Monday, April 29, 2013

Capybara

I have a new animal love.

Capybara.

They're rodents, the largest rodent in the world actually.  It's closest relatives are chinchillas and guinea pigs, both of which I've also expressed an interest in having.




Seriously.  Look at that face.  I mean how can you not love it.  I want.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Tasty Thursday

Do you like mahi mahi?

Do you like tacos?  Or better yet, do you like double decker tacos?

Do you like Rachael Ray?

Well, if you've said yes to any of those, I have the recipe for you!  Mahi mahi tacos!

Ever since that fateful day I had a fresh fish taco on the side of the road in Maui (as sketchy as this roadside eatery was, the food was delicious).  I've been hooked on fish tacos since and I've unsuccessfully attempted to create many variations.

This particular recipe scored some serious points.  I liked it.  The BF liked it.  The dog and cat even liked them.  Well, to their credit, they'd eat anything, but regardless, win.  The BF even mentioned that I should share the recipe on the blog.  That's the first time he's said that, so I have to oblige.

For me, what made this was the black bean/chutney mix used in between the taco shells.  OMG.  I've never had anything like it and I could've seriously eaten it by itself with some chips.  And it helps when it's an easy recipe.

Now, don't let the long list of ingredients and instructions scare you.  Rachael's recipe is actually pretty easy and, yes, it did only take me 30 minutes, if not less.

The recipe calls for mango chutney, which I found in the Indian food section of the grocery.  I imagine you could also use other types of fish besides mahi mahi.  And as for myself, I actually eyeballed alot of the quantities of the ingredients.  So, adjust according to your taste!


Rachael Ray's My-oh-Mahi! That's a Good Fish Taco  

1/4 c canola oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped -- I just used a couple spoonfuls of jarred diced jalapenos
1 red onion, 1/4 of it finely chopped and the remainder thinly sliced -- I did it vice versa
1 garlic clove, minced or grated -- I eyeballed it with already minced garlic
15 oz can of black beans, drained
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c mango chutney
2 limes -- I used squirts of concentrated lime juice
2 tbsp hot sauce
3 tbsp honey
a handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded
4 mahi mahi fillets
1 tbsp grill seasoning -- I used a combo of my own seasonings and added some chipotle chili powder
8 each of hard shell tacos and soft shells
sour cream or whatever toppings you want

Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the jalapeno, chopped red onion, and garlic.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the beans and cumin and mash together.  Season the beans with salt and pepper and fold in the chutney.  Reduce the heat to low, stirring now and then to keep from burning.  If the beans dry out, add a splash of water.

Zest one of the limes and set aside.  Combine the juice of both limes, hot sauce, honey, 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper with the sliced onion, cilantro and shredded cabbage.  Toss it all to combine.

Heat a grill or preheat the broiler.  Season the fish with the remaining oil, 2 teaspoons of lime zest, and the grill seasoning.  Cook the fish until cooked through, turning once.

Glue the hard shells to the soft shell tacos with a couple spoonfuls of the mashed black beans.  Fill your tacos with some flaked fish and top with the cabbage slaw and whatever else your tummy desires.


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Tasty Thursday

What's a girl to do when she really wants rice krispy treats and oreos?  Well that predicament didn't last long.  Crush up some oreos and add it to your rice krispy mix.  What would've lasted a week...possibly two in a normal household lasted us, oh, maybe three days...I would have one for breakfast and one or two later for snacks.  Hey.  Don't judge.


And, want to know a good alcoholic drink if you don't like the taste of regular beer.  Lager + lemonade.  It's called a Radler, or some might even call it a Shandy.  Either way, it's delicious and I could seriously see these creeping up on a person.  I happened to use Land Shark since that's what we had.  Mix equal amounts of lemonade and beer, this'll depend on your taste preference, half and half is just a good starting point.  With summer coming, this'll be a great drink.  Let the young ones drink the lemonade and you'll drink the Radlers.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Badass Periodic Elements

The science nerd in me loved this list on Buzzfeed.  I loved it so much, I'm straight up copying and pasting this.

The Thirteen Most Badass Periodic Elements


13. Iridium (Ir) - #77

Iridium (Ir) - #77
Why it's badass: This sweet-ass bad boy is the second densest element AND the most corrosive-resistant. That's right: iridium is so suave, it can't be affected by water, chemicals or acids. One of the rarest elements in the earth's crust, it likely comprised part of the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Its platinum-like exterior is as flinty as the cool steel in its heart.
Badass power ranking: 13. Steve McQueen getting a prison tattoo.

