Sutchi Fillet with Cornmeal Crust

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We ran across this sutchi fish that is similar to catfish and will hold up well to pan frying, we thought we'd try it.

prepare the egg mixture...whisk together 1 egg and a little milk or cream with a fork...if you don't want to use eggs you can soak the fish in buttermilk instead. Pour the egg wash and cornmeal mixture (recipe below) in shallow bowls...or pie dishes.

prepare the fish by rinsing and patting them dry...

...then dust the fillets in flour that is seasoned with salt and pepper, I use a plastic bag and shake the fish with flour until well coated. The flour helps the egg wash and cornmeal stick. Then dip the fillet in the egg wash and then in the cornmeal.

Cornmeal crust:

•  3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional)
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or less)
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay (or other seafood seasoning that you like)
• if you don't have Old Bay try this:
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon tarragon (I just like dried tarragon with fish)
  

Heat up a skillet or griddle with a little oil, I use rice bran oil it can take high heat well without smoking. You want the pan to be hot.

Cook the fish 3-5 minutes per side until done. They should be a golden brown with a crisp crust.

Nice and moist fish inside. The sugar is my secret in the crust...it makes it taste like lake perch or walleye that is naturally a little sweet....well I can imagine can't I?

You can use many fish like to cook like this, but it can't be too delicate or it will fall apart.

Black Rice Pasta

I had to try this black rice pasta when I saw it in the store. I already had some black rice soba noodles and I loved it, but it is hard to do it justice in a photograph. I will definitely try that again. Black rice is rich in antioxidants which I like to eat instead of blueberries. Everyone gives me a hard time because I don't like blueberries and they are so healthy for you. Then I found that black rice has just as much antioxidants as blueberries so I eat that instead! Now I found the black rice pasta...what could be better?

Anyway the other thing that I have found in the stores lately is Philadelphia Cooking Creme, that is supposed to make cooking a meal a snap. It comes in many flavors like Santa Fe, Italian, and Savory Garlic. But looking at the ingredients it has little "creme" but various gums, and additives even corn syrup. Being that it is next to the cream cheese I thought I would go with that instead.

So I used:

• 4oz cream cheese (just 4oz, I have a small family, use the whole 8oz package if making more)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream (or creme fresh or Mexican crema)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth if going vegetarian)
• 2 cloves chopped garlic (more or less to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

This is the basic sauce that I used for the savory garlic. for the Santa Fe you can use chilies and cumin. The Italian use some Italian seasoning . You could probably even use some Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. I just heated it in a sauce pan to make in smooth and creamy. Just a few more steps from opening the tub, but i think it's worth it.

I quick stir fried some Chinese broccoli, shallots,  and chicken if you like, this one was vegetarian. Then add shredded carrots, and diced tomatoes, then add the cooked pasta, and mix in the sauce. Top with Parmesan, or cotija cheese like I did here.

Really it tastes better than it looks, and it's fairly healthy with the greens and black rice pasta. The pasta will look better for serving if you didn't use a cream sauce, but it sure tastes good and the flavor was there.

)

She had fun checking everything out, just so many new things to take in...she was chasing birds and lizards, and even got a chance to meet some doggy friends.

This was Linked to Camera Critters and Meatless Mondays. Weekend Potluck and (Gluten free) Weekly Meal Plan .

Berbere, Michigan Part I and a New Puppy

Hi, I am back! From our visit to Michigan and  back to school getting ready for the kids on Monday! 

Before I left for my trip I blended some more spice mixtures. Here I tried berbere, it's an Ethiopian spice blend that every family has there own recipe, and it's used in many dishes like their stew and for meats and such.

While I was off for the summer I was able to organize most of my spices and label the stainless steel tins that I like to use, and fill them with fresh spices. This made it easier to gather all the spices that I needed for the blends. I am actually happy to cross at least one thing from my long list that I wanted to get done over the summer.

First you toast the whole spices that you have like cardamom pods, allspice berries, peppercorn, cumin, cloves, chilies, coriander, fenugreek seeds (I didn't have the seeds just powder).

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 12 cardamom pods
• 2 dried de arbol chilies stemmed and deseeded (you can do this to taste)
• 1 teaspoon or 6 whole allspice berries

Lightly toast the seeds in a tiny skillet and let cool before grinding them. Remove the shells from the cardamom pods, and if you don't like it too spicy remove the seeds from the chilies. Grind them all together in a spice grinder and add to the remaining powdered spices.

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt

Mix together well and store in an air tight container.

I used berbere in my meatballs and I really enjoyed this flavor...even in my lunch the next day! Use it on eggs, in soups and stews and to season roasts, and I'm sure it would go well on veggies too!


A few vacation photos.

Sharing a little of my Michigan trip. Here we are in Grand Haven, Michigan  on the west coast right on Lake Michigan. W

Sweet Spiced Nuts!!

