Happy Shark Week!

I admit it- I am fascinated by sharks!  This week is Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.  The channel’s programming is pretty much all sharks all the time and I find it very interesting. For example, just this week I learned that Great White Sharks are pregnant for around 18 months(!), female shark skin is twice as thick as males (I won’t go into why here!) and Mako sharks sometimes breach (jump out of the water) to catch their prey, which is an amazing sight! The Lantern Shark is bio-luminescent- it glows in the dark! So cool! 

Whenever we visit the aquarium you can always find me at the shark tank.  This picture was taken at the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island.

So how do we celebrate Shark Week around here?

Of course we have to decorate.  I always put this sign on my mantle during the week.  It is a quotation from the movie "Jaws".  The letters are cut from the "Life is a Beach" Cricut cartridge and decoupaged onto a painted canvas.  I made a matching garland for my fireplace as well. 

We have treats, of course- a few days ago we visited Cold Stone Creamery for their "Shark Week Frenzy"- Blue Sweet Ice Cream with graham cracker pie crust crumbles and gummy sharks! Yummy, melty goodness!  Perfect for a hot summer evening! 

I made some sugar cookies. I found the cookie cutter at Amazon.com.  The fondant is made from the recipe I shared here.

Tonight we decided to have a little Shark Week Deck Party complete with shark infested pool. 

And for dinner: My Brother Dave’s Tuna Bites (recipe below), Cole slaw and french fries. (Sorry about the shadowy picture, but we were hungry! No time to perfect the photography when the troops want to eat!)

  

Dave's Grilled Tuna Bites

Tuna Steaks

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Old Bay Blackening Seasoning (Regular Old Bay works too)

Lime or Lemon (optional)

Preheat the grill.  You will want it very hot, 600+ degrees, if possible.  Cut the steak into 1 or 2 inch cubes.  Liberally brush the olive oil on all sides of the cubes.  If desired, squirt a little lime or lemon juice on the tuna.  Place cubes on aluminum foil or screen that will not allow them to fall through the grill.  Sear tuna on the grill for about a minute, turning the cubes often.  Cook until desired "done-ness".   

And to wash it all down: "Sharkatinis".  Our own little last minute creation of Cool Blue Gatorade and Sprite Zero on the rocks with a gummy shark garnish. This cooling treat is served in a stemless wine glass decorated with a shark (also cut from the cartridge above.)  It was surprisingly good! 

It seems like a lot of companies are started to jump on the bandwagon and promote shark related merchandise during this time of the year.  My daughter bought me some "Jawsome" hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works. According to their website, it is a combination of blue orchid petals, coral sands and passion fruit. It smells really good! Lush Cosmetics has a Shark Fin Soap.  One hundred percent of the proceeds of the Lush soap go to organizations to protect the shark population. You can find the soap here.

If you are interested in sharks you may want to check out an organization called Ocearch. This is a non-profit organization which researches sharks and other "apex predators" and seeks to educate the public about these magnificent creatures. They are probably most famous for their Shark Tracker App which follows the paths of satellite tagged sharks throughout the world. Very Interesting! 

Thank you for stopping by today!  

Cynthia