Simple & Delicious Cod ♥

Oh, how I love seafood. I could eat it every day! My favorites are shrimp, swordfish, tilapia, cod and halibut. I'm not a big salmon eater, probably because it's one of the only ones that I can never seem to get the super-fish smell out of. I love the taste of fish, but the smell can get overwhelming and can take over a dish. The only salmon dish I love to make is a salmon bagel. An everything bagel with cream cheese and shredded grilled salmon. So simple and great for every meal. [I'll post the full recipe next time I make it!]

Last night, I made up an amazing dish using cod fillets that were on sale at Kroger. $4.99/lb is pretty good for cod and the fillets were gorgeous. This is a really inexpensive, quick [1/2 hour!] and healthy dish, so try it for a week day meal!

You'll need:

2 good sized cod fillets [about 1.5 lbs total for both]

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 servings of angel hair pasta

minced garlic to taste [I use about 3 cloves, but it's up to you!]

splash of seafood stock [maybe 1/2 cup, just judge for yourself]

Cut up the cod into large chunks, brush with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Set aside.

In a large saucepan [with top], start by sauteing the garlic in some olive oil, when the heat gets going, add your tomato paste and seafood stock. This will make a kind of roux, a base for the sauce. Add both cans of tomatoes and bring to a boil, reduce to an active simmer and add the rosemary. I always use kitchen shears to cut up the rosemary, but you can add it in large leaves if you want to. The rosemary adds beautiful color and goes amazingly well with the tomatoes. Basil is a common herb used with tomatoes, but I think the rosemary compliments the cod much better than classic basil. This is a quick dish, but the longer you let that sauce simmer [before putting in the cod], the more fragrant and flavorful it becomes. You can even stop the process now and can it up for later use on many different dishes. 

Boil your angel hair! Don't forget to add a good bit of salt to the water just before al dente. Don't worry, it won't soak up all the salt, just a bit to get some good flavor, it just takes a lot to work well. Also, adding olive oil to the water and then giving it a cold bath directly after straining will help it not to stick and clump.

Add the cod chunks to the mixture. Make sure they're nestled snugly in there! The sauce should be at a low simmer [and should already taste amazing!] Cover and let the cod cook for about 15 minutes, until flaky and wonderful. You can periodically scoop the tomatoes over the chunks as they cook if you like, to ensure the cod soaks up the goodness. During this last cooking time, add some salt if it needs it. As the sauce cooks out, you'll want to do some last minute seasoning. 

Now to plate the dish! Twist a small portion of pasta onto the plate, situate the cod comfortably and pour the tomato mixture over the top. Add some rosemary to garnish. Great with a spinach salad! Bon appetit! ♥ 

Every. Damn. Day.

If you're not reading bestie Kim's blog, Life's Kaleidoscope,  you should be. I can promise you that it's far more interesting and far less materialistic than good ol' Hesson Haus. I can also promise you'll be able to live vicariously through a truly kind person with an amazing [I mean, seriously ...] life.

Well, in order to make myself feel better about what I do with my corner of the internet, I've decided to join forces with Kim in her 30-Day Fitness challenge. I really wanted to name it something awesome like K&K's Bust That Azz Workout or Hicks-Hesson Haus of Pain or [my personal favorite] Death of the Lazy Bitch Contest ... but, I couldn't think of anything I'd want monogrammed on a gym bag.

Basically, Kim came up with an idea to challenge her discipline before the New Years Resolution train rolls in a month from now. I love how she's planning to plan - one of many reasons we're best friends. Kim's goal is to accomplish the seemingly simple task of getting at least 10 minutes of cardio into her day, every day, for 30 days. Sounds easy at first, but the pressure here isn't to succeed in a maximum amount of working out, but simply to stick to a schedule of getting there each day, which as most of you know can be very difficult, especially smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season. Consistency is the name of the game ... I officially hate this game. But my new favorite saying is "life begins outside your comfort zone," so let's just suck it up and go for it!

So here are the rules:

• During this time I will do NO MORE, but NO LESS than 10 minutes of cardio activity every single day. I will try incorporate some weight training when I can, but the commitment of cardio will be consistent. That is the point after all.
• I will weigh myself once a week. I have a very handy scale that measures weight, body fat percentage, and muscle mass. I will also monitor any changes in my body measurements.
• Kate & I will post results each week. Accountability is a great motivator, and having a partner helps to ensure success.

