Summer Fish on the Grill

I just got back from a wonderful few days in NYC.  I was one of 5000 bloggers at the #BlogHer12 Conference.  It was humbling, inspiring, exhausting, fun, a learning experience but the best part was that I’ve come away with new friends, contacts and a realization that I have a lot of work to get my blog looking the way I really want it to. 

I didn’t leave my husband with any pre-cooked meals, frozen ready-to-cook meals or instructions.  He’s a chef and I figured the meals were the least of the problem. I did forget to tell him to water the hanging petunias on our front porch but I think they’ll recover.  I was not shocked upon my return that the laundry was undone or the kitchen floor disgusting… hey, I barely ever get the laundry folded and away and I’m not a constant-enough mopper (though I do sweep daily).  It was nice to feel appreciated; my husband said he realized why I hardly ever get the laundry completed.  Though, really is it ever really finished?

So, before I left I did make what I thought was an awesome meal on a sticky humid evening. I’d bought a gorgeous looking cod filet (over 1 pound) and knew that I wanted to grill dinner on the hot and humid night.  Who wants to cook in a hot kitchen in the dog days of summer?  So this is how I grilled it:

Summer “Grilled” Cod

1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander 
juice of one lime
palmful chopped cilantro
handful quartered cherry tomatoes
1 chopped scallion
1 chopped garlic scape (the center stalk of fresh garlic— good pic here
salt and pepper 

I took the filet of Cod and wrapped it in tin foil.  Before closing it up I sprinkled the spices on it, added all other ingredients on top then placed on grill for about 10 minutes. While it was cooking I also grilled some zucchini, squash and eggplant.  I did cook the snap peas inside, but they only take 3 minutes in a small pan of boiling water.  I used my frozen TJ’s Org Brown Rice— 3 minutes in the microwave.  I could have set my rice cooker before we left the house that morning but I didn’t know what I was going to see in the market.  And since I knew not all my kids would eat the grilled vegetables, I made a plain green salad with avocado.  Overall, a delicious and awesomely nutritious dinner. 

Even Rosie thinks it’s hot tonight. 

All three of my kids, weren’t as in love with the fish as I was, but still ate most of it.  It was my middle son who ate the most. He also ate the zucchini but refused the eggplant.  My youngest loves snap peas and salad, so success all round. 

Summer Fish on the Grill

I just got back from a wonderful few days in NYC.  I was one of 5000 bloggers at the #BlogHer12 Conference.  It was humbling, inspiring, exhausting, fun, a learning experience but the best part was that I’ve come away with new friends, contacts and a realization that I have a lot of work to get my blog looking the way I really want it to. 

I didn’t leave my husband with any pre-cooked meals, frozen ready-to-cook meals or instructions.  He’s a chef and I figured the meals were the least of the problem. I did forget to tell him to water the hanging petunias on our front porch but I think they’ll recover.  I was not shocked upon my return that the laundry was undone or the kitchen floor disgusting… hey, I barely ever get the laundry folded and away and I’m not a constant-enough mopper (though I do sweep daily).  It was nice to feel appreciated; my husband said he realized why I hardly ever get the laundry completed.  Though, really is it ever really finished?

So, before I left I did make what I thought was an awesome meal on a sticky humid evening. I’d bought a gorgeous looking cod filet (over 1 pound) and knew that I wanted to grill dinner on the hot and humid night.  Who wants to cook in a hot kitchen in the dog days of summer?  So this is how I grilled it:

Summer “Grilled” Cod

1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander 
juice of one lime
palmful chopped cilantro
handful quartered cherry tomatoes
1 chopped scallion
1 chopped garlic scape (the center stalk of fresh garlic— good pic here
salt and pepper 

I took the filet of Cod and wrapped it in tin foil.  Before closing it up I sprinkled the spices on it, added all other ingredients on top then placed on grill for about 10 minutes. While it was cooking I also grilled some zucchini, squash and eggplant.  I did cook the snap peas inside, but they only take 3 minutes in a small pan of boiling water.  I used my frozen TJ’s Org Brown Rice— 3 minutes in the microwave.  I could have set my rice cooker before we left the house that morning but I didn’t know what I was going to see in the market.  And since I knew not all my kids would eat the grilled vegetables, I made a plain green salad with avocado.  Overall, a delicious and awesomely nutritious dinner. 

