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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Obstacles Are Made to Be Overcome


Obstacles aint got NOTHIN' on me.

My plans for a late-summer dinner on the outdoor grill got blown out the window today. (pun intended)


But, being the resilient Army wife that I am, I rolled with the punches and changed my plans.


Indoor grill pan it is!

Then, as I'm lovingly preparing the spice rub for this dish and trying to get the perfect photo of the pretty spices in a bowl, I dropped it. Approximately five seconds after this lovely photo was taken:

You'd never know that disaster was about to strike immediately following snapping this photo!

I was so upset that I dropped the bowl of spices and they went a-flyin' across the kitchen floor that I neglected to snap a photo of the disaster aftermath, but trust me, it was a mess!

So I did what any strong and independent woman would do: yelled a curse word and stomped my feet and then watched as my husband swept it all up for me.

Go me!

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Spice Rubbed Mahi Mahi

For the Fish
2 mahi-mahi fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
sprinkle of salt

1. Mix the coriander, cumin, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and salt together. Rub the mahi-mahi fillets with a good drizzle of olive oil and the seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Grill fish over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

3. Serve with salsa on top.


For the salsa I used this:


And doctored it up a little with fresh avocado chunks and chopped red onion.


Yum Yum!


Dinner was served with a side of brussel sprouts (see below for recipe) and steamed potato with buttah & salt & pepper.
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Then another obstacle rose up in front of me: The skies were dark and stormy. A.K.A. Not blogger-photo-friendly.

Don't worry though, I got this:


A.K.A. A husband who begrudgingly holds my plate for me as I try to get it at exactly the right angle to get acceptable light in my dungeon of a kitchen. Love him! And doesn't he look so happy to do it for me?!

Obstacle #....4?....of the night: My husband's hatred of brussel sprouts.


I think my husband literally WHIMPERED when he looked in the pan and saw those babies simmering away. For some reason he was CONVINCED that he hated brussel sprouts. Convinced.

So I did what any loving, caring wife would do and made them anyway and told him to suck it up.

And guess what? He LIKED them. He freaking LIKED them!

Apparently the only brussel sprouts he had ever eaten were in a cafeteria setting so that's what he was judging his hatred on. Um....okay.

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Husband-Friendly Brussel Sprouts with Tomatoes
Source: Me

1 tsp olive oil
2 cups brussel sprouts, ends cut off and sliced in half
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
drizzle of rice vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add brussel sprouts and cook for about 5 minutes until the sprouts start to get browned a bit. Add chicken broth, garlic and tomatoes to the pan and then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let steam/simmer for about 10 minutes, until brussel sprouts are tender and cooked, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper and a drizzle of rice vinegar and serve.

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All this dominating of obstacles made me feel a little anxious, but I overcame that feeling pretty quickly when I poured myself a glass of this:


Yep, that would be a ginormous glass of white wine. Ahhh....much better.

Obstacles are made to be overcome. Bring it on, Army, life, or whatever!

Does your significant other dislike certain foods? Obviously the answer for me is no longer brussel sprouts. I'm still working on getting him to like asparagus though....that one is harder to break!

and

What obstacles have you overcome lately? See above for my answers. :)

11 comments:

  1. I wish I could cook like you. I'm pretty sure I would burn my kitchen down if I tried the things you do. Mahi Mahi is one of my favorite foods and it looks so good in your pictures!

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  2. Taylor doesn't like cucumbers...isn't that weird?? It is not even the most flavorful veggie...
    Way to go Alex for trying brussel sprouts!! I need to try them also. I have always said that I didn't like them, but I honestly don't think I have ever tried them! Maybe I will put in on my menu for next week! :)

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  3. Ashley, I just read today that asparagus increases the cleansing qualities of your liver by twice as much, therefore making them the perfect remedy for a hangover. Maybe that will change Alex's opinion of them???? Great story on your blog today! aunt rita

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  4. I love your blogging! You crack me up!!!! But, I can't believe that anybody doesn't just LOVE aspargus, its practically the perfect vegetable!

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  5. Such a fun post!

    My husband does not like summer squash, and I have yet to find a way of preparing it (that's still semi-healthy) that he enjoys. But it's the only veggie he doesn't like, so I'm not complaining too much! :)

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  6. Cute post!! Especially this:
    "So I did what any strong and independent woman would do: yelled a curse word and stomped my feet and then watched as my husband swept it all up for me."

    HAHA!! :)

    I want to try brussel sprouts!! I have never had them... crazy, huh?

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  7. Just came upon your blog. My boyfriend is deployed to Afghanistan and it is nice to see another blog about Army relationships. :)

    Look forward to reading more!

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  8. My boyfriend HATES broccoli and green beans so I don't make him eat them. Also, he's emotionally scarred by carrots (don't ask) but I don't like carrots cooked either so we never have any on hand :P I'm trying to get him to warm up to asparagus, however. The man just doesn't like green veggies but I WILL break him!

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  9. PS (just saw your comment, haha) - You're welcome! So many people think strength is not crying or not showing you're weakness or you're vulnerable and I think it's completely the opposite...I think it's being able to say, "Yeah, I have mental breakdowns every now and then, SO WHAT!?" and be brave enough to ask for prayer or just help or whatever it is.

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  10. Your husband did indeed have Brussel sprouts growing up. He would have been obliged to follow the "three bites" rule at the table. However, I can also say with extreme confidence they weren't as wonderful as these you made. In fact, you have undoubtedly opened his mind these past three years to the wonders of food he previously ignored. Congratulations!

    MIL

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  11. I made this recipe tonight...well sort of. I used Tilapia instead of Mahi Mahi, but the spices were so good!! We made it into fish tacos and they were scrumptious!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!

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