Sugar and Spice, and Everything Nice! Why Women's Health Magazine Likes Me

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Hello everyone. I have some really exciting news to share with you today. I, Spicie Foodie, have been featured on Women's Health Magazine!!! ( Can you see me doing a happy dance? I am! ) It is really humbling to see my name and a link to Spicie Foodie on one of my favorite magazines and website. So thank you so much Katherine and Women's Health Magazine !

This is what they featured:

So another thank you to Penny for the inspiration and amazing recipe!

You can find me on their front page under What We're Reading This Week as well as the permanent What We're Reading This Week page. I'd love it if you guys stopped by and said hello:) Hope to see you there!

P.S.

Since I love WHM so much I have a few links you guys may be interested in reading. Theye are a few of my favorites articles published lately.

10 Foods, 40 Recipes - a Print-and-Go Guide
http://www2.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/easy-healthy-recipes

Food: A Love/Hate Story
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/relationship-with-food

Chocolate Fondue Anyone?

5 Meals Every Woman Should Know How to Make
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/best-recipes

A Cleanse That Isn't Crazy
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/detox-diet

For you busy people out there, a gourment meal IS within your reach:

Gourmet Microwave Meals
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/gourmet-meals-in-the-microwave

And one of our best resources:
The Rodale Healthy Recipe Finder
http://recipes.womenshealthmag.com/homepage.aspx

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Lazy Pan Fried Nile Perch For Lazy Weekends

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**PLEASE NOTICE THAT THE DEALINE FOR THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE 27TH OF JULY. GET THE REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE HERE, COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY**
Before we move on to today's recipe I have a couple of announcements to make. 1. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the chance to win a copy of my cookbook. All the information is here: http://spiciefoodie.blogspot.com/2011/07/strawberry-pomegranate-limeade-and.html

2. Congratulations to Patty from Patty's Food on winning June's YBR Honest Cooking feature. Stop by and say hi to Patty here: Summertime Peach Upside-Down Almond Cake

It's been hot, humid and sunny outside. Just the way I love it! But the downside of summer is that it makes me feel a little lazy. The sun shining in through my windows and the warm summer breeze blowing past my desk make it hard to concentrate. Instead of editing photos, typing up recipes and a semi interesting story/history to go with them, all I want to do is go for a walk and dream up stories while basking in the sunshine. So I've got nothing interesting to tell you. Haha!

What about you guys, any of you feeling this way too? We've been spending as much time as possible outdoors. It's important to take advantage of the nice weather and refresh by being away from the computer. Even taking as little as 10 minutes to go for a walk outside will help you feel refreshed. Plus stretching your legs is not only good for the mind but for the waistline.


Speaking about waistlines fish is a great food to maintain a healthy waistline. Fish is also a lighter meal perfect for the summer heat. Being overstuffed on a hot summer day is not the best feeling and fish will not leave you feeling so. Another reason why fish makes good hot weather food is because it is so easy and fast to cook. Fish is a pretty hard thing to mess up so even the novice cook can whip up a great fish dinner in no time. Today's recipe is one of those hassle free, little clean up meals that anyone can cook.

Healthy Pan Fried Nile Perch Fillets:
Serves 2
2 Nile Perch Fillets
1.5 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic, thinly sliced
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, juiced

frying pan or grill pan

1. Heat the frying/grill pan over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Pat dry the Nile Perch fillets with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides, set aside. Fry the garlic slices until just golden and crispy, be careful not to burn as they will taste bitter. Spoon out the garlic and set aside, leaving the oil. Squeeze half the lemon into the frying/grill pan and mix with the oil. Then place the fillets in the pan and grill on one side for 8 minutes. Flip and cook another 6 minutes or until the fish is firm and cooked through. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice into the grill pan and over the fillets.

Garnish with the fried garlic slices and a slice of lemon and leftover olive oil from the pan, if desired. Suggested side dishes that go wonderful with these fillets are : Turmeric Rice , Trinity Rice and Watermelon Feta Salsa with Fresh Horseradish . I also have another Nile Perch recipe in my archives, Nile Perch with Spicy Cashew Pesto

I leave you with today's hassle free, little clean up recipe. I'm going back to pretending like I'm actually getting anything accomplished for the next few hours. Today is my scruffy furry bundle of love's birthday. Our Panchito turns 13 today! As is tradition every year, we will be taking him to pick out a new toy and his special b-day dinner. In a few hours he will be deep into his bucket.

Here's a little motivational song to let go of all your troubles and start the weekend off right. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Mexico on My Plate, Very Exciting News!

