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Crispy Restaurant Style Fish Tacos #FishnVeggies #CBias

It’s no secret that I love sharing my restaurant re-creations. Most of the time my copycat recipes take a little longer to prepare but with me returning back to work and the hubby traveling I have been looking for meals that the hubs can easily put together if I am gone and vice versa. It can become very mundane and even stressful on some nights to prepare a complete meal from scratch. Insert my idea on recreating our favorite restaurant fish tacos. I already had a few essential ingredients like tangy sharp cheddar, crunchy green cabbage, creamy avocados from our tree and tomatillo salsa, the rest I needed to pick-up from Wal-Mart during my weekly shopping trip.

To see my full shopping trip please visit my Google+ album.

While at Wal-Mart I picked up some Van de Kamp’s breaded fish sticks, Birds Eye vegetables and rice, corn tortillas and beer (of course! you cannot have fish tacos without a cold beer). Today I did a trial run on the recipe to show the hubby how to prepare when I am away working.

Payton loves fish, like totally loves it. Makes me happy because a lot of kids don’t. A staple for when mommy is away is serving the kids fish sticks and fresh veggies. It’s easy for everyone and it’s always a hit. I feel better when I am away knowing my family is eating a well balanced meal. I have to be honest that I haven’t purchased Van de Kamps fish sticks for a few years, I usually purchase a different brand and after baking these today I will never look back. The fish baked in under twenty-three minutes and it was perfectly crispy and did not stick to the pan. The biggest plus in my book is that the fish was actually a filet like stated on the packaging, unlike some packages that advertise a whole filet and then you end up with slimy minced fish. These fish sticks were fine all on their own and after I ate a few straight off the pan I knew I better get to assembling the tacos before I had to bake more!

While the fish sticks were baking I prepped soft corn tortillas and the cheddar cheese. I wanted the tortillas to be warm and soft so they went into the oven after the fish sticks came out for two minutes. I did the following to create my fish tacos:

I also wanted to serve mexican rice with the tacos so when I picked up the frozen vegetables I also saw that Birds Eye offers a frozen rice with mixed veggie blend. I knew this would be perfect to make a quick mexican rice.

I steamed the rice according to the package directions. I then placed the rice into a bowl and added two tablespoons of tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and cumin. I gave one lime wedge a squeeze and a crack of sea salt. Voila! Easy mexican rice in under ten minutes.

The kids verdict? Even the non-fish lover Brayden enjoyed the fish sticks. I served the kids the fish sticks, avocado, mexican rice and Birds Eye edamame.

I cannot confess anymore how amazing this meal was. After a hectic day it brought us all together at the dinner table, and the best thing is when I am at work I know that the hubby can easily recreate this meal for he and the kids.

Want to try this recipe out for yourself? Take advantage of the $1 off coupon on Mrs Pauls and Van de Kamps

Enter the Neely’s Sweepstakes on mrspauls.com and vandekamps.com – One lucky grand prize winner gets a trip for two to NYC and dinner with the Neelys. Check back for daily chances to win signed cookbooks from the Neelys.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Pinnacle Foods Group #cbias #SocialFabric #FishnVeggies

back to work I go…

Last night marked my first official day back to work in nearly two years. It was a very last minute decision to accept a part time position at my previous employer where I once was the general manager. They had been closed for renovations for two months and were short a few managers, insert me and the request for bar shifts. Now here I am less than ten days later scheduled for four shifts this week. eek! There was a build-up this past week of emotions I didn’t know would arise. Crying over nothing, over reacting, a plain ‘ole moody. When I left the restaurant I was still severely affected by my post partum depression (the depression that wouldn’t leave until I had Brayden). I was so nervous stepping back into those doors, my hands were shaking and finally with a welcoming hug by one of the only employees left that I hired I could calm down. As the shift progressed I slowly got back into my groove, thankfully I am not bartending until Friday because that lemon drop I made was a little terrifying to pour, not to mention short. I missed by babies tonight and apparently Brady walked around looking for me saying, “mama…mommy….mama” over and over, breaks my heart! The adult interaction is much needed even if the staff is mostly under twenty-five. Here’s to making money again and rejoining the working world. Wish me luck.

