My husband is obsessed with these fish tacos, which makes me happy because they are fairly healthy, and he is such a picky eater. I like to eat healthy. During college I lived off of rice, bean, and veggie bowls. I am not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I tend to have a diet that does not consist of a lot of white meat. However, my husband would eat chips (french fries) and pizza for ever meal if he could. These fish tacos are a great compromise because they are made with a Greek yogurt sauce, even though they are still cooked in oil and breaded.
I originally got this recipe off of Pinterest from pinchofyum.com (check her out, she has great recipes!) But I've tweaked it a bit to fit my personal tastes little bit.
First of, I did not change the thing about the sauce. It is absolute perfection. You can find it here.
http://pinchofyum.com/crispy-fish-tacos-jalapeno-sauce
The only thing I change is how I fry the fish. The original recipe has the fish battered, which is delicious, but I prefer something a little lighter. Instead of making up the batter, I have two bowls: one with a beaten egg and light beer (One egg + one 12 ounce beer per 10 ounces of fish) and one with flour, cornstarch (corn flour if you're in the UK), garlic salt, and pepper. I start with the fish in the liquids bowl, and completely cover it in the flour mixture before adding it to the pan.
Side note:: I have started frying the fish in vegetable or sunflower oil after reading about how you should not cook with olive oil. I have found that I like the taste better as well.
Originally I used halibut and black snapper (white bottom fish that are often caught off the Oregon Coast), but I have discovered that I prefer the tacos with cod. As long as the cod is fresh and not frozen.
Happy Cooking!
Love,
Taylor ❤️
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Long Distance Friendships Are Hard
Since I graduated from high school, five years ago I stayed in contact with exactly two friends of my friends from growing up, and even that was hard work. Now that I'm in the process of moving to another country, my best friend from college has been added to that list.
Adult friendships are hard to keep up between all the responsibilities that we are now faced with. When 8+ hours of your day are spent working and you still have to do housework, cook dinner, and get a few hours of quality time with your spouse (or catch up on Netflix), plus squeeze in a work out and running errands, there is little to no time and energy left to play catch up with your friends. And I'm not even to the stage of my life where I have children.
Side note:: I'm convinced that mothers must receive some sort of super power after they give birth. How else can they do all that they do??
Adult friendships are so much harder when your friends do not even live in the same zip code, much less in the same time zone.
The last few days have been a struggle for me. Dealing with school work, actual work, living with my parents, and my husband going out in the field for the next month, among other things, has made me feel like I'm losing my sanity. So when one of my best friends texted me earlier this week gushing about being asked out on a date I did not have the emotional energy to respond. Which resulted in her becoming upset with me for not sharing in her joy, which, in turn, led to me not wanting to deal with that issue at all. So now it's been five days and we haven't talked at all. This is not normal folks. We normally have several different conversations running on different platforms, iMessage, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook. Instead, nothing. Unless you count the random mass snapchat, which I don't.
So anyways, here are the worst parts about a LDF (Long Distance Friendship):
1. The Jealously
One of the hardest things I've had to deal with is watching my friends make new friends. Then seeing all of their posts about going out with their new friends and doing fun things, things that we used to do. When you're separated from people it's harder to remember how important they are to you. So while you're sitting at home on a Friday night, and they're sending snapchats of their crazy nights in the clubs with their new 'besties,' it's easy to feel replaced and forgotten.
2. Lack of Face-to-Face Conversations
There are a million and one studies and articles about how the Millennial's are the least social generation so far because we are so dependent on technology. To a point, it is true that because we have had the most access to technology we are more dependent on it, but that doesn't mean that socializing in person is not crucial for our social lives. We are so lucky that when we cannot be with our best friends or our significant others we still have the ability to FaceTime, iMessage, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc. each other, but not talking to a person, in person definitely takes a huge toll on a friendship.
3. Not Being Able to Talk about Absolutely Everything
After going from living with one of my best friends to living in a country that is 8 hours ahead, I can safely tell you that instead of telling her about 90% of what happens in my life, I am now probably telling her about 25%. Most of the things that make the 'Must Tell Bestie List' are either really good things, or really bad things. Which can lead to giving her a really warped idea of what my life is like currently. She no longer knows that I spent the better half of my weekend laying in bed and watching Netflix, but she knows when I got my article published. She also no longer knows that my hubby and I spent the weekend laying in bed and watching Netflix (which is pretty much the best kind of weekend), but she knows that we had a huge fight on Friday. So she things my life is really exciting professionally, but my hubby is being a jerk, when neither are actually true.
4. Not Being Able to Read Their Emotions (as Well)
There are a lot of people that swear they know someone so well that they can even tell how they are feeling over text. That is not possible. One of the things I hate most about texting is that no one, no matter how well they might know me, can tell exactly the tone that I am saying something in. I could be saying something completely sarcastically, yet they'll take it as serious. Or I could be joking to try to lighten the mood at the end of an argument, but they'll think that I'm still angry. Honestly, I really don't like texting and would much rather just talk on the phone.
