HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

To celebrate this month of love, I baked a yummy chocolate cake! For those of you that do not know, I love chocolate cake. I guess you can say it was my gift to myself since my husband, Robert, does not like chocolate! haha!

Photo Books

I just wanted to write and say how much I love making photo books! My sister introduced me to this idea over a year ago and ever since I have been hooked. If you have not made one, I am telling you they are awesome! My favorite places to make photo books are at http://www.snapfish.com/ or http://www.walmart.com/. I think Snapfish produces a better print quality, but Walmart is cheaper so you decide! Anyways, these books are great for "scrapbooking" and providing reading material for your guests. I love to create these books after I take a trip because usually you take a ton of photos and then what do you do with them, nothing! So, I decided to make a story out of each of my trips. It is a nice way of capturing memories and a great form of journal writing. You can format the page how you want it to look by changing the page layout, change the font, and add text to the page. Photo books also make great gifts! I made one for my mother-in-law for Christmas of our wedding and she loved it. If you are looking to scrapbook a ton of pictures and haven't gotten around to it or need a great gift idea, here is your solution!

I have provided a couple of pictures of one of my memory books:

My trip to NYC

(It is hard to take a photo of a photo book, so keep that in mind when you look at the pictures)

Macadamia Crusted Halibut and Grilled Shrimp

If you are not a huge fish fan, this recipe is perfect for you because it is not fishy at all. Plus, it is actually really easy to make! My sister-in-law, Lori, asked for this recipe, so I decided to make it on Sunday to share with you all!

Here is the recipe for the Halibut:

1 lb. halibut, cut into 4 oz fillets (about 1 inch thick)

1 Cup roasted, no salt macadamia nuts, chopped thinly

2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 Cup melted butter or margarine

Salt to taste

Flour for breading

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet.

2. Dredge (coat) halibut fillets in flour, shaking off excess.

3. Add cayenne pepper and salt to eggs, and dip each fillet in egg mixture.

4. Roll fish in chopped macadamia nuts. Press the nuts down, then place on prepared baking sheet.

5. Brush 1 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine over each fillet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until fish is just done. Test the center. It will flake with a fork.

6. Let stand a few minutes to finish cooking and re-absorb the juices.

7. Enjoy!

Shrimp Seasoning:

Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil

Basil

Dry Mustard

Lemon Juice

Salt

Garlic Salt or an actual Garlic Clove

Marinate for 3-4 hours and then grill.