Today I have very exciting news to share with you. Some of you may remember or know that I have been a contributor for Honest Cooking, The Food Magazine, the past 3 months. Recently I was offered my own column. So starting today, I will be writing my very own food column! It will be called "Mexico on My Plate" and I am very excited about it!

My first or introductory article has just been published. I am extending an invitation to all of you, please stop by and get to know the idea behind "Mexico on My Plate" . You can also leave me a comment telling what you think. Here's the link, Mexico On My Plate: An Introduction

I hope you will continue visiting Honest Cooking to follow all the great contributors and my new column, "Mexico on My Plate"

Thanks guys!

Arroz A La Mexican recipe here

P.S.
Please help me give Priscilla (She's Cookin') a warm welcome to Honest Cooking. She is a new contributor and you can read her first article here, Amsterdam And Broodje Haring

Also, In case you missed it the signup post for May's YBR is now up, signup here : May's YBR Signup, New Important Information

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Flower Showers, Spring Serenade, Gourmet Greens and Tangerines

The spring sun has been playing hide and seek with us. Panchito's morning walks have been mostly cloudy with cool breezes. Not exactly the kind of weather that makes me want to get out of bed let alone go for a walk. It is May right? What's going on? Panchito leads the way on his morning walks. Sometimes he keeps us (him and I) on the same paths, other times he feels like exploring. Those walks on the same paths sometimes make me forget that I get to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The architecture, the trees, smells and sights begin to go unnoticed and taken for granted.

This morning the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, flowers in bloom and the wind was gentle. God it feels good to be warmed by the rays of sunshine! Deep breath, ah how I love the smell of spring. I think Panchito also loves the smell and warmth of spring. He sniffs the unfrozen ground and all of it's surroundings like it's all new territory. Pausing to wait for him while he sniffs around a gentle breeze blows over us. Suddenly we are showered with small white flower petals. When did the tree fully blossom? It was a sight to behold, it felt like being in a snow globe or rather a flower globe. Even Panchito took notice, he stopped sniffing the ground to point his nose up in the air and sniff. I love when he does that! I aimed my gaze upwards to watch the flowers showering over us, I catch the sun's rays peaking through the tree branches. Softly in the distance I hear a flute.

I close my eyes to better hear the flute notes. It's a sweet serenade with melancholy notes, yet make one feel euphoric. Music, sunshine, and flowers can evoke such grand emotions in humans. I peer around the tree to see it is once again the young blind musician who often plays his flute for passersby. Though music on the streets of Prague is not an uncommon sound it is one that always makes me stop and take notice.

Panchito decides that he has sniffed enough of that patch and starts leading us away. As we make our way back home those melancholy flute notes serenade us and begin to grow ever more distant. For a while it felt like all the morning's beauty belong to just Panchito and I. I love mornings like this, a great way to start off my day. The only thing that would have completed the experience would have been if hubby had been with us, next time.

On sunshine warmed days I like to eat light vibrant foods. This salad was inspired by the morning's events and it was a perfect way to end the day with a plate of vibrant fresh veggies and fruits. Enjoy!

Gourmet Greens and Tangerines Salad
Wild Arugula
Baby Spinach
Mâche Greens
Tangerines
cherry tomatoes

vinaigrette dressing

1. Rinse the greens and set aside to drain off extra water. Rinse and halve the cherry tomatoes, set aside. Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and white pith. First slice off top and bottom of the tangerine, then slice down the sides. Next cut into wedges.

2. Toss the greens and arrange the cherry tomato halves and tangerine wedges as desired. Serve with your favorite vinaigrette salad dressing.

Checkout these other great salads :

- An Organic Gardener's Salad with a Citrus Dressing , The Ardent Epicure

- Fresh Spring Bulgur Salad, Tamara Novacovic via Honest Cooking

- Sweet Onion Salad with Orange Vinaigrette , Natalie McLaury via Honest Cooking

- Chopped Salad w/Blue Cheese Dressing – My Nepenthe, White on Rice Couple

- Carrot and Avocado Salad , Jenn Cuisine

- Garden Salad with Warm Goat Cheese and Society Garlic Flowers, Kitty Morse

What is your idea of a perfect salad?

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Apple Honey Cake for My Honey and Life

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on." Robert Frost

I am not a big fan of the phrase "It seems like there is nothing but bad news lately." Every day all around the world there are tragedies taking place. People suffering and dealing with the ups and downs that life deals us all. Unemployed people worried about how they will feed their children and pay their bills. People trying to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. People both recovering and battling from disease. There are those dying from or affected with famine and war. Natural disasters in all corners of the world. People working hard to put their lives back together.

