Fishes by the Sea

I love living in San Diego because we really do have everything at our fingertips.  Rarely can you claim "there's nothing to do."  Instead there is so much to do, that sometimes it's hard to pick one thing!  Which was our problem when H and I tried to get the boys together a couple of weekends ago.

We settled on a trip to the Birch Aquarium, since Thatbaby loves aquariums, and Little LO hadn't been to the Birch yet.

Thatbaby was as entertained as I'd expect him to be.  He loved pointing and watching the "geegth."  The jellyfish were a big hit for both Thatbaby and Little LO.  (Little LO did NOT love the eels however.  Jellyfish are apparently much more baby friendly)

Thatbaby's favorite room was the kelp forest.  Both for the floor to ceiling tank, but also there was a huge room for him to crawl around.

He kept going back and forth and back and forth across the room so quickly, every picture I tried to snap of the two friends came out a blurry mess.

Leaving the aquarium, my boy passed the heck out.  And slept for a nice long time.  Looking at fish is tiring y'all.


And apparently it also makes you hungry.  Because dinner that night?  He devoured it.  To be fair, Thatboy devoured it too.  And afterward made one of his near-famous comments.

"That was really good.  No, really.  I wasn't expecting it to be very good.  But it was."    You would think after so many years he'd realize I know what I'm doing.  I rarely serve him something gross.  Although I'm tempted to start mixing in some really awful things for him, and keeping good stuff like this for me and Thatbaby. 

I found this recipe when looking to use up my masa flour.  Or rather this recipe found me and I thought - "What a great way to use up masa flour."  It's great as is, but I think it would be even better with the addition of some goat cheese in the filling.  I think it's because I love goat cheese with dark leafy greens.

I thought this would be a good time to showcase it, as Joanne is going through a rough time right now and I know she'd appreciate any good thoughts and positive energy you could spare.

Masa Crepes with Chard, Chiles, and Cilantro (adapted from Vegetarian Suppers From Deborah Madison's Kitchen as seen on Eats Well With Others.)

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup masa harina
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 tbsp melted butter 
• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely diced
• 2 jalapeno chiles, finely diced, seeds removed
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 big bunches of swiss chard, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
• sea salt
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

1. Combine the eggs, milk, masa, flour, 1/2 tsp sea salt and melted butter in a bowl.  Stir until smooth.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Add the onion, chiles, and oregano and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. 
3. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook for a few minutes more, then add the chard and cook until wilted. 
4. Season with salt to taste and cook until chard is tender, 4 to 5 minutes.  
5. Stir in the greek yogurt and turn off the heat.
6. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Pour 1/4 cup crepe batter into the pan and swirl around so that it forms a thin layer.  Cook until mostly set, about 1-2 minutes, and then flip.  Cook for another ten to fifteen seconds and remove to a plate.  
7. Repeat with remaining batter, stacking crepes on the plate as you go. Spread half the crepe with the chard, add a little cheese and then fold the edges together so that the crepes form a half moon.