Lemon Basil Potato Salad

Lemon Basil Potato Salad

2 1/2 pounds small Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into eighths
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 medium-size purple onion, thinly sliced
3-4 thick bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Toss potatoes with olive oil and place on a foil-lined jellyroll pan. Roast at 450°F stirring occasionally, 20 to 25 minutes or until tender and golden. (20-25 minutes seems insane. I roasted mine for closer to 50 minutes by the time all was said and done)

Whisk together lemon juice and next 5 ingredients; whisk in 2/3 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Gently toss potato and onion with vinaigrette.

Sprinkle with bacon if desired. (I didn't bother with bacon.)

Serve immediately. (It turns out it's good cool, a few hours later too)

Cooking notes: This was delicious. Tangy. I'd definitely make this one again. Folks at wine club liked it too. Yay.

This Just Seems Too Good To Be True.

Today I discovered the most wonderful thing. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog. Oh my goodness. You can watch it online. It stars Neil Patrick Harris and it's a musical. Oh, life is good. Superheroes. Evil. Singing. I just love it.

Sage... Basil... Tale of the Kitchen Challenged Girl

Last Saturday I got some delicious lemon basil at the Town Square Farmer's Market. It smells like I imagine heaven smells. Since then I've been searching for recipes that I can use basil in.. unfortunately in the process I mixed up which herb I bought and was searching for SAGE recipes. No wonder it was difficult to find recipes for "lemon sage." It probably doesn't exist.

My pasta dish from yesterday actually called for basil so that's good... but my delicious chicken marinade called for sage and until I started to type up this post I didn't realize that. I simply used my basil in place of the sage and it all turned out fine. In fact, it was delicious.

This all reminds me of a great story my pal Tiffany told me once about mixing up zucchini and rhubarb and how she just couldn't get the rhubarb to grate.. it was too stringy! :) It took her forever before she figured out she was confusing the two foods. Well, now I can relate. And now I have to find some fresh sage because I have several terrific recipes I am determined to try ... all of which, call for sage not basil. Figures.


Here's the recipe with my changes:

Lemon Sage Chicken aka Lemon BASIL Chicken

Ingredients
1 ½ lbs Chicken breasts
1 tbsp Olive oil
3 tbsp Lemon juice (from the RealLemon bottle in my fridge)
2 ¼ tsp Fresh rosemary, chopped (I used dried and about 1 tsp)
3 ½ tbsp Fresh sage, chopped (I used basil because I'm an idiot)
¼ tsp Salt
¾ tsp Cracked pepper
1 ½ tsp Fresh garlic, minced (I used the minced garlic in a jar)
¾ tsp Lemon zest (I didn't have a lemon so I skipped this part)

Preparation
1. Trim chicken of all visible fat. Rinse and pat dry, place in an appropriately sized bowl

2. In a separate bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon zest. Whisk together and pour over chicken

3. Work marinade into the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours
(I ended up marinating for 24 hours because my dining plans changed)

4. Drain and discard marinade, grill chicken

Creamy Basil and Red Pepper Pasta

Category: Penne Pasta
Serves/Makes: 4
Ready In: < 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
4 ounces fat free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup fat free milk
1 jar (7 oz. size) roasted red peppers, well drained
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, place cream cheese, milk, red peppers, basil and parmesan cheese in blender container; cover. Blend until smooth; set aside. Spray large skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook on medium-high heat 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cream cheese mixture. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Drain pasta. Add to chicken mixture in pan; stir gently until well blended.

Diet Exchange: 4 Meat (VL),2-1/2 Starch Nutrition (per serving) Calories 350 Total fat 5g Saturated fat 2g Cholesterol 75mg Sodium 440mg Carbohydrate 36g Dietary fiber 2g Sugars 4g Protein 37g Vitamin A 50% Vitamin C 35% Calcium 25% Iron 20%

You can find the recipe here.

Carm's Cooking Notes: The flavor of this dish was very good and it really did a nice job of showcasing the basil-- which was my objective. However, the sauce wasn't as "creamy" as I wanted it. I was going for more of a restaurant quality drippy sauce that I could scoop with my spoon and instead the sauce more or less just coated the pasta... I think it was too "thick" and maybe there wasn't quite enough for the pasta... like maybe some of it "cooked away" when I heated it for the 5 minutes. If anyone else tries this recipe and is able to make the sauce a bit creamier, please let me know what you did. If I try it again and experiment I'll be sure to post an update. Maybe I just needed to add a bit more milk? Not sure.

Dragonfly Fashion?

On Saturday I helped at my mom's garage sale. For the first hour or so there were hardly any customers. In fact, it felt a wee bit slow for a Saturday. I think it might be due, in part, to a huge estate auction going on in town. Still we did have THIS little visitor drop in and stay awhile.

For part of the morning we had swarms of dragonflies swooping around us. I felt like I was at a lake or that my mom had hired them or something for mosquito control. Not a nasty biter in sight. I just couldn't resist taking a few shots of this guy who actually blended in with the houndstooth pattern... a kind of natural camouflage. By the end of the day we'd sold some of the bigger items and my things kept selling 50 cents here and 50 cents there but I'm not sure it was worth my time.

Can You Guess What Films I Saw This Week?

After a couple recent trips to the theatre I am now eager to check out these films:

Righteous Kill
" Most people respect the badge. Everybody respects the gun." Al Pacino, Robert Deniro--do I need to say more? This one is out in September. Can't wait. Here's the trailer.

Terminator Salvation
Since this is due out May 2009, I have an excuse to watch the three Terminators again and the time to do it in. You can watch a trailer here.

Flash of Genius
Greg Kinnear plays a man who takes on the automobile industry after they steal his windshield wiper idea. It looks like a family, inspirational, justice pic. I like those. Here's the trailer.

Watchmen
Last week, Chris and I discussed graphic novels he's read and loved and this one was mentioned. I have to get my hands on the Sandman series too. I'll be reading Watchmen this summer and planning to see the film in 2009. Here's the official site.

Ghost Town
I tend to dislike movies with angels and ghosts. There is no rational reason for this. Yet, I seem to keep watching them, waiting for that opinion to change. Here's a new one to test out. I thought that Ricky Gervais seemed really great in the trailer.

Okay, okay... I saw Mamma Mia (how could I resist you?) and The Dark Knight.

Obviously The Dark Knight was the superior film, but I enjoyed Mamma Mia, as well. I was a bit unsure on the casting of MM. The Meryl Streep generation seemed a bit TOO aged to be playing 40-45 year olds. If I'd never seen the stage production of the musical I am sure I would have been satisfied but I noticed when they left out songs (Thank You for the Music, Under Attack, One of Us, The Name of the Game and so forth) and I felt my comparison impulses kicking in. I agreed with Pam when she said it was a bit hysterical or too frantic for her at times. Yet, Amanda Seyfried (Sophie) did an incredible job and stole the show with her voice. (Colin Firth was as cute as ever... gotta love him)

The Dark Knight was terrific. Wonderfully done. Violent though and sad. It was remarkably long and as Emma said on her blog it could have ended a couple times earlier but I was satisfied with the ending they chose and felt it really drew it all together. (I haven't read this graphic novel yet, either. I may need to take some time to do that!) Anyone who has seen the trailer for this film already knew that Heath Ledger was going to be brilliant. I am confirming that suspicion. The delight for me was that EVERYONE in the film was perfectly cast and did an incredible job.

Heid (hold the E) Erdrich.

Today Heid Erdrich paid a visit to the RRVWP summer institute and I had the opportunity to be a part of the action. We heard her read from all three of her books of poetry... the two out now--Fishing for Myth and The Mother's Tongue and one due out next November. She talked about her inspirations and her revision process and what she tells her students about writing and revision. Edrich's down-to-earth, friendly spirit added to the experience and I was pleased with how willing she was to talk about her poetry and how it was shaped.

I just got my hands on her poems a week ago and I really like Fishing for Myth... of course I love myth and story and legend and so much of that makes its way into the poems. Here's one example.


True Myth
by Heid E. Erdrich

Tell a child she is composed of parts
(her Ojibway quarters, her half-German heart)
she'll find the existence of harpies easy
to swallow. Storybook children never come close
to her mix, but manticores make great uncles,
Sphinx a cousin she'll allow, centaurs better to love
than boys -- the horse part, at least she can ride.
With a bestiary for a family album she's proud.
Her heap of blankets, her garbage grin, prove
She's descended of bears, her totem, it's true.
And that German witch with the candy roof,
that was her ancestor too. If swans can rain
white rape from heaven, then what is a girl to do?
Believe her Indian eyes, her sly French smile,
Her breast with its veins skim milk blue --
She is the myth that is true.

from Fishing for Myth (p.13)

Mmmmmm.... music.

After a busy day of babysitting and later book club and then trivia, I stopped at my mom's to survey the garage sale situation for tomorrow. I still had two boxes of stuff to price and bring back to her place but she mentioned that my uncle brought over several boxes of record albums. I was intrigued. With hosting trivia often on my mind I'm always on the look out for new music... even if it's really OLD new-to-me music. I discovered that if I wanted any music by The Four Freshmen, he certainly had a lot of that. In fact, I wish they had a record player set up there in the garage because I might have given them a listen. I was shocked at all the musical goodness waiting for me in the boxes. And the album covers were delightful. It was almost worth the price JUST for the cool ass covers (I didn't go crazy for those like I wanted to, but I did buy a few albums for my collection). At 25 cents an album, who could resist a few or twenty and so I loaded up on a few I knew I wanted like Bruce Springsteen Born to Run and Carole King Tapestry. One of my all time favorite albums is Rumors by Fleetwood Mac and I only own it on CD so I had to buy it. And so it goes. I walked away with a stack of known and unknowns that were calling my name.


Then back home, I immediately threw my "new" Olivia Newton John on the record player while I marked my goods. It was decent, but not going to replace my favorite LP by her--Let Me Be There. Then I got all giddy for Grace with Jefferson Starship. I do not own ANY of this incarnation of the band. I have Jefferson Airplane and Starship but nothing in between and I love them in any decade really. I'm going to be listening to records all week.

Is it crazy to go back for more tomorrow? I really am loving on these.

They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore!

Molded Beef Ring

Molded Garden Salad

Hearty Supper in a Dish

These are just some of the delights to be found in Lynee's copy of Farm Journal's Country Cookbook. Mmmmmmm...

Just in case.... here's the recipe.

One Day You're In, The Next Day You're Out

Project Runway Season Five begins. I loved Kelli's dress-- the winning designer--created with vacuum bags (dyed and bleached to look like fabulous fabric) and coffee filters and thumb tacks and bits of a spiral notebook. It was the grocery store challenge and it was great. Too many tablecloths. Not that much innovation. I felt they were a bit harsh on Jerry, the kid who got kicked off. Daniel's plastic cup dress was cool and I thought that the garbage bag lady, Stella, should have been ejected or maybe the kid who is obsessed with tanning, Blayne. His was awful. Still I'm glad that Stella didn't go because she seems intriguing. I think the idea of designing for Joan Jett and Blondie is appealing and I'm curious to see what she can do... you know when given more than grocery store supplies. It's too soon for favorites though. I'll let you know after next week!

She Likes to Play Games

For ages now, I've been lobbying for some good old fashioned game nights. Finally I got my wish. And Ang will understand this joy in this... it wasn't something I had to plan and host. I was invited. Yay. Because El Roco trivia just isn't enough for a Saturday night Chris and Lynee invited some friends over for games. We played the "All American Version" of Trivial Pursuit. It seemed easier or more interesting than the 20th Century Version I have here at home.
I brought over the classic word game, Password--a past Christmas day family favorite. This one was a bit tougher but the ladies were victorious. We'd been discussing the game earlier in the evening because of a Betty White reference and I recalled watching her as a celebrity partner on the new game show "Million Dollar Password" or whatever it's called. It was intense and fun to watch. I would want Betty White for a partner any day. Though she always looks a bit freaked out.

Finally we played another trivia game called "The 80s Game" and I discovered how much I do NOT know about the 80s. Perhaps I was just too young and too engrossed in my Anne of Green Gables books to really absorb it all. Who knows?

At any rate, I hope we repeat this event soon and next time Pam brings over Balderdash. A game I truly love. Or maybe we'll play Tripoly. Or just plain old pinochle. I could really see this turning into something.

I Licked the Plate Clean

In my desire to learn more about how to cook fish I've been experimenting. I have tried baking and grilling and frying it so far. I wanted to replicate the delicious lemon butter sauce Red Lobster used to make and without a recipe I turned to the internet.

There are many recipes out there and I opted, this should be no surprise, for the simplest one. The directions had me cook the fish in butter and olive oil and the butter browned so when I went to make the lemon butter sauce after removing the fish, while still tasting delicious, it was a brownish tinted sauce. Not nearly as appetizing.