5. Not Wanting to 'Rub in' the Good Things or 'Be Depressing'
This doesn't just pertain to long distance friendships, although it seems to be worse in those situations. When you're in a really happy place (just met a new guy, got engaged, got a new job/promotion, etc) all you want to do is talk about how happy you are. I'm convinced that happiness loves company more than misery. When I'm happy, I want everyone to be happy, but sometimes if my friend is not in such a happy place I don't want to make them feel worse by talking about how happy I am. The same thing happens if I'm in a really terrible place (fighting with my SO, doing poorly on an exam, financial issues); I don't want to constantly be talking about how awful my life is. No one wants to be around someone who is depressing all the time, and I don't want to bring my friends down.
So moral of the story, is that staying in touch with people is really, really hard once you don't live in the same town. However, the extra effort is more than worth it to keep these amazing people in your life.
Anyways, it's past my bedtime. Good night lovelies.
Love,
Taylor ❤️
Adult friendships are hard to keep up between all the responsibilities that we are now faced with. When 8+ hours of your day are spent working and you still have to do housework, cook dinner, and get a few hours of quality time with your spouse (or catch up on Netflix), plus squeeze in a work out and running errands, there is little to no time and energy left to play catch up with your friends. And I'm not even to the stage of my life where I have children.
Side note:: I'm convinced that mothers must receive some sort of super power after they give birth. How else can they do all that they do??
Adult friendships are so much harder when your friends do not even live in the same zip code, much less in the same time zone.
The last few days have been a struggle for me. Dealing with school work, actual work, living with my parents, and my husband going out in the field for the next month, among other things, has made me feel like I'm losing my sanity. So when one of my best friends texted me earlier this week gushing about being asked out on a date I did not have the emotional energy to respond. Which resulted in her becoming upset with me for not sharing in her joy, which, in turn, led to me not wanting to deal with that issue at all. So now it's been five days and we haven't talked at all. This is not normal folks. We normally have several different conversations running on different platforms, iMessage, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook. Instead, nothing. Unless you count the random mass snapchat, which I don't.
So anyways, here are the worst parts about a LDF (Long Distance Friendship):
1. The Jealously
One of the hardest things I've had to deal with is watching my friends make new friends. Then seeing all of their posts about going out with their new friends and doing fun things, things that we used to do. When you're separated from people it's harder to remember how important they are to you. So while you're sitting at home on a Friday night, and they're sending snapchats of their crazy nights in the clubs with their new 'besties,' it's easy to feel replaced and forgotten.
2. Lack of Face-to-Face Conversations
There are a million and one studies and articles about how the Millennial's are the least social generation so far because we are so dependent on technology. To a point, it is true that because we have had the most access to technology we are more dependent on it, but that doesn't mean that socializing in person is not crucial for our social lives. We are so lucky that when we cannot be with our best friends or our significant others we still have the ability to FaceTime, iMessage, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc. each other, but not talking to a person, in person definitely takes a huge toll on a friendship.
3. Not Being Able to Talk about Absolutely Everything
After going from living with one of my best friends to living in a country that is 8 hours ahead, I can safely tell you that instead of telling her about 90% of what happens in my life, I am now probably telling her about 25%. Most of the things that make the 'Must Tell Bestie List' are either really good things, or really bad things. Which can lead to giving her a really warped idea of what my life is like currently. She no longer knows that I spent the better half of my weekend laying in bed and watching Netflix, but she knows when I got my article published. She also no longer knows that my hubby and I spent the weekend laying in bed and watching Netflix (which is pretty much the best kind of weekend), but she knows that we had a huge fight on Friday. So she things my life is really exciting professionally, but my hubby is being a jerk, when neither are actually true.
4. Not Being Able to Read Their Emotions (as Well)
There are a lot of people that swear they know someone so well that they can even tell how they are feeling over text. That is not possible. One of the things I hate most about texting is that no one, no matter how well they might know me, can tell exactly the tone that I am saying something in. I could be saying something completely sarcastically, yet they'll take it as serious. Or I could be joking to try to lighten the mood at the end of an argument, but they'll think that I'm still angry. Honestly, I really don't like texting and would much rather just talk on the phone.
5. Not Wanting to 'Rub in' the Good Things or 'Be Depressing'
This doesn't just pertain to long distance friendships, although it seems to be worse in those situations. When you're in a really happy place (just met a new guy, got engaged, got a new job/promotion, etc) all you want to do is talk about how happy you are. I'm convinced that happiness loves company more than misery. When I'm happy, I want everyone to be happy, but sometimes if my friend is not in such a happy place I don't want to make them feel worse by talking about how happy I am. The same thing happens if I'm in a really terrible place (fighting with my SO, doing poorly on an exam, financial issues); I don't want to constantly be talking about how awful my life is. No one wants to be around someone who is depressing all the time, and I don't want to bring my friends down.
