Tattooed Martha

Walnut Crusted Salmon with Blood Orange Salsa

February 11, 2019

Valentines Day is just a few days away and if you want to skip the crowded restaurants and impress your partner with a simple, but restaurant quality dinner at home instead, I’ve got just the dish! Not only does this walnut crusted salmon cost a fraction of what you’d pay for it in a restaurant, but it’s surprisingly quick and easy to throw together and can be prepped the night before.

An outer crust of pureed walnuts, blood orange zest, and a little garlic make a flavorful and crunchy complement to the tender salmon. There’s no fancy techniques here, just toss it under the broiler for 7 minutes and let it cook to perfection. Top it all off with a simple sweet and spicy blood orange salsa and you’re done!

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Exploring Avignon

February 6, 2019

After a few whirlwind days in Paris we were ready for the next city in our Europe trip, Avignon. I chose this city because of the fairy-tale like architecture and it wasn’t overly populated with tourists. To get there we had to take the train, which was the fastest and most affordable, but a holy nightmare when you’re lugging two giant bags and have to quickly scramble off and onto your next connecting train. We managed to make it and the train ride itself was quite enjoyable. I spent most of it just staring out of the window watching these beautiful French farmhouses whirl past us at 200 mph.

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Loaded Italian Bloody Marys

February 1, 2019

I shared a sneak peek at this Bloody Mary creation via Instagram and the response was mostly a lot of expletives and excitement, which I interpreted as a good thing! I don’t mess around when it comes to Bloody Marys and creating this one was no exception.

I switched up my usual homemade Bloody mix by adding balsamic vinegar, olive juice, Italian seasoning, and homemade basil infused vodka, which complemented my Italian influenced garnishes perfectly. You can get as complex or as simple as you’d like with those too. I personally love a drink that is a meal in itself so I skewered some of my favorites.. olives, mozzarella, prosciutto, peppered salami, cherry tomatoes, Italian meatball sliders, and my favorite go-to appetizer, Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms. It was, as I learned how to say in Italy, molto bene!

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Daily Life

January 31, 2019

Goodness gracious.. how is it still January?! By this point I thought I would be writing, “I can’t believe it’s March!” but something about this month has just stretched on for an unnecessarily long time. Perhaps sliding my car into a ditch twice, the white knuckle drives home in the snow, and/or that I’m just two weeks away from hopefully/maybe/possibly/ CLOSING ON MY FIRST HOME!

I’m waiting to hear back about the appraisal, but as long as that’s good, we’ll close on Valentines Day.. which will finally give me a good reason to celebrate it! The tricky part about this home is that even though it will officially be mine, we cannot move in full time until the new septic is installed. I’m looking at the silver lining of the situation and waiting to move in will give us time to thoroughly clean, paint, and repair some of the major things needed first (like maybe that gutter that’s dangling off the back of the house). Utilities are also higher this time of year given the arctic temps so it will all work out for the better that we’re forced to wait a bit longer.

That hasn’t stopped me from obsessively watching Fixer Upper and then looking at photos of my house and saying, “Yep, we’ll just knock out this wall here, add a second bath there, put French doors in here, and shiplap on everything!” I’m certainly no Joanna Gaines (probably more like Chip than anything), but I’m most looking forward to sharing this home with you all too. I’ve been wanting to expand the topics and structure of this blog into something much more and a big part of that will be adding home renovations, DIYs, sustainable living tips, and sharing more of my lifestyle and personal insights.

This might be a good time to gently introduce you guys to an idea that’s been rolling around in my head for awhile and that’s to say goodbye to Tattooed Martha..

I’m not talking about the blog, but the name itself I’m ready to part with. Tattooed Martha was born from a kitschy pun of being a Tattooed Martha Stewart.. cooking, baking, crafting, and entertaining, but I really don’t want to stay pigeon holed to just that. I also feel like it was identity created with another part of my life. A life when I was married, living in Portland, traveling around to tattoo conventions, and doing pin-up style photo shoots. It’s just not really who I identify with anymore and I’d like to be known as Sasha and not this “character” that people have envisioned. I hope that when I make the transition to something different, you, my readers, understand that we all evolve throughout our lives and it’s okay to let go of parts that no longer serve us.

The blog will remain a big part of who I am and what I do (and don’t worry.. all the content that’s on here now will still be there after a name change), but I’ve got a vision so much bigger than just a blog.

I’m certainly curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on this change, just know that my mind is made up on the matter! Haha just not the name, so perhaps you’ve got a few ideas of your own. Comment below and let me know what you think or tell me about a time where you were at a crossroads of letting go of something that no longer felt true to who you are.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram for sneak peeks at the house, recipes, and more!

Lemon Parsley Pesto Shrimp Pasta

January 30, 2019

Ever since our trip to Italy I’ve been craving a big plate of decadent buttery seafood and pasta.. and of course wine.. and beautiful views.. and listening to everyone speak in perfect Italian. But since I won’t be venturing back to Italy this year I opted to at least satisfy my cravings for the pasta, seafood, and wine! I’m happy to say that this dish did the trick and the best part was that it made A TON so I was able to enjoy seconds and have plenty for lunches throughout the week!

I sauteed the shrimp in butter with fresh garlic and lemon zest and then tossed everything together with the Lemon Garlic Parsley Pesto I shared yesterday. The tender garlic butter shrimp, tangy lemon, buttery al dente angel hair pasta, and the bright and zesty flavors from the pesto added complex flavors to a surprisingly simple dish. I didn’t even care about how much pesto I had in my teeth because I was in a proverbial pasta heaven!

