Crappie for Kiki

     My son-in-law, Jake. is a fisherman. Contemplating proposing to my daughter, Jennifer, he requested she sign a contract allowing him to fish if they ever got married. She agreed.
      He asked her to marry him while they were ice fishing stringing the ring inside a fish's mouth.  The man loves to fish!
      I love the fish he catches. He freezes them in water and labels them for a perfect meal portion. Tonight I enjoyed a delicious dinner with 'Crappie's for Kiki".
     Knowing that I love this small fresh water fish, Jake takes the time to filet and package them just for me, making me feel very special. Although they are delicious fried, baked or simply sauteed, tonight I tried a different recipe more Mediterranean and I was delighted. I prepared some white rice for my starch. I sauteed onions, garlic, green peppers and plum tomatoes in olive oil, seasoning with fresh ground pepper, garlic salt and oregano. Lightly flouring my fish, I brown one side in butter. Quickly flipping the fish, I ladle the sauce on each piece adding some juice from the sauce. This allows the fish to finish with steam heat. I turn off the heat and cover the pan. By the time I scoop my rice onto the plate the fish is ready. Delightful!

Minimal Indulgence

      I prefer a little bit of a good thing to a lot of bad. When  New Year's Eve 2017 rolled around I decided to give myself a little treat.  I toasted in 2017 with Lobster.  It was an 8 oz. tail that I baked and paired with a baked potato. The butter warming dish was a favorite find from an estate sale and just added a bit of elegance to the meal. It was the perfect amount of food because my tradition of eating creamed herring on New Year's Eve, for good luck, proceed with this minimal indulgence. 
      Thinking ahead, I purchased four large scallops and some oysters Rockefeller for my New Year's Day meal. I cooked two baked potatoes the night before so I could create an awesome twice baked potato for this meal. Hollowing out the potato I mixed the inside with butter, pepper, salt, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and chives. I spooned it back into the potato and baked it for about an hour. I steamed some fresh spinach and cut up a fresh lemon. While the twice baked potato cooked I indulged in the Oysters. When the potato was golden brown on the top, I lightly floured the scallops and quickly seared them on one side in butter until brown. Turning off the heat on the stovetop I flipped each scallop, squeezed in some fresh lemon juice, and put them in the oven with the potato, turning the oven down to warm. This was just enough time to finish cooking the scallops. Mounding four heaps of steamed spinach on the plate around the butter warming dish and slivers of fresh lemon wedges, the scallops were placed on top of each spinach bed and drizzled with warm lemon butter. Served with the hot twice baked potato this was the perfect minimal indulgence to begin a new year. Happy New Year to all!