The last time I tried this I followed the cooking directions exactly on cooking time, and only used olive oil instead of butter to cook the fish, and I ended up overcooking the fish and when the olive oil was used up it left a blackish surface that added black burned specks to the sauce. Perhaps I should make my lemon butter sauce in a separate kettle? Does it matter if the sauce is made in the container that cooked the fish, especially if I'm adding my butter at the end rather than before the fish is cooked? (Seriously, I'm wondering this here? Feel free to offer suggestions!)

By no means have I figured it out. One of my more successful attempts was Lemon Butter Sauce attempt number two. In that recipe I cooked the tilapia (the first time I used northern pike) in olive oil and I did it for about 4 minutes to a side. I must have estimated properly with the olive oil because it was lightly browned in spots but happily not blackened at all. Once I removed the fish, I added two tablespoons of butter and turned the heat down to medium low or low so it wouldn't brown on me. I then added a new addition, a heaping tsp of minced garlic from the jar (I'm just too lazy to mince my own fresh garlic... does it really matter? Probably.) and I let that mix in to the butter and just cook in that for about 30 seconds and then I added a tbsp of lemon juice (again, from the bottle not the lemon.. you can see a trend, right?). I whisked these together a bit and then added two more tbsp of butter and one more tbsp of lemon juice and whisked it until it started to thicken.

I ate my fish with a baked potato and certainly this was more lemon butter sauce than I needed for one serving of fish so I drizzled some of it on my potato and it was heavenly. The garlic was a nice addition. I didn't take any pictures. Silly me. And then the third attempt when I intended to photograph wasn't as pretty or as tasty. I need to try again and see if I can get this down to a tried and true method. I'll keep you posted.

Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce Recipe
(in order of use)

2 tbsp butter
1 tsp of minced garlic (fresh or from a jar)
1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or from a bottle)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon juice.

whisk until slightly thickened and drizzle over fish.

By the Light of the... Budweiser Beer Sign?

El Roco Revelations... Poetry Posting Take Two.

This week I attended a Creative Writing Workshop and because of that, oddly enough, I've been writing less on this blog. The first two days were devoted to poetry and revision. I was really getting in the groove. Days three and four we explored fiction and creative nonfiction and publication. This is not my strength as evidenced by the extensive retooling we did on my writing in class. At a sentence level my writing became "what not to do." Oh well. I feel like I learned new things and though my confidence may be at a new low in regard to my prose, I am more excited to write in verse. One of our last efforts was a jump back to poetry mode and we all wrote sonnets. My first ever. Mine (very much still in a first draft stage) was about kidney stones. Nice, eh?

In addition to writing, this workshop exposed me to some new authors. Tony Hoagland, for example. We read a poem by him on day one that I loved and then Nancy suggested we read Lucky (the poem I posted on Tuesday) and I did. When I read it I was overcome by tears. It really hit me hard. Now, after hearing the reactions of others, I'm doubting my first impression.

Maybe it was just the fragility of the older woman that did it. Maybe it was the fast forwarded image of my own mother dying that shot through my mind. Maybe it was the images of people I've known who have died from diseases that have wasted their bodies and robbed them of who they once were for good or for bad. In "Lucky" I sensed a man who didn't have a good relationship with his mother and yet at this late stage of the game he was getting something he could not have any other way for whatever reasons, the least of which might have been that when his mother had more fight she might not have let him or wanted him to be the one to care for her. But she was stuck with him and he was stuck with her and sometimes in the quiet there was a kind of joy. And I saw the last few lines as particularly expressing that there was a sweetness there that they both could still enjoy despite his struggles with the power he managed to inherit whether desired or not.. the idea of the caretaker becoming the cared for.

Nevertheless, last night at trivia I discovered not only that people do read this blog, but that "Lucky" was not a favorite poem and for that I apologize. I will post "Jet" by Tony Hoagland --the poem I loved in class. A poem I think is close to perfect in many ways. I love the imagery. It hints at the choices we make, the sacrifices, how we feel about how things have turned out. And any poem with space references in it, is just great.



Jet
by Tony Hoagland

Sometimes I wish I were still out
on the back porch, drinking jet fuel
with the boys, getting louder and louder
as the empty cans drop out of our paws
like booster rockets falling back to Earth

and we soar up into the summer stars.
Summer. The big sky river rushes overhead,
bearing asteroids and mist, blind fish
and old space suits with skeletons inside.
On Earth, men celebrate their hairiness,

and it is good, a way of letting life
out of the box, uncapping the bottle
to let the effervescence gush
through the narrow, usually constricted neck.

