Grill Time - Fish Tacos!

Beautiful day. Warm but not too humid. Chores done. Sounds like a great day doesn't it.

So what am I going to do now? I am going to make some fish tacos. Love them and never made them at home. Firing up the grill tonight and getting creative. I plan on making a roasted corn salsa, which will have grilled tomatoes, grilled jalapenos, grilled red onion, lime juice, cilantro and of course grilled corn.

For the fish, I will either use halibut, red snapper or tilapia. Whichever I can find. I will go to The Fresh Market for the fish and to a local farmer's market for the veggies.

The fish will get a rub made of cumin, ground garlic, lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of ancho chili powder. I will indirectly grill the fish once the veggies are done. I will also toast the taco shells on the grill as well.

If you want to know exactly how this came out or want to try it. Send me an email or comment here. Also, if you have a recipe you are proud of and want me to try...share that too. Have a great day!

Who Remembers Your Name?

I'm sure alot of people do. Then again, alot may not. That may not bother you each day...and then again does it? Stop for a second and think about it.

You probably see the same people most days. In the halls at work, at school, even for your daily walk. Do they remember your name? Do you want them to? I'm betting you do. It's so easy in the hustle and bustle of life to not care about others names. Why should you, they don't care about your name or you for that matter.

I love going somewhere and someone saying, "Hey Michael, how are you." or "Good to see you Michael." Makes me feel like I'm part of something. Don't you love that feeling too? I know you do, who wouldn't.

It's kind of simple actually. Remember others. Remember their names. That means something to them, as it does to you. And it should. Now do me a favor, go out and remember someone's name. I know you will be surprised in what happens. I wish you the best of luck.

Memories

We all have them. Just by me stating that word, you started thinking of your memories didn't you. Some made you laugh, some made you cry.

Let's do something fun. Go to my playlist and listen to song number 14. Yes it's country. Listen to those words. Remember your memories.  I'll wait....

Did you just drift back to your childhood? Did it bring up memories?

If you want to share them with me, I would love to hear about them. Share them. I bet you have great ones. Don't ever forget them or who you are...I know you're special and not just to me but to many. Now, listen to it again.

Asheville NC - You Need To Go

I owe all of you an apology. I haven't posted anything in about a week. I went out of town. I went to Asheville, NC. Spent a great week with some really good friends. One of them even beat me at playstation baseball and football! That was humbling and fun.

Have you ever been to Asheville? Besides the Biltmore Estates? Don't get me wrong that attraction is very breath taking. But have you ever spent a good week there? That city is beautiful to me. If I wasn't where I'm at now, that is where I would want to live. And may one day...

The folks there are so friendly. They will embrace you into their lives and make you feel welcome. Who doesn't want to feel welcome when they go somewhere? They have a so many local restaurants. I have been there a few times since February and one comes to mind that I love to go to. Papa's Pizza. A family locally owned place. You walk in and smell the Greek Italian food. It hit me right in the nose. Any of you that know me, know I love food. If you're ever there, find this place and try it. It's on Leicester Hwy. Ask a local, they will tell you where it is and be friendly when they do (they may even tell you of other great places to try). If you go to Asheville, tell me about places that you go to or have gone to. I would love to hear about it.

I spent Easter Sunday with a group of folks, a family really, that was spectacular. I was never treated that I wasn't part of the group. We worshipped that morning and had a great dinner. Talk about homemade potato salad! A friend of mine, her mom made hers and I gotta tell you...amazing by itself (thank you for bringing that).

I will end this evening with these two things. One, if you have a chance, go visit Asheville NC and if have, share that with me. Secondly, I believe in you and your Acts of Kindness.

Relationships

Here's one we can all relate to. See how I just used the word relate in that first sentence in comparison to the title? I'm not going to define anything I promise. We all have them and some times we don't appreciate them.

Ever had a boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, friend, mother, father, children...YES! That is a relationship. Did you ever take that them for granted? I know I have and still do. Do yourself, not me, yourself a favor...do not take them for granted.

I'm an expert in messing those up sometimes, as I'm sure we all can. It's ok. Learn from it. Promise yourself you will not take those relationships for granted. Nurture them.

Remember this please...you're in a relationship with someone. Now go enjoy them!

Random Acts of Kindness

Ever hear of that phrase? I know I've said it before and I'm sure you've thought of it if not said yourself. Ever stop to understand the meaning behind that? Until today, I really haven't looked into the definition. I have now and think we should look at it. This is according to dictionary.com, so keep that in mind when you read further that I'm paraphrasing.

Random is defined as: occurring without definite aim, reason or pattern.

