Herb and Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Well, it was Wednesday, both Bubba and I were back in town (he from trucking and I from a glorious Happy 40th Birthday cruise!) what else could we say but "So Cook Already!" :0)

Now, with both of us just getting back into town,we were a little light in the grocery department, but I did find a package of Tilapia loins in the freezer. That gave us a start for dinner. I don't know if you keep an extra package of tilapia in the freezer, but it is one of the 2 things I always try to have in the freezer; the other being Pizza Rolls - teenagers!

I usually buy my tilapia frozen at Costco. It comes individually frozen in 4 ounces portions which is nice when you are trying to watch your servings, and it is easy to keep a bag in freezer for dinner emergencies such as this. The quantity of fish that we cooked was most of the bag, but I had made one previous dinner out of it.

Bubba and I decided that some nice fried tilapia sounded great with a fresh tomato and garlic pasta as the side. I knew that I had some premade breading in the cupboard so we decided to short cut it a little that night and use the preseasoned breadcrumb mixture. This is the seasoned breadcrumb mixture that we used. It is from Costco as well, and is a herb and Parmesan breadcrumb mix. You could also easily use Italian breadcrumbs from the store and mix in a little Parmesan of your own, I just happened to have this already. (If you are looking for this mixture at Costco, I found it in the spice aisle. It comes in a round tin.)
There is no exact recipe for this dinner as we were just throwing things together, but if you are trying to make a grocery list we had: 6-8 tilapia lions, 4 oz each; an egg for dredging, 1 1/2 cups flour for dredging; 2 cups Parmesan and Herb Encrusting Blend (or breadcrumbs); 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic; 6-8 Campari tomatoes; olive oil; and about 12 ounces of twisted pasta (any type).

We partially thawed the tilapia in cold water, then dredged it in flour. It should look like this.
We quickly dredged each loin in the flour and set it aside until all the fish was coated with flour. The flour sticks easily to the fish, so you can simply twirl them through the flour by flipping them with your hands.

After the flour, we dredged the fish through an egg bath so that the second layer, the breading, would stick better. To make the egg bath, we simply whipped an egg with a fork so that it was well blended. The egg bath looked like this.

The egg bath for the tilapia was actually harder than the flour dredge. Mind you, it still was not HARD to do, and definitely not a reason to stop you from trying this dinner! Each piece of floured fish that you set aside needs to go into the egg bath and then the "encrusting mixture" or breadcrumbs. We decided to dredge the fish in the egg bath and then the breadcrumbs before moving on to the next piece of fish. The process looked something like this.

In the picture above, you can see how the egg bath did not cover all of the flour coat on the piece of fish in the foreground. However, if you look at the piece of fish in the background of the picture, you can see that it still coated nicely in the breadcrumb mixture. Just coat a couple of pieces at a time, setting them aside as you go, until all the fish pieces have been coated. We heated up our oil we were going to be using to fry while we were still coating the fish. Once you have all the fish pieces through the egg bath and the breadcrumb mixture you can begin to fry them. "Fry" is not always a bad word. We just used enough oil to heavily coat the bottom of the pan, and the fish did not seem oily or greasy when it was done. This is what our pan looked like while the fish was cooking.
Using a nice hot skillet will give you a crispy crust like this one. The fish cooks up quickly, about 4-6 minutes per side. You will know the fish is done when it flakes nicely with a fork. Bubba and I usually "sacrifice" one piece to test for doneness, and check the seasoning levels. Once both sides of the fish have been cooked and are nicely crisp, you should have a nice platter full to serve.
For a quick side dish to go with our fish, Bubba and I decided on pasta with fresh tomatoes. It was really less of a decision and more of a necessity based on what we had on hand. Having just gotten home, I did make a quick run to Costco (is this beginning to sound like I have a problem?)to pick up some fresh produce. I love the Campari tomatoes that come on the vine. They are a nice size to use no matter if you are throwing them in a salad or omelet, slicing them for sandwiches, or in this case, chunking them up for a fresh pasta sauce. When I buy them they come in a package like this, but I have also seen them at the grocery store in a smaller quantity in a net bag.


For tonight's pasta, the idea was quick and simple. While we were getting the fish breaded, Bubba and I threw a pot of water on to boil. Once it had begun to boil, we tossed in some dry pasta to cook. Once the fish was in the pan frying, Bubba chunked up some of the tomatoes along with the fresh garlic.

As soon as the fish was finished cooking, we removed it to a platter and kept it warm. This allow us to throw the tomatoes and garlic into the pan that had just fried the fish - Drippings, YUM! Now that the tomatoes and garlic were in the frying pan with the remaining oil and seasonings, we left them there to saute until soft. Once the tomatoes and garlic have softened, and the pasta is cooked, combine the two for your simple and easy side dish.

All of this food was prepped and cooked in less than 45 minutes. It was delicious and everyone ate some (including the picky sisters!). Next time you are at the store, be sure to grab some frozen tilapia. That way, when you are stumped for dinner, don't order out, think to yourself "I can do this easy recipe"........So Cook Already!

Not Such A Spring Chicken Soup

Well, most of the world knows anyway, so I thought I would share with you all too. I am soon to be 40. Yes, the big 4-0 has finally found me. This week's Bubba night dinner was actually a surprise, and I did not do any of the cooking!



My birthday is on March 28, which is a Saturday this year. I only see Bubba on Wednesdays, and the occasional Tuesday night. He was home early this week so we cooked on Tuesday night, as he was going to a sailing seminar on Wednesday; or so I thought. Unbenownst to me, Bubba actually spent the day Wednesday painting and hanging giant (think sheets) signs up at my house proclaiming to the world that I would in fact be turning 40 on 3-28. When I came home from school, I noticed the signs right away, and as I walked in the door I also noticed the enticing smells coming from my kitchen! Bubba was working on dinner already; a homemade chicken noodle soup creation to celebrate spring and my 40th birthday. Combine the two and you have "Not Such a Spring Chicken Soup."

