Lemon Caper Cod

-with roasted broccoli and potatoes, parmesan cheese, and lemon vinaigrette

Time for that fish I was yammering about! I told you guys I finally got it right 😃

Fish is not something that's usually hard for me. Maybe it's because I usually cook it on the grill? Or deep fry it? I don't know what happened before that I usually never have it sticking to that pan, but for this dish, the fish kept sticking. I do have a tendency towards beginner's luck which could explain my past successes. And when you have to tend to be fortunate the first time, you don't learn the chemistry. So, for anyone having problems with sticky fish, here's my tips-

It's Almost Spring!

Actually, I guess it is spring. 

Hello!

I know it's been awhile, but I'm feeling ready to get back in the swing of things. There's something about spring that's just so inspiring for me, I'm starting to burst from wanting to share recipes and photos again. Winter is my least favorite season, it always feels bleak to me. I know there's many wonderful things about winter, and I appreciate them... for awhile. But then I'm ready for renewal. I love when the early daffodils pop, when there's buds on all the trees, when I start seeing juvenile cardinals and gold finches at the feeders again. It's magical. I have a few items in my garden that just pop up all on their own, like little gifts from nature. Such as my chives, above. They just burst from the ground one day, green and beautiful, full of hope.

25 Seafood Recipes

Time for a round-up!

I haven't posted a round-up since September, so it's definitely time. And this has to be one of my favorites because seafood? I would eat it at EVERY meal if I could. Seriously! But there's another reason I'm posting a round-up today-

I've spent the last 2 days in the kitchen, up to my ears in potato parts and banging my head against the counter. What's going on? Gnocchi, that's what. I've been trying my hand at homemade gnocchi. You know, those little Italian potato dumplings that are like little clouds of dreaminess? It has not been going well. It turns out there are lots of mistakes to be made while attempting gnocchi. So far, I've had gnocchi that fell apart in the pot, I've had mushy little balls with a texture that can only be compared to snot, and finally, I had a dough that came apart at the seems. 

Top 16 Recipes of 2016

Ah, long time, no see everyone!

Yes, it's the 2nd to last day of our Oregon trip and I've finally found a few moments to write. It has been Busy with a capitol B! We've been going non-stop, but man, it has been fun. I'll save pictures for when I do my Oregon or December wrap-up but we've basically been on what I like to call a "Food and Drink Tour" of Oregon. Seriously! We've travelled to Southern Oregon to dine at a couple of places in Ashland. We've stopped at a restaurant in Eugene. We've traveled to Portland to visit family and wine-taste with friends. There was a boozy breakfast in Albany. We saw "Holiday Office Party" in Corvallis. Drove the backroads through Independence. Had a wine-and-hor-dourves night with some of my biggest blog fans (Hello Glaeser family!) I can safely say I've seen the entire I-5 corridor of Oregon on this visit 😁

Oven-Roasted Sea Bass with Spiralized Veggie Stir-Fry

Today, I feel like posting something pretty. Oh, I know those Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes were gorgeous in their own way 😉 But this dish is beautiful in it's own way! I mean, who doesn't love colorful food? That little saying "Eat the rainbow" comes to mind for me. I love eating the rainbow! And that's kind of what I was aiming for with this dish...

Homemade Salmon Shmear

Sunday recipe, what up!

What better for Sunday morning brunch (or lunch! Or dinner!) deliciousness than bagels with extra-whipped and fluffy flavored cream cheese? Not a lot, my friends. Not a lot. 

Garlic & Herb Roasted Salmon

Salmon!

Oh my gosh you guys. I finally found some acceptable salmon. FINALLY! Oh, it feels like it's been way too long. I used to eat salmon once a week, and now, for the last 5 years, I feel like I have salmon once a blue moon. Until now!

Last time I was at Sam's (you must be thinking, 'Does this girl live at Sam's?') I was perusing the frozen seafood section. I always do, just wishing and hoping they'll have something new. My persistence paid off when I spotted some frozen wild-caught Alaskan salmon fillets. Alarm bells went off in my head. My heart exploded with happiness as I eagerly loaded a big bag into my cart. Just what I'd been waiting for.

25 Tomato Recipes

Happy Monday! 