Act is defined as: to do something; exert energy or force.

Kind is defined as: of a good or benevolent behavior or disposition.

And just for fun let us define benevolent,

Benevolent is defined as: desiring to help others; charitable

Seems pretty clear now doesn't it. Ever do something of this nature? A random act of kindness.

Ever been stranded and had a total stranger help you? Whether with assisting you when your car needed jumper cables or a few cents short at the store. How did it make you feel to know that somebody out there was willing to stop from their activities and help you? I bet you were thankful beyond belief.

Now I'm sure you've done this as well. You know what? You should feel proud of yourself. You helped someone in need. Not only did they probably thank you, but you may have walked away from that situation feeling pretty good about yourself. You should.

My point is very simple today. Whenever you have the chance to do a Random Act of Kindness. Do it. Believe that you're helping someone in need. Because once you start doing these acts, they lose the whole word of random...it becomes an act of kindness.

If you would like to share with me an act of kindness that you did or had happen to you, please share. I believe in your kindness. I believe that you're a good person. Thank you for reading, now go do an Act of Kindness. Besides, we all need some help from time to time and why not start now. Best of Luck!

Cheesecake Anyone?

If any of you know me, know I love making cheesecakes. I have about 25 or so types and styles that I make. Ever want to make one? Did you and it didn't come out so good. I've been there but kept trying and now I love making them and they are so easy to make. The recipe below is one that was suggested for me to make and I use my base for all cheesecakes I make and added some ingredients. Try this one.

Banana Creme

For the crust

• 20 vanilla cream-filled sandwich style cookies or graham crackers
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted

For the filling

• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (try to use the real stuff)
• shredded coconut for topping (optional)

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs

1.  Use a blender to finely chop the cookies.
2. Add margarine and blend until they are well combines.
3.  Press mixture into the bottom of a 10" springform pan and smooth it out.
4.  Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
5.  Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy.
6.  Beat in sugar and cornstarch followed by the eggs (one at a time).
7.  Beat in bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.
8.  Pour mixture into crust.
9.  Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set, adding coconut for last 20 minutes.
11.  Allow to cool completely before removing rim of pan -- Before removing the pan, run warm water over a knife and slide a knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the pan cleanly.
12. Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, at least 6 hours.

Sound good? I think so. Do you have one? Share it with me. You can email me that favorite recipe. If you want to comment here about your favorite, do that too. Now go put on that apron and bake a great cheesecake. I believe you can and will. Best of Luck!

Twitter! Yes!

Really? Yes really. I just finished signing up for a twitter account. I'm excited about it. I know many of you already do this, so bare with me in getting started. Now you can following Laughter Life and Food there as well.

Here is that link. http://twitter.com/LLFblog

Please continue sharing and enjoying Laugther Life and Food. I'm looking forward to continuing this journey with you.

Beer Can Chicken

Ever hear of that or tried it? Pretty cool and very good. I have gotten into just talking and not about food. Let's do food right now. Here is what I do for this recipe or disaster, depending on your stance.

Get a complete chicken, I usually get them from Walmart. Of course clean them...OK, tear them out of the package and hold them under water. Now comes the fun part. What seasoning do you like?  I'm waiting....

Coat that chicken in that seasoning. Inside and out. EWWW! Just do it(you can always wash your hands).

Now for the fun. Heat up your grill. Again I'll wait...oh and get a can of beer out and start drinking it. Just half.

Good deal. Here comes the fun. Now that you drank half the beer of your choice. Now put that same seasoning in the beer...just do it! Then place the chicken on the beer. Basically, sit the chicken on the beer. Is it sitting steady? Well make it sit pretty.

I use a charcoal grill, so I usually use apple wood on top of the coals at this point. Sit the Bird on the opposite side of the heat...indirect heat by the way. Yes the can holds the bird up. Cook it or smoke cook it until 160 degrees or about 45 minutes to an hour. If you don't have a cooking thermometer, until the juices or liquid is clear. Trust me. You will see that.

Take the chicken off the grill. LET IT REST! Do not cut into just yet. Go get that beer you wanted. Now do me a favor, enjoy that chicken. Do you have a recipe? I bet you have a great one. Share it with me. It's just that easy. If you haven't tried this...do it. I know you can. I believe you can!

Your Friends

Most of us have them and some of us more than we know. I was feeling down today, upset about not having a job and actually mad. I spoke to two dear friends of mine and they helped me settle down. One, she let me vent and the other gave me some ideas.

Ever have those days where nothing went right? You felt like you were playing poker with old maid cards? Not a good feeling is it. Then you shared with someone, a friend and BANG...you felt a little better about your deal. Now it may have not changed things but you felt better for a brief minute.