OctoPops {tutorial}

A few weeks ago I was contacted to create octopus cake pops for an under the sea birthday party. Well, the rain delayed the party and I created these über sweet octupus brownie pops late Friday night. Cake pops and I have a love hate relationship. I finally have it down what works for me, brownies! Their dense enough and remain moist once coated. Aren’t they the cutest?

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 box brownie mix (avoid any variety with chocolate chips) bake according to the cake-like directions. Under cook slightly. Let cool and then crumble. Slightly squish the crumbs together into a ball releasing oils and roll until even.

2 bags of melting chocolate, I used purple and blue

36 candy eyes

black edible marker

18 sticks

pastry bags

parchment paper

Once you have the brownie balls rolled out melt a small amount of chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Dip one stick at a time into melted chocolate and gently place half way into brownie. Repeat until done. Let these sit for about 10-15 minutes to ensure chocolate has completely hardened.

While your waiting on the chocolate to harden draw circles and tentacles onto paper.

Place parchment paper over the paper and tape the corners down.

Melt 1 cup of chocolate and place melted chocolate into pastry bag. Cut a small hole at the end of the bag. Start piping a tentacle first and outlining the circle as you go into each tentacle. Once you have piped all the chocolate, dip the brownie balls into chocolate and place immediately onto piped chocolate. Let the chocolate harden for a few minutes before placing eyes onto the face. If the chocolate becomes too hard take a small amount of chocolate onto a stick and dab a bit onto the back of the eye and attach. Once the chocolate has hardened all the way draw a mouth on.

Now you have these cute under the sea creatures to add to your party!

Cleft Repair : One-Year Anniversary

It’s crazy how fast a year has gone by. It’s also insane that all the worries we once we’re experiencing are way behind us leaving us with a minor touch-up surgery before kindergarten and braces once his big boy teeth come in. A few months ago we went in for a cleft clinic where everyone in the cleft team was present. We were shuffled from room to room, nine doctors inspecting, looking at gums, asking if he speaks, a third hearing test…you get the picture. We are more than grateful that our sweet boy is not the typical cleft patient. He has all his teeth, though the worry of adult teeth missing is still a worry. He is speaking and growing (up not out). The knot that once existed in his gums now has a tooth protruding through it and the knot in his lip is still a little thick so before the school days begin we will have that fixed. His right nostril is still slightly smooshed and one day he might request surgery and we will gladly have that fixed for him. We’re still very blessed that we have Kaiser, they have been amazing and our insurance covers everything that is related to his once birth defect. This is why we want to give back.

If you remember back in October we were doing a fundraiser in his name through Operation Smile to raise enough money for four surgeries. We are one surgery away from meeting our goal. If you would like to donate to this life changing surgery please e-mail me here. It only takes $225 to alleviate one child a lifetime of pain.

bacon & horseradish deviled eggs

Whether you’re planning a fab spread for the big game, a baby shower, Easter brunch or just because this recipe for bacon and horseradish deviled eggs will wow your guests. I am very weary when it comes to eating deviled eggs other than my mom’s. People tend to go way too heavy on the mayo and the filling ends up being a runny flavorless mayo-y mess. My Grandma’s recipe, the one my Mom makes is perfect. More mustard-y than mayo, a hint of curry and just the right amount of seasoning. When my girlfriend, Jinger, sent me this recipe for her daughter’s first birthday party I knew we had to include it in the brunch spread. I didn’t use as much mayo as listed and only used half of the bacon. The filling was a little thick but seriously one of thee best deviled eggs this mouth has ever tasted! Add it to your next get together menu, and double the recipe!