FNCCC Week 10 - Claire Robinson

This week's featured chef is Claire Robinson who is the host of Food Network's 5 Ingredient Fix. This was a tasty recipe. Too much of lots of ingredients but it was good! While plating the meal I had to laugh at my completely orange meal....on an orange plate. So much for a rainbow meal :)

Blackened Catfish

Compound Butter: (we only used half of this)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives (we didn't have any so it didn't get included)

Catfish:
2 lemons, thinly sliced
Compound butter
4 (8-ounce) fresh skinless, boneless catfish fillets (we used grouper)

1/4 cup Creole seasoning (recommended: Tony Chachere's) - I even found this brand, but didn't use nearly as much as recommended.

Whole chives, for garnishing

Directions
In a bowl, add the butter, Creole spices, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Stir in the chopped chives and set aside. The butter can be made ahead and chilled; bring to room temperature before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Preheat a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Line the bottom of a 9 by 11-inch baking dish with the lemon slices and dollop half of the compound butter evenly over the lemon.

Evenly coat both sides of each fish fillet with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning. Working in batches if necessary, add the seasoned fillets to the hot skillet, and cook 2 minutes on each side to just toast and brown the seasoning. With a spatula, carefully place the seared fish on top of the buttered lemon slices in the baking dish. Bake until fish easily breaks apart with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately top each hot fillet with a spoonful of compound butter; transfer to heated serving plates and garnish with a few whole fresh chives crossed like an x over each fillet.

So what recipe did you tackle this week? Link your post to Mr. Linky below.

Tempt My Tummy - Grilled Eggplant

A few months back I was turned on to grilled asparagus and have not wanted it any other way. Last night we grilled asparagus, corn on the cob, and eggplant. The eggplant was an experiment but it was fantastic!! The best part is, it couldn't be more simple (unless you just ate it raw).

Recipe:

Slice eggplant in 1/4 inch slices (the thinner slices were better tasting)

olive oil

salt (I LOVE kosher salt for grilled veggies)

pepper

Drizzle oil over slices and top with salt and pepper. Grill until brown. Don't be scared to keep them on the grill until they are nice and dark brown. They look a little soggy at that point but they are delicious! Beware, you may never go back to cooking veggies any other way!

Enjoy! Go find more Tempt My Tummy recipes at Blessed With Grace!

I Finally Did It

I have been wanting short hair for some time now and finally just did it...Here is my before picture.And here is my after :) Ahhhhh, now the 90 degree October days don't seem so hot. It's shorter than I have ever had it and I like it. Though the real test comes tomorrow when I have to style it myself. We'll see! Have a wonderful weekend. Ours started tonight as our school district has off tomorrow. Gotta love those three day weekends - especially when you gain an extra hour! Don't forget to reset those clocks.

Bonus! Bonus! I found out this morning that I can put the front and sides up into a pony tail! This is huge for me - sometimes you need those "I don't want to do a thing with my hair" styles, and I can't stand hair in my face when I'm working out. Thinking about cutting your hair? DO IT! Woo Hoo - I'm free :)

Kid Friendly Friday - Bean Mosaic

Welcome to Kid Friendly Friday where were share anything that other parents might find interesting. Use a post that you did today or one from last year. Whatever. I look forward to seeing what you are up to!

We attended a local art festival last weekend where the kids made these bean mosaics. What a great idea. A handful of all different kinds of beans and you are set. Let older kids make their own patterns. Make a pattern that younger kids could fill in (of course, they could make their own as well). Be sure to use a paper plate or other sturdy backing. Let them sort the leftover beans - extra educational :)

So what did you do this week? Post your link in Mr. Linky below. Enjoy your weekend!

Kids in the Kitchen - Honey Milk Balls

Little Bit is at the point where she only wants to eat oyster crackers and hot dogs. SO, I broke out my baby food (and toddler food) bible - Super Baby Food, by Ruth Yaron. It has so many good toddler foods that I don't know why I forget to use it more often. For our Kids in the Kitchen post Mimi made Honey Milk Balls. Grind 1 cup of oatmeal in the blender until fine (Do I get Worst Mom of the Week award, for letting my 1 year old operate the blender? Look how much fun she is having ;)

Mix 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, and 3/4 cup powdered milk, along with the ground oats in a bowl. Stir.

Make into bite sized balls. They need no refrigeration.

And look! Little Bit is eating them. This is a success!

Go over to A Little Fun With Me and Lu to check out more Kids in the Kitchen posts!

FNCCC Assignment #10 - Clair Robinson

As much as I like Food Network, I have never seen her show (or heard of any of the chefs featured this month). "Claire Robinson combines her passions for food and television in 5 Ingredient Fix, a new Food Network series featuring delicious eclectic recipes made with five ingredients or fewer. " However, this sounds right up my alley so I'll be tuning in to see what I can find out. Five ingredients just can't be beat :) We'll be posting recipes from her on November 4, 2009.

Just FYI - the link to Claire's recipes might not be working - they have been having some glitches. Instead you may do a search useing a chef’s name in quotations, and make sure to switch the search box focus from “entire site” to “recipes”. Hope this works!

Wordless Wednesday - