fish Tacos

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These Fish Tacos are very easy & SO GOOD!! There are 3 simple parts, the sauce, the salsa garnish, and the fish! Also, this recipe makes a lot of garnish, but it will keep in the fridge for a day so you can have 2 easy back to back dinners, of you can use it as a side with chips.

Okay, to make the sauce you need:

(1) 1/4 c green onions, finely chopped

(2) 1/4 c cilantro, finely chopped

(3) 3 Tbs Fat Free Mayo (you can use light or regular, but it’s good with fat free so why waste the fat/cals?!)

(4) 3 Tbs Fat Free Sour Cream (same story w/ using light or regular)

(5) The juice of 1-2 limes + 1 tsp zested lime rind

(6) 1 clove garlic, minced

Simply mix all ingredient in a small bowl & stir well

Easy, right?! This amount is good for 4-6 tacos. You can double it if you wanna save half for tomorrow night.

NEXT: Salsa Garnish! You’re going to need:

(1) 1 small red onion, fined chopped

(2) 2 avocados, diced

(3) 2 tomatoes, diced

(4) 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

(5) 1 can corn, drained

(6) 1 Tbs olive oil

(7) 2 limes, juiced

Mix all ingredients, stir well. The photo I have is of leftover salsa I made yesterday, it’s seriously just as good the 2nd day, if not better! I serve thinly sliced jalapenos on the side, and a little shredded cabbage, mostly because its pretty 🙂

Now, time for the fish!! We use either Mahi Mahi (our fav) or Tilapia (really cheap when you catch it on sale.) Both taste good, the mahi is usually thicker. I buy frozen, thaw according to package.

I season with Chef Paul’s Blackend Redfish Magic. It’s not too spicy and has Great flavor. Pour a little olive oil in a good non-stick pan. Season both sides of the fish, cook on medium heat, 3-4 min on each side. Fish will flake apart & be white inside when done. Take care not to over cook it!

And, that’s It!! You’re ready to enjoy some Tasty Fish Tacos!!

I either cook rice like Lipton Sides Mexican rice, or heat up one of the Microwave packs by Uncle Ben or Old El Paso. Now, just assemble your tacos & Enjoy!…see below-

~ Mahi Reubens

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This sandwich is a lighter version of a lunch David and I had in Key Largo on our Anniversary trip.  Eating whatever you want is fine on vacation, but if we were going to adopt this into our dinner menu, I had to make a few substitutions!  So, here it is, a ‘lighter’ Mahi Reuben!

You’ll need Rye Bread (I looked and found the lightest, Arnold Brand had 80 calories per slice as opposed to some I saw with 120+), Fat Free Thousand Island dressing, a bag of cut cole slaw, 2% Swiss Cheese, and Mahi Filets.

Start by cooking the Mahi filets.  Thaw according to package, I season with Blackened Magic Redfish.  

I spray with cooking spray and add about 1 Tbs olive oil to the pan…

Cook on Medium heat about 4 min on each side.

Now, LIGHTLY – very lightly- butter the outside of the bread.  Remove the fish when done & clean pan (OR, grab a different one, like I did.)

Place butter side of bread down & start to build your sandwich.  First add 1 slice of 2% Swiss Cheese

Add fish…

Now add cole slaw (just dry, straight out of the bag, or you could saute it a little first in the pan you used to cook the fish), drizzle with Thousand Island dressing, add another slice of swiss (I did this on my Husband’s, but not mine), and top with 2nd slice of bread.

Cook on medium heat about 3-4min per side. Flip them Carefully, it will be a little messy!

EAT & ENJOY!

~ DIY Umbrella Stand with Planter – Easy, step by step instructions

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Welcome Back!  David and I have a large outdoor umbrella that he was given for free.  And, we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on an umbrella stand – especially not the ones we’d seen in the stores.  So, I started thinking and came up with a way to make a pretty one, for cheap. We have a small bistro table that we wanted to put the umbrella with, so I just needed a base to add some weight to the bottom.  For this project, you’ll need :

• 1 planter of your choice.  The bigger on the bottom, the better (see mine below, about $16)

• 1 bag potting soil (it doesn’t take much, a small $5 bag should be sufficient)

• 1 pvc pipe (measure your umbrella pole.  I used a 2″ pipe, pre-cut under $2 at Home Depot)

