Shark Week

The last week was officially Shark Week on the Discovery Channel--did you watch? I eagerly look forward to the annual week-long, shark-filled programming every year. And even though Clint doesn't get quite as into the shows as I do, we will celebrate pretty much any occasion here at our house, so we had a good time getting into the spirit of all things shark. From snacks and sips to shirts and socks, well, even the dog got in on the action.

This was my midweek snack, perfect for munching while watching such fine television as Sharkwrecked. Thankfully, my Goldfish crackers weren't part of the recall, and that "cocktail" is just a Sprite Zero with some blue food coloring thrown in for good measure. Hey, it was Tuesday, and even I have my limits.

Apparently my enthusiasm was contagious, because by midweek, the husband had decided he wanted to make some type of sharktastic food in honor of the occasion. What better food for Shark Week than ceviche? (There is also a chance that he simply craved ceviche and used this as an excuse, but I like to think it was all the shark excitement that motivated him).

For anyone not familiar, ceviche is fish or seafood that is marinated in citrus juice. The acid from the juice "cooks" the fish so that there is no other cooking involved. After reading our recipe, which called for 10 limes, 3 lemons, and 2 oranges, I immediately ordered an electric juicer from Amazon to save us from all that manual juicing labor. Next, we stopped by Harris Teeter Friday night and picked up all the various ingredients needed to make our adventurous culinary creation. I pointed out that, for around $20, we could have simply gone to a restaurant and eaten all the ceviche our hearts desired, but Clint said that was not the point. Making homemade ceviche is apparently "fun," and I'm all about a good time. Yippee. $61 worth of groceries and a $26 electric juicer later, let the good times roll.

Just a few simple ingredients (and a day's worth of chopping).

Shrimp, cod, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, and ginger.

The finished product (with a tortilla chip "fin" to garnish)!

I have to admit, I was impressed by the time and effort that chef Clint expended to make his ceviche, and he was quite pleased with the finished product. He rated it a solid 8 out of 10, not bad at all for a first attempt.

We all know that I fully believe in dressing the part, and as luck would have it, I had the perfect shirt for Shark Week, courtesy of a beach trip a few years back. The classics really don't go out of style. I woke up Sunday morning, the last day of Shark Week, and dressed to enjoy it.

I also had a very festive pair of shark socks Clint gifted me for Christmas that were practically made for Shark Week viewing.

Once my outfit was on point, we were ready to get on to what I had been anticipating and looking forward to the most: our sharky Bloody Marys. We cued up Laws of Jaws and broke out the Zing Zang, Tabasco, pickled okra and carrots, and all the fixings we could find. I think they turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

They were spicy and delicious, and I'm already looking forward to making them again next year. Plus, with all those veggies, it's basically a salad in a glass, right? Health food.

Since the dog wasn't eligible for a Bloody Mary but I hate for anyone to be left out of a party, I ordered a special toy just for this instance. We settled onto the couch with our drinks and let Cotton have "Chompin' Charlie," his shark themed toy.

Needless to say, a good time was had by all. Clint even said he learned a lot watching all the Shark Week shows, like never to turn your back on a tiger shark, how to slap the water to startle an approaching shark, and also that if Taco Bell (an official Shark Week sponsor) bombards you with advertising for a week, you will wind up eating dinner there before Shark Week is over (we watched one last shark show while munching on Nachos Belle Grande and Crunch Wrap Supremes). I've put the plastic sharks away until next year, but the Bite Me shirt...well, that's probably appropriate anytime, am I right?