What do your friends mean to you? Are they your arm floaties? Did they help you through a difficult time? I bet they helped and some may have not even known it.  That's a good feeling to know that you have friends isn't it?

"Michael, where are you going with this?"

Sometimes we forget to thank them for being just that...our friend. Remember those that have been there for you and thank them. Just walk right up to them, if you can, and say "Thank you for being my friend". It goes along way. You just showed them that you appreciate them.

Share your comments to me, I want to hear them. All of them. Now I need you to do me a favor, go be a friend to someone. You may be surprised in what you find.

Do You Know How To Listen?

I know that I don't most of the time. It's difficult to do sometimes. We get so involved in our lives, that we don't listen when somebody actually wants to talk to us. Ever sit there telling somebody something, after they asked the question, and you're thinking to yourself, "They aren't even listening. Why did they ask if they aren't going to listen?"

Ever since starting this journey, I have started talking to more folks and getting more practice in listening. It is hard sometimes, esp when I get involved with the conversation...then I want to take over. But I have learned something....all of us have a story to share. Like I said a few days ago, we just have a hard time finding somebody who wants to listen.

I will tell you this, I'm not a trained therapist and cannot solve or point you in the direction you may be looking for, however I can listen. What's funny is, you're listening to me right now. I thank you for reading and listening. Sometimes we don't need answers either. Just want to tell our story. Do you have one? I bet you do. If not me, share it with someone. And remember, you may be that person who needs to listen. You may be surprised what you learn of the other person and also of yourself. Good Luck!

What I want

How many times have you heard that? Countless...I'm sure. Has anyone asked you what you want? Stop and think about it. Has anyone? Maybe a few times. Maybe not. Here's something fun. What do YOU want? That's right, I'm asking that question. What do YOU want? Don't think you want to tell me or think I care? Tell me.

I learned something over the last few days. I like to listen to others. True, I do the typing or talking but listening to others is so much more interesting. I heard a story tonight about superheroes, Green Lantern to be specific. That will be later I promise. Just listening was so much fun for me.

So please tell me what you want. I believe this, esp. after the conversation I had with a dear friend...I Michael Martin want to believe that somebody believes in me. Ever felt that way? YES!!!

Doesn't it feel good when someone believes in you? I do. Now go be that superhero.

Exciting Recipe to try!

I had a friend of mine send me a recipe that she told me about...I haven't tried it yet but it sounds great. Thank you for giving it to me to share. Here it is.

"Cherry chicken" in a crock pot
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 jar of chili sauce, 2 cans dark sweet cherries, 1/2 c of packed brown sugar. Season chicken to taste, put all ingredients in crock pot, cook 6 hours, serve over rice or noodles.

Doesn't that sound great and yummy! I know that I will be trying that very soon. What a good way to cook, in a crock pot. Most of us have busy lives and don't have time to cook. Try this. Let me know what you think.

See, it was that easy. You share some recipe that you like and may mean something to you and now others can enjoy your idea. Keep sharing, keep sending me emails with your recipes. Tell your friends of this journery too. In case you forgot, here is my email, msmartin7139@hotmail.com

Say it with me, "Laughter Life and Food"

Pets! What do they mean to you?

Here is one that most of my family and friends can to relate to just by knowing me. You all know of my dog, Gunny. He's a true mut. Part pit, part lab and all spoiled. Just the way I want him to be. If you've never seen him, think of the movie "Marley and Me". He's that color.

Let me give you a brief story about him to me. First off, he's turning nine this year so he has definitely slowed down some. But I got him when he was just over four months old...a true puppy. I've never had a dog by myself so boy was I in for a wake up call. He drank so much water that first day and I was amazed at how he could...then I learned, he had to pee all the time and everywhere!

He saved my life. I was low in my life and was drinking too much...to say the least. By having him in my life, it changed me and made me and continues to make me happy each day I see him. He has taught me something that I needed. Unconditional love. No matter what kind of mood I'm in, no matter the time of day, no matter even if I get upset at him, he is always waggling his tail (and yes, waggling is a word, here anyway).

As I write this, he is laying on the floor sleeping, he's great at taking naps! The reason for this, is to ask you a question. What does your pet mean to you? Almost for nine years, Gunny has been apart of my life. I would love to hear stories from you. If you don't feel like commenting, you can email them to me at msmartin7139@hotmail.com I would love to hear stories of what your pet means to you. I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for sharing.