And now the crickets plug in their appliances
in unison, and then the fireflies flash
dots and dashes in the grass, like punctuation
for the labyrinthine, untrue tales of sex
someone is telling in the dark, though

no one really hears. We gaze into the night
as if remembering the bright unbroken planet
we once came from,
to which we will never
be permitted to return.
We are amazed how hurt we are.
We would give anything for what we have.

Lucky by Tony Hoagland

If you are lucky in this life,
you will get to help your enemy
the way I got to help my mother
when she was weakened past the point of saying no.

Into the big enamel tub
half-filled with water
which I had made just right,
I lowered the childish skeleton
she had become.

Her eyelids fluttered as I soaped and rinsed
her belly and her chest,
the sorry ruin of her flanks
and the frayed gray cloud
between her legs.

Some nights, sitting by her bed
book open in my lap
while I listened to the air
move thickly in and out of her dark lungs,
my mind filled up with praise
as lush as music,

amazed at the symmetry and luck
that would offer me the chance to pay
my heavy debt of punishment and love
with love and punishment.

And once I held her dripping wet
in the uncomfortable air
between the wheelchair and the tub,
until she begged me like a child

to stop,
an act of cruelty which we both understood
was the ancient irresistible rejoicing
of power over weakness.

If you are lucky in this life,
you will get to raise the spoon
of pristine, frosty ice cream
to the trusting creature mouth
of your old enemy

because the tastebuds at least are not broken
because there is a bond between you
and sweet is sweet in any language.


-------------------------------
You can hear the author read the poem here.

A New Thread.

I got my Sublime Stitching book and the author sweetly provided a practice pattern. I've only managed to try four stitches so far: the straight stitch, split stitch, stem stitch, and the backstitch. Already I've managed to make some of the mistakes she said I'd make and yet, I'm forging ahead. Next stop chain stitch and the french knot. Woo hoo!

Cozy, Colorful, Crocheted.

Could it be that I've found one more craft I am just dying to do? I know I can crochet a little tiny bit and I have a great book teaching it. Is it possible for me to learn enough to create one of these? I am in love. The stripes, the ripples, the candy colors. It looks tricky, expensive, and as the one site suggests--neverending. But oh, how I want to start.

This yummy blanket is from the "No End in Sight Ripple Along"

Posie Gets Cozy made this wonderful blanket.

Double Wide Fun.

It's Thursday night and it's time to head for a wood-paneled, fake-rock-skirted, knick-knack decorated trailer park home deep in the heart of Armadillo Acres in Starke, Florida where you'll find more "drama" than you ever expected to find "this side of the tracks." Narrated by a trio of unforgettable characters, Betty, Pickles, and Lin (short for Linoleum cause that's where her mama had her), this musical centers around a married couple, Jeannie and Norbert with a pair of problems: she's agoraphobic ever since their son was kidnapped, and he's planning a rendezvous (we're told that's "French for fucking") with a stripper named Pippi who's on the run from her crazy ex-boyfriend, Duke. It has all the makings of Larry King Live and there's even a dream sequence that takes us down that road. The dialogue is a hoot, the lyrics are terrific and tonight the acting and singing was superb! My favorite song was "Flushed Down the Pipes," though it's hard to pick just one. Each had quality lyrics like "Just like clothes from Wal-Mart, my love life's falling apart/And it cuts like a Ginsu knife lodged in my heart."..... "I gotta make like a nail... and press on." You just can't beat that. With only seven characters, it's a small cast performing to a small but packed theatre, in a two act, 90 minute performance that was BIG from Betty's hair to the audience's laughter.

There's an encore performance Friday night. Go and see this show. 8 pm. $15.00 ($5.00 discount if you dress like white trash.) That's me doing my best with my concert tee shirt and tight shorts with high heels. I forgot my press on tattoo and cigarettes. Oh well.

Lin's husband is in prison, Pickles has a hysterical pregnancy
and Betty is the proud owner of Amardillo Acres
ever since her husband kicked the bucket.

The Dream Sequence (note Jeannie passed out in the background)
featuring Norbert and Pippi on "The Great American TV show"

Onomatopoeia in Print.

For some reason this Flickr photo set really cracked me up.
Maybe it's my love for comics, superheroes, sound effects?
Not sure. Check out the full collection. What fun.

Berry-licious.