Sometimes certain events take place that shake our foundations. Those moments that make you realize you need to stop taking your life and loved ones for granted, those moments where you can count yourself lucky because you are surrounded by love. Unfortunately it takes tragedies or low moments in life to push us to become more aware of all we have in our lives. I'm not talking material possessions, while they can be a nice distraction they mean nothing. I am talking about the gifts of giving or receiving love and attention. I will take a hug and the sweet whisper of I love you over any material gift. Those actions are ingrained in my soul and make for lasting happy memories. Albert Einstein said "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." We all face our challenges in our own ways but in the end we all must keep going, and we do. Don't waste your time dwelling on unhappy moments or negative thoughts, nothing but dark energy is gained. Learn the life lesson, make your own positive energy and go on. Hug and tell your loved ones you love them everyday, multiple times a day. Cherish the time, the memories you build together. Mend those broken relationships, only good can come from it. Love and being surrounded by love is what keeps us all moving forward. Cherish today, cherish everyday.

I made this Apple Honey Cake for my husband a while back. Just on a whim he mentioned liking apple cake and I thought I'd surprise him with one. My recipe is quite simple, I am not the most experienced baker so there is nothing fancy or complicated about it. It was just meant as a small token of love and as a sweet treat to go with our evening tea. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Apple Honey Cake for My Honey
Makes one small cake (my pan is 7" or 17 cm)

Ingredients:
3 small apples weighing 400 g, after core and chopped 300 g
1.5 cups (220g) A.P. Flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Bourbon vainilla
pinch salt


Wet Ingredients:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tbsp. honey
1 medium egg
3/4 cup (177 ml) whole milk

1 extra apple, cored-quartered and thinly sliced
whole or slivered almonds to decorate, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375f or 200c. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Prepare a small round baking pan. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Mix in the chopped apples and set aside.

2. In a separate large bowl, mix the cooled melted butter, honey, egg and milk. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Continue gently mixing the ingredients just until combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan, make sure it is evenly distributed. Arrange the thin apple slices in a circular patter on top of the cake. If you wold like to add almonds either sprinkle the slivered almonds on top or decorate the top with whole almonds.

3. Bake in center of oven for 40 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Allow to settle and cool completely before serving. Serve with a cup of tea or coffee.

I'd also like to thank all of you for the sweet messages regarding the Huffington Post feature. You guys are so supportive and it's wonderful being part of such a giving and supportive community. Thank you!

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The Art Of Hot Dog Eating by Panchito

Today we have a very special guest sharing one of his favorite dishes. It's the Scrappy Scruffy Terrier aka Panchito. Panchito is an expert when it comes to the best ways, or as he says the only way, of eating a hot dog and he asked me if he could make the world a better place by spreading his knowledge. Look at that face how can you say no? (If I said no he and his killer attack squirrel, behind him, would show me the ugly consequences.)

So please help me (humor me) welcome Señor Panchito with his enlightening culinary lesson.

*For best results please imagine or hear the following spoken in a scruffy raspy voice. But no need for a Mexican accent, he is trilingual and has practiced his non-regional diction.*Warning this dog has a potty mouth.*

Hola everybody, today I'm going to school- I mean teach you about the art of hot dog eating. Wait, wait a minute...who the hell was in charge of naming these delicious delicacies hot DOGS?? I mean WTF what were they thinking, these are made specially for dogs and you expect my people to eat something named after them? That's really sick and twisted! It sounds like cannibalism and do I look like a dog version of Hanibal Hector to you? It must have been a cat person who came up with the name! But no worries I'm on top of it, my people (yes I have people - I'm a VIP/VeryImportantPuppie I'll have you know), are now talking to Oxford Dictionaries and Webster Dictionaries to have this mess cleared up. From now on they will simply be known as H.D.s for Hot Damn these are good!

You better start paying attention because I don't like repeating myself! For the most enjoyable H.D. experience you will need the following, one fresh H.D. flavor of your choice. I'm in a chicken kinda mood today and since those people that call themselves my "parents" won't go and buy me a bucket of KFC today I'll satisfy the craving with a chicken H.D.- yeah hardly!

Next, since Mother Nature really screwed us Dogs over by not giving us the opposable thumb, you'll need help from one of those two legged, furless freaks of nature called humans. Silly blinding fuschia socks not necessary.

Inspect the H.D. for freshness

All good, now hand it over to the Mommy.

Have the opposable thumb showoff, I mean your Mommy unwrap the H.D. for you. Keep an eye on her cause she'll try to steal it. Now demand they hand it over straight away!