• 1 pvc pipe end cap (the size that goes with the pipe you just purchased, about $1)

• 1 3/4″ screw, a nut and bolt that fit it (Specifically, I used a hex bolt 1/4 x 1 1/2″, $0.17;  1/4 Hex Nut, $0.12; and 1/4 washer, $0.11 from Home Depot)

• 1  5 gallon bucket (if you don’t already have one, $2.60 at Home Depot)

• 1  60lb bag quickrete ($2.75 at Home Depot)

• Some pretty plants/ vine (I used purple heart vine, it’s a part shade plant)

• A Strong, patient Husband…  And probably some Rum 🙂
  

To begin with, Drill holes in the bottom of the planter and in the center of the pvc cap.

Then, thread the bolt with the washer on it through the bottom of the planter and the hole in the pvc cap

Screw the bolt on tight and add the pvc pipe onto the cap

Now comes the fun part… Quickrete.  The guy at Home Depot said that I’d need a mixing tool for my drill to mix up the quickrete.  But, I have a 6’5″ husband who’s really, Really strong, so we mixed ours by hand.  If you don’t have a strong (and patient) Husband, I’d recommend the mixing tool.  If you DO have a strong Husband, I recommend bribing him.

Mix the Quickrete according to the directions on the package.  We used a good bit more water than is called for – almost double in fact.

Once its mixed up, it’s time to pour it into the planter.  We used the entire 60 pound bag in our planter.

The Quickrete has to dry for a while… we waited overnight to be sure it was completely dry.  Once it’s all dry, you need to drill a few small drainage holes in the planter just above the Quickrete.

Now add the potting soil, fill very close to the top.

Finally, add whatever plants you’ll be using.  The Purple Heart has worked GREAT!

Now simply place the umbrella in the pvc pipe and, You’re Done!!!

~ Shrimp & Avocado Salad

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I bought frozen Shrimp (about a pound) 2 avocados, 2 tomatoes, 2 limes, 1 red onion, and a bunch of cilantro.  I had olive oil, Salt & Pepper at home….

First, I cut up the onion & put it in a large bowl with the juice of 2 limes (then I saved the squeezed limes for Margarita Shots – see side menu).  Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and a dash of salt & pepper.  

I chilled that while cutting up the thawed shrimp.  Toss the shrimp in & chill while cutting up the tomatoes.  Toss in the tomatoes & chill while cutting up both avocados.  Toss the avocados in and add a handfull of cilantro leaves, chopped finely.  Stir it all up, chill 5-10 more min then Serve!

~ Cake Pops – step by step

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I know there are a lot of recipes out there for how to make cake pops.  Here’s the way that’s worked best for me!  This yielded about 70 cake pops.  They are very easy but Time Consuming!  If you can recruit a helper for rolling the cake balls, it will save you a lot of time!

(1) You’ll need a small list of ingredients:

• 1 box cake mix (any flavor) and whatever’s needed to bake the cake (oil, eggs, etc…)       

• 1 container cake icing/frosting (again, whatever flavor you’d like)

• lollipop sticks

• Whatever you want to decorate with (writing icing, sprinkles, color sugars)

• Florist Foam Blocks, or other Styrofoam (I cover mine with tissue paper)

• Melting Candy (at least 2 bags, I use Wilson’s) *I noticed the pink/lighter colors melt WAY better than the red/darker colors.  If you want Red, mix 1/2 red & 1/2 pink, it’ll maintain its red color, but will be easier to work with)

(2) Now, preheat your oven & prepare the cake as directed.  Cook in a 13×9 inch pan.

(3) Let the cake cool…I give it an hour.

 (4) Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 the container of frosting (works best if you add small spoonfuls kind of spread out) and mix well.  I stir it by hand, but you could use a mixer.  You want the consistency to be smooth & try to eliminate all ‘dry’ cake spots.  If you need to use extra icing you can, but I wouldn’t recommend using the entire container…that will get too sticky. Once Mixed well, Refrigerate the ‘dough’ for 15 minutes.

 (5) Now, roll your cake balls and place them on parchment/wax paper on a cookie sheet.  You want them to be a little bigger than bite size, but if they’re too large, they won’t hold on the stick.  I used the larger size on a melon baller as a guide.  Roll them all now, placing each tray in the fridge as you fill it up.