The original inspiration for our soup came from a recipe on Suite101.com. You can find the original recipe here if you want to:

http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/chicken_noodle_soup

The rotisserie chicken breast gives this chicken soup a deeper flavor. Be sure to taste the soup before you season it.




Our recipe took into consideration the addition of a few other vegetables (kids - gotta sneak veggies in where you can!), and food my sensitivities. I might be biased, but our version turned out great, and kid #2 even tried several new veggies that were in the broth!

"Not Such A Spring Chicken" Soup

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1 leek, diced
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 or 2 colored bell peppers
3 roma tomatoes
3/4 cup frozen corn
5 or so baby bella mushrooms
1 parsnip, sliced
6 oz. medium egg noodles
1-1/2 cups cooked Rotisserie chicken breast, cut or shredded into large bite sized chunks

Bring chicken broth and water to a boil in a large stockpot or dutch oven.

Add onion, celery, carrots bell peppers, tomatoes, corn, mushrooms, and parsnips.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes.

Add egg noodles and allow to simmer 15 more minutes or until noodles are cooked.

Add chicken and heat 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste (at the table).



The soup, as I mentioned turned out very well. We served ours with a fresh loaf a bread which was great for soaking up that last bit of broth. This recipe made plenty of soup for dinner (more than one helpings for some) with enough leftovers for 3 or more lunches. The next time we make it, I might throw in a little spinach too for another veggie serving.



This is a great recipe for anyone to try........



So Cook Already!

Dirty Shrimp With Butter-Beer Sauce

This past Wednesday, Hubby (who doesn't like seafood) was out of town so Bubba and I knew we needed a seafood dish! I searched online in the evenings, and Bubba took a look wherever he had Internet connection. There were several top contenders, but we finally landed on making Dirty Shrimp with Butter-Beer Sauce. In the picture above, you can get a peek at the sauce around the edges of the platter.

I found the original recipe on Recipezaar.com. Their site is one of my favorites for new recipes, because they give all the nutritional information for the recipe on the left hand side of the page. If you want to see the original recipe, you can use this link: http://www.recipezaar.com/Dirty-Shrimp-in-Butter-Beer-Sauce-79606 but we modified the recipe slightly for our own tastes (and the picky eaters who live here with me!)

The recipe is really easy, and makes for a great presentation. Even if you have never cooked with fresh shrimp before, you should not be intimidated. To make this a great casual dinner, Bubba and I served the shrimp over brown rice (with egg noodles on the side for the pickier ones) and a nice ciabatta bread. The original recipe is quite hot, so the modified recipe that we used is below. Bubba and I were both happy with the results. We must have achieved the perfect spice balance as I did not think it was too hot, and Bubba did not get out the hot sauce! Both kids had second helpings of the shrimp, although one did comment that it was "a little spicy."

Dirty Shrimp with Butter-Beer Sauce

2 lbs shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoon dried thyme
(1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ) we omitted this altogether
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
1 cup beer

Saute the garlic and herbs in butter until the garlic is golden brown. Add the shrimp and cook until they are just pink. Add the beer to the pan and cook one minute more.

Saute the garlic and herbs in butter until the garlic is slightly browned (do not let it burn!). Saute it over low heat so that you have time to peel and devein the shrimp.

When you are just about done cooking it, it should look like this.

The butter is thickening with the garlic and herbs, and the garlic is just beginning to turn a golden color. At this point, you want to add in the shrimp.

Stir the shrimp continuously and only cook them until they have just turned pink (overcooking shrimp makes them tough).

At this point, add the beer to the pan with the shrimp and garlic/herb mix. We used Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock, but any of your personal favorites should work too. We would however, advise against using any flavored beer.

Once you've added the beer, it should look like the photo below. They shrimp are nice and pink, and the butter and beer have combined to make a nice sauce. Simmer for one more minute to completely meld flavors. While your shrimp is simmering for the last minute, use this time to dump your rice or pasta onto a serving platter. Pour shrimp and sauce on top of rice or pasta, and serve!

It looks great, and it tastes great --

So Cook Already!

Bubba Night Dinners

This blog is all about the cooking that my brother and I do together most Wednesdays. My brother, Todd, is lovingly called Bubba by our family, making Wednesday nights "Bubba Nights." We love to try new recipes, and enjoy cooking with each other. My kids are SO much more willing to try new things on Bubba Nights. I will be sharing the recipes that we try, our thoughts and feelings on each one.

So Cook Already! :-)

Starting off

I thought I would take a minute and explain in further detail why I decided to start a cooking blog. It is not because I have all kinds of free time on my hands(I am a wife, mother, teacher, and full time chauffer!); but rather to help those who feel like they cannot cook. I have always been an OK cook, and got by for many years with standard suburban fare. Then I started wanting more. I began to do more research on what I wanted to cook, more grilling, and began cooking different types of things. I began to look forward to cooking, read more about cooking, and began to talk about cooking much more. These conversations about cooking led to my brother and I cooking together, and I have found that I really enjoy that!

It is possible to cook real meals, even on weeknights, and it is possible for anyone! Many of my friends and family, upon hearing about the lastest cooking escapades at my house, have made comments like, "I wish I could cook," "I could never make something like that!" or "I have pots and pans I've never used." My goal is to help anyone who wishes to cook better by providing easy recipes and helpful advice as I wander my way further into the culinary world.

Anyone can cook - So Cook Already!

AS