Sunday evening is usually family time and I spend my Sunday afternoon with my brother and his wife. Sometimes we go out but most Sundays we prefer to follow the family tradition, meaning cooking together and just hanging out at home. The best part of family life is spending good times together, making and sharing memories.  There’s a especial sense of trust and honesty when we’re with our family, something that makes us feel safe and accepted.

Last weekend, we made fish tacos and watched “Blue Jasmine”. After the Oscars, we had planned to watch this movie a few times but every time something came up and it was postponed, until last Sunday when we finally broke the spell. In my personal openion, it’s not the best of Woody Allen movies but the performances are amazing. It’s about family, and the battle between money and love. The story of a rich Manhattan socialite who falls into poverty and down in the gutter, when none of her powerful friends want to have anything to do with her, her bohemian sister in San francisco welcomes her into her modest life despite the way she was treated by her rich sister while still on the top. She later changes her mind…

One of my college professors at film school used to say: “What you see on the screen is a reflection of reality” and I believe that. “Blue Jasmine” is a movie but it also can be a real life story that we may hear from a friend, co-worker or neighbor. Not all families are the same. We don’t choose our blood family and if it’s not the type of supportive family we need, the only choice left is to love them but go out and choose the type of kindred friends who can become our adapted family, those who are honest with us and accept us for who we are. After all, intimate human connections, either with our blood family or adapted, are what help us to survive and be happy.

One of my blog friends has an interesting post called “The language of tails” where she talks about dogs and their open express of affection. She says: “I wonder if we’d lose our capacity for denial with a tail so earnest and open and easy to read. Because I think these tails, this earnestness in dogs, is a big part of what we love about dogs. Even the angriest dog, because he’s honest about his anger, is easier to love than a human who masks what he’s really feeling.” (http://rachelmankowitz.wordpress.com/2014/08/16/the-language-of-tails/). Well, I personally believe having tails would have helped us with our communications and all the misunderstandings created by the complexities of human nature. The complexities that sometimes ruin our best relationships and friendships. Maybe a tail transplant?!! 😉

What you see here is our last week Sunday dinner. I’m hoping you will try it at some point, while making your own especial memories with your loved ones, and enjoy it as much as we did.

• 1 Cod filet
• 12 hard or soft taco shells
• 1 cup fresh minced cilantro
• 1 cup chopped mango
• 1 1/2 cup chopped tomatos (1 cup for the tacos and 1/2 for the salsa)
• 1/2 cup minced mint
• 1/2 cup chopped green apple
• 1/2 cup grilled corn
• 1 fresh jalapeño, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup diced onion (1 cup for the tacos and 1/2 for the salsa)
• 2 big limes
• 2 tablespoons apple vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon taco powder

Mango Salsa

1. In a medium bowl mix mango, mint, grilled corn, onion, green apple, tomatoes, jalapeño
2. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper
3. Add 2 tablespoons apple vinaigrette
4. Juice the 2 big limes and add to the mix
5. Allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving

Fish Taco

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the fish with the remaining of the black pepper, sea salt and taco powder on low temperature for a bout 15 minutes.
2. Heat the tortillas in the oven if you chose the soft ones
3. Serve the chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro in little bowls, ready for the tacos