Hello Old Friend...

It's been a while.  =)  I have had a ton going on.  I'm currently studying for my real estate licensing exam and we just got back from an amazing vacation.  More on that later!

I have decided to change up the way I meal plan.  I feel like we are always eating the same things over and over again.  I know mini hot dogs in a crescent roll are yummy but really?  I consider myself a pretty advanced home cook.  I'm not scared to try anything so why don't I?

Enter my new way to meal plan.  Theme nights.  Plus a weekly culinary challenge thought up by myself and some lovely girl friends of mine.  To begin, my themes will be Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Slow Cooker Wednesday, Pizza Thursday and Challenge Friday.  I generally have something going on one night during the week so I may end up playing catch up on the weekends and we usually eat out 1 night per week as well.

I started last night so here is a sneak peek of a IG picture from last night.  I took pics and plan to have it up on the blog very soon!

It was delicious!  Tonight, I will be making BBQ chicken tacos.  On deck for the rest of the week I have Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff on Wednesday and Portobella Mushroom Pizzas on Thursday.  We are in a wedding this weekend so Friday will be the rehearsal and Saturday will be the wedding so I will be skipping the challenge.  I may throw something together Sunday though.  

I hope you enjoy my new series as much as I have enjoyed planning it!  Until next time...

All Natural Coffee Exfoliating Scrub

As a fitness competitor I have been eating clean for a couple of years now.  It wasn't until this year that I really thought about where my food was coming from.  Who is farming it?  Who grew those veggies?  My answer was that I didn't know.  I had no idea actually.  That chicken, packed on a tray and slapped with a colorful label.  The veggies in the bins with 100s of other veggies.  And then there is shampoo, skin care, the list goes on and on.

I have decided to make an effort to use products that are as home made and natural as possible.  One thing I love is a good scrub.  I love to exfoliate my legs before I shave but I have always used something off the shelf with a million ingredients and god knows what kind of chemicals.  This is how my Coffee scrub was born.  It's nothing fancy.  It's just 3 ingredients.  I have them on hand at all times.  The result?  Amazing.  Better than any scrub I have used off the shelf.  And I can feel good about using it.

You'll need a container.  I use a zip lock storage container with a screw on lid.  It sits on the edge of my shower and I have found a snap on lid doesn't seal quite tight enough and it will let in water.  Add equal parts coffee grounds and brown sugar.  White sugar would work as well.  Or sea salt.  I've used all of the above.

Melt enough coconut oil to wet all of the scrub.  I used 2 T sugar and 2 T coffee and a heaping (very heaping) tablespoon of oil in this batch.  Pour it in and stir.

The finished product will be a rich black scrub that will leave your skin super soft and moisturized.  I also slather on some coconut oil post shower for even more softness.  You could really use any oil you want but I find coconut oil works the best for my skin.  This would also be great packaged in a mason jar as a gift.  Enjoy!

SFG or Square Foot Gardening

For as long as I can remember, my Mom and Grandmother have grown things.  And for as long as I can remember, I have had a black thumb.  I don't really like to sweat.  I don't like to hoe.  And I certainly don't like to pull weeds.  Gardening and the like has never been for me.  Until last year.

I don't remember how I discovered SFG (square foot gardening) but it appealed to me in the sense that it was easy and contained.  I bought a 4x4 box, a roll of landscape fabric, 5 bags of gardening soil and lots of little plants.  Then we had the hottest summer ever and went under water advisory and since I couldn't water it, it pretty much all died.  What didn't die, my husky ate.  I got a couple of handfulls of cherry tomatoes and a few squash.  The rest were lost.

This year, I am determined to do better!  I bought an additional 4x4 box.  I have planted (in the left box, from L-R) Red Onion, 3 Celebrity Tomatoes, White Onion, 3 Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots, Roma Tomatoes, Red/Orange/Yellow Bell Peppers.  In the right box I have Butternut squash, yellow squash, zucchini squash, cucumber, sweet banana pepper, red chili pepper, and jalapeno.