Okay if you are a big small dog- that is a small dog on the big end of small, you may not be able to shove the whole H.D. in your mouth- Damm it! Ask your Mommy to slice it or cut it into strips for you.

Since I am a VIP, I like to be treated like one and that includes being hand fed. I've asked the Mommy to get close to my face on different angles so you can see the eating process better. Ready? Here is comes...

Getting closer and closer and chomp!

Sweet Colonel who are thou in heaven, these are f*^%#$@ delicious! Don't get me wrong nothing beats a bucket but damn these are f'n good! We are going to do it again, this time in slow motion for you slow ones out there.

Lick it,

Taste it,

Savor it!

Gone!

Repeat the process until the whole pack of H.D.s are gone, or until the cruel Mommy says you can't have anymore.

But just to make sure inspect the plate again, sometimes they miss things- humans are inferior in intelligence to Dogs. Dr. Woofinowski said so- it's science!

Now you'll have to give the Mommy some attention to make her feel better for giving you a miniscule snack. Go on let her give you a little face scratching.

Ay chiguagua! Now she's going to want to wipe your face! WTH is up with those Mommies always wanting to clean you, Mother-Smother!

Fight her every step of the cleaning process! Doesn't she realize she's embarrassing me and ruining my coiff!

That was hard work but it had to be done, now you'll need a nap. Lay down, ignore the Mommy and it's time to go catch Cats in your quiet place. Oh gees where are my manners, Brrrrppppppp! and if you feel the need to fart go on let it rip!

What! What do you want, why are you still here?? Go away I need to catch up on my sleep! I didn't get this beautiful by staying up all day.

Oh I almost forgot to say, No superior intellect beings, aka Dogs, were harmed in the making of this public service announcement for the betterment of Canis lupus familiaris. Screw that, this one was! I only got 2 H.D.s and that is just abusive!

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Feeling Nostalgic For Mexican Food, and A Winner

First order of business is to announce the winner of the $75 CSN giveaway. Congratulations to #66 chosen by Xiaolu@6 Bittersweets! Please contact me asap for your winning code.



This month's International Incident Party (IIP) theme assigned to us by our lovely host, Penny, is nostalgia. The dictionary defines nostalgia as " A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations." What a beautiful word, it alone evokes so many beautiful and wonderful memories from my life. Even though I haven't always been so interested or passionate about food and what goes into preparing a meal for your loved ones, I have so many memories around food. Mexican celebrations always involve food, lots of food. Every occasion grand or as small as having a friend stop by for coffee requires food to share.

Taquitos, The Taste of Home

I often reminisce about all the wonderful smells that came from the kitchen during my childhood. The sweetness and warmth of my father's fresh baked Mexican breads. The red broth and floating hominy in the posole my mother made on special occasion. The days of enticing smells during the holidays when they would make tamales of so many varieties. How my little sister would make us scrambled eggs for late night dinners and poured so much salsa over them, they were delicious. Breakfast skillets remind me of those cherished mornings when all four of us girls (my sisters and I) would go out for breakfast before heading to school or work. I have so many wonderful memories around food that make me smile, laugh, and cry. Really the stories and memories are endless and I could go on and on, but I'll spare you the novel length read.

Zanahorias en Escabeche or Mexican Spicy Pickled Carrots

As you can see this IIP brought so many ideas as to what to cook and share with you. I couldn't help but keep thinking about many of the Mexican dishes I have already shared with you. While I normally don't like to republish recipes here on Spicie Foodie, this is a special case in which I will make an exception. Here are some of the dishes that evoke the most nostalgic feelings from childhood. They are not my families recipes because I didn't learn to cook until I had moved so far away from them. Since I taught myself to cook the recipes are my own recreations, and remember authentic Mexican ingredients are very hard to come by so the recipes are the best I can recreate with what I have available. Perhaps one day when I live closer to my family again I can share their recipes with you. Buen Provecho!

Tostadas de Tinga,Chicken Tinga Tostadas

Refried Beans ~ a low fat healthy version

Bean and Tortilla soup with Memories

Mexican Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Authentic Guacamole

Arroz ala Mexicana, Authentic Mexican Rice

Mexican Chorizo

What about you, what food evokes the most nostalgic feelings?

On another note I would like to ask you to stop by Priscilla's blog, She's Cookin'. She's Cookin' is one of the best blogs with substance and mouthwatering recipes around. She has posted one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook, (An Epiphany of The Senses), the Luscious Thai Chicken Pineapple Curry recipe. Please stop by She's Cookin' and say hello to Priscilla.

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