My Berry Banana Smoothie

I an a notorious blender breaker. Not sure what it is, me or the blenders. I've been through two of my own and one of my brother's. My mom found one at a thrift store that she insisted "worked great." I'm not sure how she knew this. Did she whip up a milkshake right at the store or try it out when she got home or simply trust the salesclerk at St. Vincent De Paul's? At any rate, today was the first day I used this little beauty. It's all old fashioned looking and has a glass blending jar. At first it seemed as if the blender was not doing anything with it's puny looking blades and then after I stopped it and stirred just a bit a wonderful thing happened. A perfectly blended smoothie emerged. It's an Osterizer miracle.

P.S. The yogurt was Stonyfield Farms Plain Fat Free Yogurt... yummy and healthy!

To Market, To Market...

Last Saturday I rode my bike downtown to check out the Farmer's Market. I picked up some kuchen, salsa, and jam. Then I discovered a must have jewelry item and my day was complete.

My new flatware patterned bracelet with a buggy charm. Charming, eh?

Because I recently wrote an article on the Townsquare Farmer's Market I decided to try one of the things I featured.. kuchen. It's a German food-- something I'd never tried. They were decent but not something I am dying to have again. Still I can imagine that for some folks there is a powerful nostalgia involved with Karen's 100 year old family recipe. I tried the chocolate chip variety and the rhubarb.



I sampled some of the Wild Moon Salsa and decided to splurge on the pineapple variety. I was determined to cook some fish and top it with this. I found a recipe for tilapia using a pineapple salsa. I followed the fish prep part and skipped the salsa bit since I had some on hand. It was "okay" and I'm not sure I'd do it this way again. I found what sounded like a yummy marinade I'd like to try next time. And BAKE the fish. I am not sure I like it fried like this with a batter. You live, you learn.

Here's the recipe for the whole shebang in case you want to try it on your own:

Ingredients -

1 cup chopped Fresh Pineapple
1 small Sweet Red Pepper, seeded and chopped
3 Scallions, chopped, including part of the green
2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoon Hot Pepper Flakes
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup Reduced-Fat Mayonnaise
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
4 Tilapia Fillets
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter

Preparation:

Combine first 5 ingredients, set aside. Place flour and cornmeal in separate bowls. Whisk mayonnaise and Old Bay in a bowl. Dip one fillet in flour, shake off excess. Brush both sides of fillet with mayonnaise then dip in cornmeal, shake off excess. Place on wax paper lined baking sheet, repeat with remaining fillets.

Heat skillet. Add oil, then butter. Add fillets and cook 5 min. or until golden. Turn and cook another 5 min.

Serve with pineapple salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Two notes:

I didn't follow that pineapple salsa part to produce what is pictured.. that is what I bought at the Farmer's market and it was delicious. I may try this salsa recipe sometime or shop the net for others. What I was experimenting on was the way I COOKED the tilapia.

I didn't have any Old Bay Seasoning so I used another online recipe to create my own homemade herb blend, not sure if that had any effect, but I felt like the fish didn't have a lot of taste when it came time to eat.

Masters of Guitar Concert Series

After seeing Wilco a few months ago I was determined to take in every concert opportunity before me. Of course we all have good intentions. Thankfully, I had an opportunity to join my friend Rebekah this Sunday at the Empire for a John Doyle concert. Doyle is an Irish acoustic guitarist and having recently been on my Pogues kick I was all over that. Of course the style is quite different but I've always been a fan of the acoustic guitar and Doyle's playing was inspirational. Heck I am inspired just watching him TUNE his guitar... something I've never been very good at. I was pleased to hear him sing songs I knew... "Willie Taylor" (I own a version by Uncle Earl) and "Wild Mountain Thyme." I particularly enjoyed the songs, "The Apprentice Boy," "My Darling" (or something like that I didn't catch the name) and "The Newry Highwayman."

It was a lovely evening and I'll be looking for more in this concert series.

A Must See Movie

Lars and the Real Girl is a film I'd meant to see since it was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar and yet I wasn't overly eager based on the simplistic descriptions I'd read. I had no idea. It is fantastic. This film and Juno are my favorite films of 2008.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Nancy Oliver, this is a perfectly cast film and Ryan Gosling probably should have won that Golden Globe he was nominated for. I love the heart in this film. To tell more is to reveal too much. Experience it for yourself and discover an amusing, heartwarming, touching film.

