Seared Ahi Tuna Fall Centerpiece Menu Recipes

Good Food


I was compensated for this post, however opinions here are my own

This post celebrates everything I love about fall.  Beautiful fall leaves, cooler days, longer evenings, Indian corn, pomegranates, pumpkins and all the wonderful and varied kinds of seasonal squashes now available at the farmer's market. Still dreaming of Chef Jacque Pepin's exquisite Ahi Tuna medium rare entree I enjoyed on the Baltic Sea aboard Oceania Cruises this summer, I created my own menu built around Bumble Bee SuperFresh Ahi Tuna with Garlic-Peppercorn Rub.




The results were absolutely delicious. In fact, this Bumble Bee product tasted fresh and was as good as the ahi tuna we savored on the ship. It was hard to believe that I found this in the freezer section at my local supermarket and that it came seared and rare, ready for me to serve. That freed me up to spend my time instead on preparing some fabulous side dishes incorporating seasonal fresh produce to go along with it. Read on for the recipes and directions to easily make this gourmet menu at home.






Recipes

This elegant and delicious fall menu, with Bumble Bee SuperFresh Seared Ahi Tuna as its centerpiece, is simple to make. Depending on whether you serve this as an appetizer or main course and how much everyone loves this, it serves 2-4 people. You'll first prepare each of the menu's elements, following the simple recipes below. After everything is ready, follow the step-by-step plating directions at the bottom of this post.


Seared Ahi Tuna 

Time to Make: 0 hours active prep time, 3 hours to thaw

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Ingredients
  • 1 box of Bumble Bee SuperFresh Seared Ahi Tuna with Garlic-Peppercorn Rub
Directions
1. Keep frozen until ready to thaw and serve.
2. Remove fish from vacuum pack and place on a plate in refrigerator to thaw.
3. Thaw for about 3 hours.




Pomegranate Confetti
Time to Make: 10 minutes




Ingredients
  • 1 fresh pomegranate
  • 1 t. pomegranate molasses, available at Persian markets
Directions
1. Using a sharp knife cut the pomegranate in half. Use one half for this meal and save the other for another purpose.
2. Remove the seeds, separating from the pulp.
3. Place seeds in a bowl, add pomegranate molasses and gently toss.
4. Set aside to garnish dish later.

Roast Acorn Squash with Fennel
Time to Make: 1-1/4 hours

Ingredients
  • 1 fresh acorn squash
  • 2 t. margarine or butter
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Water
  • 1 T. Fennel Seeds
Directions
1. Cut squash in half, scooping out seeds to create a cavity.
2. To the cavity of each piece of squash, add half the margarine/butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, plus salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bake in oven at 400 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender when tested with a fork.
4. When squash is cool enough to handle, gently scoop out the flesh and discard skin.
5. Transfer squash to blender or food processor and puree. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to replace water lost during roasting to the puree to achieve the consistency desired.
6. Set aside

Turmeric Lemon Rice
Time to Make: 45 minutes
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 t. turmeric
  • Fresh lemon, cut in half

Directions
1. Place rice, salt and water in uncovered pot and bring to boil over medium high heat, boiling about 2 to 3 minutes. 
2. When most of water has been absorbed and craters form, remove from heat. Cover and let stand at least 40 minutes.
3. Take half of the cooked rice and place in small mixing bowl, add the turmeric and the freshly squeezed juice of a half lemon and gently toss until well blended. Save the other lemon half for garnishing during plating.
4. Leave the rest of the rice plain in the pot. 
5. Set both rices aside.

Plating & Presentation 

This is the fun part, where you become the chef, an artist arranging food beautifully. You can either serve this entire menu from a single platter or smaller plates for individual servings. And don't worry the presentation will look great whether you use a square platter like I did or you choose to plate with a circular dish.