Even Rosie thinks it’s hot tonight. 

All three of my kids, weren’t as in love with the fish as I was, but still ate most of it.  It was my middle son who ate the most. He also ate the zucchini but refused the eggplant.  My youngest loves snap peas and salad, so success all round. 

Time for sole

Time is never on my side.  I am always in trouble with time— I never seem to have enough of it and when I think I do that’s when I really get into trouble.  I am often late to things by just a little bit- but enough to be known that way.  I don’t know how I do it sometimes; time just eludes me! 

Well, planning dinner isn’t a great strength either, so you’ll see many posts of me having just come home, late, and needing to make something to feed the kids and me, fast.  I totally believe in taking short cuts and using really good quality prepared foods when need be— other times I also need to make something I kind of planned but was too late home to make it the way I originally intended.  And sometimes, just sometimes even when there isn’t the time I projected I can make something that’s pretty damn good and the kids love. 

 We had rushed home from a day of swimming and I had to use the sole my husband had bought before it was no longer any good.  So, I called him, asked him for some instructions and made stuffed sole.  Since it was so late, I just made a quick salad to go with it.

Stuffed Sole with Crabmeat Stuffing

Crab Stuffing:

  •  1/3 loaf day old baguette or other bread, sliced
  • 2 garlic scapes or 1 clove garlic (or chives, scallions)
  • handful parsley
  • small handful basil
  • 1 celery stalk
  • crabmeat (about 15-18 oz)
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt & fresh ground pepper
  • juice from 1/4-1/2 lemon
  • Optional add carrots and or red bell peppers, Old Bay Seasoning

 In food processor chop bread, garlic, parsley, basil, celery, salt and pepper.  Add olive oil until stuffing sticks together but is not gooey (see photo).  In a bowl combine bread mixture and crabmeat. 

To stuff: lay sole skin side up and spoon stuffing onto tail end (thinner) of each piece (I should listen to instructions better).  Roll so that it stays together but not too tightly. Pour a little melted butter (clarified) or vegetable oil into a  baking dish, roasting pan or oven-proof skillet and place sole on top with the loose end down.  Pour more butter or oil and 1/4 cup white wine over the sole and sprinkle a little paprika on top.  Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 

It wasn’t an instant dinner, but it was one they all enjoyed.  And since it was summer, time was on my side— no rush to get up for school in the morning. 

Best laid plans… or no plans

I wanted to go to bed but I also knew my sons want some toast in the morning.  All three love a slice of toast or bagel before they have the rest of their breakfast (eggs, oatmeal, cereal).   We ran out of bagels and toasting bread and I had picked up fresh eggs, rhubarb and milk from one farm and our shared harvest (CSA) from another but forgot about bread.  I just searched online for the bread recipe (wish I’d had more time to do the no-knead one that Mark Bittman featured in the NY Times recently). Since I am not a huge baker, my yeast might be a little old because the dough didn’t rise.  Ugh.  So, I put the dough in a preheated to 100F convection oven for twenty minutes. That didn’t work.  Next I took 2 different yeasts I had and tested them with some water and sugar.  Both bubbled and rose.  So I added more of it with some more flour.  I want it to rise once, punch it then go to bed.  Boy do I want to punch it.  It’s rising now at least.

So not every dinner works out as planned.  Or I mean not every dinner is enjoyed as much as I would wish.  Tonight I made a pasta because with chaperoning a field trip, driving over 2 towns for pick-ups and drop-offs, and making it back after 5 pm I just didn’t have dinner planned.  So I thought I’d use some of the spinach, parsley and garlic scapes in my CSA bin (the center of the young garlic shoot- great grilled).  I sautéed a chopped scape in olive oil, added two chopped plum tomatoes, chopped parsley, sea salt and pepper.  Tossed the pasta with them and added steamed spinach and some Trader Joe’s party meatballs.  I thought it was great.  The kids thought the spinach was too bitter and mostly just ate the pasta and meatballs.  Oh well.  Not every meal can be a success.  At least we ate together, talked about the day and I tried to get them to eat all their veggies.   In the end I warmed up some of last night’s peas just so they got some more greens without me having to spend more time in the kitchen…. before bedtime.