The only thing that would have made this dish better is if I would have used homemade pasta, which I can hopefully do very soon! My boyfriend gifted me a pasta maker for Christmas after we took a pasta making class during our stay in Rome. With the impending close date on our first home, I’ll be making all kinds of pasta and new dishes for you out of my new (old) kitchen! Until then, you’ve got this one to enjoy!

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Lemon Garlic Parsley Pesto

January 29, 2019

At the end of fall I couldn’t bear to part with my garden, so I transplanted some of my herbs into pots that now have a happy and warm home in front of my window. The Italian flat leaf parsley was starting to get a little crazy because I really just don’t cook with it all that often. I challenged myself to look for recipes where parsley was more than just a garnish and I am quite happy I did!

I cut nearly all of the parsley and turned it into a pesto with some lemon zest, garlic, and Parmesan cheese and then tossed it with a shrimp pasta I was making. It completely made the dish, but then I decided to just try it on it’s own with some baguette slices and that didn’t disappoint either! The flavor is bright, tangy, and fresh and was a nice change from the usual basil pesto.

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Friday Failures: Snow Sludge Body Scrub

January 25, 2019

If you’re new here, you might be wondering why I’m sharing this sludge-like looking monstrosity and that’s because this is Friday Failures! I like to feature my messes and mistakes as much as I love to share delicious and appetizing posts as well. With the large amount of snow we’ve recently received here in the Midwest I thought this would be the perfect time to share this.

I originally tried this creation a few weeks before Christmas. I thought a nice minty smelling sugar body scrub would be the perfect DIY addition to the gifts I was giving to all the women in my family. I used coconut oil, white sugar, and mint green tea bags. Everything smelled great and was going smooth until I went to stir in the tea, turning this beautiful snow like body scrub into gray sludge. It reminded me of the stuff that you see on the side of the road after they’ve plowed and put down sand. Gray, dreary, dirty sludge. Not exactly something you want to slather all over your body.

I hate to waste anything so I decided I could still use it for myself and hopped in the shower to see how it worked. Yea.. that didn’t go well either. The coconut oil acted as a waterproof seal and made the tea leaves stick all over my body, leaving me covered with tiny black specks. I had to spend twice as long in the shower trying to get it all off of me. It did smell really great and my skin was extremely soft, but this is one I learned my lesson on. Maybe larger tea leaves or using a tea powder would have better results, but this is one DIY you can save yourself the trouble on!

Smoky Blood Orange & Rosemary Margaritas

January 23, 2019

With the wintry weather, I’ve had quite the craving for bright citrus flavors, fresh herbs, and a good strong drink. Heavy emphasis on the “good strong drink” part since I’ve found myself getting towed or pushed out of a ditch twice in the last week. My poor little Corolla that I lovingly refer to as Carol, slid off into a small ditch on our gravel road leaving my tires about a foot from a very steep drop off into a creek. A quick rescue from my dad with his truck and some tow chains saved her, but then it happened again! This time I spun out while getting off on an exit on my way home last Friday. My brother, nephew, and boyfriend were able to push her out. Next challenge was an extremely steep and slick curve. My boyfriend tried using his truck to push my car up hill before we finally deemed it too dangerous and left her parked safely in a mobile home park. It was extremely stressful at the time, but I was able to laugh about it later when the news featured Carol in all of her glory stuck in the ditch in front of the exit sign. Apparently they are reusing that shot over and over again on their recent commercials advising about more of our impending winter storms. My one shot at 15 minutes of fame and my car steals the show… dammit Carol.

Since I was snowed in with no car I set about making the best of the situation and made some thirst quenching and stress relieving margaritas! I’ve been playing around with different ways to use smoked rosemary in cocktails and thought it would make a nice pairing with blood oranges that are currently in season. I would have loved to grill the oranges on the grill, but since it was a sweltering 6 degrees Fahrenheit and the grill was buried under 8 inches of snow I had to settle for a cast iron skillet instead. It lent a mild smoky flavor that complemented the sweet citrusy flavors of the blood orange and tequila.

Even if you didn’t find your car featured on the news or have to brave the snow, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this margarita regardless!

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Roasted Cauliflower 3 Ways

January 15, 2019

If you haven’t embraced cauliflower into your life yet maybe this will be the post that makes you do it! I never used to be a fan of it myself, but after learning how to make it taste like hot wings.. I was sold! For a good throwback recipe you can see what I’m talking about here.

I decided to challenge myself with THREE new flavor variations and the best part is that they all go into the oven at once. They all come together to make a great snack platter for your next get together or if you like to meal prep it gives you a bit of variety throughout the week. Each flavor has it’s own complimentary sauce to pair with it too. Kicking Cajun is just as it sounds.. packing a punch of spice with my homemade Cajun seasoning mix and paired with a spicy and tangy remoulade. The Parmesan Herb combo has fragrant herbs and baked on Parmesan to give it a nice crunch, served up with a simple marinara sauce. My favorite was the Spicy Turmeric & Ginger. I made a scallion-soy dipping sauce similar to what you would use for dumplings and it was the perfect complement to the spicy ginger flavoring.

After the recipe comment below and let me know which flavor you’re most excited to try or if you have a few of your own favorite ways to make it!

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Roasted Beet & Squash Salad with Balsamic Reduction

January 10, 2019

Beets will forever be on that fine line of you either love them or hate them and if you hate them… this recipe is NOT for you.

I like to channel my inner Dwight Schrute and fully embrace beets and their earthy flavor. This time I went even further by using their greens in this salad and pickled the stems to use in other dishes, putting every bit of them to good use. To balance out the strong beet flavor, I added some roasted butternut squash, candied pecans for a little sweetness and crunch, goat cheese crumbles for tangy richness, and then drizzled a balsamic reduction across the top. This winter salad ended up being as pretty and colorful as it is healthy and filling!

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