Shrimp ceviche in avocado cups with aguachile and tortilla chips

Hey dudes. Missin ya this summer.

RACHEL! This one's yours you daydreamer you.



You know what I totally missed in my "it's summer so bloggie time takes a back burner" haze? JellyBones turned 2! Can't believe it's been 2 years since I started this little ole blog. July 1st actually. I may do a birthday post, I may not. Thought I'd give it some sort of shout out though. Blogging has been a bit sparse here lately. I actually took all summer off of blogging last year and I'm starting to remember why. It's hard to make time during July! Plus those summer cocktails kick in and all that food just doesn't get photographed. Wah-wah. I digress.

Anyone made ceviche before? This was my first time! Quite possibly the easiest and freshest summer food you'll ever make. Another first for me..... homemade tortilla chips. Seriously..... what the hell have I been doing for the last 32 years!? I'll never buy tortilla chips again! Well, I probably will. But you get the idea.



SHRIMP CEVICHE IN AVOCADO CUPS WITH AGUACHILE AND TORTILLA CHIPS
Inspired by: F&W and Rachel
Makes: about 6 stuffed avocado halves and 32 tortilla chips
Hands on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb good quality wild caught raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (don't go cheapo with this one peeps)
1 cup fresh lime juice
8 small tortillas (I used blue corn/flaxseed medley)
About 1/2 cup + 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
Salt
1 serrano pepper, seeds and all
1 whole english cucumber, 1/4 thinly sliced and 3/4 seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
1/4 cup lightly packed parsley
1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
2 Tbsp water
3/4 cup thinly sliced sweet or red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 large avocados, halved and pit removed

Make:
Start by making your shrimp. Pour lime juice over shrimp in a medium sized glass bowl and give a good stir. Cover and place in fridge for 2 hours, stirring about every 20 minutes

Make your tortilla chips: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut tortillas into 4 slices like a pizza. Spread evenly on 2 baking sheets, making sure to not overlap. Generously brush canola oil (reserving 1/2 Tbsp) onto tortilla slices and top with salt. Flip and repeat on other side. Bake for about 15 minutes or golden brown.

Make your aguachile:: Blend serrano, 3/4 of the cucumber, garlic, cilantro, parsley, mint, 1/2 Tbsp oil, and water in a blender. Season with salt.

When shrimp are opaque and pinkish, drain all but 2 Tbsp lime juice and combine with remaining cucumber slices, onion, and tomatoes. Add aguachile to taste, I used about 4 Tbsp. Fill avocado pit holes with ceviche and serve with tortilla chips.



Well, I've come a long way since my first post, honey pineapple rhubarb popsicles. Cripes those photos are bad. I know I'm still learning and I'm far from being pro, but I'm proud of the accomplishments this blog has made over the last 2 years.

Cheers to you Rachel! Thanks for the inspiration!

Happy July friends.

Trish

Blueberry chocolate torte brownies

Psssssst..... Becky! This one's for you.



Dude! There are no healthy brownies. I scoured the interwebs for alternative brownie recipes and could not find a single one that sounded appealing. Lots of veggie/bean burgers mixed with chocolate shaped into squares. Even avocado brownies? Puh-lease people! That's not a fucking brownie.

I considered cutting a super gooey fudgy brownie recipe in half and adding so much fruit that it would be "healthier," but alas, I realized this would just be a fail waiting to happen. I did make some compromises on a recipe I found adding raw organic cacao powder rather than cocoa powder, and adding more blueberries/less chocolate chips. The results were........ ergh....... pretty good but not awesome. These brownies are ALMOST there. More like a cakey torte than a gooey brownie. I am a really shitty baker though. My measurements are a joke, which is why I don't bake. I'm more of a "little bit of this little bit of that" type of cook.



BLUEBERRY CHOCOLATE TORTE BROWNIES
Inspired by: I am Baker and Becky
Makes: about 12 brownies
Hands on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 stick butter
1/8 cup chocolate chips
1 cup raw sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Make:
Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 8x8 square pan.
Place butter and blueberries in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add blueberry mixture, tempering eggs so they don't scramble. Stir in cacao powder, flour and salt until combined.
Pour in greased pan and spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick (or fork) comes out without goo, just crumbs.

So, here's my thinking:

One brownie won't kill anyone. Just one. That's it. This recipe is pretty close so if you can expand on this to make it great, let me know!

Happy humpday friends!

Trish

Summer veggie chowder

Hey dudes. I'm BAAAAACK!



Not really sure why I needed that little bloggie break, but I guess I did. You know, I've been cooking like crazy but I've just been too lazy to take any photos. Maybe it's this whole summer thing. You know, not wanting to do anything but bask in the godliness that is summer in Seattle. I'm totally digging it.

