Deli & Cheesy Tuna

I don't like seafood... I'm sorry, but I don't. 

I know I still have to eat fish, salmon, tuna, etc... but I don't eat shrimp, octopus and stuff like that... 

So, I know I should eat more fish, but I'm always looking for excuses not to. I found a recipe at Philadelphia Mexico site that moved me to try this new flavor. 

I didn't follow every step of the recipe, but still it was so yummy... my husband L-O-V-E-D it. He was trying to identify each one of the ingredients that composed this dish, but he couldn't... he started saying weird stuff so I just told him my recipe... 

And now, I'm sharing it with you!

So, for the Deli&Cheesy Tuna you will need:

• 1/4 finely chopped onion (or 1/2 small onion)
• 1 finely chopped garlic clove (or 1/2 tsp minced garlic, I use HEB's)
• 190 gr Chipotle flavored Philadelphia cream cheese
• 2 tuna cans (I used one tuna and one salmon can)
• 1/2 tsp herbs (finas hierbas)
• 1/2 tbsp EVOO
• salt and pepper

Heat EVOO in a deep skillet, add onion and begin stirring (do not let the onion burn). 

When it becomes transparent, add the garlic and stir for a minute.

Drain the tuna, and when garlic and onion brown a little, add the tuna to the skillet.

Add the herbs and stir

Add the cream cheese in smaller pieces (squares) and continue stirring, until a creamy paste forms.

Taste it and if it still need salt and pepper, add to taste.

Stir and let it heat for 30 seconds. Now it's ready!! I decided to serve mine in my Giada's measuring cup.

My husbands prefers spicy food, so I remembered he brought me some chiles (catarina) from Chiapas when he went for a business trip. I decided to fried them, but before that, I decided to crush them. 

So again, I heated 1 tsp vegetal oil in a small skillet

Then crushed the chiles

Then fried them

Then top the tuna!!

We decided to eat them with crackers (I like corn and sea salt Salmas from Sanissimo)... grab your favs and try this easy-to-make and deli recipe!

NOTES:

• When adding the tuna to the skillet, you can add canned vegetables -carrot, potato, corn, pepper rainbow (green, yellow, red, orange), celery-, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or whatever you would like!
• As topping you could use: caramelized onions, fried chorizo, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped scallion, pico de gallo (chopped tomato, jalapeño and onion), anchovies.
• Another tip: This could become a dip by adding 2 tbsp sour cream (or regular cream, I love Lyncott), 1 tbsp milk and mix everything with a hand blender or in a food processor.

I hope you enjoy it! any suggestions?

A Very Natural Entryway Rack

So, six months ago I was looking at some decor magazines and I found this entryway hooks rack, which I instatly loved: it was love at first sight.

So, Julio and I took Princesa for a walk, and we found a lot of tree branches. We picked up around 20 of them, hoping to find the perfect branch piece for the perfect hook.

Suddenly, we found also five wood pieces in the street, so we took three of them home. We decided to choose the best one later. 

So, a week later Julio chose one and started to sand it.

 

When he finished, while I was spray-painting it

 

He started cutting the tree branches (that we previously selected). The next picture is not the actual picture showing how to cut, but just to show the tools we used. He cutted the branches in the floor, not in his leg!

Then, he sanded the branches (as if they were wood... oh! they are) 

And... ta daaaa! The perfect hooks!

When the spray-painted wood table was already dry, I sprayed the finish protection

Then, my hubby started nailing the branches pieces to the already painted and protected wood table

And we are still missing one spot, because the other branches we took were too little, so today we are going to take Princesa for a walk and look for branches... but the idea is for the hooks to look like this

It looks pretty similar, right? I love how ours will look like!! 

 

Any suggestions?

Beer - A - utiful Key Hooks

My husband and I needed ASAP some key hooks!!

We were always looking for our house keys, the car keys, the locks keys!! The keys were driving us crazy! 

On the other hand...

My husband usually leaves his keys (and the car keys) in the living room table, but that bothers me so much! First of all, it is a very beautiful table, and it's not a keys table. I don't like things were they don't belong, so I started thinking about building some key hooks. 

Because of the urgency, I actually considered placing some nails in the wall, but then I remembered some little wood tables an uncle gave me. 

So, looked for them, and look for some nails too. We already had some spray paint and finish we bought for some furniture makeover we are working on, and I was thinking about how to decorate them.

Then I remembered I was saving the beer bottles caps, because i was thinking of doing Martha Stewart's Bottle-Cap Magnets and Thumbtacks, so I took my bottle caps too.

So, I gather all my materials.

Then, I took Princesa and started working on this.

I sanded the little wood tables, sprayed them with paint and when they dried, spray them with finish. Next day, I placed the nails in the middle -a little bit down the middle- of the bottle caps and began nailing.

Julio, my husband, helped me stick them in the wall with a "no more nails" glue from Resistol.

We had to hold them for 10 minutes and then they stood there! So, this is how my front door looks like now (from the inside) with the key hooks.

And this is how the key hooks look like. This is a very simple process and you can chance the beer bottle caps for whatever you like: flowers, jewerly stones, felt figures, etc.

I hope you like them. If you have any suggestions, please feel welcome to comment.

Mashed Potatoes

I love potatoes. I don't mind eating them fried, broiled, grilled... I just love them!! And now, I'm going to share with you my very own mashed potatoes recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons EVOO or vegetable oil
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1/4 cup cream (I used Lyncott, but you can use sour cream)
• 1/4 cup milk (I use 2% fat, you can use whole)
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (or grated Parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 salted butter stick
• salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Cut potatoes in 4 or 5 pieces (so they will cook faster, you will mash them so you don't need them one-piece). They should be about the sime size so they cook evenly. Place them in a pot and top them with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, put a lid on the pot and let them simmer for 15 o 20 minutes (util you can easily introduce a knife and they feel soft).

When they are cooked, drain water from potatoes and let them cool for little while.

In the meanwhile, place the EVOO in a pot and add the butter until it melts.

Add the potato pieces to the pot and use a potato masher to mash potatoes until well mashed. 

Add the cream, milk and cheese and strongly beat with a plastic spoon. When well mixed, add salt and pepper and beat again. You can add more milk, until you have the consistency you desire.

Your mashed potatoes are ready!! Serve them hot. I made this to side my Meatloaf.

NOTE:

• I usually leave the potato skin because I like how it tastes and I think is healthier. You can peel it if you want, after boiling them (when cooling them).
• You can add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder to give it a garlic taste, and 1/2 teaspoon of fine herbs.
• You can top it with bacon bits.