Bowl of Berries

It has become a ritual to stop by Whole Foods on the weekend to buy the proteins for the week.  I love going up to the seafood or meat counter and requesting the specific cuts for the week, it’s the closest thing around here to a real butcher or fishmonger.   A few weeks ago I saw catfish fillets on sale, not only does the seafood counter offer fresh fish but it is challenging me to try new ones!  I have of course had catfish before (hello I do live in the South) but I have never cooked it.  I grabbed two pieces for the menu.

Once home I had to decide how to prepare it.  The best way would be to fry it of course, I did mention I live in the South?  But that isn’t too conducive to our healthy, active lifestyles so the next best thing would be to coat it and bake it.  After some website perusing I found a recipe for cornmeal crusted catfish, after determining I had all of the ingredients I was in business.  The great thing about this recipe is that it takes no time to make.  I made this on a Tuesday night after a bike ride, within 30 minutes dinner was done!  Super easy, great flavor and quite healthy!

Cajun Cornmeal Crusted Catfish

2 T plain yogurt
2 T milk
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 catfish fillets, about 3/4 of a pound
2 lemon wedges

1. Preheat broiler. Lightly oil a wire rack large enough to hold fish in a single layer. Place the rack on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk yogurt, milk, and mustard in a medium bowl until smooth. Combine cornmeal, salt and paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dip each fillet in the milk mixture, turning to coat. Transfer to the cornmeal mixture, turning to coat completely. Place the fillets on the prepared rack; they should not touch. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

3. Broil 4 inches from the heat source until the fish is opaque in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Ask and you shall receive!  My friend Tracy asked me to post the Halibut Stick recipe, so here ya go pretty lady!

This was a super fast meal, perfect for a busy Wednesday night.  I thawed the halibut filet the day before and then the night before I cut the fish into “sticks.”  I am a firm believer that food is more fun to eat with your fingers :)  When we came home from our swim last night I preheated the oven to 425 degrees.  The I pulled out one egg, some almond meal (I get it from Trader Joe’s, I think it is near the baking stuff, or you could just pulverize some whole almonds) panko crumbs, seasoning of your choice (I used garlic herb) salt, and PAM spray.  Whip up the egg in one bowl, in another bowl add about 1/4 cup almond meal and 1/4 cup panko crumbs, then season to your liking.  Dunk the fish in the egg, then roll around in the crumb mixture and make sure to press the breading into the fish so it sticks well.  Place on a sprayed baking sheet and lightly spray the top of the sticks with PAM to help them crisp. Bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick your fish is.  I over cooked mine accidentally but once dipped in some fry sauce (ketchup and mayo mixture- don’t diss it!) it was fine.  Scottie actually really liked these so I consider that a huge success! Perfectly crispy!

To the baking sheet I also added some sweet potato fries, which I am in love with.  I also made a side salad of romaine, fresh peaches, lemon juice, S&P and the yummiest, stinkiest bleu cheese ever.  It was divine.  Bleu cheese and peaches make a fab combo and I think if you have a wonderful creamy cheese like bleu,  salad dressing is not needed.  Scottie would argue that but this is my blog, so there.

Overall a filling and healthy meal that was super easy to put together.  Please enjoy!

Such a bad blogger I am, we had a dinner party over a week ago and I am just getting around to posting about it! We invited two other couples over for a simple dinner party last Thursday.  I love cooking for people and even though the week was crazy, it was nice to relax and enjoy friends in a non-bar atmosphere.  One of our guests does not eat animals with 4 legs so I figured I would pull out some salmon, which would help put a dent in our supply and would make for a pretty frugal party.  I think I spent less then $25 for the whole dinner- score! I decided to also tap into my pecan supply in the freezer so I went with a simple Honey Mustard Salmon with a Pecan Crust.  I used some of the Emeril’s Horseradish Dijon Mustard that I got a few days before from Foodbuzz, great timing!

I was a little disappointed with the mustard as I expected it to have more of a kick to it but I can better judge it when I have it plain on a hot dog…mmm hot dogs!

I used up the rest of some orzo we had and made a simple spring veggie orzo with the organic veggie broth I also got in my package.

Twas a lovely addition to the dish!  Finally I made  a simple salad of romaine, juicy peaches, red onions and crumbled goat cheese with a simple dressing of EVOO, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  It must have all been good as the plates were cleaned!

