Asian Ginger Mahi Mahi

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which marks the official start of Lent.  I saw a lot of status updates on Facebook regarding what people are giving up for Lent, and to be totally honest, the things that I should give up - like Diet Coke, desserts, and pizza - I have no desire to do so.  I even saw that some people were giving up Facebook, which totally blew my mind.  Who needs to read the news about current events, or call a friend to catch up on their lives, when you just sign onto Facebook?  Within 5 minutes of checking my newsfeed, I can learn about the score of the big game, the turmoil in other countries, and any major events in my friends' lives.

Since I don't give anything up, the least I can do is fast from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays in Lent.  So last night, Kris and I tried another new recipe!  We made an Asian-inspired mahi mahi dish and paired it with shrimp sauteed in white wine, lemon juice, and paprika.  We were going to make a side of veggies, but then it looked like a lot of food, so we didn't!  And it was a good decision because I couldn't finish everything on my plate  :-)  

INGREDIENTS:

2 6-ounce mahi mahi fillets

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, ginger, minced garlic, and olive oil.

2.  Season mahi mahi fillets with salt and pepper.

3.  Place fish into the dish, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

4.  In a large skillet, drizzle enough olive oil to cover the pan, and heat on medium-high. 

5.  Place fish in skillet, and fry for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

6.  In a separate skillet, pour marinade, and heat on medium until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistency.  

7.  Pour glaze over fish to taste, and serve!  FYI - We didn't use the entire mixture.  I would give it a little taste before covering your fish because it's pretty sweet!

Come On, Barbie, Let's Go Party

Happy 52nd birthday to Barbra Millicent Roberts a.k.a Barbie!  Looks pretty good for 52, don't you think?!  My childhood was consumed by playing with my Barbie dolls.  I had probably 30 or more versions of this doll, but only one Ken - that lucky bastard.  At one point, I had my Barbie dolls set up at various locations throughout my parents' house - several in the living room, a few set aside for bath time, and my brother's room (during the transition period before it became my new, bigger room) was my Barbie Paradise.

Even today, Barbie consumes a little part of my world.  Last year, I discovered Barbie's vintage calendar, where each month showcases a drawing based on a vintage Barbie.  Please look at the amazing fashion in the 2011 calendar!  It's a treat every month. 

As Barbie is very diverse and multicultural (note my sarcasm), you might remember that there is a Hispanic Barbie named Teresa.  As you can imagine, I was obsessed with this doll.  Coincidentally, Teresa has been labeled as Barbie's "official" best friend  :-)  That's right, Christie - BACK OFF.

The best part about playing with Barbie dolls was the accessories.  And I don't mean just the fabulous outfits, swimsuits, and pink plastic shoes.  I'm talking about the good stuff - the Dream House and the red Corvette.  To kick it up a notch, I also had a pink-and-white Jeep Wrangler for Barbie's beach vacays, and a hot pink limo so that Barbie, Teresa, and "the others" (Christie, that's you) could have a night out on the town in luxury and style. 

Ever wonder what it would be like to live in Barbie's Dream House?  Well, lucky for you, Mattel has designed a real-life Barbie Dream House in Malibu.  The house is a modest 3,500 square-feet, and it features a chandelier made entirely of Barbie hair and a sunburst mirror made out of 65 Barbie dolls.  Here are some of my favorite rooms.




Barbie's bedroom




Barbie's living room featuring the Barbie hair chandelier



Barbie's kitchen



Barbie's lounge



Another view of Barbie's lounge, complete with a fireplace and the sunburst 65-doll mirror



Barbie's terrace





Barbie's pool





Barbie's view of the Malibu beach






My favorite - Barbie's closet!

 

In case Barbie decides to leave her majestic palace...

And don't worry, the trunk has all of Barbie's necessities as she travels!

So if you are able to run to the store this afternoon, Barbie would really appreciate it if you could pick up a few things so she can prepare for her big 52nd birthday bash!  



Hair Faux Pas

Ok, I know that I already posted today, but WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!  Don't recognize the celeb?  That's the Patriots' very own Tom Brady, sporting a PONYTAIL while in Brazil for Carnival.  In one sense, I'm happy to see that the Justin Bieber haircut is gone.  However, if I remember correctly - and I think that I do - Tom Brady was balding prior to his JBiebs hair implants.  It's ok, Tom - 73.5% of all men are bald, meaning that you have a 4 in 7 chance of going bald.  There's nothing to be ashamed of here except that horrid ponytail.  As such, I leave you with this note:

Dearest Tom, you might be married to a Brazilian supermodel, but that doesn't make you a Brazilian soccer player.  Please, for God's sake, don't ruin my birthday with your straggly mane.  Go cut your hair, take a much-needed shower, and focus on playing football, seeing as how your team lost to the Jets this year.  xoxo, Teresa.

Go Shorty, It's Your Birfday

Happy Birthday to Me!  Today, I'm celebrating the best way I know how - by eating!  You can see that I have started my day off with delicious treats - chocolate cake with peanut butter icing (thanks, Diana!), a brownie-chocolate chip cookie bar that I made all by myself, and yummy pretzel M&Ms.  I can hardly contain myself until my birthday lunch with some of my work friends, and then a birthday dinner with the hubs!  Today is going to be fantastic  :-)  And to top it all off, it's Fat Tuesday!  Coincidence?!  I think not. 