Dogs just don't understand daylight savings time...how to you explain to them that we change the clock back in the fall. My dog is still getting us up at 5:00AM thinking it's time to get up for work. He used to just make sure we got up on the weekends at 6:ooAM he could not get that it was Saturday either. So funny (well not really it pretty anoying actually) he will stand outside the slider door looking into the bedroom and bark, needing nothing other than for us to get up! Today it was again 5:00am and he was standing there...in front of the open door...after he had already been outisde...and bark, pause, bark, pause, bark, bark...are you up yet? Ahhh...dogs...Sheesh!

Yes Autumn is here and even though we don't really get the typical fall weather here in Florida we are able to turn off the AC (at least in my house we do) open the windows and sliders, and sitting outside and really enjoy the room temperature. Now we can do the baking that we have been wanting to do and the house smells like spices, my favorite.

Spiced Nuts are an easy way to get your house smelling good. I first made these for a chopped salad, and since have made them for a Christmas or house-warming gifts. They are perfect to set out for when company comes, but I warn you...they don't last long, the bowls will be empty before you know it! The recipe is adjustable to what you like...add a little chili powder or cayenne if like some heat!

Ingredients:
1 cup pecans, walnuts, almonds or mixed nuts what ever you have or want
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon or pinch or nutmeg and/or cloves
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons butter, melted



In a bowl mix brown sugar with spices...in a seperate bowl melt the butter. Then dip the nuts in small batches in the metled butter then into the sugar and spice mix...


Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parment paper (for easy clean up) . Walnuts on the left and I used a bag of the pecan pieces on the right ...this is great for salads!



Place in a 375 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Now I learned the hard way that 8 minutes is about right...
...much more than that and the sugar and spice coating will start to melt off, and end up all over the parchment paper...just keep any eye on them.



Walnuts all sweet and spicy just waiting for you...so good, I like it when the sugar gets a little caramelized.



The smaller pieces I just store in a jar until I am ready to use them in a salad. I usually don't like it too sweet, but this is a nice little touch of sweet and spice to the salad.

Are you on my gift list?


Edited to add photo and I really should wake him up

Spicy Grilled Salmon

Friends of ours (who travel a lot) have two border collies. Originally from South Africa, (our friends not the dogs), that is often one of their destinations. When they are gone we watch their dogs and they become part of the family for awhile...so much so our friends call them our "step-doggies". They fall right into the routine and it's more like they are on vacation as well as their owners.

...but it does make our house small with three herding dogs around instead of one, they always seem to be under foot, and they like a lot of attention...

... our old dog sometimes just tolerates them, but I think he really enjoys having them around (even though he'd never admit it). Jeanne has a new job that she travels to Germany (used to be Holland) often, so when she gets a chance she likes to get away with her husband. We don't mind watching their dogs because when we need it Tucker gets to stay with them (I know he gets treated like family there as well).


On their last trip to South Africa Jeanne brought back some local seasoning for me that they enjoy in So Africa. Knowing how much I like spices and local cooking....this was the perfect gift for me! She also brought me a Braai cookbook, again, perfect for me since I am the one who does the grilling at our house, I love it. Braai is South Africa's grilling on the barbecue grill.

Grilling salmon is an easy way to cook it, since it has a high fat content it holds up well on the grill. Salmon is also high in omega-3 fatty acids so it is a healthy choice. I usually have it all set to go on a platter with the skin down and pour the marinade over the top and let it marinate while the coals are getting started, don't let it marinate longer than 15 minutes. This time I just used these new spices and thought the salmon could handle these strong flavors if grilled.

Rub a little olive oil over the fish and add the spicy seasoning. You could use any spicy seasoning you like. If you have the Japanese seven spice this would be good here, or old bay seasoning, or a creole seasoning, jerk spices, Cajun, southwestern or red chilies you get the idea. I didn't salt it because the braai and Portuguese blends had salt already in there.

Since I slightly oiled the fish I didn't oil the grill. You can do what works best for you. On a nice med-hot grill put the flesh side down first, the skin will help to hold the fish together. Don't try to move it right away or it will stick, grill for 4-5 minutes on the first side then turn and grill 5-6 minutes on the other side depending on how large your fish is, but try not to overcook it. If it feels squishy it should go a little longer, if it feels slightly firm with a little give it should be done. Like everything it will continue to cook once you take it off the grill.

Oops...I seemed to flip it onto my corn, what good did that huge fish-shaped fish turner do me? !!

Mmmm...so good, nice and flaky. It didn't need any sauce, but feel free to drizzle a sauce if you like. A nice citrus creme fresh would be nice to cool the spices if you can't take the heat!

There is not much of a new recipe here, but I know most of the country likes to get their grill out in the summer months. Here in Florida we like to grill year round, so I get lots of practice. It is nice to get the heat out of the kitchen and out on the grill!


We will get our step-doggies again for two weeks in August, I wonder what they will bring us back from the keys?