Directions

1. Down the center of the plate, spoon a generous amount of white rice onto the plate/platter, follow with a second layer adding the turmeric lemon rice on top.
2. Spoon two generous heaps of the squash puree on opposite sides of the plate. Sprinkle each squash heap with fennel seeds.
3. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds around the perimeter of the plate, except on top of either the rice or squash.
4. Place the thawed, pre-sliced and arranged Bumble Bee SuperFresh Seared Ahi Tuna straight out of the package onto the top of the rice. Don't try to separate it.
5. Add a half lemon to the platter near the edge on one side or if you're using plates add a lemon slice to each.




About Bumble Bee SuperFresh Seared Ahi Tuna

Bumble Bee SuperFresh Seared Ahi Tuna is the first time sushi quality “thaw and serve” packaged seafood products have ever been available at the supermarket. It stays frozen the entire time, even during processing and preparation, and is never fully defrosted. That's how the brand can guarantee the same quality, freshness and taste you'd expect from a fine chef cooking in the best restaurants. You can serve this great tasting fish simply with a side of soy sauce and wasabi, add it to a classic Nicoise Salad or serve it as the entree with some equally elaborate side dishes as I have.



About the New Bumble Bee SuperFresh Line

Bumble Bee SuperFresh is a complete new line of naturally-seasoned, restaurant quality, seafood solutions for the home cook. Each of the five offerings is quick, easy and delicious to serve. These include: Seared Ahi Tuna with Garlic-Peppercorn Rub; Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper & Herbs; Tilapia with Garlic & Extra Virgin Oil; Salmon with Garlicky Black Pepper & Extra Virgin Oil; and Salmon with Garden Pesto. The pre-seasoned Salmon and Tilapia come with their own parchment paper baking pouch and go from freezer to table in 25 minutes or less. All fish varieties remain frozen from when they're brought in on the fishermens' boats until you defrost them immediately before home preparation and serving.

This is a sponsored post for Bumble Bee SuperFresh and I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

FTC Disclosure: See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Love the Coopers Movie Review - Setting Aside Family Baggage for the Holidays


Movies




Love the Coopers $1,000 Contest, details below

Love The Coopers from CBS Films, a new comedy opening in theaters nationwide today, is the perfect movie to see together as a family to get into the holiday mood as it appeals to kids, parents and grandparents alike. The story revolves around all the family drama as four generations of the Cooper clan gather for their annual Christmas Eve celebration. Things aren't as wonderful as they seem: Welcome to the dysfunctional family life so many of us can relate to.



After an opening montage of holiday scenes to get the audience into the spirit of the season, the story begins to unfold as we are introduced to a patchwork of characters. Some we meet for the first time as a couple like family matriarch and patriarch Charlotte and Sam, played by Keaton and Goodman. Other colorful, seemingly random characters are introduced as individual kids and adults start popping up in the storyline. Almost all the way to closing credits, the audience is left trying to figure out who is related to whom and why they are all behaving the way they are.



Rated PG-13, the film stars big names grownups will recognize like Alan Arkin, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Marisa Tomei and others, while the great Steve Martin narrates. Meanwhile the younger set will recognize young actors like Amanda Seyfried (Pan, Red Riding Hood), Olivia Wilde (House M.D.), Molly Gordon (The Animal Kingdom), and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar). 


Rags Sculpture by The Magic Sleigh, MommyBlogExpert.com
Rounding out the cast is the charming and very mischievious family pet dog Rags, played by Bolt. This talented canine thespian is an Austrailian Shepherd and Saint Bernard mix born in Osaka, Japan who has been acting since he was 12 weeks old. His impressive doggy resume credits include the Volkswagen 2012 Superbowl commercial, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3, SuperBuddies, Night at the Museum 3 (playing a tiger) and others.

Here's a sneak peak at the holiday hilarity...



As Christmas Eve day and evening unfold, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events will have you laughing and waiting for the next scene. Then things get really crazy, which ironically leads the Coopers to the unexpected rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday. The lesson learned: You can't regift family. I can almost guarantee you that you won't discover who the story's real protagonist is until the end of the movie. But when you do figure it out, it will make you smile.

