Over the past several months I have fallen desperately in love with a young stay-at-home mom turned widowed drug-dealer, a novelist whose future lays perilously in the hands of an all-too-close for comfort 16 year old, and America’s favorite serial killer. Weeds, Californication and Dexter...Here’s to you!

Showtime is taking television by storm with these three sultry series. A word of caution: a) kids- don’t watch any of these. trust me, and b) If you don’t have Showtime and plan on “buying just one” episode from iTunes, get a night job or ask your boss for a raise because I assure you that you will purchase the entire season before recognizing the expense (and the fact that you have watched 7 straight hours of tv on your lap top and woops, forgot to go to sleep).

Still not convinced?
Underpaid and overworked, what would anyone turn to? Emmy-award winning Mary Louise Parker has created a new genre- Gangsta-MILF. As Weed’s main character Nancy Botwin, Parker’s perils parallel Indiana Jones in California’s suburban sprawl.

Californication star David Duchuvney is hot, humorous, hell-raising...heavenly. A total scalawag, just the way we love them.

And then Dexter...you’ve never had a thought as dastardly or dark as our dear friend, the Miami Bloodspatter Investigator/ mass-murderer psychopath, Dexter.

This is jaw-dropping entertainment making you value Netflix and OnDemand more than just about anything. Step aside Sex and the City, Sopranos and Grey’s Anatomy, Showtime is your new best friend.

Wow your spouse, woo your date, or one up your dinner guests...It started with a recipe from Ellie Kreiger (here I go again), a Nutritionist and Food Network chef dedicated to creating fast, simple and healthy recipes. Her recipe, “Roasted Salmon with Shallot Grapefruit Sauce” sure made my mouth water, but after being poisoned the night before by “rotten skewered salmon” served at a fundraiser, my step-father did not share my enthusiasm. I offered to substitute Tilapia, my favorite fish (probably has to do with the fact that it doesn’t, in fact, taste like fish). He gulped a fearful gulp, yet nodded giving me the go ahead.

So here it is, “Naples Tilapia with Roasted Fennel” made by me with Ms. Kreiger sitting on my shoulder.

1 head fennel, sliced
2 tilapia filets
salt, pepper, and flour, for seasoning
2 ruby red grapefruits, one juiced and the other cut into segments
extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
fresh grated ginger
honey or agave
pinch cayenne pepper
lemon juice
basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Chop off the end and green section (save some of these green fronds for garnish) of the fennel, place on its side and slice into thin pieces. Place fennel in baking dish, coat with a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and soft.

Season both sides of the tilapia with salt and pepper and dredge in flour (place about 1/2 cup flour on a plate and coat both sides of fish with the flour). Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced shallots and sautée until translucent and slightly browned (about 3 minutes). Add about 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (more if desired), 1-2 teaspoons honey or agave, a pinch of cayenne pepper and the grapefruit juice. Cook until sauce has reduced and becomes thick.
While sauce is cooking down, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a second large skillet over medium heat. Add tilapia and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and golden brown. Add tilapia to the grapefruit sauce, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and the grapefruit wedges and let fish soak up the grapefruit-goodness. Before serving, throw in a handful of chopped basil.

When the fish is ready, serve over a bed of cooked jasmine rice or quinoa (cooked in vegetable or chicken broth with a small pat of butter and about 2 teaspoons of olive oil), the roasted fennel and top with a garnish of chopped fennel fronds.

The day after I served this citrus treat, I came across the article “On Balance” while flipping through the pages of this month’s issue of Cooking Light. “Bring out the best in your cooking by harmonizing sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory,” it read. And there you have it, my friends. A perfectly balanced recipe- sweet, sour, bitter and savory- approved by nutritionist Ellie Kreiger and a picky-eater-salmon-hater step-father, who smiled, and had thirds.

Blogs. First of all, I don’t like whoever named them...I mean, blog, really? It sounds like ‘blah’, which is ironic if you use it in a sentence like, “I’m so excited to read so and so’s new Blah!” My mom says its sounds like ‘butt’...I don’t necessarily agree with this one, but she followed it up by saying, “like cigarette butts. I mean, who wants to smoke a butt?” (I’ll leave this one alone).

It’s been a long, rocky road for me and the blog. It wasn’t until this summer I even got past the idea of a blog as being anything but an online, dish-your-heart-out journal, a little like smog. But, as we all do at some point, I am finally opening up to this new (well, kind of) technology that has taken the internet by storm.

So then it happened, my first blog (let’s not get ahead ourselves, I’m still reading them, writing my own is a far off reality). It’s only natural to be drawn to a blog that aligns with your interests. For me, my first, it was 101Cookbooks - “exploring cookbooks, one recipe at a time.” I fell for it. I fell hard. And so begins my infatuation with this cooking blog, dedicated to healthy recipes using fresh, organic and local ingredients with the most beautiful food photography I have ever seen. I started out by searching for recipes, then checked daily for new recipes, now I a full-blown member and receive weekly e-mail with new recipes, recommended cook books and stories from Heidi, the blog’s writer.

From there I formed a new-found appreciation for the blog- The Budget Fashionista , PetSugar (on any in the TeamSugar family), PugSpot (I know...just go with it), The Shortest Blog in the World (another personal favorite), my best friend’s personal blog, My Cuppa Tea and my sister's My Anthropology . I’m still no blog-a-nista, (come on I’m allowed to make up a ridiculous word, I mean, blog?!, seriously), but to all you non-bloggers, the least I can do is share with you a few of my favorites, just to get you started. Turns out reading commentary, watching videos, and staying ahead of your favorite things online, its not that bad! Blog away!

 

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