For dessert I took this idea from Poor Girl Eats Well and made cheesecake parfaits for dessert.  I used up a lonely bar of cream cheese and a can of sweetened condensed milk and then added in lemon zest and juice.  I actually only used about a half a can of the milk as I found that to be sweet enough without making it too runny.  I made the cheesecake before everyone arrived,  so when it was dessert time I just sliced up some strawberries and layered everything in a wine glass and topped each glass with some crumbled ginger snaps.  The recipe made 5 perfect portions and all of the glasses were practically licked clean.  I loved getting that cheesecake flavor so easily and cheaply.

No party is complete without some good wine and we went through 6 bottles!

Needless to say it was a success and clean up was a snap.  Hopefully we can have many more of these get togethers!

Honey Mustard Salmon with Pecan Crust
From Allrecipes.com

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons butter, melted
5 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
6 lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.

Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Scottie and I packed up the kids dogs and made our way to Va Beach this weekend.  Nothing particularly planned, besides a much needed $40 massage on Saturday morning, a nice flat9 mile run and seeing the fam for a bit.  MOm and Dad just got back from a week in the OuterBanks andwhile they were there they did a shrimp boil so Mom was excited to recreate the dinner.  After our awesome massages we ventured out to the “good” Harris Teeter and stocked up on mussels, scallops, shrimp and “scratch and dent” red potatoes.  Mom also got corn and pulled out some Trader Joe’s andouille chicken sausage for the meal.

Steph said I looked like I was stirring the cauldron

We started by bringing a turkey fryer pot of water to a boil.  The thought was to do this outside on the turkey fryer burner but low and nehold there was not enough propane, so we brought the operation inside and waited a good hour or so for the pot to boil.  Once we saw bubbles we added in two cans of Miller Lite, some Old Bay and salt and allowed it to bubble.  First the potatoes went in and when about half done we threw in the corn (cut in half) and the sausage to get some flavor in the broth.  This is totally done by taste by the way! Then we threw in the mussels to allow them to open and then in went the shrimp and scallops.

How cute is my Mom!

We tasted the broth and added a bit more Old Bay and I was told by Scottie it could have used more.  BUT the beauty of this is that you can provide condiments at the table so your whiny lovely guests can add their own flavor :wink:  The condiment of choice for our dinner was hot sauce but fresh cut lemons would also be nice.  Serve in large bowls with some crusty bread for dipping and dinner is done!  A relatively easy meal for a crowd.  I think we will need to do this again in the future!

Someone is hungry!

I loved this meal also because it was relaxed and allowed us to mingle at the table and talk, something my family is known for. We spent the rest of the night eating out of each other’s bowls (Steph wanted scallops, Mom wanted mussels, Scottie wanted whatever was left!) drinking cheap beer and catching up.  A perfect night in my book!

Bella has fun too!

We are nearing the end of our shrimp stockpile, I think at one time we had 6 bags of frozen shrimp in the freezer thanks to a buy one get 2 free sale a few months ago.  I am sure Scottie will be happy to see the end of the shrimp dishes :)  But to it’s credit frozen shrimp is so convenient because it is so easy to defrost and is really quite versatile so it’s perfect for a weekday meal.

I didn’t have a specific plan for dinner in mind beside wanting to do a shrimp stir fry but while I was at a stoplight I thought a spicy orange sauce would be a nice addition so I Googled it on the Blackberry (how convenient!) and found this recipe from A Southern Fairytale.  The recipe looked so yummy and I had everything in the pantry so I figured I would try it out.  I did add in more veggies for bulk and nutrients and decided to break out the Trader Joe’s rice sticks I have been saving for pad thai and used those instead of rice.

The only change to the sauce was the use of 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce instead of 3 and I found that to be plenty hot.  Scottie added in a few extra squirts to his plate and was feeling the heat!  I broke out the blackberry cabernet sorbetto after dinner to cool things off a bit Overall I thought this recipe was fantastic!  Certainly one we will make again and thanks for the recipe Rachel! Oh and it took less then 30 minutes to make from chop to eat, love that!

Spicy Orange Shrimp Stir Fry
From Rachel at A Southern Fairytale

2 lbs peeled and deveined large shrimp (I only used 1 lb)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C orange juice
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C honey
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (less if your sensitive to spice and heat) (I only used 1 T. and it was enough for me!)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C chopped green onions

Toss cornstarch and shrimp in a large bowl, set aside.

Combine: orange juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar and chili sauce, set aside.

Heat oil in wok and add minced ginger and garlic, stir fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). (I also added in a sliced red bell pepper and a head of broccoli) Add shrimp.