Love the Coopers
Directed by: Jessie Nelson
Written by: Steven Rogers
Produced by: Michael London, Jessie Nelson, Janice Williams
Cast: Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Marisa Tomei & Olivia Wilde

Follow the Love the Coopers fun on Facebook, Twitter and the official site.

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FTC Disclosure: Except where indicated otherwise, CBS Films and Love the Coopers provided all images that appear in this post. MommyBlogExpert was invited to a media screening at of this movie at The Grove in Los Angeles prior to release to facilitate this review. I also received refreshments and an assortment of movie promotional items at the screening event. However, no payment was received in connection with this post and opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Amazon Giftcard Holiday Sweepstakes

Giveaway


It's been a great year for MommyBlogExpert thanks to all you loyal readers and fans. So, to celebrate a major milestone of reaching a total of more than 1.7 million page views since starting this blog in 2009, I'm giving away a $100 Amazon giftcard to one lucky MBE reader.

 

Win an Amazon Giftcard Sweepstakes



How to Win a $100 Amazon Gift Card


Read on to find out how to enter to win this great prize which comes just in time for holiday shopping. And, since sharing is caring the more you share this contest with others, the better your chances of becoming the winner.


$100 Amazon
Giftcard
GIVEAWAY

Ends 12/8/15


*** Bookmark this page NOW and come back DAILY to increase your chances of winning this great prize! ***

MommyBlogExpert's $100 Amazon Giftcard Giveaway ends December 8, 2015 at 12 am PT and is open to legal residents of the U.S. only. Winner of this MBE contest will be selected at random from all entries and will be notified via email and must respond within 24 hours to claim their prize.

Good Luck!!!

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FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert is providing the $100 Amazon giftcard prize for this giveaway and opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

5 College Student Smartphone Tips to Maximize Campus Life #VZWBuzz


Technology



by Jacob Elspas, Staff Blogger
MommyBlogExpert.com

This is a sponsored post

#VZWBuzz

Beyond text books, the smartphone is now the most essential tool for a college student to own. Most only see these smart devices as a way to check email, share and view Snapchats, post to Instagram, take selfies and photos of friends, and surf the web. Yet, there are so many more ways beyond the obvious that these can help you survive and thrive in college. 
Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Getting Homework Assignments
You might not have thought of this one before, but it has been a real lifesaver for me plenty of times. As a current college student, I like to schedule my classes so that they are basically back to back. That way I don’t have to wait around for my next class to start. The problem is I'm often rushing from one class to the next and I don’t usually have time to copy down the homework my professor writes on the board at the end of class. So instead, I pull out my smartphone and snap a quick photo of the whiteboard on my way out of the classroom. Then I can actually multi-task as I walk to my next class, skimming over what the night's assignment will be so I can start thinking about it. Later in the day when I'm ready to hunker down and attack my work assignments, I can simply refer to my saved photos and voila, there they are. 


Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com
Navigating Around Campus 
This smartphone idea comes in handy if you go to school on a very large campus and need to get somewhere you've never been before quickly between classes. It's also good when you first start going to a new community college or university and don’t know the layout of the school very well yet and have trouble finding your way around. And if you’re like me, then you are too shy to ask someone, but also don’t want to look too conspicuous like a newbie carrying a big paper map around. Look savvy instead by just downloading a map of the campus onto your smartphone ahead of time. Then, when you do get lost just whip out your phone and use the map to find your way. No one, but you, will be all the wiser. Besides, it is much easier to have everything you need in one place on your smartphone rather than to have to worry about carrying around extra things like a campus map.

