Virtual Running Date No. 41: FISH and Fashion

If this were a virtual running date, I would apologize that I didn't take pictures of all the cute little clothes I bought for baby girl over the weekend. My friends and I had a WONDERFUL time in the Wisconsin Dells at the Wilderness Resort. Seriously, if you go to the Dells, just go there. It usually has the best prices and it has an indoor water park with a "solar dome" or something like that where you can sit with your feet at the edge of the wave pool and pretend you're on the beach. Also, if you're not prego, you could probably order one of those margaritas the size of your head, too!

Note: I am in no way being paid to talk about the Wilderness Resort. I just really love it there.

We went shopping at the outlet mall and it was so much fun! I got two sweaters, a wrap dress and a pair of earrings for me (less than $30!), two pairs of pants for Steve and a bunch of baby clothes on clearance/sale. Oh the snuggly little outfits! SO CUTE!

It was so nice to just be with the girls and feel refreshed with good talks and helping each other solve problems like "What to do with toddlers to prevent feeling stuck inside in nasty weather?" or "What are some good ways we can think of to 'date' our husbands?" or "What are some new recipes we can mix in our with the usuals?" You want to solve problems? You put a bunch of ladies together, and we will figure it out. Or we will know how to research it. (One lady, Hi Susan, is a librarian at a university. She can find you stuff. Also, there's Pinterest, and we all know how to use it!)

Last night, I was blessed to come home and here Steve had worked on organizing the "crap room" in the basement, bought and installed a new mailbox, and has practically found us a new vehicle to replace his two-door truck. He was a busy man! Busy man needs a great dinner, right?

I found this recipe "The Very Best Fish Recipe Ever" on the blog Living Well Spending Less, and since it's a non-breaded fish, I thought I'd try it. We ate it with green beans and some stuffing, and I had a glass of milk - easy carb counting!

You can find the link to the recipe above. Of course, I didn't have all the exact ingredients, but what I did have tasted wonderful. You can either follow the link above or my version below. Steve said that this was the best non-breaded fish he's ever had, and he's kind of picky about his fish. This is definitely a "keeper".

Best Fish Recipe
Ingredients:
4 fish fillets (1-2 pounds) - I used tilapia (prego safe fish)
3 slices of mozzarella cheese, crumbled
1/3 butter (you could probably use less)
1/4 cup mayo (the real stuff, not Miracle Whip)
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp dill
2 healthy dashes of Tabasco sauce (ok, it was more like 3)

Directions:
Preheat the oven broiler. Grease the baking pan. I used a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Place the fish fillets in the dish so it's one layer. A little overlap is fine. Broil for 8 minutes or until the fish flakes. While that's in the broiler, mix all the other ingredients in a bowl.

Doesn't look like much yet...

When the fish is ready, put a layer of the spread over the top and broil for another 2-3 minutes. Serve up and enjoy!

Still looks like a blob (on the right), but tasted SO GOOD!

Serving suggestion: I don't think I either used enough fish or if this recipe could have done without the cheese. I think I'll skip the cheese next time or possibly just use the correct cheese. That would likely help.

Recipe sharing

Good morning Crushers!

Last night I did one of my favorite things: I had a fun conversation on the phone with my sister. The only thing that's better is hanging out with her in person. We weren't always the best of friends as kids, but as adults, we're pretty close. I think getting married in the same year and planning weddings side-by-side helped, but growing up and getting to appreciate each other as unique adults helps too.

Since Steve and I are going to meet our friends' new baby boy tonight (yes, we know a million people with new babies), and I like to bring new moms a dinner that they don't have to cook, I was telling my sister all about these easy enchiladas I made. She was telling me that she's having Grandpa over on Wednesday night and has no idea what to make and needed a seafood suggestion. I promised to e-mail her a few recipes this morning.

Here is what I sent her:

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
Ingredients:
4-6 Tilapia filets (it's OK if they're frozen, but you need to thaw them completely)
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
(toss in a little oregano or basil if you've got it)

1 egg, beaten

1/3-1/2 cup flour

Gear you'll need:
Three shallow dishes or dinner plates, 13X9 baking dish, measuring cups and spoons

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the first shallow dish (Dish 1), spread the flour out. In the second dish (Dish 2), beat an egg. In the third shallow dish (Dish 3), mix all of the remaining dry ingredients. Lightly coat your baking dish with cooking spray. First, you take the fish fillet and place it gently in the flour in Dish 1 until it has a light coating. Then take a fish fillet and coat each side in egg in Dish 2. Don't worry, it won't wash off your flour. Last, take the fillet and place it in Dish 3 pressing down slightly to get it coated on each side. Place the fillet in the baking dish. Repeat the three steps until you have all of your fish coated. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the fish flakes when you insert a fork. (Delicious with roasted veggies or steamed broccoli or mashed potatoes).

EASY Enchiladas
Ingredients:
6 Tortilla Shells (8-10 inch rounds)
1 lb ground beef or turkey
taco seasoning
1 cup-ish salsa, divided (you can totally use more if you like)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 diced green pepper

1/2 medium diced onion

1 can refried beans (which aren't actually fried!)

sour cream, guac or other dips if you'd like

Gear you'll need:
Frying pan, spoon, can opener, measuring cup, 13x9 baking dish

Directions:
Brown the meat and cook it according to the directions on the taco seasoning. Spread about 1/2 cup of the salsa over the bottom of the baking dish. Dice up the green pepper and onion and then toss that in with the meat. Once the meat is done, take it off the heat and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread a thin layer of beans in a line across the middle of a tortilla, spoon some of the meat mixture on top of the beans. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side-down in the pan. Go ahead and squish it up to the side since you'll need to fit 6 of these roll-ups across the pan like this: [IIIIII]. Repeat the tortilla-bean-meat-roll-up process until all 6 tortillas are filled and placed in the pan. Spread the remaining salsa over the top of the tortillas so they're kind of coated. Sprinkle a healthy handful (about a cup) of shredded cheese over the top. Bake in the oven until the cheese is all melty. Since you already had heated up the meat, it'll reheat in the oven while the cheese melts. Enjoy with a corn salad (below), Spanish rice or other fun side dish.

Since I was making the enchiladas at the same time as the corn salad,
I use the juice from the tomatoes to give a kick to the ground meat.

Corn and Black Bean Salad (Modified from Rachel Ray's recipe):
1 package of frozen corn (about 2 cups)
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of diced tomatoes with chillies, drained OR 2-3 diced Roma tomatoes
1 tsp taco seasoning (cumin, pepper, chili powder and garlic salt)
1/2 large or 1 medium onion diced
1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp lemon juice (lime works too!)

Gear you'll need:
Can opener, big bowl with a lid, spoon, knife

Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together in a big bowl. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (for the corn to thaw) or overnight. Enjoy!