Tried and True Tilapia

This recipe from Southern Living for Lemon-dill Tilapia is amazing. We could probably eat it every week.

It’s simple to make, and the presentation is lovely with the bright green of the dill and parsley and then the orange carrots and yellow lemons! I like to grate the carrot into long, thin strips and add an extra fresh slice of lemon on top (after baking) for presentation.

I’ve actually made this using both fresh dill from the Farmers’ Market and dried dill from the grocery store, and I prefer the dried, to be honest. The fresh dill just doesn’t give as strong a flavor as the dried. I don’t measure it, I just sprinkle some on. I prefer the parsley to be fresh, however. I prefer the tilapia fillets to be fresh from the Farmers’ Market, as well.

If you're out of parchment paper, just use aluminum foil. It works just as well.

Last night I paired this recipe with simple steamed broccoli and cauliflower and Pepperidge Farm Frozen Mini French Baguettes for a nicely rounded meal. The great thing about the tilapia, however, is that it can pair nicely with just about any vegetable you can imagine. The fish is so light and has such simple flavours that anything really works with it.

Silly Superstar

Sometimes I like to pretend, when I’m in the shower or an empty elevator or alone in my car, that I’ve been asked to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and I really belt it out. Yes, I know all the lyrics; I learned them as a child and used to even know three verses of the song, though I’ve long since forgotten those. There is something so freeing about singing loudly a song you love and that means so much to so many people.

I’ve been trying to be that way with Bryleigh lately. Absolutely and uncontrollably silly, and unafraid of acting like a fool. I grew up being so shy and so worried all the time about what other people thought, and I hate that about myself. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to imply that my own parents were somehow at fault for this flaw in my personality. I’m not saying that at all. I just think if Bryleigh sees Hubs and me being super-duper silly, then maybe it will make her less self-conscious in the long-run. Besides, we can all use a bit more silliness in our lives!

Family Meal Plan Friday

Sunday—Lemon-dill tilapia, steamed vegetables, rolls
Monday—Slow cooker root beer pulled pork, John’s slaw, sautéed corn
Tuesday—Cottage pies (made the night before), biscuits
Wednesday—Pasta with turkey and broccoli, garlic French bread
Thursday—P. F. Chang’s frozen meal, frozen egg rolls, rice

Thankful Thursday: Lenten Season

Yesterday was the beginning of Lent, a time of year when I always try hard to be a better Christian, a better Catholic, a better person in general. I usually start off well but then I tend to lose interest or fall off the wagon within a couple of weeks.

This year (much like every year), I vow will be different. I will not fall off the wagon. My Lenten obligations are basically the same as they are every year:

Pray more.

Be nicer.

Don’t drink sodas.

Fast on Fridays (two small meals or one large meal).

Don’t eat meat on Fridays.

Don’t miss church.

It looks like a hefty list, but “Be nicer”? Come on. That should be easy. So should “Pray more.” Also, my church on Wednesday night handed out little daily devotional books for Lent, so if I just say the prayer in that every day, it will be more than usual.

Don’t drink sodas. I usually am pretty good about keeping up with this one, but every year I forget and slip up once or twice.

Fast on Fridays and don’t eat meat on Fridays are the ones I ALWAYS forget about. I just purely don’t think about it, and then realize later that I’ve eaten three meals, had snacks, and consumed meat.

Skipping church is something that I make a conscious effort not to do, but then Sunday rolls around, and I don’t want to get out of bed… Then I figure, “No big deal; I’ll go to the Sunday evening Mass tonight.” Inevitably when the evening Mass rolls around, I will either a) forget; b) be out doing something like grocery shopping when I realize; or c) be too tired to go and will not have dinner prepared and will have an angry hungry child bound to my hip. I inevitably decide against attending the evening Mass, and then feel guilty.

So this year, I’ve come up with an incentive to comply with my obligations. Every time I mess up, I have to give $5 to charity. Now, I’m quite cheap. Five bucks is a lot of money to me, so I plan to not mess up. We’ll see how that goes!

Wine Down Wednesday: Carmel Road Pinot Noir

So my next-door neighbour recommended this wine to me. It’s $20 on their website, and I haven’t looked at the price in store. You can order it on their website and have it shipped to your home.

The wine is made in Monterey, California, and the vintage is 2009. According to the website, the technical date is as follows:

Composition: 99% Pinot Noir, 1% Chardonnay
Vineyard Sources: Panorama, Porter, Clark, Mission Peak and Mission Trails
Appellation: Monterey County
Barrel Aging: 9 months in 96% French oak (17% new), 3% American oak (100% new), and 1% stainless steel tanks
Analysis: Alcohol 14%, PH 3.73, Total Acidity 0.54 G/100ML
Bottling Date: August, 2010
Release Date: October, 2010

Besides online, you can but at the following locations in Atlanta.