12. Curium (Cm) - #96

Curium (Cm) - #96
Why it's badass: Hey, what are you up to, curium? "Oh, just GLOWING IN THE DARK because I'm so radioactive." This element, named after Marie Curie, is made by bombarding plutonium with helium ions. It's so dangerous that it's rarely created on earth, although Mars rovers had it in their xray spectrometers.
Badass power ranking: 12. That high school bully who took your lunch and made you cry.

11. Krypton (Kr) - #36

Krypton (Kr) - #36
Why it's badass: Krypton is a noble gas that makes up LASERS and part of the atmosphere of Mars. It's white when cooled and solidified, but colorless, odorless and tasteless as a gas.
Badass power ranking: 11, like Chuck Norris with a hangnail.

10. Francium (Fr) - #87

Francium (Fr) - #87
Why it's badass: Francium only has a half life of only about 10 minutes and exists only as single atoms which suddenly appear like soap bubbles and then vanish just as quickly. When the MCs come in its face it's like mace, 'cause francium backs them off with the quills.
Ranking: 10. Always carries nunchucks.

9. Chlorine (Cl) - #17

Chlorine (Cl) - #17
Why it's badass: Incredibly toxic, but also essential to life, chlorine makes up a great deal of the earth's oceans and is heavier than air. Disinfects everything, but don't drink it.
Badass power ranking: 9. Chlorine has never cried, ever.

8. Helium (He) - #2

Helium (He) - #2
Why it's badass: Helium was discovered on the sun before it was found on the earth. It's inert but doesn't give a shit. It makes you talk funny. Liquid helium is literally the coolest element, forming only at -269 degrees Celsius. What's cooler than cool? LIQUID HELIUM.
Badass power ranking: 8, like a shot of ghost pepper-flavored whiskey.
Image by (Shutterstock)

7. Bromine (Br) - #17

Bromine (Br) - #17
Why it's badass: The only liquid nonmetallic element, bromine is a neavy, reddish liquid that will literally burn a hole through your skin. It can only be transported in lead tanks because trucks don't carry bromine, bromine carries trucks.
Badass power ranking: 7. Go ahead and make bromine's day.

6. Carbon (C) - #6

Carbon (C) - #6
Why it's badass: Carbon comprises 20% of the weight of living organisms. It's fucking diamonds. Makes your pencils. Makes coal. Makes your life.
Badass power ranking: 6, like a sleek motorcycle backing you into God's garage.
Image by (Shutterstock)

5. Potassium (K) - #19

The 13 Most Badass Periodic Elements
Why it's badass: It's the eighth most abundant element on earth, but sweet-ass potassium is never found free in nature, because it's so reactive. Pure potassium is a soft metal that can be cut with a knife, but don't let its cuddly nature fool you: when you drop this shit in water, potassium can ignite the hydrogen gas it creates to start a fire. IN water.
Badass power ranking: 5. Chugging a glass of boiling water with a chaser of boiling water.
Source: imgur.com

4. Arsenic (As) - #33

Arsenic (As) - #33
Why it's badass: It's naturally occurring, but that doesn't mean it won't kill Emma Bovary AND you. It'll do really gross things to your skin, too. Seriously, don't Google image it.
Badass powering ranking: 4, since arsenic actually played Ryan Gosling in Drive.
Source: bionerd

3. Gold (Au) - #79

Gold (Au) - #79
Why it's badass: It's fucking GOLD. It conducts heat and electricity. It's not very reactive, but that's because everyone knows to step off when gold walks by. It's fucking shiny as hell. GOLD.
Badass ranking: 3. Gold knows what it wants, and it isn't your bullshit.
Source: kidspast.com

2. Mercury (Hg) - #80

Mercury (Hg) - #80
Why it's badass: The only metal that's liquid at room temperature, mercury is incredibly toxic. A coin fucking FLOATS in it. (See above.) It dissolves gold and silver. Volcanoes and coal-powered power plants alike vomit it out. It gets in fish.
Badass ranking: 2. Mercury will fuck your shit up. Don't even.

1. Hydrogen (H) - #1

Hydrogen (H) - #1
Why it's badass: The lightest element, hydrogen makes up 90% of the visible universe and is the raw fuel for stars. It combines to form some things you might have heard of: water (H2O), ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), table sugar (C12H22O11), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). One proton and one electron -- that's all you fucking need.
Badass power ranking: Hell yeah, it's number one.