Tasty Pinwheel Appetizers

I guess I've been on a pinwheel kick lately. I first saw these on puff pastry box, and then again on Debbie's blog Dinning With Debbie she has joined use at Tailgating Time. I like hers with the peperoni, and it reminded me how good these were. I thought this would be great to bring along to the New Year's Eve party we went to. I had some puff pastry in the freezer, but didn't have any peperoni so I just used what I had on hand! They are so easy to make and they do look impressive. Of course anything made with puff pastry looks scrumptious in my opinion!
Check out my personal pizzas made with puff pastry in one of my first posts over a year ago...or not!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese, parmesan and fontina (you can use what ever cheese that you like)
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
2 tablespoons pesto sauce (you can use more)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (I used less just because my husband doesn't like too many)
1 egg, beaten

Spread pesto over puff pastry rectangle, leaving 1-inch plain border at 1 long edge. Place sun dried tomatoes in single layer atop pesto. Top with cheese mixture. Brush borders with egg. Starting at long side, roll up pastry, sealing egg-coated edge. Transfer pastry roll, seam side down, to medium baking sheet. Chill rolls until firm, about 30 minutes, or wrap and chill up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Cut each pastry roll into about thirty 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Transfer pinwheels to prepared sheets. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

I think I could of added a little more filling, I like it when filling oozes out.

These flaky, cheesy appetizers are so versatile you can add any filling that you like, or make them any size you like. I also made some that had spinach, garlic and cheese. I chopped some fresh spinach instead of the sun dried tomatoes. You can add some dijon, sriracha sauce, or red pepper flakes for a little heat.

What would you add to your pinwheels?

Tucker and his two guests would love a taste!

Please...we'll be good!

Our first sunset walk on the beach in 2011. It just peeked through just before it slipped back behind the clouds, but that's okay...it was warm and we like all sunsets!

Jolly Sand "Snowman" ~ and Pumpkin Bread

It's a good thing we have such a white sand beach, he looks like he's made of snow...sorta! Beside the fact that his eyes are shells, his arms are sea bean pods, and seaweed for a hat! :D and he won't melt, might just get washed away! This time when we walked the beach there were a lot of sea urchins washed up on shore again. There were also some sponges and many little conch. Most of the conch were alive still so I throw them out into the water.
We were so lucky it warmed up to 70 for Christmas, so that we could eat outside by the pool, because I didn't have enough chairs to seat everybody around the table. We didn't think that far ahead to borrow some chairs. It has been awhile since Christmas dinner was at my house. Usually we go to our friends house that don't have family in town either, and we all pitch in and bring what we like to grill or roast. This year they had to go to South Africa to handle some family business, and my cousins from Montana were here visiting my aunt and uncle so we had everyone here.


We did get two extra dogs to join us for Christmas...while our friends were away in South Africa. Which is only fair since they had Tucker last Christmas when we were out of town. The dogs each got their own toy that Santa brought them.


On my bird of paradise was new bloom and you could see the purple so vivid. I had to get a shot of it, actually I should cut some and enjoy them in a vase...it's supposed to get a freeze tonight.
All three dogs after all the gifts were open...Tucker is back in his room behind the tree.
It just wore Tucker out, he plopped up on the futon and zonked. He's used to being alone all day, not having two extra dogs and the little one's nose is always in everyone's face, including his.

Maranda has been wanting to make pumpkin bread since Thanksgiving. We finally had a chance last week since we were off from school and had some time.

We chose a recipe that seemed a little less...shall we say...bad for you than some others. Well to find out some made two loaves and this one made one so, not all that different. One thing when we put the batter in the pan it was very thick, just like the coconut bread. It made for a hearty bread that's for sure.
Ingredients:

-2 cups flour
-1 cup brown sugar (I didn't pack it, I usually use less sugar than recipes call for)
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1/4 tsp cloves
-1/4 ginger
-1 T baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup pumpkin
-1/2 cup milk
-1/3 cup butter
-2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients, except sugar. Beat sugar and butter together until smooth, then add pumpkin, eggs and milk mixing well. Mix all the ingredients by adding the flour mixture to the wet. Pour into buttered loaf pan and bake 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until done.

I think the two loaf recipe would be good since it uses the whole can of pumpkin. I had some leftover after this recipe so I made some pumpkin risotto with it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Thnaks for all your holiday wishes! Looking forward to the new year!

Spring Flower Bento

Okay, so here it goes, my first "Bento" post. I did make this over the weekend, it it easier to get a nicer photo when it's light out. If I take a picture in the morning after I make their lunches it's still dark out. So playing around a little to see how to photograph bentos. I need a little more practice. But I am learning so much from all my "bento" buddies! Thanks ladies!

This is probably as "cutsie" as Maranda would let me get(for now). I got a set of six flower cookie cutters that range smaller to bigger. The watermelon radish is the smallest. I tried to cut the pickled daikon radish in a small circle for the flower center, but just could find anything to do it with.
Under the radish flowers is some steamed rice with furikake sprinkled on it. To the right of that are fried spam and cucumber flowers, broccoli could of been placed a little better. Strawberries and red grapes with the only small pick I have (for now). Baby carrots with circles (flower buds) of daikon radish (the smallest circle I could do for now).

It is so hard to get much bento anything around here. I got the idea to use this from Target thanks to Debra of hapa bento. I got a blue one for Maranda but it's all blue, then I saw this multi color one and I couldn't resist. Just leave the spoon out and it works well. So there you have it. Thanks for looking!

I just had to share this long overdue bathtime. Talk about the Monday blues! Could he look any more miserable or sad?