So moral of the story, is that staying in touch with people is really, really hard once you don't live in the same town. However, the extra effort is more than worth it to keep these amazing people in your life.
Anyways, it's past my bedtime. Good night lovelies.
Love,
Taylor ❤️
Friday, February 5, 2016
Small Town America to Europe
Good morning beautiful people (:
So if you read my first post, you would have learned that I am from a small town in Oregon. And when I saw small I don't mean, 5-10,000 people. I mean 600. My high school had less than 50 kids in it. That's a fraction of most graduating classes.
Side note:: Graduating with eleven classmates always was my 'fun fact' during college. It never failed to get shocked faces, and no one could ever beat me.
I always had a love/hate relationship with my hometown while I was growing up. I felt so isolated from the rest of the world. We didn't get cell phone service until I was 16, and high speed internet until my senior year of high school. But my entire extended family lived within a mile of me. I saw my grandparents daily, along with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I had a brother-sister relationship with my classmates. Most of us went to preschool together. We were together for our entire childhood, adolescence, and beginning of our adulthood. I played three sports, was valedictorian, and student body president (my classmates really didn't care so I got to bulk up my resume) and easily had time to hang out with my friends, work after school, and complete 25 college credits before graduation. Who else can say that they accomplished so much in high school?
Still, the second I graduated I was off. I moved three hours away to go to school at the University of Oregon (I quickly realized my mistake and transferred to Oregon State University...go beavs!). It was such a culture shock. Over the next four years I learned about life outside of my isolated little town. I met people who were brilliant that did not share my opinions or my beliefs, but it was okay. I learned to have an open mind and listen to their views, and learned to understand where they were coming from. I still don't agree with most of what they believe, but I see why they think the way they do. I traveled to Europe and discovered that the rest of the world is not half as scary as some Americans believe (and I met my husband and decided to move there).
Side note:: My grandpa still refuses to leave the country to come to my wedding. (Yes, I'm already married. Yes, I'm having another wedding. But that's for a different post on a different day.)
The people in my little hometown are never going to change, and that's entirely okay. They live there lives the same way today that they did twenty years ago and they still will twenty years from now. They are some of the most kind, wonderful people on this planet. Every Friday during football and basketball season they never fail to be in the stands at the high school cheering for the best team and yelling at the refs for making the worst calls (you don't want to tick our crowd off, trust me). They have hard hands, but hearts of gold. But they're never going to leave. They love their lives there, but I have outgrown that little place.
My heart yearns to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, the Pyramids in Egypt, and the canals in Venice. America is beautiful, but it does not have the human history that the rest of the Western World does. The beautiful Gothic buildings. The castles, the cathedrals, the cobblestone streets. The stories of Kings and Queens, of war and peace. Literary geniuses such as Dickens, Shakespeare, and Wilde. Artistic geniuses such as Leonardo, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo. I am addicted and obsessed with exploring every bit of our beautiful world.
End note:: Well I meant for this post to be about the political differences between small town America and Europe, but that got away from me apparently. I guess another topic for another day.
Ciao lovelies.
Love,
Taylor ❤️
So if you read my first post, you would have learned that I am from a small town in Oregon. And when I saw small I don't mean, 5-10,000 people. I mean 600. My high school had less than 50 kids in it. That's a fraction of most graduating classes.
Side note:: Graduating with eleven classmates always was my 'fun fact' during college. It never failed to get shocked faces, and no one could ever beat me.
I always had a love/hate relationship with my hometown while I was growing up. I felt so isolated from the rest of the world. We didn't get cell phone service until I was 16, and high speed internet until my senior year of high school. But my entire extended family lived within a mile of me. I saw my grandparents daily, along with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I had a brother-sister relationship with my classmates. Most of us went to preschool together. We were together for our entire childhood, adolescence, and beginning of our adulthood. I played three sports, was valedictorian, and student body president (my classmates really didn't care so I got to bulk up my resume) and easily had time to hang out with my friends, work after school, and complete 25 college credits before graduation. Who else can say that they accomplished so much in high school?
Still, the second I graduated I was off. I moved three hours away to go to school at the University of Oregon (I quickly realized my mistake and transferred to Oregon State University...go beavs!). It was such a culture shock. Over the next four years I learned about life outside of my isolated little town. I met people who were brilliant that did not share my opinions or my beliefs, but it was okay. I learned to have an open mind and listen to their views, and learned to understand where they were coming from. I still don't agree with most of what they believe, but I see why they think the way they do. I traveled to Europe and discovered that the rest of the world is not half as scary as some Americans believe (and I met my husband and decided to move there).
