recipe 59: introducing cilantro lime grilled sweet potatoes

My streak of ridiculously good dining experiences and ridiculously ridiculous mouse experiences continues. Last night, those worlds collided. I shall start with the mouse situation. I have what I would describe as a diagnosable rodent phobia, and I'm starting to think that I also have pheromones that are magnets for rodents. So I'm sure you can imagine my horror when I heard some weird sounds coming from the bathtub and peeked in only to find a mouse squealing and racing around in scratchy laps. Tristan named the mouse Jeffrey (I know, weird, see footnote below*), caught it alive, and brought it outside. Gross. PS- Make my recipes! Anyway, since then, I've found ways to avoid my apartment. This week has been full of such outings. Wednesday, for example, marked the two year anniversary of when Tristan and I (aka "Tristany" in celebrity magazines) met in Bozeman, Montana.
Two years ago on a back porch in Bozeman:
Cameron: Tiffany, this is Tristan. Tristan, this is Tiffany. You're both New Jersey lawyers!
Tristan: I'm from New Jersey but I'm not a New Jersey lawyer.
Tiffany: Well, I'm not from New Jersey but I am a New Jersey lawyer.
And... scene. The rest is history. Good work, Cameron!
Last year: me accidentally dropping Tristan's blackberry into a heaping plate of saucy BBQ ribs at Neely's http://neelysbbqparlor.com/
This year: way too much food at Parm http://parmnyc.com/. This place was awesome. Amanda swears she's seen Jay-Z there.
Last night was my birthday dinner at Blank-Blank-Blank (Tristan says not to post their name because it will bring them disrepute. I'm flattered that Tristan thinks that my blog with its three readers would be powerful enough to bring anything disrepute). I will say that Blank-Blank-Blank has been a favorite of mine, until last night. Last night, we sat in the garden area. Halfway through dessert, a mouse scurried on by about seven feet away. I was the only person who had a direct line of vision to the mouse. I stopped mid-sentence and just stared with dropped jaw. Everybody immediately asked what was wrong, as it probably appeared that I was having a stroke. And then... nobody really believed me because I've been "crying mouse" a lot lately. Well, that is not exactly true. The waitress definitely believed me and immediately rushed over with shots of caramel infused vodka for everybody, which I chose to enjoy in a different area of the restaurant. Tristan advised that he'd invited Jeffrey to my birthday dinner. I wouldn't be surprised. Such is my life. Note: The last time I saw a rodent at a restaurant was a giant rat at a very dirty restaurant in Bangkok. I won't be going back to the Bangkok restaurant and I won't be going back to Blank-Blank-Blank.

Moving along to the cilantro lime grilled sweet potatoes. They are awesome. They come from Simply Recipes and were virtually unaltered by me, save for leaving their vitamin-y skins on and microwaving them a little before slicing and grilling: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_sweet_potatoes/

CILANTRO LIME GRILLED SWEET POTATOES (serves: lots!)
Ingredients:
-5 sweet potatoes
-3 or 4 T of olive oil
-salt, just a pinch
Dressing- mix together the following in a large bowl:
-1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
-1 t lime zest
-about 2 T fresh lime juice
-1/4 c olive oil
-salt, to taste

Instructions:
1) poke some holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave for a few minutes
2) slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
3) mix with the olive oil and salt
4) grill for about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on how hot the grill is
5) toss the sweet potatoes with the dressing while they're still hot and serve

This is a pretty amazing photo and I can say that because I didn't take it. It was taken by Lana, who I've decided is my Blogtographer. She doesn't get paid for performing this service. Nor does she yet know the extent of her new title. But she is receiving this small accolade. If I'm bringing Blank-Blank-Blank disrepute, then I'm bringing Lana repute. I believe in balance in the universe. Honestly, I really love this picture! It might be my current favorite picture. It might be taking the place of the following picture, which has been my reigning favorite picture since the summer of 2003. It's called "Two Girls in the Mirror," and was the brainchild of me and my friend Jocelyn, who is in the picture. We entered it into an actual photography contest and we were recognized for our creativity.

Two Girls in the Mirror- photography contest winner! Location: Sea Isle City, NJ

*Tristan would like to note something about Jeffrey. Here's what Tristan says: "You were so afraid of the mouse that I decided the best way to deal with it was to personify it by giving it a name. Which, by the way, worked. You stopped shrieking and started laughing. So stop throwing me under the bus on your blog!"