We've been busy busy bees too. I had my best friend in town from Montana a few weekends ago, then had Jared's brother and his family in town this past weekend. It really has been incredible. The next 3 weeks are no exception, since Jerdy is leaving for work for 3 weeks in July. Yes, 3 fucking weeks. Ugh. Puts a bit of a damper on the whole "we are moving in September" thing.



SUMMER VEGGIE CHOWDER
Makes: about 6 large servings
Hands on time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1 smallish sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium yellow potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 springs fresh thyme
5 cups chicken stock
1 cups water
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried sage
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1/2 Tbsp pepper
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped
2 ears fresh corn cut off the cob
1/4 cup half and half
salt to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced green onion

Make:
Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and thyme and cook until veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add stock, water, and herbs through pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until veggies are soft and flavors blend, about 20 minutes. Add kale and corn and cook until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in half and half and season with salt to taste. Serve with shredded cheddar and green onions.



This soup is like an herby summer stew! It's really awesome for a homey night in on a cool summer night.

Enjoy!

Trish

Snapshots

Some snippets



Steamy coffee in the sunny mornings, little vases of flowers, Mother's day spread, Selfie, Cuddle love.

Rhubarb barbecue sauce

Angi! This one's for you girl.



Friends, this recipe is vegan. WHAT?! You know, I didn't even realize this was vegan until I started typing out this post. Then I realized that most of the barbecue sauces I make are vegan. HUZZAH! Trendy without even knowing it. Score. I like meat though, so I ate it with some pork chops. Yum. Sorry vegans.

Well, Angi. Here is your rhubarb recipe that's not a pie, or even a dessert! And you know what? This recipe knocked my friggin socks off. It's really really good. Tangy, smoky, a bit spicy, just what barbecue sauce should be, but with a hint of rhubarb and strawberry.



RHUBARB BARBECUE SAUCE
Inspired by: Closet Cooking and Angi.
Makes: About 2 cups
Hands on time: 15 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
3 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp strawberry jam
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard

Make:
Throw everything in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is very soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.



Hope you like this Angi! Let me know if you make it!

Next on the agenda:
Healthy(ish) brownies for Becky
Stuffed? avocados for Rachel

I've got some ideas ladies! Stay tuned.

Trish

P.S. Got an ingredient you want me to make something awesome with? Let me know! I like to use mostly whole foods, and local organic ingredients in most of my cooking.

5 recipes to try this summer

Guys. Guess what? I'm moving. Seriously moving. Not just down the street or across town, moving away. About an hour away from the city actually. It's just that time ya know? More on that later.......

In the meantime....... summasummasummatime is approaching. Here are a few past recipes that should get you through!

Apricot garlic scape salsa. This is potent friends! Vampires beware.



Peach and SWEET tea bourbon poptails. Don't worry. I did NOT make tea out of sweat as it states in the photo. DOH!



Plummy crumble. Every summer deserves a good crumble. Try some stone fruit.



Apricot peach chutney. Try this on pulled pork sliders! You won't be sorry.



Pluot rosemary popsicles. Total experiment, and a little odd, but pretty awesome in the end.



Well, there you have it. My shitty photos of food I made 2 years ago. Pretty awesome to see how far I've come.

Have a great sunny June weekend friends!

Trish

Spring quiche with asparagus, peas, and gruyere

Guess what? I made my first quiche!



Huzzah! I used a store bought crust though. Wah-wah. Still ended up super super tasty. This may be my new spring obsession. Or..... almost summer obsession. Times have still been really busy, with Jerdy working 70 hours a week or so. I didn't end up making all those egg recipes I mentioned last week, but I am still on this crazy egg kick. SO weird. I have never been a huge egg lover, but I just can't get enough of these things!

In other JellyBones news....... I have done it. I have started a WordPress blog. A clean slate. I haven't designed it or posted anything over there yet. Still wanting to get it right before I launch. But the countdown for the decline of JellyBones begins....



SPRING QUICHE WITH ASPARAGUS, PEAS, AND GRUYERE
Inspired by: Real Simple
Makes: 5 servings
Hands on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 9" store bought pie crust
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 cup chopped asparagus
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups half and half
salt and pepper
1 tomato, sliced

Make:
Preheat oven to 375f, and move the rack to the lowest level. Spread cheese on the bottom of your pie crust. Evenly spread peas, asparagus, and green onion on top.

Whisk together the egg, half and half, and a generous dash of both salt and pepper. Carefully pour into pie crust. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes, and top with fresh tomato slices.



You know what this was missing? BACON! Everything is better with bacon huh? Unless you're vegetarian, then, well, probably not. Next time though.... next time.

Have a great week friends!

Trish