Spring Mix with Salmon

Simple Spicy Herbed Salmon

1 lb. salmon fillet
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
½ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put salmon in pan, skin side down. In a small bowl, mix all spices together. Sprinkle the salmon evenly with the spice mix, about 1-2 tsp. per pound of salmon. (The recipe for the spice mix will make 8-9 tsp.)

Cover the pan and salmon with foil and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 8-10 min. or until the flesh is opaque pink and flaky. Lift the fish away from the skin with a spatula.

-------------------------------------------------------------
For the salad I've been enjoying Dole Organic Spring Mix with Herbs
I also like to add in artichoke hearts and capers for a little zip.
Because I am leary of salad dressings I put mine in a small side dish and dip. For this salad I use Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Reading, Watching, Listening .... June in Review

What I Was Reading in June
Is it Done Yet? Teaching the Art of Revision by Barry Gilmore
Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
Tracks by Louise Erdrich
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park
The New Frontier Vlme. 2 by Darwyn Cooke
Gibson Girls and Suffragists by Catherine Gourley
Click by Linda Sue Park, Nick Hornby, and more.

I started reading Gilmore's book on writing at a time when our district was having English meetings and trying to talk about a scope and sequence for teaching grammar and writing. This book addresses how to teach students revision beginning with content: improving a thesis, revising introductions, improving organization, incorporating evidence, revising conclusions etc. That's just part of the book. Many of his ideas made a lot of sense. Sadly some of his student examples that were his "bad" examples were better than I think I could write. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but if my students were writing that well, I'd hardly be complaining. Gilmore teaches AP students and this is very much a college prep level book. I am dealing with students working at a much lower level, yet, I think I could still, should still be trying to use some of these approaches and maybe I'd start to see some improvement. I would just need to find appropriate models that wouldn't leave the students overwhelmed.

So, my assessment of this book is that it's worthwhile if you are truly wanting to revise your approach to writing and revision in the classroom. It's best if you teach high school and even better if you teach AP or honors or freshmen in college. It is a little pie in the sky in some ways, but in others it's just humbling and I realize I'm not doing enough to support my students in their efforts at revision

I love Jeeves and Wooster. If you are in need of a jolly diversion. Bertie Wooster is sure to provide it as he and his friends are forever getting themselves into some sort of fix, which leaves Jeeves to masterfully extract them. And he does, every time. The stories are funny and endearing. Wodehouse really hit the spot.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorites and one I've read many, many times. As I read The Double Bind, I doubt there was an allusion I missed, which added to the experience. I always enjoy books that reward the reader by using allusion to add to the layers of meaning. Recently, I've enjoyed the Jasper Fforde books that are overloaded with allusion but in a much more playful, comic way. This novel was of a different tone. For the first third of the book, I felt it moved slowly. I was intrigued by the photos left behind by Bobbie Crocker, a homeless man, known to Laura Estabrook through the shelter where she worked. Her search to uncover the mystery of the photos and connection to Bobbie and his past is what kept me hooked. The last third of the book had me hooked and I was unable to put it down. The ending was intriguing and made me wish I'd read this with my book club so we could discuss it.

For a few years now I've heard my friend Judy say of Tracks, "that's my favorite Erdrich book" and now I think I understand why. It was wonderfully written, poetic and haunting. She's a little Toni Morrison-eque, only of the Native American world. I've heard her read and met her briefly back on the Turtle Mountain Indian reservation where she has familial ties. Even that binds me to this amazing author a bit more. I loved, loved, loved The Master Butcher's Singing Club and now I am convinced I need to start working my way through the rest of her books. I like the families, the mystical, the heritage, and just the way the author strings words together. I would recommend this book. It does, however, have two voices telling the story and I know from book club experience that not everyone enjoys that. I will admit I preferred Nanapush's voice to Pauline's; yet, I didn't mind the shifting narrator.

I'd read the book Curious Incident of a Dog in Night Time by Haddon and enjoyed it. A Spot of Bother is nothing like that one. It's not that I didn't like this one, it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. I found it to be disturbing and even a bit depressing. Of course it was about a man's struggle with depression, so perhaps that makes sense. On the other hand, I love the cover art. Perhaps that is worth something?

I'd read A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park and enjoyed it. She writes historical fiction set in Korea for a juvenile audience. The Kite Fighters is a story about family, respect, determination, and kite fighting in Korea. I'd read The Kite Runner set in Afghanistan and didn't realize that this sport took place in so many different countries. I would recommend this for an elementary school student. For me, it read almost like a long short story, as I was able to read it in one sitting.

