So as part of this new diet, I am also trying to cut back on the things that might be aggravating my newly discovered arthritis. Things like dairy and red meats. This pains me in my soul (not my fingers), as I love cheese and a good steak. I told my spouse that I was going to get rid of the dairy we currently have and not buy any more. Well… this turned out to be an OK idea, except that I literally have so much cheese that it will take us weeks to get through it, even if we ate it every day. I have it hiding in the freezer even. I was able to get through the meat easily enough, but the cheese, that will be an issue.

This week was our first week on this new diet. I decided that it was time to really kick it up on the fish front, as I need all the omegas I can get for my fingers. And in trying not to add any more problems that I may have to deal with, like unknown allergies, I went with a gluten-free approach to fish and chips.

For this recipe, my local fish monger suggested that I try a Branzino and Dorade – a side-by-side comparison to see what I preferred. I told him I wanted to grill it, so they cleaned it for me and added the scores to the skin that you can see. This keeps it from puckering. He also gave me a tip that I hadn’t tried before: use lettuce under the fish to keep the skin from sticking to the grill. Genius!

And the bonus, this whole meal was literally 260 calories.  Kale chips are like eating air

Grilled Fish with Kale Chips
1 fish per 2 people

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 lemons, thinly sliced – divided

1 whole lemon

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions – cleaned

2 large lettuce leaves per fish

1 head curly kale

Preheat oven to 400.  Cut the kale from the ribs and then rip into smaller pieces.  Drizzle liberally with olive oil and then add salt and pepper.  Cook for 12 minutes and toss.  Cook about another 12-15 minutes until fully crisped.

Prepare coals.  Salt and pepper the inside of each fish.  Stuff each fish with a mixture of one of the lemon and the shallots.  Rub the skins with olive oil and then salt and pepper.  Lay out the lettuce leaves and layer with remaining lemon slices and some scallions (divide them evenly).  Place the fish on top of the lettuce “plates”.  Place onto hot coals when ready.  Cook on both sides for 7 minutes each.  Try to leave the lettuce plates in place when flipping.  Remove from the grill and add a squeeze of lemon.

Shitty pictures of your food are all over the internet. Sites like Instagram are loaded with photo after photo of lumpy goo. What you’re trying to share is the joy you feel when the waiter delivers that beautifully plated pork chop. But your photo doesn’t tell the story of that experience. Your photo rips away the delicious smell, the beautiful room, the anticipation of eating, and the presence of people you love.

Instead, think of your photo as a story. When people tell stories, they think about how to communicate the entirety of their experience to someone else. They set the stage, introduce characters, and give us a reason to care. Of course, that’s hard to do in a single photo, but if you think in terms of story, could you find a better way to communicate your experience? How about a picture of the menu, or of your smiling dinner companions? Anything’s better than the greasy puddles you have decided any human with access to the internet should be able to see…”

When I read this in a post by Your Monkey Called I had to laugh.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have had to push out “photos of lumpy goo”, just so that I could get a post up.  I know that professional bloggers spend an enormous amount of time planning the photos, taking and retaking as many shots as needed to make the food make you want to drool on yourself.  Not to mention how much of the food goes to waste because it literally sits there all day for the photo shoot.  Sadly, I don’t have that luxury. Not only am I working with my son’s point-and-shoot (which does remarkably well considering), but I am making actual meals and as much as I would like to do the food styling, I can’t.  I have actual people waiting to be fed.

So now that I have laid the groundwork for this sad photo (some dripping syrup would have gone a long way here!), I wanted to share another family recipe. This one is from my husband’s Aunt Bonnie.  Bonnie has been his surrogate mother since 2003, when his own mother passed away after her battle with breast cancer.  This recipe is one of many that I found tucked into the infamous green box.  If I remember correctly, I believe that I had started adding recipes from his family when we got married.  His mother sent me an envelope stuffed with family recipes that she remembered him liking when he was a kid.  Unfortunately, a lot of them are similar in style to the ones I have from my side of the family.  Meaning, they often start with a foundation of things like boxed cake mix or Velveeta cheese.  Fortunately, Bonnie is an excellent cook.  She also cooks from scratch and uses good ingredients.  Her and I are of one mind like that

At the top of this recipe there was a note that said: “To Tom, My Favorite Nephew” (this was in Tom’s writing, of course) – LOL!

