A Fish Tale
Since I work in a local chain grocery store and then shop on my days I work for my personal chef clients, hubby does our personal grocery shopping. He has been doing it for so many years I can't remember. We have a computer generated shopping list and we just check things off that we are out of and off he goes. The problem with that is...well he buys things that aren't on the list. A month ago he bought some Tilapia. I don't really like fish that much so it's just been sitting there taking up space where we could have MEAT! So I had to come up with an idea to get rid of the fish and actually like it when I fix it.

I know how much hubby loves going to San Diego on business and eating things there. He always comes home and tells me about what he eats and then he wants me to make it. I spend time looking for recipes on the net that sound like what he ate. So, I am thankful for the Food Network. This recipe is from their web site. It's easy and it tastes good.

Baja Fish Tacos
Serves 4-6
White Sauce
1 cup Mayo
1/4 cup milk
4 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp garlic salt

Mix all ingredients together and set aside

Fish Tacos
Oil
2 pkgs Tempura Batter Mix
1 can beer
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
24 ounces boneless cod, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 limes


Preheat fryer or deep pot halfway with oil to 375 degrees F.
Mix 1 of the packages of batter, but only use 1/2 the required amount of water and use beer for the remaining amount instead. Add the beer until the batter becomes almost like a heavy cream consistency.

Using the other package of batter-add salt and garlic powder, coat cod pieces with the dry mix, then dip into prepared batter. Deep fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Place fried cod pieces on warmed tortillas, add white sauce to fish, a little shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lime to taste.

Chef Notes:
I really didn't want to fry fish. So we just grilled the fish and added some lime juice, salt and pepper. We didn't have cod but used Tilapia instead. I did use everything else the recipe called for. Here is the end result.

TV Dinner
I know that I watch way too much TV. I loved it as a child and that habit has carried over to my adult life. That might explain why I pack on the pounds so easily. I have to confess that I am not an out door type of girl. I like to be in the house during the winter with a roaring fire and a hot cup of tea. I love being in the house in the summer because frankly, I am not built for a bathing suit and I burn quickly. Spring sparks something in my core to dig in the dirt only to retreat to the house the minute it gets hot or someone mentions the word summer. I hate to be hot. Heat and humidity makes my hair look like a poodle has taken up residence. So TV is my faithful friend.

I love TV so much that once while visiting my husband’s family in Dallas I squealed with delight when I found out that they had that network that I had been hearing about; The Food Network. I could not take my eyes off of that TV almost the whole visit. I was smitten. I used to be a pretty faithful watcher of the Food Network until work increased and there was a struggle between paying bills or watching TV. Guess which won?

Yesterday I had a store demo so I really didn’t push myself to do too much around the house. So I sat and knitted and watched TV. Hubby had the remote and he flipped it over to The Food Network. We got to watching Tyler’s Ultimate. For some reason, my hubby couldn’t resist that show. I have long known that Tyler graduated from my almamater, Johnson & Wales. We did not attend school at the same time nor the same campus but there is a loyalty there to other grads for me. So I watched. I looked over at hubby and he was plotting. You know the look. I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be good for me, after standing in one spot in a grocery store for three hours. I was going to have to come home and cook DINNER. UGH! Yesterday was my 6th day to work in a row and when you stand on your feet all day, the very last thing you think about is how can you stand up another two hours doing dinner. Really! I love to cook but when your feet are begging for a day off…

So guess what? I stood in the kitchen for two hours and did what hubby wanted. He doesn’t ask too much from me, ever. So I had to do this. All the recipes talked about here can be found at the Food Network. I really did not want to have to type all of the recipes so please follow the link. Here is what we ate… Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage

This was easy to make and boy was it ever wonderful. Hubby bought the best fresh morezzlla he could find. It took two of these for the recipe...
It wasn't bad enough he wanted to make a main course but half way through that, another recipe was thrust upon the kitchen cart and I had to make a side dish. Well, I made two; one with a recipe and the other without. The recipe that was on the show for this is here...
Then he wanted dessert. I have created a culinary MONSTER!

Berry Trifle

When it was all said and done...dinner was fabulous. Hubby has had his remote control privledges revoked. I have to get over the 2 1/2 lbs I gained from this wonderful meal.