Happy Almost Birthday to Me!

Let the countdown begin to my favorite holiday each year - MY BIRTHDAY!  Only 27 hours and 3 minutes until I officially turn 27.  This weekend, I kicked off my birthday celebrations with a night out in Philly.  We had a great time celebrating with a Chik-Fil-A nugget tray, champagne, and CAKE!  You can't tell by my picture, but the inside of this delicious funfetti cake was tie-dyed!  

Of course, it isn't a birthday without presents!  My best friend, Kelly, got me these awesome rainboots.  Strangely enough, I had seen these rainboots on Endless.com, but they didn't have my size.  So clearly, I enjoy this present very much!  PS - I have a Scottie fetish  :-)

Fashion Friday: Oscar Looks for Less

In case you are a non-official Real Housewife and find yourself invited to a fabulous formal dinner party, here are some gorgeous dresses that mimic some of my favorite trends worn at the Oscars this year. 

Similar to Sandra Bullock's scarlet Vera Wang gown, here is a crimson ABS Allen Schwartz evening gown with a sweetheart neckline and intricate, tiered diagonal pin-tucks that start at the bodice and flow throughout the front of the gown for a classic look.

$331.10 from Zappos.com

Since I am obsessed with the floral appliqué train on Anne Hathaway's vintage Valentino gown, here is a red strapless Jovani gown with a ruffle rosette skirt and asymetrical dropped waist for a bold yet elegant look.

$460 at ChristinaGowns.com



 Similar to Jennifer Hudson's tangerine Versace gown, here is an orange Faviana Couture evening gown with a V neckline, jeweled shoulder strap embellishments, and a gathered empire bodice for that goddess look.

$238 at edressme.com

It's virtually impossible to imitate Mila Kunis' lace peekaboo Ellie Saab gown, but here is a DuoLiQi lilac sheath strapless gown with a unique lace bodice.

$149 at Dinnel.com

 One could never top Natalie Portman's pregnancy glow, but here is a purple one-shoulder gown inspired by Dancing with the Stars, with a fitted ruched bodice and side beading. 

$174.30 at YesSurprise.com

It's hard to pull off a gold metallic gown, but I think this Theia silk one-shoulder gown is super classy with the rhinestone appliqué, ruched empire waist, and fishtail hemline. 

$452.99 at BlueFly.com

Here is another classic look, similar to Camila Alves' black Kaufman Franco gown.  This sophisticated black evening gown has a rounded v-neck and a shirred bodice, with a cluster of rhinestones to give it that extra sparkle. 

$196.99 at ElegantMart.com

Here is a modern twist on Reese Witherspoon's 60's-inspired Armani gown.  This satin evening gown by Jump Apparel has a crisscross empire draped bodice and a flounce skirt.  (I'm going to ignore the hideous shoes on this model.)

$83.99 at Overstock.com

So Much Crazy, So Little Time

It's only Wednesday, and Hollywood has officially gone crazy this week.  First, Charlie Sheen has traded his cocaine and alcohol bender for a media bender.  Since last week's radio interview where he trashed the producer of Two and Half Men, he has been whoring himself out to every single media outlet in the country, including reputable news stations like ABC and NBC.  In case you haven't seen any of the interviews, I highly recommend sitting down at your computer with a bucket of popcorn and googling it.  So far, I have a few favorites that represent Charlie's brand of crazy: 

1.   "I am on a drug, it's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available, 'cause if you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body." (from his 20/20 interview)  

2.  "I'm underpaid right now, sure. ... I'm tired of pretending like I'm not special. I'm tired of pretending like I'm not bitching, a total frickin' rock star from Mars. People can't figure me out, they can't process me. I don't expect them to. You can't process me with a normal brain." (from his Today show interview)

3.  "I'm bi-winning. I win here and I win there. Now what? If I'm bipolar, aren't there moments where a guy like crashes in the corner like, 'Oh my God, it's all my mom's fault!' Shut up! Shut up! Stop! Move forward."  (when asked if he was bipolar)

Well, I'll agree with Charlie on one point - he is certainly special.  If this is Charlie sober, I'm going to start a collection for cocaine and hookers to mellow him out.  

Next, Christina Aguilera and her new man get arrested and sit in jail overnight because they are both too drunk to go home or take care of themselves.  Ever since her divorce this past winter, X-tina has looked like a complete disaster.  She has gained a few extra pounds, but that doesn't stop her from wearing the same smaller size; the platinum blonde hair has gotten out of control; and she totally messed up the National Anthem last month during the Super Bowl.  I predict a full-blown Britney Spears' meltdown in the next several months. 

Last but not least, Kim K has debuted her first single, Jam.  Um, just because you have a reality TV show and may consider yourself an actress, it does not mean you can do anything.  Like sing.  This performance is akin to Kim Zolciak's Tardy for the Party.  I'm going to go even a little further and say that Tardy for the Party is better.  You won't miss anything if you don't check this out.