Wowsers, did this weekend fly by or what? I just can't even, I don't know where it went. I'll start with my doctor's appointment on Friday morning-

So, that appointment... It was first thing in the morning, 8 am. I was the surgeon's first patient of the day. Now, most of the surgeons I've seen, they start by asking me questions and conclude by giving me an exam. And truth be told, the exams are usually quite gentle. Painless. This surgeon started the appointment by giving me an exam. Somehow he managed to locate the exact evil spots on my back. Not only did he locate it/them, but he pressed insanely hard into them.

Grown-Up Tuna Salad

Admittedly, it's November. That time of year when the weather is turning chilly, and everyone is craving food that's warm and comforting. Lasagna. Chili. Chowders. Meats slow roasted in the crock pot. Beef stews with potatoes and carrots. You get the idea. This salad is none of those things. But, if you are going to have all that comfort food for dinner, what are you going to have for lunch??

Beer-Battered Fish & Chips

This one's for you Dad! :-)

I cannot tell you how much my family loves fish and chips. When my younger brother and I were little, little kids, I can remember Skippers being a family favorite destination. We would get soooooo excited if my parents said we were going there. I mean, I know we loved the little red jello's that Skippers hands out with every meal, but we also liked the fish. And the chips. While Skippers is kind of a no-go these days, fish and chips is still a classic. It's one of those meals where if it's on a menu at a restaurant I'm currently calling on, I'm likely to choose it. That being said, the selection of fish and chips around these parts is sadly, nonexistent. The hubby and I love to go to our local brewery for pizza and beer, but I expressly avoid their fish and chips. First of all, they use haddock. Not a favorite of mine. Plus, they bread theirs and it doesn't have a lot of flavor. The other restaurants in town? They all seem to order (and serve) exactly the same frozen food, so I can honestly say, there's no where to get fish and chips around here. We'd have to drive an hour to Huntington, and needless to say, we don't do that often. 

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Smoked Salmon

You might be asking yourself, "What is up with all the smoked salmon??" Well,  the answer to that is I can get very good smoked salmon around here. I can get fairly decent frozen salmon around here. I say fairly decent, because it's not fresh and to me, frozen salmon always has a different texture. A drier texture. I grew up on fresh salmon, and therefore am used to succulent, moist, delicious salmon. In Oregon, all it takes is a trip to Costco. Even though we lived about an hour from the coast, the grocery stores around us always had fresh fare.  Fresh fish is one of the things I miss most about Oregon. We tried a fresh salmon from our local big box store one time, and it was gross.  So, I stick to frozen fish and smoked salmon. Such is life.

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Ah, Eggs Benedict. A brunch time classic. And one of a handful of recipes that the hubby is an expert at. There are a 2 recipes that I can always remember the hubby having made, since the beginning of our relationship. One is this Broccoli Rigatoni that I shared in February, but the other is Eggs Benedict. Classic Eggs Bene, I mean. The hubs has been making it practically since Day 1. Granted, on Day 1, I told the hubby I hated Hollandaise and Canadian Bacon and ate my "Eggs Benedict" basically as an Egg McMuffin. As in, English Muffin, Egg, and slice of American Cheese. LOL. I can't imagine how that made him feel. Preparing a gourmet breakfast for a girl you had just begun dating, only to have her turn it into America's favorite fast breakfast. Sigh. 

I'm lucky he still agreed to marry me :)

Roasted Cod with Herbed Garlic Butter

A simple fish recipe is on deck today.

I love simple fish recipes. Love, love, LOVE them. If you've got lovely, fresh fish (or even just a firm one that's previously been frozen) you won't even need much help in the flavor department. For instance, my hands-down-smack-me-in-the-face favorite way to eat salmon is to sprinkle it with Cajun seasoning and garlic powder and to simply grill it. It's soooooo easy, and soooooo delicious. 

Smoked Salmon Chowder

The hubby gets home tomorrow! Hip, hip, hooray! 

I'm excited, can you tell? I guess you could say I've had my fill of Mexican food. I'm ready to have my best friend back. Sure, it's been great fun slacking on the house work. Watching Days of Our Lives with a bowl of ice cream, hair in a scrunchy, living in my pajamas. Feasting on Mexican food all day, all night. It was all very amusing. But I'm done with it now. I like my life for a reason.

Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad

- with poached egg

Last week, the hubby and I were picking up a few items at our big box warehouse. Just our usual fare- coffee creamer, huge jars of dill pickles (if the hubby eats any more dill pickles, I swear, he will become a dill pickle), tortillas, cheese, etc. The normal stuff. Anyways, we were smack in the middle of mundane, moving our way through the seafood, when I saw smoked salmon on a sale for a reasonable price. I consider $10 a reasonable price for a filet of smoked salmon, whereas it's normally around $20. I've only got 10 gazillion recipes stuffed in my back pocket for smoked salmon, so I grabbed up that fishy fare as fast as I could. And now, I'm wishing I'd picked up more!

