Fish Tales

So the other day, I made mention of an amazing dinner I was lucky enough to have prepared for me: Roasted Halibut.

I am a very spoiled girl (for many reasons). I live in an amazing city, I have the best family and friends, and on occasion I'm treated to a homemade dinner. Thank you Henry's for your amazing deals on fresh fish!

Before I knew it, this...

Nice and fresh. 

...was transformed into this:

Nice and flaky.

Roasted Halibut

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Halibut filet
• Lemon
• Olive oil
• Chili Powder
• Parsley (dry or fresh)
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray (I'm partial to Trader Joe's Olive Oil Cooking spray)
2. Place filet on baking sheet. Feel free to cut in half if necessary to fit on tray. Season with a drizzle of olive oil, chili powder (more if you like a kick, less if you don't), parsley, salt and pepper.
3. Slice half of the lemon into thin slices and place on Halibut. Reserve the other half to squeeze over the cooked Halibut. 
4. Place Halibut in oven and allow to cook for 10 minutes, or until nice and flaky. Enjoy!

I always kind of had it in my head that fish was the kind of dinner that always turned into a big production. I am happy to report that this is not true! It was a "one pot" meal and came together in less than 20 minutes. We cooked the roasted asparagus and bread at the same time (Technically, we took the fish out, and then finished the other two for a few minutes under the broiler...but you get the idea).

And best of all? I just got to sit there, look pretty and enjoy :)

Adam hard at work in the kitchen. Please make note of this.

What's your go-to dinner when you only have a few minutes but want to aim a little higher than mac and cheese (not knocking, I love me some mac and cheese goodness)?

p.s. This same method works well for tilapia, mahi mahi and any other mild "white" fish.

Get in the Danger 'Zona!

Are you following March Madness? This girl certainly is (if you couldn't tell from the title of this post). I'm counting down the hours to watch my beloved Cats take on Duke.

In the meantime, I'm going to have to find a way to pass the hours...Thank goodness for all that work I have to do?

Last night it was rainy and cold (again!). So grilling was not an option. Luckily, I recently came upon this recipe. Opportunity presented! A rundown on this recipe - a handful of ingredients, less than 20 minutes to prepare and cook, and kebab style! I'm so there. Things just taste better on a stick.

Cooking is also better when accompanied by a glass of wine...

That's a normal pour, right?

20 minutes later: Rosemary and Garlic steak kebabs, spinach salad, broiled yams (used this recipe, just substituted sweet potato for yam) and burnt(!) bread.

Not too bad.

I kind of want to make this again tonight...

P.S. - GO CATS!!!!!

Not Quite Grilling Season

Even though the rain has stopped and the sun was out, the Sun is still setting pretty early and there is a definite chill in the air. So I'm not quite ready for the grille to come out full-time. (Grilles equal summer in my mind).

After enjoying a lovely breakfast/brunch/lunch, painting (rooms not pictures) for a few hours and some other nonsense,  Adam and I decided to take a trip to Henry's and gather some fixins' for a quick and easy stir-fry. Less than an hour later, we were enjoying steaming bowls of Stir Fry and watching the end of the NBA All-Star game.

Veggies and Beef Marinating in a Teriyaki Sauce bath

Adam took the lead, and I played Sous Chef. I love when Adam cooks. In the mix: red and yellow bell peppers, onion, sugar peas, mushrooms, bean sprouts, garlic, fresh ginger, a serrano pepper, and beef. We also cooked up some rice to go with. 

Let me tell you, that was one STRONG serrano pepper. Adam said my face got all red. I think he was just being a punk, but my nose did get a little runny (too much?). 

It might have been hot, but that sure didn't stop me from enjoying it.

 

Yum.  (It looked much better in person)

San Diego is the Bee's Knees

While the East Coast was bracing for another storm, icy weather, and general coldness, I was at the beach, in a swimsuit, basking in the sun. I'm not bragging, I'm just saying - San Diego, you rock.

Apart from my visit to the beach, it was a lovely weekend. Nothing too crazy, just a relaxing weekend. (There was an adventure on Saturday night trying to find a bar to play some pool. 4 bars later we gave up. But not without a few beers...) The weekend was capped off with a delicious dinner: Roasted Chicken. Adam had been craving it for a while, and I felt like cooking dinner instead of picking something up so chicken it was. If you don't know how to do this, you are missing out. It's economical, delicious and most of all - EASY. Add some cut up vegetables, and it's a one dish meal.

I was able to pick up this beauty at Trader Joes late Sunday afternoon.

5 lb free range organic chicken

Yah, it might not look like much, but with a few ingredients and an hour in the oven this sucker will look and smell unbelievable.

Ready for a date with some 450 degree weather ;)

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb roaster chicken
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 large lemon
• 1 head of garlic with the top cut off (as if you were going to roast the garlic)
  
• sea salt, pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
   
2. Wash and pat completely dry (inside the cavity too) the chicken. Make sure it's as dry as possible so that it won't steam when you cook it. When dry, "truss" the chicken by tying the legs together up over the chicken breast. (Youtube is awesome for learning these things).
3. Take about a palm-full of Sea Salt (or about a Tablespoon + a little) and generously sprinkle over the entire chicken. Add a little to the inside of the cavity. Seriously, be generous here. You want to be able to see the layer of salt on the chicken,
4. Stuff the chicken cavity with the rosemary, garlic and the lemon (cut into quarters).
5. Put in the oven and let sit for about 50-60 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven and lit sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
   

That's it. It's so simple, no-fuss and it smells and tastes out of this world. You will never buy a precooked rotisserie chicken after this.

Yes Please!

I was feeling extra lazy so I cut up some carrots and red onion and added some fingerling potatoes and put them in the pan to cook with the chicken. The juice from the chicken seasons it all very nicely, and the potatoes come out moist and flavorful. Also, since I had a 5lb chicken I left it in the oven for an extra 30 minutes.

Gus, one of Adam's roommates staring longingly at the chicken.