(6) By the time you’ve finished your second (or third) tray, the first one you placed in the fridge should be ready.  Melt a small amount of the melting candies in a coffee mug, maybe 8-9 chips.  This is going to be used to coat the sticks so they’ll stay in the cake pops! Pull out the first tray you put it the fridge and dip a lollipop stick in to the melted candy & place it in the cake ball, about 1/2 way in.  Do this for the entire tray, then switch it out with the one in the refrigerator.  Once all the cake balls have sticks, melt a coffee cup full of melting candies (just add more to the cup you’re using).  I’ve learned a coffee mug is the Easiest thing to melt & dip in.  Another tip, use one of the lollipop sticks to stir the candies as you’re melting them…it’s easier than a spoon & you can leave it in the cup while microwaving!

 (7) Now that the sticks are secure in the cake balls, it’s time to dip & decorate!  You want the melted candy to be smooth, but Not Hot!  Dip the cake pop straight down into the coffee mug just until it touches the stick.  You should have enough melted that the cake pop doesn’t touch the bottom of the cup.  Dip straight down & pick straight up.  Let it hang upside down for a moment to drain, then slowly roll it around, letting the the excess candy drizzle back into the cup.   Now, place your cake pop in the styrofoam and grab the next one!  For adding color sugar or sprinles, apply immediately while the candy is still ‘wet’.  If you’re going to use writing icing, or drizzle with another color, wait for the coating to dry first.

I hope it works for you, it’s been really easy for me.  Good Luck & Enjoy!!!
 ~Wifestine

~ Margarita Shots served in a Lime

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These work for mixed Margarita shots- or straight tequila shots- if you’re Really Celebrating!! First cut a lime in half, right in the middle.

I used kitchen shears to cut out the pulp. Then a spoon finish up. Cut a small circle off the bottom so they’ll stand up. Make sure not to cut through the outer peel!

Next, salt the rim, just like you would a glass…

Then fill with you favorite Margarita shot, or just tequila. I use Baha Bob’s sugar free mix with Patron & Grand Marnier. OR, I skip the mix and just use the lime juice from the limes I cut with a splash of Club Soda. Cheers & Enjoy!

~ Fish Tacos

Want to Pin It?! Do It! —>

These Fish Tacos are very easy & SO GOOD!! There are 3 simple parts, the sauce, the salsa garnish, and the fish! Also, this recipe makes a lot of garnish, but it will keep in the fridge for a day so you can have 2 easy back to back dinners, of you can use it as a side with chips.

Okay, to make the sauce you need:

(1) 1/4 c green onions, finely chopped

(2) 1/4 c cilantro, finely chopped

(3) 3 Tbs Fat Free Mayo (you can use light or regular, but it’s good with fat free so why waste the fat/cals?!)

(4) 3 Tbs Fat Free Sour Cream (same story w/ using light or regular)

(5) The juice of 1-2 limes + 1 tsp zested lime rind

(6) 1 clove garlic, minced

Simply mix all ingredient in a small bowl & stir well

Easy, right?! This amount is good for 4-6 tacos. You can double it if you wanna save half for tomorrow night.

NEXT: Salsa Garnish! You’re going to need:

(1) 1 small red onion, fined chopped

(2) 2 avocados, diced

(3) 2 tomatoes, diced

(4) 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

(5) 1 can corn, drained

(6) 1 Tbs olive oil

(7) 2 limes, juiced

Mix all ingredients, stir well. The photo I have is of leftover salsa I made yesterday, it’s seriously just as good the 2nd day, if not better! I serve thinly sliced jalapenos on the side, and a little shredded cabbage, mostly because its pretty 🙂

Now, time for the fish!! We use either Mahi Mahi (our fav) or Tilapia (really cheap when you catch it on sale.) Both taste good, the mahi is usually thicker. I buy frozen, thaw according to package.

I season with Chef Paul’s Blackend Redfish Magic. It’s not too spicy and has Great flavor. Pour a little olive oil in a good non-stick pan. Season both sides of the fish, cook on medium heat, 3-4 min on each side. Fish will flake apart & be white inside when done. Take care not to over cook it!

And, that’s It!! You’re ready to enjoy some Tasty Fish Tacos!!

I either cook rice like Lipton Sides Mexican rice, or heat up one of the Microwave packs by Uncle Ben or Old El Paso. Now, just assemble your tacos & Enjoy!…see below-