Sunday, June 17, 2012

My dad was a fisherman at heart.  I can remember many evenings during the summer when he would go out to Green Lake with his friend and fish for hours.  Sometimes we would go with and Mom would pack a picnic.  My sisters and I would play on the rocks or try our hand at fishing.  My line would always get caught in the weeds.  I don't remember ever catching a single fish. (But I do remember a fish trying to catch my sister!)   Our mother would often sit on the rocks and think or dream.  I still wonder what she was dreaming about all these years later.  We would run around and make up games and scream to our heart's content...  until our dad would tell us that we were scaring the fish.  We always had fish in the freezer.  Walleye mostly, I think.  There was usually smelt and other kinds of bait lurking in there as well.  We learned to eat fish, but it wasn't easy.  There were no lovely fillets at that time.  Eating fish was a long drawn out process and inevitably someone would get a fish bone caught in her throat.  A piece of bread usually did the trick, but it was painful and scary.  I've since come to appreciate a good piece of fish - beautifully and properly filleted, of course.  Tonight, in honor of my father, we are having fish for supper.  If I only had some sweet potatoes, I would try sweet potato fries as well. 

Crispy Baked Fish

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1 pound white fish fillet, cut into 2" strips
1/2 c brown rice cereal, crushed  (I have no idea what this is, or what I'm going to substitute for it, but that's how the recipe reads)
1/2 c panko bread crumbs (how I love this product)
1/4 c nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy flavor.  hmmmmm  I say sprinkle on some cheese...)
salt & pepper to taste
1 egg white
1 egg
2 T milk
1/2 c all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 475.  Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray with the cooking spray.  In a shallow dish, combine the cereal, pank, nutritional yeast and salt/pepper.  In a second shallow dish, whisk the egg white, the egg and milk.  In a third shallow dish, add flour.

Bread the fish strips by dredging in flour, then egg mixture and press into panko.  Coat all the sides.  Place on the rack and spray with cooking spray.  Bake 10 or 15 minutes until breading is crunchy and the fish is opaque.

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into fries
cooking spray
1 T cornstarch
2 T olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 475.  Spray the baking sheet with the cooking spray.  In a large zip lock bag, add cornstarch and sweet potatoes.  Seal and toss to coat.   Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and use your hands to really coat them.  Sprinkle with salt/pepper.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. 

All that's missing from this meal is the wilted lettuce salad.  My garden lettuce is ready to cut, so I am super excited about the first salad.  My mother had what seemed like a huge garden.  Lots of radishes, lettuce and cucumbers.  They were busy people, my parents.  They worked hard and played hard and were such good role models.   I miss them...


Happy Father's Day!


Friday, June 1, 2012

Just a blink

So last night I went to a sweet little retirement party for a friend's husband and today going to a retirement luncheon for a co-worker. How did I suddenly get to this point? I've watched family members thoroughly enjoying their new lives. I have giggled with a friend when she admitted to secretly joining the group at her Senior Citizen's Center and am now watching another friend wonder how she and her husband will adjust to his new life as a retired person. How did we get here so fast? Just a blink ago, it was a blur of concert tickets and the wind in my hair. Then there were fuzzy memories of diapers and permission slips and learners' permits. Yesterday in the middle of our impromptu party, we noticed a group of older ladies who meet daily for coffee. That will be us in another quick blink. sigh. I ran across this yummy sounding salad recipe and can't wait to try it. It will be awhile before my basil is ready to pick. So I wait, fork in hand.


Peach Mozzarella & Basil Salad


3 ripe peaches 1c fresh basil 8 oz fresh mozzarella 2t olive oil 1/4 t kosher salt 1/8 t pepper Cut the peaches (peel if you prefer) into wedges. Cut the wedges into pretty little bites. Tear the basil, or chiffonade into elegant strips. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Add cut mozzarella, toss and enjoy. Oh, I cannot wait to try this. maybe on the first Porch Party of the season, if my friend's husband forgets about the very long Honey-Do list he is happily making.