Now, there are some discrepancies here ... I will likely NOT be posting anything about my weight, as there are no truck stop weigh-in scales near my home or the gym. I will, however, agree to holding myself accountable for my success or failure. I was an athlete for most of my life, so I don't find it hard to do the work ... I simply have a hard time finding the time to go to the gym, especially every day, so we'll see how this goes!

I'd like to encourage you to try this as well! You can start this week, or December 1st [just be wary of the holiday hours at your gym!] to complete your 30 days.  I'll check in later this week to talk about how great I'm doing, or the story of how I purposefully injured myself so I wouldn't have to go through with this plan. 

I think I can['t], I think I can['t] ... 

♥

Cemetery Love ♥

October really just came and went a little too quickly this year! We had our 7th annual party. I took a few pictures, but not enough for a blog post! [and they're all on Instagram!] So instead, I thought I'd just do a little cemetery blog. I didn't take any of these pictures, I've just had them for years as inspiration. 

I grew up with a cemetery in my back yard, so I've always had an affinity for the dead. I used to play, do my homework and bring friends back to my special little graveyard when I was a kid. It was a family graveyard from the 1860s. The family was McClendon and although I've researched it since I moved, I haven't been able to find any pictures! I'm sure it is because it is randomly in the back yard of a suburban neighborhood and has surely been neglected and grown over since I left when I was 12. 

If you're interested in finding a grave of a family member, please check out FindAGrave or BillionGraves and enter your search info. BillionGraves is probably easier to use, but I prefer FindAGrave because you can leave virtual flowers! So cute! 

Nerdy Thirty ♥

Y'all know I love throwin' parties!! This one was too much fun ... bestie Ashlie is quite a nerd [like most of my good friends] so I thought a Nerdy Thirty would be super fun. Good thing I'm always right. [jk, calm down]

We scattered nerdy paraphenalia all around the venue including her high school band uniform [band geeks for life!], Captain America and Hermione showed up, we had a dress-up photo booth, we watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the big screen and the favors were ... Nerds, of course! It was such a blast and Ashlie could not have been happier. These are requirements for any party I throw, so I have to say I'm pretty pleased myself. Here are a few outtakes, enjoy!

Stellaaaaaaaaaaa! ♥

I'm such a fan girl for Stella Rose Saint Clair. Besides having wonderful personal style, she's an amazing milliner! [I hope to own a velvet spiked turban someday!] You should definitely visit Confessions of a Female Drag Queen and experience true personal style for yourself.

Style is something that is really important to me. My outward personal style is dark, often monochromatic-based with a pop of color and usually consists of one statement piece. Looking inwardly, I'm often drawn to decadence. Louis XIV is my number one style inspiration. I have boards dedicated to him in the fort and I always find myself tracing certain style elements back to him.  Big names that inspire me constantly are Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, Louis Vuitton & Lanvin  Being a Gemini, always needing that balance, I also tend to gravitate toward Celine, Calvin Klein & Alexander Wang.

Cookie DuBois, a dear friend of mine who champions the cause of finding one's personal style, can be credited with introducing me to Miss Saint Clair. Cookie and I scour the internet in search of unique personal style. We share the belief that fashion is art and that you can create art with just about anything. Of course it would be nice to be able to shop all of my favorite designers, but just because I can't doesn't mean that I can't be fashionable. This is where personal style really gets interesting. I don't enjoy blogs that show girls buying brand names, arranging them in an obvious fashion, etc. I really like to see someone find a statement piece or a vintage piece and watch what they can do with it. Creating an outfit with one or two quality pieces arouses my style senses much more than seeing someone spend $10,000 of daddy's money on a designer gown.

I often find myself wondering how I can show appreciation for what/who I'm thankful for, I think that life is about balance and showing appreciation balances my life in the best way. Stella is amazing. To show my appreciation for the inspiration, I've created a Zombee in her honor. "A Rose Named STELLA" hearkens to New Orleans [namely a drunken Stanley K.] while evoking a decadent, floral mixture worthy of Miss Stella. Wrapped in a gorgeous color I've dubbed "StellaMint," this Zombee is sure to make you think of playing dress-up on a warm spring afternoon ... and don't forget the glitter!!

Stella showed some love for ZC on her amazing blog! I had my little fan girl moment and it was marvelous! I can't thank her enough for her support. 

Thank you so much, Stellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa [sorry, I can't NOT do that].

Shop now @ ZombeeCandle.com!!