My Favorite Seared Ahi Creation

This has become a family favorite and a hit with dinner guests.
 I have served it as an appetizer or as a light main dinner course. 
Perfect for summer entertaining.
Here it is in my new starfish platter that my friend Kristy gave me. 

I made this recipe up. 

Start with some Sashimi Grade Ahi.

This is from Trader Joe's

2-3 Avocados.

Sesame Seeds

Sesame Oil

 Peel some Edaname. About a cup?

I serve this with two different sauces.   
The first sauce is made with Wasabi Powder or Wasabi Paste (I prefer paste), Colman's Mustard (dried powdered mustard found in the spices section of the grocery store), and Gluten Free Soy Sauce (I don't eat gluten so that's what I use.  Regular soy sauce works just as well for this recipe if it's not an issue for you.)

Make a paste with the wasabi, mustard, and soy.  About a teaspoon of each?  I don't really measure when I cook, these are estimates. 

Once you have mixed the paste, add about 1/3 of cup of soy sauce and mix well. Adjust the heat by adding more wasabi to make it hotter or more soy sauce to cool it down.

Mix well.

The second sauce is a Chipotle Mayonnaise that I also use on my Shrimp Tacos.  In a food processor or blender mix 1 to 2, 3 if you like it HOT (not the whole can, these babies pack some heat!) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (freeze the rest for later use), a cup of mayo. and approximately a tablespoon of water. 

If it turns out too hot for you, add more mayo. to cool it down.

Time to sear your Ahi.  Searing just locks in the flavor.  Think sushi, the middle is raw. 
Coat the Ahi with sesame oil and dip into the sesame seeds.

(The extra little piece is for my lunch tomorrow)

In a non-stick skillet heat about a tablespoon of sesame oil on high till it's just about to smoke.

Sear the sesame coated fish in the hot sesame oil.  Sear a minute or two on both sides and all the ends.  The middle should be completely raw and the cooking should only reach the outer 1/8"- 1/4" edge of the fish.

With a sharp knife, slice the fish into 1/4"-1/2" slices.  Peel and slice the avocado and alternate the Ahi and the avocado slices.  Drizzle the Chipolte Mayonaise along the top, down the middle.  Sprinkle with the Edaname and serve with the soy dipping sauce and Chipolte Mayo. on the side. 

Here it is served with brown rice and steamed broccoli for dinner.

Enjoy!

Perfect after a hot day at the beach. 

 What's your favorite summer recipe?

Thanks for checking it out.

The Gift Of An Ordinary Day

I hope all you Mom's out there had a great day.  We went to church this morning and our pastor showed us a great video as part of his message. 

We watched a YouTube video by Katrina Kenison The Gift of an Ordinary Day. 

The joke in our house is that I cry watching Hallmark commercials, but I don't think there was a mom in there with a dry eye after watching this video.  Even some of dads were getting choked up!
 

 Watch it, it's amazing!

Here's my mom with her grandchildren.  Jake, Casey, Sam, and Cami.

 Me and my mom.  She's the best!

Happy Mother's Day!

Cedar Creek Falls

I'm a born and raised San Diego native.  I've heard about the big water fall in Ramona, but I've never gone to see it.  Well this Sunday we finally went.  If you haven't done this hike and you live in San Diego, you're missing out.  I have since talked to many S.D. natives that haven't done this hike either.

This is what you will see.

A 90 foot water Fall

The pool of water at the bottom is referred to as "Devil's Punchbowl"
There is an amazing amount of water coming off of this fall this time of year.

Here is a picture I found of the falls in the summer.

Not quite as impressive. 

For driving directions click here

It's about an hour drive from our house.  The walking part of the trip takes between two and a half to three hours.  Don't start to late in the day.  You don't want to be down in the canyon in the dark.

The start of the hike is at the top of a residential neighborhood. 
It's a little over a 4 mile hike.

What To Bring.

Lot's of water, we wore camel backs.

snacks and/or lunch. (no trash cans, so you will need to pack out your trash)

Good walking shoes

hat

sunscreen

glasses

flip flops or water shoes for the stream crossings (3 of them)

bathing suit

towel

jacket if cold

camera

cell phone doesn't work at the bottom of the hike.

Big dog if you have one.  There were lots of labs and other sturdy dog types on the hike.  Leave your lap dog at home, it's too hard for them.

We have had so much rain this winter that the hills are very green right now.

Here is the view from the beginning of the hike.

Park on the street.

New bathrooms are being completed.  They will be open April 30th. 

There aren't any bathrooms on the hike so plan ahead.
Guys are so lucky.

Casey had a sleepover (more like an awakeover) the night before so she stayed home to catch up on her Z's.
My husband and Cami took the lead while I played with the camera.  Cami regretted wearing jeans. 

The view is incredible.  This is a doable but steep hike.  A lot of switchbacks going down and very steep coming back up. The youngest child I saw on this hike was around 5 and his dad was carrying him up the hill.  I would leave the little guys at home the first time you do this. 

The path is well maintained.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music."

What's that noise?

You need to watch for rattlesnakes.  They are out this time of year.

The Yucca was in full bloom. 

This plant is also referred to as "Nature's Candelabra."

Thank you winter rain.

Lot's of wild flowers.  They will all be dried up soon when the heat comes.

It gets VERY hot here in summer.  Do this hike in the spring or fall.

When you come to the fork in the path, go to the right.

I hear water running?  When you get to the bottom of the valley you are almost half done. 

Continue East to see the water fall.

Trees grow by the river bank, we're getting close.

We passed a beautiful grass meadow.

First stream crossing. 

Next time I will bring my water shoes and change out of my hiking shoes at this point.

Continue on East past the two polls.

We're going the right way.

Second stream crossing.  Off with the socks and shoes again. 

Watch where you sit.  There were a lot of Fire Ants.

One more crossing.  Socks and shoes off again.  The water felt delicious.

First glimpse of the waterfall through the trees.  We could hear it before we saw it.

Wow!

Next time we will bring our suits.

Check out the cave.

Here is the top.

 You can even jump off into the pool below.

 OK back up the mountain.  Back over the three streams, shoes off, on, off, on, off, on. 

Cami took a break in a mini tractor.

 Did I tell you about the rattlesnakes?  We had a visitor on the trail. 

 He was just passing by, all four feet of him.

 We will definitely do this hike again!  Casey will have to come next time.

Thanks for checking it out.

Update 7/26/2011

A couple months after I posted this a young man fell to his death from the top of the waterfall.  Cedar Creek Falls is now closed indefinitely.  Please check to see if it's open before you make the trek out there.  If it is open, please be CAREFUL!  We did not climb, or recommend you climb, to the top of the falls, we just admired them from the bottom.

BE SAFE!