Side note:: My grandpa still refuses to leave the country to come to my wedding. (Yes, I'm already married. Yes, I'm having another wedding. But that's for a different post on a different day.)
The people in my little hometown are never going to change, and that's entirely okay. They live there lives the same way today that they did twenty years ago and they still will twenty years from now. They are some of the most kind, wonderful people on this planet. Every Friday during football and basketball season they never fail to be in the stands at the high school cheering for the best team and yelling at the refs for making the worst calls (you don't want to tick our crowd off, trust me). They have hard hands, but hearts of gold. But they're never going to leave. They love their lives there, but I have outgrown that little place.
My heart yearns to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, the Pyramids in Egypt, and the canals in Venice. America is beautiful, but it does not have the human history that the rest of the Western World does. The beautiful Gothic buildings. The castles, the cathedrals, the cobblestone streets. The stories of Kings and Queens, of war and peace. Literary geniuses such as Dickens, Shakespeare, and Wilde. Artistic geniuses such as Leonardo, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo. I am addicted and obsessed with exploring every bit of our beautiful world.
End note:: Well I meant for this post to be about the political differences between small town America and Europe, but that got away from me apparently. I guess another topic for another day.
Ciao lovelies.
Love,
Taylor ❤️
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Hello.
Wow.
First post.
I feel like this comes with so much pressure!
I just wanted to introduce myself.
My name is Taylor, and I grew up in a teeny tiny town in Oregon. Now, much to the dismay of my friends and family, I am moving to Great Britain.
Why in the world would someone uproot her life and move to an entirely new country, thousands of miles away from everyone and everything she's every known? Well he's about 5'10", with mousey brown hair, deep blue eyes, and the most adorable accent I've ever heard. Love makes you do crazy things.
Side note:: I went to this presentation for my sorority in college, where this lady was telling about how she went to grad school in a flyover state (I can't for the life of me remember which one), and that she absolutely hated it. She called home daily to complain and tell her parents she could not wait to graduate and come home. Then she met a boy, but she swore it was nothing serious, just a casual relationship she was having while she was finishing up her schooling. Well then he proposed, and she told us 'Diamonds make girls liars.' Truer words have never been spoken.
On top of my wonderful husband living across the world, he is also in the British Army. He is constantly coming home and telling me that he is off for two weeks, then home for a week, then away for six. I am not a huge fan of the MILSO life, and it has only just began. So in order to keep my sanity (mostly) in tact while I'm making due on my own, I decided to start a blog. (and a twitter @USAWifeUKLife, follow me (: )
I plan on posting on all sorts of different subjects, from how much of a pain it was to apply for my visa (funny stories with that one), train travel in the U.K. (seriously feel like I'm on the Hogwarts Express), my new found love of British things (we need Nandos in the USA, ASAP), my deep longing for all things American (Taco Bell especially), my newest favorite recipes (courtesy of Pinterest of course) and probably a million other things depending on what happens to be on my mind that day. Maybe even some short stories, who knows. I promise I won't ever get boring.
Anyways, off to bake some cookies.
Love,
Taylor ❤️
First post.
I feel like this comes with so much pressure!
I just wanted to introduce myself.
My name is Taylor, and I grew up in a teeny tiny town in Oregon. Now, much to the dismay of my friends and family, I am moving to Great Britain.
Why in the world would someone uproot her life and move to an entirely new country, thousands of miles away from everyone and everything she's every known? Well he's about 5'10", with mousey brown hair, deep blue eyes, and the most adorable accent I've ever heard. Love makes you do crazy things.
Side note:: I went to this presentation for my sorority in college, where this lady was telling about how she went to grad school in a flyover state (I can't for the life of me remember which one), and that she absolutely hated it. She called home daily to complain and tell her parents she could not wait to graduate and come home. Then she met a boy, but she swore it was nothing serious, just a casual relationship she was having while she was finishing up her schooling. Well then he proposed, and she told us 'Diamonds make girls liars.' Truer words have never been spoken.
On top of my wonderful husband living across the world, he is also in the British Army. He is constantly coming home and telling me that he is off for two weeks, then home for a week, then away for six. I am not a huge fan of the MILSO life, and it has only just began. So in order to keep my sanity (mostly) in tact while I'm making due on my own, I decided to start a blog. (and a twitter @USAWifeUKLife, follow me (: )
I plan on posting on all sorts of different subjects, from how much of a pain it was to apply for my visa (funny stories with that one), train travel in the U.K. (seriously feel like I'm on the Hogwarts Express), my new found love of British things (we need Nandos in the USA, ASAP), my deep longing for all things American (Taco Bell especially), my newest favorite recipes (courtesy of Pinterest of course) and probably a million other things depending on what happens to be on my mind that day. Maybe even some short stories, who knows. I promise I won't ever get boring.
Anyways, off to bake some cookies.
Love,
Taylor ❤️
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