Simple Fish Tacos with Lime Crema

Hey-o! Happy Wednesday!

Guess what friends? I got my car back! Yippee! I'm very excited to have my car back. We picked it up from the evil dealership yesterday morning, and it drove like a champ all the way home. Can't say I'd ever recommend these people, nor will I ever buy a car from them. But the car is retrieved. Hopefully, we can now put this whole ordeal behind us. 

Ginger-Soy Glazed Mahi Mahi

Ah, mahi mahi.

Mahi mahi makes me think of Hawaii. I remember one trip with the hubby's company (ex-company, many moons ago) when one of his coworker's wives turned to me in a restaurant and told me to never order mahi mahi. She said they were as intelligent as dolphins and should not be eaten. She was very serious and told me to go read some studies.

Seafood Stew

Unbelievably, this is a leftover dish.

Yes, it's true! I had a handful of frozen bay scallops in the freezer, waiting for something to be used in.  I had one, lonely cod filet also hanging out in the freezer. And then, after the Ducks won the Rose Bowl (woot woot!), I had leftover shrimp. The last clue to this puzzle? An extra can of clams from making clam dip. 

Spicy Skillet Tilapia For Two

I have the easiest recipe for you today. 

I'm serious! The easiest. I love cooking with fish. Some people may be intimidated by fish, but not me. It's such a versatile protein, and thin white fish, such as tilapia, mahi mahi, snapper, orange roughy, etc. cooks fast. Its fast cooking time makes it absolutely perfect for a weeknight. This meal came together within 30 minutes, and that's including the rice I made to serve alongside. 

You may have seen some meme's going around on FaceBook that say, "Eating Tilapia is Worse Than Eating Bacon". Pish posh. I've done some research on imported tilapia, especially from China. It's really hard to trust a lot of sources on the Internet, because honestly, you don't know who's paying that person to write an article. Always something to keep in mind. I've read that Chinese hatcheries aren't sanitary and don't have the same standards as the US. What I've read is enough to keep me from buying tilapia from China, but not enough to keep me from banning tilapia from my diet. I simply check the labels on the tilapia I buy to make sure it's not from China (buying frozen fish is about the only option where I live). 

That being said, this recipe would work with many other types of fish. All the fish I previously listed would work. I believe this recipe would also work with halibut or cod, you would just need to adjust the cooking time for a thicker cut of fish. I highly recommend trying this dish, you'll be amazed at how tasty it is for such a quick recipe. This is one of those recipes I went into expecting it to be just so-so. I was pleasantly surprised :) Serve this along with hot cooked rice or buttered pasta, to soak up all that wonderful sauce.

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Skinnytaste. Skinnytaste is a go-to for me in the summer. Her blog is filled with tons of lightened-up dishes and colorful salads that are perfect for cooling down on a hot day. Don't let the name of the blog fool you, you won't find deprivation on the site. Just healthy, tasty, well-rounded meals with lots of fresh ingredients. I can't say it enough, ditch the processed junk and start eating whole foods. You won't believe the difference in everything. More energy, clearer skin, softer hair, easier weight management, etc. People, just ask yourself this- there's got to be a reason why folks who eat more whole, nutritious foods are healthier. It's because they eat stuff that's good for them.

All right. Enough lecturing for today. All I ask is that you think twice before pulling into McDonald's today. You can still pull in. Just think about it first. In the meantime, I've obviously woken up in sanctimonious mood. I guess I will go find something to put this mood to use :)

Happy Thursday!

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2- 3/4 tbsp cajun seasoning

2 white fish fillets (such as tilapia, flounder, snapper, etc)

hot cooked rice or butter egg noodles (to serve with)

2 tbsp parsley, minced

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion. Sauté about 5 minutes, or until onions become tender. Add green pepper. Sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds- 1 minute.

2. Add tomatoes and cajun to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add fish to the pan and cover the fish with the sauce mixture. Cover the skillet, turn heat down to medium-low, and cook for 10-13 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

3. To serve, place rice or pasta on a plate. Place a fish fillet on top of desired starch, then spoon sauce over the dish. Sprinkle 1 tbsp minced parsley over each dish. Serve immediately. 

Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday