Tuna A La Lindsay

I have to preface this post with the following: (If you know me well, you already know this but for those of you who don't, this background information is important to note.) I don't eat seafood. At all. Like nothing, zero, nada, zilch. And to answer your question What's that? You didn't ask me a question? Well let me just save you the time because when people hear me say I don't eat seafood, inevitably, I get asked a question along these lines, "What about lobster or shrimp or crab!?" None of it. So today when I happened upon some tuna steaks at the grocery store for a pretty good price and bought them to cook for me & my hubby tonight, some may have thought an alien had come down & possessed my body. Clearly Lindsay Miller is not about to cook tuna. She has no idea HOW to cook tuna. And clearly she is not about to eat tuna. She does not EAT seafood. Well I truly don't have any idea what possessed me although I feel pretty strongly that it was not aliens to buy tuna steaks and cook them for dinner, but I did. I knew it would be an adventure...one worthy of documenting. So here you have it. Lindsay Miller cooks AND EATS tuna:

1. Find yourself some good-looking tuna. Although don't rely on me to tell you what is or is not "good-looking" tuna, because I honestly have no clue.

2. I used the following things to marinate my tuna:

3. And I also got some of these, but not for marinating. They're used later.

4. Drizzle your tuna steaks with a little olive oil.

5. Sprinkle with some of your favorite seasonings. I think you can pretty much use whatever you want, but I would not leave off the Lemon Pepper. It's key!

6. Pour in soy sauce for the tuna to soak in.

7. I marinated for a total of 30 minutes. According to the experts (ie my Mom) you don't want to marinate tuna in soy sauce for longer than that. I flipped the steaks over every 5 minutes during that time period. I'm sure that's probably a little overkill. I think the steaks probably would have been just fine being flipped once in the middle of the 30 minutes, but this was my first time so I wanted to make sure I was covering all my bases.

8. Get some Pam...
...and spray a grill pan really well. Of course you can cook these on an actual grill or just use a regular skillet, but I have a kick butt grill pan that my sister gave me for Christmas (Thanks Anna!) so I'm using that.

9. Heat your pan up really nice & hot...
...with a good high flame.

10. Place your tuna steaks on the grill pan. And whatever you do, do NOT move them once you place them down. You don't want to mess up the pretty grill lines. :)

11. Set a timer. I used the trusty iPhone because why not? I mean, it does everything else. It might as well time my tuna too. Sear at the high heat for 1.5 minutes.

12. Flip the steaks over and sear for 1.5 min on the other side. LOOK at those grill marks! Yeah!

13. Now here's where it gets a little fuzzy. I then turned down the fire, flipped the steaks back over and continued to cook them for 4 minutes on each side. I was really afraid of the tuna being pink. I know, I know! It's supposed to be pink. But this was my first time. I knew my mind would not let me eat a piece of fish that wasn't cooked all the way through. Maybe each time I make this, I can cook it a little less and ease my way into being a REAL tuna eater, but for now I prefer it COOKED. Little did I know my husband IS a real tuna eater and prefers his seared on the outside and basically raw on the inside. So, lesson learned. I'll put his steak on when mine has 3 minutes left. Sorry babe! Anyway, back to the cooking.

14. Cut your lemon.

15. As soon as you turn off your fire, squeeze the lemon over the steaks.

16. Take the tuna out of the pan, put it in a dish, and cover it with foil.

17. Let it sit for just a few minutes. I have no idea what this step is for. I just read it online. I'm guessing maybe it helps seal in all the flavor?

18. Serve with rice. Or whatever side dish you want. It's your dinner, not mine. Wait this IS my dinner. And that's why there's rice & nothing green on the plate.
That's all folks. And the verdict is....I LOVED it. It seriously was delicious. If I had known to cook my hubby's for .5 seconds he might have LOVED his, but I didn't, so he didn't. He said the flavor was great. It was just overcooked for his taste. So there you have it. Tuna A La Lindsay.

Ten On Tuesday

I've been a long time reader of these Ten on Tuesday posts, but have yet to participate. So today I decided to contribute.

1. What’s your favorite color to paint your nails?

I don't like my fingernails to be painted. I almost always have my toenails painted and I tend to like a brownish red color for them. Right now I have a purple paint on my toenails which is totally out of the box for me.
2. Do you like to sneeze?

L. O. V. E. to sneeze. Love it.
3. How often do you fill up your car with gas?

It really depends on what I have going on during the week, but I'd say about once a week.
4. Were you named after anyone?

Yes, I was named after The Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner.
5. Have you made any good recipes lately?

I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately, cooking the same old recipes I usually do. BUT I did try this chicken recipe a few months ago & it was a big hit!
6. What’s an easy money-saving tip that you use regularly?

Everything that I can buy in an off brand, I do. I believe there are only a very few things that require buying the name brand (and those things I won't bend on) but for the most part, the Great Value brand at Wal Mart is just as good.
7. Would you rather have a sore throat or an ear ache?

I've always said I'd rather be throwing up than have a sore throat. I really despise a sore throat. So, I'd definitely choose an ear ache.
8. Do you have any scars? What are they from?

I have a few chicken pox scars. I had the chicken pox twice. I guess if you get them as a very small baby, you can get them again. That's what happened to me. And apparently the older you are when you get them, the worse it can be. I had them again when I was around 10 I think. Bad, bad, bad. I also have a small scar on my hand from falling while carrying a glass jar of roly polies. The jar broke & cut my hand. Oh I also have 2 scars on my finger tips from where I sliced off the tip of my finger with a cucumber slicer thingy. Fun times.
9. What are you “known for” in your circle of friends/family?

I'm definitely known for being competitive. If there's a game or a way of making a game out of something, I'm in & I'm winning. Hands down. I'm also known for not being very affectionate. People (you know who you are) think it's funny to come up to me & give me big hugs because I won't initiate a hug.

10. How do you like to eat your pancakes?

Lots of butter (REAL butter. I don't believe in artificial butter.) & a very small amount of syrup.

If you want to participate or check out other Ten on Tuesday posts, visit the host here.

It Ain't No Joke

I've always loved, loved the look of white or very light colored furniture. Photos like this...

and this...

and this...

...make me swoon. But white furniture is not for the faint of heart. It's a pain in my rear. I have 3 small children. Children who like to eat cookies & crackers & goldfish & pudding & jello and aren't necessarily the best at keeping all of that food in their mouths or on the spoon. I have white & light colored furniture in my living room and I could not love the look of it more. But whew! it sure is work to keep up with it. The good thing about my furniture is that it's all slipcovered. So every piece of upholstery can come off of the frame or cushion and be washed. That's key if you're going to have light furniture & kids in the same house. Yesterday I made the decision to take off the slipcover to my couch for the 3rd time since I've had it and launder it. Let me just say, it's a 2 day process. It takes a day to take it all off, wash it and hang each individual piece all over the house to dry a little. Then the next day while it's all a bit still damp, it's time to put everything back on. If your New Year's resolution is to lose weight, I have the perfect opportunity for you. Forget the workout videos & gym memberships. For FREE, I'll let you come over and put all the slipcovers back on my furniture! I'm not kidding, 1 cushion in and I was stripping off my jacket in a full-on sweat. It's not ladies' work. You have to put some serious muscle in it. But it's the price I pay for having the look I want in my living room. So if you've ever desired white furniture in your house but thought there was no way you could have it while your kids are still small, think again my friend. Just know what you're getting yourself into.

It...

Ain't...

No...

Joke.

a boy & his dinosaur hat