I am hoping to get enough tomatoes to make and can some marinara sauce, pickle some squash and have lots of yummy, fresh things to eat!  I also have rosemary and mint that survived from last year in pots on my deck.  I plan to add basil and cilantro and maybe chives.  As you can see, I also added a small fence around the garden to keep my pups out.  What can I say -- my healthy pups love veggies!  =)

Honey Soy Grilled Mahi Mahi with Grilled Veggies and Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes

See those beautiful red baby tomatoes?  Those are the first 3 harvested from my square foot garden this year!  I was so excited to see those little red beauties and I knew I had to throw something together to go with them.  I love the combination of balsamic and tomato and basil so that was the first thing I prepped.  The rest was pretty simple.  Marinate the fish all day.  Throw some seasoning on whatever veggies you have lying around.  Fire up the grill and dinner is ready in 15 minutes or so!  This type meal is a summer staple for us.  Simple.  Light.  Easy.  And able to be enjoyed on my amazing patio.  =)

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Grilled Veggies

For the Fish:

2 pieces of white fish about 4 oz each (I pulled mine straight from the freezer), I used Mahi Mahi

1 T Sesame Oil

4 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 T Ginger Powder

1/2 T Garlic Powder

1 T Siracha

For the Veggies:

Zucinni, sliced length wise in 1/4 in slices

Asparagus

Skewered Mushrooms

EVOO

Garlic Powder

Ginger Powder

For the tomatoes:

1/2 small tomato, chopped or small handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

1-2 T Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 T fresh basil, sliced or cut into small strips

For the glaze:

1/4 cup soy sauce

2-3 T honey

1/2 T Ginger powder

1/2 T Red Pepper Flakes

In the morning, throw your fish in a zip lock with your marinade and toss it in the fridge.  

When you are ready to cook, mix tomato with basil and balsamic and place in fridge to chill. Mix glaze and set aside.  

Slice all veggies and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and ginger powder.  Toss to coat.  Place everything on the grill and turn as needed.  I spray the grate that the fish will go on but everything else should be fine.  During the last 3-5 minutes of grilling, pour a couple of spoonfuls of glaze onto the Mahi Mahi.  When the fish is opaque and flakes with a fork, it is finished.

To serve, place fish over grilled veggies and pour a bit more glaze over the top.  Top with chilled balsamic tomatoes.  We LOVED this and I can't wait to make it again.  You can change this up with many different types of fish and marinades.  The possibilities are endless!

Crispy "Bang Bang" Shrimp and Clean Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

I am a self proclaimed foodie.  I LOVE food!  I really can't think of anything that I do not like and I will try anything twice.  I love cheese and rich creamy sauces and being southern, I love some butter when I cook!  In an effort to not become larger than my house, I have to find balance.  I have been trying to clean up some of my favorite meals and this is one of my most favorite so far.  Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish is a GNO staple in my group.  $5 Shrimp.  $3 wine.  Winners in my book.

When I set out to recreate this dish, I knew I could clean it up a little.  There was no reason for it to be as fatty as it is.  I also don't own a deep fryer.  I think the sauce taste JUST like the bang bang sauce from Bonefish.  I need to invite my ladies over to test my theory though...

Crispy Bang Bang Shrimp

1/2 lb peeled, deveined shrimp, tails removed

For the coating:
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, (you can use panko or home made)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
Pinch each of Sea Salt and fresh cracked pepper
1/2 t. Red Pepper Flakes

For the sauce:
3/4 cup low fat mayo
1-2 T Siracha hot sauce
1/2 T Rice Wine Vinegar (I have also used vodka)
1-2 packets Stevia
1/2 t Red Pepper Flakes

Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce and taste.  Add more Siracha or stevaia depending on how you like it.  We like it spicy!  Cover with plastic wrap and pop into the fridge.

Pour egg whites into 1 zip lock.  Mix dry ingredients in another zip lock.  Add all of the shrimp to the egg whites and shake bag.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to dry mix and shake again.  Using the spoon transfer them back to the egg whites and shake gently.  Then toss them back into the dry ingredients and make sure they are coated very well.

Pan fry in a mixture of olive oil and sesame oil 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Transfer them from the pan to a bowl and pour chilled sauce over the shrimp and toss to coat.  I serve mine in a chilled bowl over romaine and eat the lettuce with some extra sauce.

You are still getting all of the crispy crunchy saucy goodness, with a few less calories.  These are great with sangria or reisling.