Stir fry about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add juice mixture and green onions; cook 2 minutes or until the shrimp are pink

Serve over jasmine rice or asian noodles

I am not going to lie, I have been way stressed about about this whole swimming in a race thing.  I started to get even more nervous yesterday when I realized I am 3 days away from my first triathlon.  I don’t think you understand how horrible I am at swimming.  Granted it is only a 250 meter pool swim but I started to think about swimming too slow and holding people up or running into people as I was swimming, or worse, totally gassing and having to backstroke the entire race.  So that combined with a really busy and draining day at work lead to me being in a not so pleasant mood last night.

I decided to do a short run and busted out 3 miles in the heat and humidity, that helped a bit.  But I knew I needed to get in the water.  Scottie said I needed to swim in front of people as it is totally different from swimming alone at 6am.  Our community pool is always swarming with people after work, especially now that school is out.  So I delayed the swim until after I prepped most of dinner.  Finally at 8:30 I thought it would be safe and there would not be many people in the pool.  We pulled into the parking lot and there were a TON of cars.  I started to get nervous.  Then once we walked to the pool I noticed that hardly anyone was actually in the pool, some were playing tennis, some were watching kids at the kiddie pool and some were in the gym.  So I swallowed my pride and pushed away my anxiety and jumped in.

The goal was to swim 500 meters without any rest.  That would be 10×50 m, which sounds so much better then 20×25 m.  The water was insanely warm but I think that helped calm me as well, that and there was a couple breaststroking in the lanes next to us.  So in I went and started off very slowly.  I had struggled with breathing during my swim session on Tuesday so I was concentrating on rotating completely to one side as I inhaled.  I also took insanely long strokes which felt like I was crawling through the water but I was using my legs less and found myself less tired. Before I knew it 500 meters was done, so I told Scottie I was going to keep going.  In my head I was calculating how many more laps I needed to complete to reach 750 m, the total length of our big race in July.  5 more sets.  I could totally do this!  I felt great and kept telling myself to “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” Scottie wanted me to pick up the pace but I was just concerned with finishing this distance.  Sure enough I was able to complete 750 in about 18 minutes!  It felt awesome!  I wasn’t tired or out of breath and I probably could have continued but I was super happy with what I had just accomplished.  Suddenly all of the anxiety of swimming was gone.  I KNEW I could complete both of these races and be just fine, I won’t win any awards but finishing would be enough for me!

So I was beaming from ear to ear all night.  I had planned on this awesome salmon dinner but it is too blasted hot for anything heavy so I made a simple salmon salad (think tuna salad) spread on some fresh multigrain bread and a juicy tomato, roasted some green beans and a sliced peach.  MMMM  I LOVE summer dinners like this.

Dinner plans changed for me last night so Scottie eagerly stepped up and offered to make dinner.  He always makes fantastic dinners, so I said he needed to cook once a week :)  He found this fantastic recipe for halibut with a tomato cream sauce.  YUM.  Tomato cream sauce…nuff said!  He called me while I was driving home and asked me to take care of the veg and with a head of romaine in my fridge I knew it would be a salad!  I ran to Lowe’s on the way to his house and picked up tomatoes, cukes, spinach, avocados (which I didn’t use) and some Annie’s Honey Mustard Vinagrette. I am looking for a not-so-bad-for-me dressing for my salads, and I feel like I have tried them all but haven’t been completely satisfied.  I like this one but it wasn’t satifying me totally.  So I am back on the hunt…any suggestions?  Nothing too sweet, I like semi creamy, and no HFCS crap!

And ofcourse everything tastes better when made by someone you love!

Overall, this is a must make recipe.  Great flavor and it was not at all difficult to make (from what I am told !)

Roasted Halibut With Tomato Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons stone ground dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried herbes de provence
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 (6 ounce)  halibut fillets or cod fish fillets
12 shrimp

SAUCE

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup canned tomato, drained & chopped
1 teaspoon herbes de provence
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup whipping cream

Combine mustard, herbs, garlic & olive oil.

Brush on fish& shrimp; marinate for 30 minutes.

Oil the base of an ovenproof baking dish; place fish in the center.

Scatter tomatoes around fish & sprinkle with herbs.

Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 5 minutes.

Add shrimp& bake for another 5 - 8 minutes or until the juices begin to rise.

Remove from the oven; pour the juices & tomatoes into a small pot.

Add cream, bring to a boil & boil for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

If you prefer a smooth sauce, whisk with an immersion blender.

Serve fish surrounded by shrimps & topped with sauce.