Gibson Girls and Suffragists is volume one in a set of encyclopedia like books aimed a younger reader. Yet, it was just right for me and my mood lately. Did you know that before 1915 American women did not shave their armpits? Just an interesting little tidbit I learned. I now want to read the rest of the series.

For the superhero lover the Darwyn Cooke graphic novels are a real treat. I enjoyed them.

I chose Click because I saw it advertised in relation to Linda Sue Park whose books I've enjoyed. At first I thought it was a collection of short stories by her and then I realized it is a collaborative novel by many of my favorite authors... 10 stories, all related via a photographer named George Keane and his family and his photos. It's a clever book and artfully done. And the proceeds go to Amnesty International. So not only did I enjoy reading it, but it was like donating to charity.

The book was particularly meaningful to me because I bought it the day I attended the memorial service for my Great Uncle, an amateur photographer who left his mark on many lives. And this story is about the legacy of a grandfather and photographer. It just seemed to good to pass up. I was not disappointed. It's aimed at a young reader crowd but it was a nice story for any age.

What I was Watching in June
On TV
The Bachelorette
Get Shorty

Since there is quite literally nothing on TV lately, I've been particularly happy about Monday nights and the Bachelorette. Of course I've blogged about that too.

TV on DVD
Friends Seasons 2, 4, 7
In my fit of organization earlier this month, my "friends" kept me company. It was flinging flanging great.

On DVD
No Reservations
Mad Money
10,000 BC
Justice League The New Frontier
Bee Movie
Grace is Gone
The Savages
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Persepolis

Of all these films only two were really worth the time. The Jesse James film was terrific, even though it was pretty long. I thought that Casey Affleck was really good and probably worthy of an Oscar for that performance. This was his year. First Gone, Baby, Gone and now this. He rocks. Persepolis was the other film. Sure it's animated but it's subject matter wasn't aimed at kids. I'd read the graphic novels and liked them and I was rather impressed with the way they transformed them into this film. It's a look at the life of Marjane Satrapi in Iran and Vienna from the 1970s to the 1990s. Oh, and it's in French.

Bee Movie was disappointing and not engaging. I thought The Justice League surpassed that one. It's the film version of the graphic novels I read by Darwyn Cooke.

Grace is Gone is a John Cusack film that was just too depressing for words. I love him, but it wasn't my favorite. The Savages was unfun as well. Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were good in it, but I didn't love the story or much about it.

No Reservations was better than Mad Money. Maybe I just liked romantic comedies better? I really couldn't recommend Mad Money to anyone. 10,000 BC seemed just like Apocalypto. The characters were interesting and the scenery cool, but I didn't really enjoy this one either.

In Theatres
Get Smart
What Happens in Vegas
Sex and the City

For folks who loved the TV show, I think Sex and the City served as one more final episode. It wasn't fantastic but it wasn't as bad as some suggested it would be. I wasn't crazy about how it turned out for Samantha and I was frustrated beyond belief by Miranda. Of course that was how I felt during most episodes too.

Get Smart was good fun. I loved the old TV program and I thought Steve Carell was a good Maxwell Smart. 99 wasn't quite how I expected her, but the film works well on its own, if not by comparison.

What Happens in Vegas was better than I expected. I saw it for my sister's birthday and it was probably something I'd have waited to rent. I might recommend that route, but it's worth a rent for sure. If you like the romantic comedy...


What I Was Listening to in June

Bringing it All Back Home by Bob Dylan
Rum, Sodomy, and The Lash by The Pogues

a random sampling from my MP3 player here are my posted shuffles:

June 1, 2008

You Don't Know What Love Is by The White Stripes
Dollar Dress by Waco Brothers
I Turned Out a Punk by Big Audio Dynamite
Hurts So Good by John Mellencamp
Shake Your Hips by The Rolling Stones


June 16

Single of Drop of Honey by Abigail Washburn
He Will Break Your Heart by The Righteous Brothers
I Only Want to Be With You by Dusty Springfield
In the Midnight by Langhorne Slim
What About Love by Toronto


June 26

Diggin' Me by Martin Sexton
Better Not Look Down by B.B. King
Hey Love by Stevie Wonder
Laugh, I Nearly Died by The Rolling Stones
The Animal Song by Savage Garden