Music is part of Life, part II

Why part two? Why indeed. I've been given some good information and song selections. I want more from you. A couple of you have made suggestions...your request has been added. Thank you for those choices. Now listen to your choice...exciting isn't it!

Isn't it funny how music can make you feel something? IT does me everytime I hear a song. Ever hear a song and it made you think of a certain time and place in your life? I bet you have. One that made you smile, cry, sing at the top of your voice, and yes the window was down in your car!  How about one that made your day look a little brighter?

A real good friend of mine said that I should ask you to tell me why you made that song choice when you do. I liked that idea. So yes, I'm now asking that. Not only do I want to hear your song selection but I want to hear the reason why. I will not post anything in specific but I may reference your story. Besides, we all have a story that we want to share, just hard to find someone to listen sometimes. I want to listen.

This is a great journey that we are on together. I'm very pleased that I'm allowed to a part of it with you. Now go enjoy your day!

Music is part of Life

That's true isn't it?! I've learned to add a playlist to my blog and only have a few songs, for now. Ever hear a song that makes you cry? smile? or just get up and dance? I need your help now. I want to hear from you via a comment or email of songs that you think I should add to the playlist.

I want to hear those songs that make you cry, smile and yes dance. That way when I've added them and you come back, which I know you will, you can hear your song. See there, we're sharing.

Don't forget to come back and see what happens with that pizza on the grill post.

It's Friday and time to grill

Any of you out there that have read this blog so far, may have asked yourself, "When is he going to talk more about food? Heck, that is part of the title!" Well folks, here is that post. The title to this speaks loud and clear. It's Friday and time to grill.

The weather is getting warmer, shorts are being worn, outside is the place to be, weather permitting. When you get home in the late afternoon, you walk around your home and smell that unique smell don't you? Then the thought runs through your mind, who's grilling and what are they grilling? I should do that.

I use a Weber black charcoal kettle grill. My favorite choice and has been for years. No lighter fluid, nope use a charcoal chimney. I love to smoke any kind of food I place on the grill too. Ribs, ham, chicken and even pizza. I typically use a mild wood such as apple, cherry or pecan. You can use any that you desire.

Just get outside with your family and friends, pull off the grill cover. Charcoal or gas...fire them up! It's time to grill. Oh, I will give you more information regarding the pizza on the grill comment soon. I know you can do it and you will be able to impress your family and friends by your creativity.

I want to hear your recipes from the grill. Please share. Now you know what I'm going to say...Laughter Life and Food is going to be a great journey!

What's this all about anyway?

Pretty profound question. I have been thinking about what to do with this since I started it yesterday. Some friends of mine who have read it, Big thank you to all of you!, asked if this was a motivational blog. A laughter site, or even a recipe cooking blog. The best way to answer this is YES to all.

Most of you that know me, know I love to talk to folks. Love to cook and love to laugh. So of course it is going to be about all of these things. I also want this to be something that helps us out through our days and nights. Ever just read something off the internet and was bored and got nothing from it? I hope this isn't that way to all of you and I hope you get something from this journey.

Stay tuned. This journey that I like to call Laughter Life and Food is just getting started and I don't want any of you to miss this!

Can you spell enthusiasm?

Of course you can...or at least you can now. Good for you. If you already knew that, great and if you didn't, well guess what?, you just learned something. Not real earth shattering was it? But funny thing about spelling enthusiasm, it's contagious in learning how to spell it just like it is itself.

Where are you going Michael? I don't want to read this. Stay with me for just a second. Ever talk to someone that appears to be coming out of their skin because they were so excited about something? I know I have. No matter what they were talking about, you felt, yes felt like you were a part of it. Whether good or not so good, you felt it.

Isn't feeling things what life is all about? The next time you are excited about something, no matter what, share it with someone. Watch their face. Watch them light up like a christmas tree. Then when someone shares something with you, experience that feeling. ENTHUSIASM.

I want you to share your moments of enthusiasm with me. Remember, we're on this journey of Laughter Life and Food together.

First of many

Hey all. I was told that I should create a blog by a great person. He stated that I like to cook and talk to folks. He's right. The title explains me, esp as the new chapters open in my life. I love to laugh and more importantly, love to make others laugh...at me if that helps!

The life part is about how things will be in my life going forward and possibly from the past(but knowing it can't be changed). No matter what. Good bad or indifferent. I will not pose to be an expert at the items I rant about, but I will give you my thoughts.

Food. Well we all like to eat don't we. I love to cook and learn new recipes. Sharing recipes is also great.

 Sharing websites with recipes, travels, and life. That's what I want this to be about. This is going to be a great journey and I can't wait for all of you to join me for Laughter Life and Food.