In Case of Emergencies
Hey, emergencies can and do happen to college students. Maybe your bike gets stolen or you miss the last train or bus back to school and you find yourself stranded somewhere off campus at night in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Or maybe you are involved in a car or pedestrian accident. Maybe you even get robbed, attacked, or you are in the area when a fire starts suddenly. A smartphone is the best and fastest way to call 911 and get help in a true emergency situation. Even under less dire circustances, it makes it possible for you to quickly get in touch with your parents, authority figures, or someone else who get help you assess the situation and figure out what to do next.


Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

When the Stress Just Gets to be Too Much 
Stress is a natural part of of being in college and students have many different ways of dealing with it. However, stress can also appear at some pretty random times and a smartphone is a great way to help you cope. That's why it's so great when you just need a temporary escape from the chaos around you, to be able to open up a favorite game on your phone or plug in some headphones and listen to some music to unwind. Either way, it is a great device to use to relieve some of the stress that comes with the territory of being a college student under academic pressure throughout the school year. 

Help With Your Social Life
Having a life beyond the classroom isn’t just about going to parties and talking to people in person. Nowadays, more than ever, the bigger part of making friends and making time to hang out is done via smartphone -- whether it's through phone calls, texting, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or other high tech ways of connecting. You really need a smartphone on campus, both so you can contact people and they can contact you. If you're home sick or find out you can't make it to class at the last minute, it's an efficient way to reach out to get a friend to take notes for you. Besides, how can I get a cute girl's number if one of us doesn't have a smartphone?


Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com
What do You Think?
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the myriad of ways for college students to think outside the box and take advantage of all that smartphones have to offer. What other innovatives ways can you think of to use a smartphone at college? I look forward to reading your comments and hearing what you think.




FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert is a Verizon Wireless Lifestyle Blogger brand ambassador and receive various products and other perks as a member of the #VZWBuzz influencer team. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

Healthy Options for Dog Foodies IAMS Protective Health Dog Food Review #FurryFoodie


Pets



This post is sponsored by Lunchbox

Our miniature pinscher, Dexter, is a real man's man with a fun loving canine-ality. He loves to rough and tumble with his four-legged buddies at the dog park, charms the girls and has multiple girlfriends, and most importantly of all, he's a foodie extraordinaire. So when I asked the little guy if he'd like to help me out as a taste tester for IAMS Proactive Health dry dog food for small and toy breeds ages 1 to 6, his stub of a tail wagged so hard I thought it might fall off.
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"All this talk about food is making me hungry..."

Really, Dexter. I shouldn't have been so surprised when I saw his enthusiasm about working with me on this food-oriented blogpost. This small dog definitely loves to eat. In fact he's known to devour with gusto everything from fresh vegetables like lettuce and broccoli to the time he gobbled down a whole tray of homebaked baklava which he snatched when I was in the other room. Feeding a dog sugary people food is definitely a no-no, though. So no one was happier than I was to see him so interested in trying a healthy dog food this time around.
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As his mommy I care about what our 5 year-old pup eats and want to ensure he gets the proper nutrition and maintains overall good health, so I always read the ingredients on products that I buy for him. 
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When I went into the store to purchase this I couldn't have been more pleased to check the label on the IAMS Proactive bag to see that the first ingredient listed was real chicken. This, along with the other ingredients this is formulated with, are guaranteed by IAMS to produce noticeable improvements in a pet's energy, skin, coat and digestion or your money back. That's 100% proactive nutrition with 0% fillers, ensuring that your dog has a healthy diet.


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"Grrr... this is really good!"

The proof is in how much Dexter enjoyed the IAMS Proactive Health I served him for dinner for the first time yesterday. As his Mommy I was so glad to see my min pin liked this, especially knowing how much goodness was packed into every yummy nugget upon which he crunched happily. Talk about a pet parent feeling satisfied and good about what my dog is eating.
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About IAMS
The brand offers a variety of healthy dry dog kibbles including IAMS Proactive Health, Healthy Naturals, Grain Free, Premium Protection, and others. All these products are available in several different size bags at Walmart both in-store and online.



FTC Disclosure: I am being compensated for this IAMS post. However opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.