Bonnie’s Banana Walnut Pancakes

1 ½ c. whole wheat flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground clove

1 egg

1 tsp. oil

½ T. honey

1/3 c. low-fat milk

½ tsp. vanilla

1 very ripe banana

½ c. finely chopped walnuts

Mix first 6 ingredients until well blended .  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, oil, honey, milk and vanilla.  Add this to the well and add in the banana and walnuts.  Mix until just blended.  Add a little more milk if not pourable.  Pour dollar-sized pancakes onto an oiled or non-stick pre-heated pan over medium heat.  Cook until the bubbles that have formed have popped and then flip.  Should only need about 2 minutes on the 2nd side.

Twice Cooked Half Baked

So as part of my project of going through my mother’s recipe box, I decided to make a recipe for Yeasty Rolls by Rosie, my favorite aunt! As with a lot of the recipes in the box, the final outcome seemed obvious from the title, but then in reading through it, it also mentioned baking it as a coffee cake. I was worried that it would end up very sweet. I feel like it is fortunate that I have made rolls before, as I may have been lost if this had been a new technique to me, as it left out a lot of details. Also it used things that I just don’t keep around, like powdered milk. I did a little research, made a substitution and all was well.

Fortunately, or maybe not since I am supposed to be counting my calories, they turned out just like I like them. They were so tasty and easy to eat. It also made at least 2 dozen, which allowed me to put half in the freezer for another meal I believe this is the recipe that my mom used for most holidays, as it was like eating my childhood.

Yeasty Rolls (edited by me for completeness)

1 ½ c. warm milk (about 110 degrees)
1 package dry yeast
¼ c. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. salt
4 T. canola oil
1 egg – beaten
4 c. flour – sifted
1 stick of butter – melted
Kosher salt

Warm milk in microwave for about 45 seconds. Check with a thermometer if available – looking for about 110 degrees. Add sugar and yeast to milk to your mixer bowl and whisk to mix. Let stand for 30 minutes until slightly foamy. Add salt, oil, beaten egg and half the flour. Mix with the dough hook of your mixer until fully incorporated. Add the remaining flour and mix to fully combine. Knead with the dough hook for another 5 minutes until elastic. (The dough was pretty sticky at this stage) Add to a well oiled bowl, cover loosely and let stand for 2 hours. Grease a 9X12 pan liberally with oil. Punch the dough down and form into rolls (should make 24).* I recommend using flour on your hands and board for this stage. Cover the rolls and allow to rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of Kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm – enjoy!

*Recipe says here that it will also make 1 large coffee cake, but doesn’t list pan or cooking time.

Yeasty Rolls

I love every minute of it though. So much so, that I have failed to do anything else. I had planned some things for Easter, but quickly abandoned the plan. Lucky for me, my family is only sort of into the whole thing anyway. As long as the Easter Bunny delivers, we can all go about our business quietly. I had planned a big ham dinner, but that just seemed wrong, given the beautiful weather. I personally feel like having fish tacos and a margarita, not yeasty rolls and scalloped potatoes. But that is just me. I am always pushing for tacos on major holidays. Even my extended family can attest to that!

Having a huge garden and orchard requires a lot of effort. Getting the season kicked off right takes work and planning, but I love all of that. I spent the past three days pulling up weeds, prepping the beds, organically spraying the trees (to hell with those damn maggot socks!), putting up dog fencing, planting flowers, removing copious amounts of lavender, and edging back the grass. Not sure what I got into, but I also have a nasty looking rash that is all blistery on my arm. But I see all of my cuts and scrapes as a badge of honor this time of year.

Not that this post will be spectacular, it certainly doesn’t make up for my hiatus, but I figured I should at least let people know I was still alive and kicking. I try to remind myself that, on average, I make 15 meals a day. That is nothing to sneeze out. So the fact that I often don’t remember to take a photo, well that is life. I happened to snap one of this little hen that I spatchcocked and threw on the BBQ one evening. It was a great way to cook the bird more quickly, but I am still a bigger fan of my rosemary-lemon chicken right from the oven.