Cafe Lily—308 W Ponce De Leon Ave; Decatur GA 30030
Clairmont Liquor—1220 Clairmont Rd; Decatur GA 30030
Kroger—720 Commerce Dr; Decatur GA 30030
Kroger—2875 N Decatur Rd Decatur GA 30033
Jiya Package—1890 Johnson Rd NE; Atlanta GA 30306
Kroger—1799 Briarcliff Rd NE; Atlanta GA 30306
Kroger—725 Ponce De Leon Ave NE; Atlanta GA 30306
Publix—1001 Ponce De Leon Ave NE; Atlanta GA 30306
Candler Park Supermarket—1642 Mclendon Ave NE; Atlanta GA 30307
Kroger—1225 Caroline St NE; Atlanta GA 30307
Savi Urban Market—287 Elizabeth St NE; Atlanta GA 30307
Kroger—1160 Moreland Ave SE; Atlanta GA a 30316
Publix—2235 Glenwood Ave SE; Atlanta GA 30316
Kroger—2205 Lavista Rd NE; Atlanta GA 30329
Publix—2969 N Druid Hills Rd NE; Atlanta GA 30329
L & M Service Market—785 Argonne Ave NE; Atlanta GA 30308
Publix—595 Piedmont Ave NE; Atlanta GA 30308
Blue Fin Restaurant—1829 Peachtree Rd NE; Atlanta GA 30309
Kroger—1745 Peachtree St NE; Atlanta GA 30309
Publix—950 W Peachtree St NW; Atlanta GA 30309
South City Kitchen—1144 Crescent Ave NE; Atlanta GA 30309
The Fresh Market—2099 Peachtree Rd NE; Atlanta GA 30309

Happy Drinking!

Tried and true Tuesday: Chicken and black bean burritos and spinach salad

So the recipe of the week is all from Cooking Light, and it’s chicken and black bean-stuffed burritos, spinach salad (goat cheese, strawberries, Mandarin oranges, and topped with walnuts) with cinnamon vinaigrette. The recipe calls for eight-inch tortillas, but we found that they work better when you use the larger tortillas. What are they—10 or 12 inch? Not sure, but they actually leave you room to use the exact amount of filling called for in the recipe, and then still have room to fold the burrito so that it holds in all the contents.

Last time this recipe was on the weekly meal plan, The Husband ended up making the burritos because I got home late, and he did an excellent job. They were tasty and delicious, and with the larger tortillas I bought by accident, he—the Chef master—was able to fold the burritos expertly, and they stayed together without falling apart. This time, I bought eight-inch like the recipe required, and there was too much filling to be able to fold over the ends, which made them quite messy.

I put less in Bryleigh’s burrito so that hers might stay together, but she took each end in a hand and began eating it from the middle. That little tyke ate ever bite of strawberry and Mandarin orange on her plate, and then she ate every bit of burrito except for a few of the black beans that fell out. I couldn’t believe how much food she ate last night! We worried that it may be a little too spicy for her, and admittedly during one point in the meal she gave the funniest little frown and started sticking her tongue out and whining a little. We suggested she drink some milk, which she did, and then continued eating. I think she may have just eaten a bite that must have a particularly spicy bit of chicken in it.

Anyway, this meal is definitely a family favourite. If the cinnamon vinaigrette sounds strange to you, try it anyway. The sweetness from the strawberries and oranges in the salad and the little kick of hot sauce and cinnamon in the vinaigrette makes a great complement to the spicy black bean burritos!

Funday Monday: Yogh-art

Okay, so I didn’t really have time to do any toddler activities this weekend because we weren’t bumming around the house as usual—we were out and about the whole weekend long. So instead I’m going to tell you about an activity that Bryleigh and I did a couple of weeks ago.
I found the idea on Pinterest (my current obsession) for edible finger paint, and decided to try it the other day when Bryleigh was sick and I was home with her on a random Friday morning. I had some nearly-expired Greek yoghurt in my fridge and lots of food colouring in my cabinet, so I mixed some up and let Bryleigh go at it. She had fun doing it (so much so that she cried when it was time to quit and clean up), and her little masterpieces are going to be great keepsakes. I’m not sure how well the yoghurt will hold up over time, so I’m going to colour scan them and print off copies. One of them looks so much like an iris flower, my mom’s favourite, that I think I’m going matte and frame a copy for her birthday!