BAKED RED SNAPPER Recipe

My Supper tonight: Baked Red Snapper & Sweet Potato fries – recipe follows at end of post.

I had a busy day today – yesterday, while dusting and wiping down surfaces, I decided that I needed to make dust covers for my kitchen aides (electric skillet, crock pots, sandwich grill, ect.) lining the spare countertop & collecting dust when not in use … so, all morning and most of the afternoon, I designed and crafted a cover for my electric skillet to start with - sorry, no pattern: I winged it, and found a poinsettia pattern on the internet that I used for trim:

MOD Festive Crochet Electric Skillet Dust Cover. Dusty Rose; no particular reason for that color, other than that is what I had on hand that would yield enough yarn to finish the project ;-)

MOD Festive Dust Cover trim: crochet Poinsettia's.

MOD Festive Crochet Electric Skillet Dust Cover; finished. Nothing too fancy, but I like it – and it should keep the skillet cover dust free while not employed.

I checked my houseplants to make sure they were not dehydrated; and spritzed them. I think the German Thyme has gone dormant – it’s pretty dried out despite the watering’s and spritzing. That may be its normal cycle: it does go dormant outside too. The eggplant I brought in-house from the shed this Fall, is thriving …

Patio Eggplant: doing waaay better than it ever did outside.

Baby eggplant blossoms!

Eggplant thriving and putting out fruit :-D

But the hydroponics lettuces are not doing that great; I think I’ll scrap this experiment and just grow them on the window sill like I normally do:

This indoor experiment is a bust. It seemed interesting, but it is not working that great at all. The lettuces look pretty pathetic.

My Pink Christmas Cactus is really putting out the blossoms this year, as well as leggy growth. I’m thinking of getting a window stand for it, and letting it go like this pretty picture I found on one of the FB gardening groups I joined:

My Pink Christmas Cactus pumping out the blossoms :-D

Internet picture of a very pretty, bushy, Christmas Cactus. Isn't it gorgeous? Mine has a long way to go to get anywhere close to this one ... but hope springs eternal, and I AM hopeful :-)

I worked up an appetite today ;-)

I was craving fish, and had a hankering for sweet potato fries; so, I got busy making my quick meal; because I had had a big mixed green salad earlier, I kept Supper pretty lean and light. I am determined to shed some more weight.

I also switched out the red snapper for a Tilapia fillet, and used capers instead of the chives and parsley …

Supper for 1 tonight – Baked Red Snapper & Sweet Potato Fries.

I have been making this recipe for at least 2 decades … could be longer ;-)

It’s quick, it’s delicious, and it comes from my ‘Weight Watchers 365-Day Menu Cookbook’ cookbook, so it’s also easy on the waist :-D

BAKED RED SNAPPER Recipe ~Makes 2 servings

12 ounces Red Snapper fillets * 2 teaspoons Mayonnaise * 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard * 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice * 1 teaspoon EACH chopped Chives & Parsley * Dash EACH Sea Salt & ground Black Pepper * 2 teaspoon grated Parmesan Cheese

Arrange fish fillets in a shallow 1-quart flameproof baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except cheese; stir well. Spread mixture over fish and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Transfer to a preheated broiler for about 1 minute.

OVEN FRIED FISH FILLETS Recipe

I haven’t had fish in a while … Bob would eat fish under protest … and I haven’t really felt like cooking for the past 5 months.

I cooked up a storm the first week after his graduation, mostly for something to do to keep me from flying apart: and I portioned those meals and froze them – taking them out and reheating them when and if I felt like eating a full meal. Usually all I wanted was a fast sandwich, so those frozen meals lasted until last week.

Now, they are gone … and I actually feel like cooking again, and eating more than a quick sandwich.

So.

Nothing fancy … just delicious home cooking ;-)

Tonight, I am baking a fish fillet and a foil-wrapped veggie packet. All but the potato and fish came from my garden – and the breadcrumbs are homemade from start to finish too because they are ground dried homemade bread heels. Maybe next year I can grow my own spuds too. I got a late start with my garden this year due to more home repair and maintenance projects, and the potatoes I ordered had been sold out; maybe better luck next year ;-)

Anyway …

This recipe comes from my ‘Southern Living/Cooking Light’ Cookbook I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. The veggie packets are my own concoction, and I put them in the oven to cook about a half hour before I put the fish in the oven:

OVEN FRIED FISH FILLETS ~serves 4

1 pound Flounder (or Sole) fillets * 1 Tablespoon reduced calorie Mayonnaise * 6 Tablespoons fine, dry Breadcrumbs * 2 Tablespoons minced fresh Parsley * ½ teaspoon Paprika * Vegetable Cooking Spray * lemon wedges (optional)

Coat fillets with mayonnaise. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, and paprika (I used frozen minced parsley, so I added the parsley to the mayonnaise). Dredge coated fillets in breadcrumb mixture:

Arrange fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 450-degrees (425-degree oven for glass cooking dish) for 12 minutes or until fillets flake easily with a fork:

Fish rolled in bread crumbs and ready for oven.

Serve with a lemon wedge. About 140 calories per serving.

==FOIL-WRAPPED VEGGIE PACKET ~serves 1

Cut a large piece of foil and fold it in half to strengthen it. On one half place 1 Potato cut in wedged ‘fingers’ * 4 small baby Carrots * ¼ cup quarted Onion pieces. Drizzle with Olive Oil and herb seasoning of choice:

Carefully fold opposite end of foil over veggie pieces and crimp edges securely so juices to not bubble out and run all over the oven:

Cook in a 425-degree oven for about 40 minutes.