A Chick with Sticks

A Chick with Sticks

I love to have things on the grill. It doesn't matter much to me where the inspiration of the grilled dish comes from as long as it ends up on my plate. I am not a picky eater. Nor am I a person who hates to have food touching on the plate. After all, where does it all end up? All mixed up in your belly.

A few weeks ago, the weather was in the 80s and I could hear the grill calling me. Okay, okay, I confess. It's easy on my if I prep the food and hubby does the grilling. I do quick sides while he is running in and out of the house checking the food. I get to sit down and knit. I love to knit so I am always looking for short cuts in my day so I will have more time to dedicate to knitting.

I have loads of cookbooks and some I use seasonly and others are dependable year round books. One would think this one would be a seasonal cookbook, but I have found plenty of good recipes that are wonderful no matter what time of year it is.

One of my most favorite recipes is Scallion Chicken Skewers. This is such an easy recipe that it's just silly. So here is one of the easiest recipes I know for year round grilling. The photo to the left is taken from the book itself.
Scallion Chicken Skewers
Serves 4
8-12 Thighs, skinned and boned, cut into 3-4 pieces each (chicken breast work perfectly well with this recipe too.)
About 12 schallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

Ginger Marinade
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 TBS ginger puree or grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup fish sauce or soy sauce (recipes says about 1/4 cup)
1 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS corn oil (I used canola)
24-36 wooden or banboo satay sticks, soaked in water for 30 minutes.

Thread 1 piece of chicken and 1 piece of scallion onto each skewer. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a flat, shallow dish. Add the skewers and turn to coat.

Cover and chill for 3 hours or overnight, turning in the marinade from time to time.

Light an outdoor grill or preheat a broiler. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until done. Don't they look yummy? I took wanted to add more vegetables to our diet so I added some red bell peppers to the skewers. They gave the kabobs more color and eye appeal. Then I sauteed some bok choy and made some rice to round out the rest of the meal.

Dinner is served!

Let Them Eat Cake

Let Them Eat Cake
I have to confess; I am not a cake eating person. I love to bake them but I am not a huge fan of cake. I keep thinking that I will find some cake out there that I will forsake pie for but alas, it has not happened. I came close with this one. This recipe comes in a distant second but I still have not found THE cake. I am a flaky pastry person. Give me pie any day! Even a cookie will do for me.

I felt inspired to bake a few weeks ago. The weather was hinting of spring and for some reason I needed to fire up the oven and create. I also had some fruit that was dying on the kitchen counter that needed to be dealt with so here is the sum of my effort. It’s from my favorite bedraggled Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook.

Blue Ribbon Banana Cake
¾ cup shortening (I used the Crisco that is in the green can)
1 ½ cup sugar (I used the white baking Splenda)
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
½ tsp salt
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup flaked coconut ( I toasted my coconut on a sheet pan in the oven for a few minutes at 350 even though the recipe did not call for it to be)
Creamy Nut Filling
White Snow Frosting

Cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add mashed bananas. Beat 2 minutes. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture along with buttermilk and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes. Stir in nuts.

Turn into 2 greased and floured 9” round layer cake pans. Sprinkle ½ coconut on each layer. Bake in a moderate (375) oven 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool layers, coconut side up on racks.

Place first layer coconut side down and spread on Creamy Nut Filling. Top with second layer, coconut side up. Swirl White Snow Frosting around sides and about 1” from the top edge, leaving center unfrosted.

Creamy Nut Filling
Combine ½ cup sugar, 2 TBS flour, ½ cup cram and 2 TBS butter in heavy saucepan. Cook until thickened. Add ½ cup pecans, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla. Cool.

White Snow Frosting
Cream together 1 egg white, ¼ cup shortening, ¼ cup butter, ½ tsp coconut extract and ½ tsp vanilla until well blended. Gradually add 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

This is the finished product.

This is what a slice looked like. I think I globbed a bit too much of the Creamy Nut Frosting in one spot when I put the layers together, but it didn't matter. It still was moist and a really nice piece of cake. Despite not being a huge cake fan, this was a good cake.