Monster Eyeballs

Monster Eyeballs
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients

* Cream Puffs
* White Chocolate Chips
* Milk Chocolate Chips
* Food Coloring (optional)
* Gel icing (optional)
* Sandwich sticks or some type of mini skewer

Directions

* I started with cheater/ready-made cream puffs. I scored 110 of these babies from Costco for 9.99. That's hard to beat!
* Then I, dipped them in white chocolate candy melts.
I just put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir, then repeat (usually 3-4 times) until its melted. Dip about half-way in.
* Then while it's still wet, put a chocolate chip, upside-down in the center. Don't press it all the way down, leave it raised a little.
* Now set them down and let them dry.
* I Actually skewered them at this point, two on each sandwich skewer, because it helped keep them upright to dry and to then add the gel color.
* I used the colored gel icing tubes but the original recipe suggested dying the white chocolate different colors for the iris part. I just didn't have a squeezy bottle to administer this task. The gel icing is gooey and creepy and you can drag a toothpick through it to make bloodshot eyes which is cool but remember it doesn't harden like the chocolate, so be careful in how you package them if you go this route. :)

Ref: http://beeinourbonnet.blogspot.com/2010/10/monster-eyeballs.html

Voila! A creepy set of delicious monster eyeballs for an awesome Halloween treat! Whats even better is the cream puff makes such an awesome "squish" when you bite into it, you might, for a second, think you're actually eating an eyeball. An awesomely, chocolate covered, creamy, delicious eyeball. :D

Lobster Tail

Lobster Tail
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients

* Lobster Tail
* Marinade of your choice

Directions

Cut open the lobster tail and pull out the meat. Cut away any slimy parts. ( I know, real technical term, right? haha) Cut the tail meat into bite size chucks and toss in a seafood marinade. Let sit for 30 min. Stuff the tail with the marinated meat. Heat grill on medium. Cook on medium for 6 minutes on each side. Tail turns orange when done!

Ref: Mike! :)

Lobster Season has opened and I'm stoked!! Perks of living in San Diego!! Mike has taught me how to hoop for lobsters which is a hilarious game of stuffing a bait box in a special round net, chucking the net overboard and pulling it up a few minutes later with hopes of some fatty lobsters in it! We're going to eat well this winter! :D

This recipe is simple but great. Nothing beats seafood on a grill. And a light marinade doesn't take away from the delicious flavor of the lobster!

Smothered Filet Mignon

Smothered Filet Mignon
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients:
4 (6 ounce) filet mignon steaks
seasoned salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups onion slices
1 teaspoon white sugar
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1. Season steaks with seasoned salt and black pepper, and arrange in a single layer in a large baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and rosemary. Pour mixture over filets, and turn to coat. Marinate for up to 30 minutes.
2. While you are marinating the meat, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion slices in butter until soft, then stir in sugar. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized. Set aside.
3. Preheat grill for high heat on one side, and medium heat on the other side.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place steaks on the hot side of the grill, and cook for 10 minutes, turning once. When the steaks are almost done, move to the cooler side of the grill. Top each filet with a quarter of the caramelized onions and blue cheese. Close the lid, and continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

Ref: All Recipes

Love, love, LOVE this marinade! The blue cheese crust with a great glass of Pinot Noir was just fantastic. I'm thinking it would be a good marinade for chicken too! Although I did find out a certain someone doesn't like blue cheese afterwards... but did devour the filet mignon regardless... still under investigation if he was being nice or more proof on how much this recipe rocks. :D

Halibut in Artichoke and Tomato Broth

Halibut in Artichoke and Tomato Broth
Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
* 4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning fish
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning fish
* 2 shallots, sliced into thin rounds
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 pound frozen artichokes, thawed
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the halibut and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Cook the fish on the grill pan until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and artichokes and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and stir, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and juice, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Ladle the artichoke and tomato broth into shallow bowls. Top with the grilled halibut. Serve immediately.


Ref: The Food Network

This was really different, not what I was expecting but an interesting twist to how I normally cook halibut. I dug it. I knew I was playing with fire though since Mike doesn't like tomatoes, but he's such a good sport with my cooking shinanigans!

Baked Halibut Steaks

Originally uploaded by jamileslie

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (6 ounce) halibut steaks
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly grease a shallow baking dish.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir in zucchini, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Remove saucepan from heat and mix in tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper.
3. Arrange halibut steaks in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Spoon equal amounts of the zucchini mixture over each steak. Top with feta cheese.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Ref: All Recipes

It was decent, it has potential, was a little more bland than I was expecting. Just need to play with seasoning more with this one... maybe breading the halibut may not be a bad idea either.

Halibut Chowder

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1 large onion, finely diced
* 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 6 cups chicken stock
* 1 (8 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, diced
* 2 large carrots, shredded
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 pounds halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic, and continue cooking until the potatoes have softened slightly, about 10 minutes.
2. Pour in the chicken stock, tomatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and cream, season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the halibut. Continue simmering uncovered until the halibut is flaky and no longer translucent in the center, about 10 minutes. Gently stir in the Cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Ref: Allrecipes


I loved it. Exactly what I was craving. It wasn't as thick as I was expecting like a clam chowder, but it was pointed out to me that calorie wise, it's perfect. The 1/2 cup of heavy cream was the only fattening aspect. I used 1% milk too. And low sodium organic chicken stock. Oh and i left out the red pepper flakes, didn't want it to be too spicy for a certain someone's delicate palate. :D I believe it's just a lovely 190 calories per serving and still delicious. Not too many crazy ingredients makes sure you don't lose the flavor of the halibut. Big fan! Granted that 190 calories doesn't include the delicious extra sourdough bread bowl we used the second night we had this for dinner.... hehe

BBQ Halibut Steaks

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (1 pound) halibut steak

Directions

1. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2. Place butter, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and pepper in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Brush fish with brown sugar sauce, and place on grill. Cook for 5 minutes per side, or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork, basting with sauce. Discard remaining basting sauce.

Ref: All Recipes


Just a heads up, it's going to be a halibut recipe marathon. Mike has a ton of halibut just waiting to be cooked up in some fancy schmancy way and I'm more than happy to oblige in helping complete this task of deliciousness. So first up was halibut on the grill, I know, not real exciting but the sauce was! It was really tasty especially if the edges get a little crispy. I definitely recommend marinating it over night. I only did it for an hour but see the potential in a longer marinade time! Oh and the picture is from allrecipes.com. Forgot to take one, oops. :)