I actually cooked!

Well...I helped cook. Last night I went to my friend's house to have dinner and help her pack. I'm horribly sad that Joey is moving...oh, I'm sad Jess is leaving too! ;-) I'll really miss his smiles.

That said, we cooked. I didn't take any photos because we were hungry and had a one year old attempting to walk around us...but it turned out really good! AND to top it all off...I ate fish. This is a BIG deal considering it's my least favorite thing, but I will eat salmon and I really liked it. Plus, it was a Weight Watchers recipe!

Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon from Weight Watchers

• (4) 6oz pieces of pink salmon fillet
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 T honey
• 1 T water
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1/4 t dry mustard
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 2 t fresh dill, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper, place in the baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except the dill. Brush 2 T of the mustard sauce onto the salmon, set the rest aside. Roast until salmon is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Mix the dill into the remaining sauce and serve over the salmon.

WW Points - 5 per serving, 4 servings total

We also made corn on the cob, fresh green beans and zucchini sticks. I found the zucchini stick recipe on another blog...but I didn't right down who! So...if it is you, let me know and I'll link it.

Zucchini Sticks

• 3-4 zucchini, cut into 1/4" sticks
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg white

Toss the zucchini in the egg white, and then into the dry ingredients. Place a cooling rack on top of a cooking sheet, spray with cooking spray. Lay the zucchini out onto the cooling rack and spray again with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

WW Points: 4 per serving, 4 servings

Paula would be proud...

Jason's best friend came in last weekend from Wilmington, DE. Though he's born Canadian, he grew up in Northeast Texas. And this guy is Texas. In order to visit him, we have to buy our way across state lines with cans of Ranch Style Beans. Yes, I'm serious. His wife does not understand the concept of Ranch Style Beans. I, having grown up in Texas, realize there is really...well...just nothing else like them. Most of the time I use them in my Taco Soup, but I promise you can eat just them. Because his wife was treating him to a weekend in Texas for his 30th birthday (one man's dream come true) we figured that a good Southern buffet of food would be the best idea.



The guys (Jason, his best friend and his two brothers) planned on going gulf fishing that Saturday morning, but missed out because of weather. We planned to fry the fish they caught, but since that was not happening...Kroger came to my rescue. I found a great recipe in my Southern Living cookbook that gave us the perfect Fried Catfish. Throw in some french fries and hush puppies...and you have a really good Southern meal! Oh yeah, we did have some homemade Guacamole, stuffed jalapenos and bacon wrapped dates...but stuff like that gets eaten before you can take photos!


Fried Catfish from Southern Living

• 1 cup flour
• 1 T salt
• 2 t black pepper
• 2 t red pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 T dried thyme
• 1-2 T cayenne pepper
• 10 (6-8 oz) farm raised catfish fillets
• cotton seed oil (or peanut oil)
• Lemon wedges

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Stir together buttermilk and egg in a bowl. Combine cornmeal, garlic powder, thyme and cayenne pepper in another shallow dish. If you have more fillets (like we did) just keep adding to each mixture as needed.

Dredge the catfish in the flour mixture, dip in buttermilk, then toss in the cornmeal. Pour oil into either a large cast-iron skillet or a deep fryer. Heat to 360. Fry the catfish in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

If you are frying the fish and hush puppies, be sure to fry those first so they don't taste like fish!

Oh, we also bought a 6 pound can of Ranch Style Beans for the birthday boy...but sadly, those did not get cooked. I think his wife was also very pleased that they were left in my kitchen. I'm not sure I can find a use for 6 pounds of beans...

I'm a "meat and potatoes" person.

I have always been more of a red meat fan. And I don't mean salmon...it's pink. Growing up, the only fish I would dare touch would have to come out of a deep-fryer and be covered in cornmeal. I've slowly expanded my horizons over the last few years. I will eat fish if it flakes - so that eliminates shrimp (yes, I know, I'm weird) and any 'steaky' fish, i.e. tuna. Fish should flake and not need to be cut with a knife!

I also have a very strange phobia about the way fish smells before it is cooked. I just can't deal with it. Now, I love going out to eat seafood. It is usually cooked properly and served with some tasty, yet not that good for you, sauce. Thus masking the taste/smell of any fishy-ness.

This week, I decided to grill salmon myself. I love salmon when we go out to eat. I really love it here at the hotel - it is served with a Butter Pecan Praline Sauce. Seriously, how could you not like something served with butter, sugar and pecans? It would be a crime. BUT since butter and sugar aren't quite in my diet, I opted for just using some lemons.

Jason and I decided that even though this tasted OK, we won't be cooking fish at home again unless it is fried! I just don't think either of us know enough about cooking fish to succeed at doing it. But just in case you are good at it, this might turn out much better at someone else's house.

Grilled Salmon

Brush the salmon with a little olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and Pampered Chef's Citrus & Basil Rub (so good!). Top with sliced lemons, wrap in foil and grill until done.

Next time I'm using the PC rub on chicken.