Clem Diaries: June Buggin'

June seemed a bit longer than the previous months of the year...which hopefully means that I will feel the summer is long enough to enjoy at least a piece of it. Wishful thinking? Maybe.



Seeing as the month felt long-ish, it seemed only fair to make this roundup of my monthly adventures a smidge longer than usual. Without further adieu, here is my month.



Oven Braised Mexican Beef
Nom Nom Paleo

So. Fun fact: Making an elaborate Mexican meal is a surefire way to cure the effects of a crappy weekend. This is part one of four delicious Mexican menu items I put together for what became Mexican Monday... and the leftovers from which necessitated a subsequent Mexican Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

(Another fun fact: I have about a hundred siblings, so grew up cooking in portions that would feed a whole lot more than two people. Hence so many leftovers... old habits die hard.)


Part two of my four course recipe--Mango salsa. Not entirely sure this counts as a full course, but paired with fresh slices of avocado and radish over the braised beef in a soft corn tortilla shell... it counts. Let's just trust me on this one.


Chipotle Style Cilantro Lime Rice
Chef in You

Part three of four is this rice...which, to be honest, was eaten during Mexican Tuesday and Wednesday but not so much on the Monday (I was incredibly distracted by the braised beef tacos. I refuse to apologize for that). This recipe is quite similar to my go-to Greek rice recipe---which is the same only with lemon and dill instead.



The fourth delicious addition to my Mexican themed foodie night was a simple cornbread. Me being who I am, of course, I made it slightly less simple by tossing in some diced jalapenos and fresh corn kernels before baking. And to make it extra not simple? I zested a lime into some butter, added a bit of honey, and slathered the honey-limey-buttery deliciousness all over it. I don't regret any of it.



This tutorial was pretty useful while making the mango salsa above. I saw a fella at a fruit stand cut a mango like this with such little effort that I decided I a) had to buy my mangoes off of him and b) had to learn how to cut them that way. My mangoes were a bit on the soft side, but it was still a fairly easy process once I looked it up.



I caught a cold at the beginning of June that I haven't quite been able to shake. Thunder Bay's latest virus trend is lingering coughs, so the idea of downing cough syrup for what is now going on five weeks was pretty dire. I will take a home remedy over store bought chemicals any day. This stuff tastes about fifteen times better than Buckleys, with the additional perk of being able to identify the ingredients. And another perk? Unlike versions which involve grated garlic, you don't smell quite as much like a steak marinade after using this.



I have been in love with super coconutty smoothies this month, and this recipe has that covered. Don't skip the coconut flakes. They will change your life.



For Father's Day, I had my dad and siblings over for DIY noodle bowls. The fanciest part? Homemade quick-pickled carrot and daikon radish. It's officially a staple in my fridge--and the only thing I have ever done with daikon radish. 


Travel Shopping Fix:
{ photo source: tinyfeast.com/blogs}

I spent a few days in Winnipeg this June, and had to pick my jaw off the floor in this adorable little stationery boutique. I spent an atrocious amount of money considering I was there for business, not pleasure... and I will frankly never be the same. I may have to devote a whole blog post to showing off a few of the fun things I picked up!



There's more where that came from! I am excited to share a few things with you in the next few weeks...just as soon as I get over the fact that it is already July. :)

Happy Wednesday!

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xo♥clem