Baramundi

Last night we had a fantastic "new" fish to us.  Baramundi.  It's a lovely white fish, a lot like a talapia. 

In my large cast iron pan, I added a bag of still frozen chopped collard greens and two cups of cooked black beans.  I poured my Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning on it and let it steam and simmer until just slightly warm.  I added a little water (the frozen greens have a lot, and they can almost cook in their own moisture when cooked like this) and them placed the fish fillets on top of the beans/greens mixture.  Once I had a soft bubble/simmer, I placed the whole pan into a 350 oven and let it cook until the fish was done.

It was AWESOME!!!  So yummy and moist, and simple, and earthy.  Really good!!

A twist on my Mama's Flank Steak

As a kid, the one dish I always chose for my birthday supper was my Mama's Flank Steak.  It was so special.  Marinated for EVER (it seemed at the time), grilled to perfection and then sliced into paper thin ribbons you could fold over on your tongue and just let them melt as you barely had to sink your teeth into them.  The most delectable savory dish I have still had to this very day.  It's a recipe I hold VERY dear, and no, you're not getting it here. 

Yes ... I'm THAT evil!

But tonight ... tonight I had a lovely thought.  What if I could take this ultimate perfection and add to it with the success I'd just had a few nights ago with the brisket?  So I sprinkled "table ground" black pepper all over the flank before dropping into my preheated cast iron pan.  It sizzled and smelled awesome ... but not the same.  Then I realized I'd left out the vinegar from the marinade!  What a stupid move!!  HELLO!!  A marinade is ONLY an acid and a base!  How can I forget one whole HALF of the equation?!?  So ... as a last minute effort, I drizzled balsamic on top of the seasoned flank as it was cooking. 

I was disrespecting the flank.  It's such a sacred dish to me, and here I was, creating a debauchery out of what should be scarf fed up and eaten so fast I might not really taste it anyway.  But ... here I was ... staring at the pan, the poor piece of meat in the pan who did not live it's life to it's fullest potential.

So I let it rest while I put my son to bed for the 10th time tonight, call my husband at work, get the DVR set for the shows I want to watch, and put the finishing touches on my brussel sprouts.  And then it was time to eat.

AND IT WAS GOOD!! 

Not awesome ... but GOOD.  It really needed the vinegar in the original marinade, that was a dumb rookie move, and it totally killed the whole dish, but the addition of the light pepper crust gave it a subtle heat that was really nice.  I ate half of the flank, and most of the sprouts, so it couldn't have been THAT bad.  

Dessert was what was left in the Jif Reduced Fat PB jar. 

So ... now the puppies have been out for pee's and poop's ... Homer is dreaming of chasing tennis balls and lame ducks ... Stella is ready for me to turn off the lights and go to bed ... GG and Boo are safe and snugly in their beds/cribs, and I'm 'bout ready to go hit the hay with a book or a sudoku puzzle.

Sweet dreams, y'all! 

Veggie Casserolasagna

This is a veggie casserole made in layers like a lasagna. The only thing that I precooked is the cauliflower because it's so flippin awesome with the toast brown bits! It's: 3 small/regular zucchini, cut lengthwise in 1/4" slices. 3 large tomatoes, cut into 1/4" slices. 1 pint sliced portobello mushrooms. 1 thick leek cut into 1/8" discs. 4 garlic gloves sliced. Lots of fresh whole leaf cilantro. 1 head of cauliflower roasted. 1 cup low fat mozzarella shredded 1 cup Italian 6 cheese shredded blend Kosher salt Balsalmic vinegar I layered zucchini, tomatoes, leek rings, mushrooms, drizzle of balsalmic, mozzarella, a sprinkle of salt, garlic, cilantro, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro, roasted cauliflower, then topped it with the 6 cheese blend. I'm going to bake it at 325 until it's soft and the cheese is bubbly. This pic is a prebaked shot of just the assembly.

Welcome!

Well, hello there!

Thanks for checking out my new blog.  Really ... it's my only blog, so that makes it new to both of us.  Granted, I say "both" with the fairytale image that someone else will read this swill.

Speaking of swill, my first endeavor into the world of blogging will first involve me getting over the term "blog", which I have for years now detested and thought would surely go by the wayside, and yet I fear it's here to stay.  Yes, this blog will be about cooking, eating, mothering, wifing, cleaning, diapering, potty-training, teaching, loving, gardening, wine-drinking, and writing.  Sometimes, all of the above will be in the mix. 

So, please sit back, grab a glass of vino, and enjoy the read.  With all I've got going on, I wouldn't expect a whole lot of posts to start with, but as I find time and figure out how to juggle adding one more thing into my crazy world, you'll get to hear all about it.