It’s no secret that one of our favorite dishes is Shrimp and Grits.  It is often the “benchmark” entree when Scottie and I go out to eat.  We have had quite a few different versions and this is one of my favorites.  We ventured out sometime last year to Chapel Hill to visit Crook’s Corner.  It is this little shack of a place on the outside but inside it is quite trendy.  The food is a slightly done up version of classic country food and the Shrimp and Grits are one of their most well known dishes.  I remember loving the dish as well as the fried oysters for appetizers…ugh yum!

I have made quite a few different recipes for S&Gs and I think this is definitely the winner.  It is not a hard dish to make and is a perfect “pantry meal” as we almost always have frozen shrimp in the freezer and who doesn’t have cheese and bacon!?

Crook’s Corner Shrimp and Grits

2 cups water
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup regular grits (I actually used the Crook’s Corner grits form Southern Season)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 slices bacon
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
lemon wedge

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened; add cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients; set aside but keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet; crumble bacon and set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.

Saute mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes, or until tender; add green onions and saute 2 minutes; add shrimp and garlic and saute 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown; stir in chicken broth, lemon juice and hot sauce and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from skillet.

Divide grits into 4 large, shallow soup bowls; divide shrimp mixture into four servings and place on top of grits; top each serving with crumbled bacon and serve with lemon wedges.

This is not a new recipe but I have proclaimed this my favorite dish ever. I love the spicy and sweet broth from the curry and coconut milk and it pairs so well with a meaty piece of halibut.  I always serve it with rice and some sauteed greens.  I put it all in my new Japanese style bowls from the tea shop and ladled the broth over all of it.  It is so damn good!  I have most of the ingredients on hand so it’s easy to whip up when I have a craving.

This is also a note to my Mother that- You need to make this right now!  Make it this weekend, it will warm you up with this crazy cold weather we are having!

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped, about 3/4 cup (I didn’t have shallots or onions so I used the whites of the scallions and a couple cloves of garlic)
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste*, or 2 teaspoons curry powder (use the red curry paste! It is the best!)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed
Steamed spinach**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

*Available in the Asian section of most supermarkets
**Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

This New Year Scottie and I decided to stay at home and cook a nice dinner. With all of the traveling we did for the holidays it was nice to just sit at home and watch HGTV until the ball dropped. FYI- there is NOTHING on TV worth watching before 10pm on NYE, I did re-watch Elf and we watched many episodes of “Property Virgins,” “My First Place”, and “House Hunters” but I was rather happy to watch Carson Daly for a while.

Anywho, because neither of us wanted to spend a ton of money (scratch that- we didn’t want to spend ANY money) on the night we created a menu based on items we already had; steak in the freezer, sweet potatoes from the Papa Spud’s delivery a few weeks back and some spring mix that was dying to be paired with bleu cheese. Scottie bought some wine and bubbly and I bought heavy cream for dessert…cheapest NYE ever! And one of the best I think. There is something to be said for being warm and toasty by the fire as opposed to in a cramped scummy club with a bunch of drunk strangers. Not my idea of fun.

We ate dinner late, and pulled out dessert around 10:30 because I just couldn’t wait anymore. The recipe made two perfect heart shaped creme brulees and I got to use my handy mini torch which is always fun. The middle was super creamy, it had a really nice mouth feel. It was not as dense at some others I have had but I like the simplicity of the recipe and I think it will lend itself well to other flavors. Next time I may steep some lavender flowers in the cream and may even try a chai flavored custard.

As far as resolutions this year, the only one I am making it to be a happier person. That’s a pretty broad resolution but it covers lots of areas for me. I have some mini goals I have set for myself this year that kinda fall under the “happiness” category but I tend to get down in the dumps when I look at other’s lives and compare mine to theirs. It isn’t at all healthy and I am making a conscious effort to change that.

Lemon Creme Brulee for Two
From Emeril

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon zest.

In a small saucepan heat the cream over medium heat until warm. Do not allow cream to boil. Whisk in the sugar-zest mixture, remove the pan from the heat and allow mixture to cool. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 3 hours to allow the lemon flavor to infuse into the cream.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In a saucepan, reheat the cream mixture until warm, making sure the mixture does not boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly and then drizzle in the warm cream, whisking to combine. Strain the cream mixture into 2 heart-shaped ramekins or other 6-ounce, shallow ramekins and place in a small baking dish. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custards in the middle of the oven until just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on wire racks. Chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat the broiler and remove the ramekins from the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before proceeding.

Sprinkle the 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar evenly over each of the custards. Transfer the custards to a baking sheet and broil about 1-inch from the heat, until the sugar is caramelized, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Scottie's Firework Display