My lettuce wraps are just shrimp sauteed in sesame oil with lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger.  I mix a little extra sauce to pour over the top and serve them in romaine lettuce cups.  They are light a delicious and great for summer!

Coffee Crusted Sirloin Steak topped with Caramelized Onions over Creamy Mushroom Brown Rice

I love steak.  LOVE!  I could eat it every day.  I also love coffee.  Black.  Sweetened.  With Cream.  Hot.  Cold.  It doesn't matter.  I love it all.  So naturally, I love them together and I assure you that you will too.  I didn't get any pictures of the prep of this dish (Sorry!) but it is MUCH easier than the name implies.

Coffee Crusted Sirloin Steak topped with Caramelized Onions over Creamy Mushroom Rice 

1/2 pound Sirloin Steak (I have also done this with Filet.  I wouldn't recommend NY Strip or Ribeye as the fat on the edges will prevent the coffee crust from sticking)

1/3 cup Ground Coffee

1 t. Garlic Powder

3 t. Fresh Ground Black Pepper, divided

1 t. Crushed Red Pepper

4 t. Sea Salt, divided

1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion, sliced

2 T. Butter, divided

1 T. Olive Oil plus more for cooking

1 1/2 cups Minute Brown Rice

1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Beef Broth

1/2-3/4 cup Cream of Mushroom Soup

(I wish I had pictures for the play by play but I don't.  I'll have to make this again soon and get some pictures for you!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine the coffee, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and 1 t. each sea salt and pepper.  Pat your steak dry with paper towels.  Coat the edges of your steak with the coffee mixture and put it in the fridge to chill.  

While the steak is chilling, saute the sliced onion in 1 T butter and 1 t sea salt in an over safe skillet.  Cook over low heat until the onions are golden brown and sweet, about 10 minutes.  Bring 1 1/2 cups beef broth to a boil and then stir in rice and remove from heat.  When onions are golden brown, transfer them to a bowl and add the remaining butter and 1 T olive oil to the pan.  

Remove steak from the refrigerator and sprinkle one side with 1 t each sea salt and pepper.  Place seasoned side down in pan and sear for 2 minutes.  Season the uncooked side with remaining sea salt and black pepper.  Flip your steak and transfer the pan to the oven.  The cooking time will depend on the thickness of your steak and your preferred steak temperature.  We prefer ours Medium Rare and tonights sirloin was about 1/2 inch thick.  It cooked for about 8 minutes in the oven.  

While finishing the steak, stir 1/2-3/4 cup of Cream of Mushroom soup into your rice.  I always get compliments on this rice and how good it is and it could not be easier.  You may need more or less soup depending on how creamy you want you rice and how much liquid is remaining after cooking the rice.

After your streak reaches your desired internal temperature, let it rest on a cutting board while you place a scoop of Creamy Mushroom Rice on each plate.  Slice your Coffee Crusted Sirloin Steak against the grain and arrange on top of your rice.  Top the steak with Caramelized Onions and garnish with dried chives or parsley.

This meal gets rave reviews from my boyfriend every time I make it.  He always cleans his plate as does anyone else I am serving.  The richness of the coffee with the meaty steak paired with the creamy rice and sweet onions is a great flavor combination.  I like mine with a lighter red wine to balance out the rich red meat.  Lately, I have been a huge fan of this Apothic Red wine.  It's a good balance of dry and light and perfect for summer.

Enjoy your steak and invite some friends over to show off your fancy dish tonight!

Hello World...

In April, I began a blog about 25 things that I want to do in my 25th year of life.  I have been enjoying my blog quite a bit and occasionally I have thought of something I'd like to post that maybe isn't along the same lines as my "bucket list".  That is how Southern Sunshine was born.

So Hello!  I'm Sunshine and yes, that is my real name.  I was named by one of the most amazing women I have ever known, my Grandmother.  She passed away last July and I miss her every single day.  She instilled a love of many things Southern in me and for that, I will always be thankful.  The most important of these, in my opinion, is my love of cooking.  I enjoy it and I like to think that occasionally I do it well.  She also taught me the art of entertaining and how to host a great event!

I am hoping to share my love of food, gardening, and entertaining with all of you!  I don't want this to turn into any "type" of blog and hope to just let it grow and evolve on it's own.  So Hello!  Nice to meet y'all!  Come on in and let me make you some sweet tea!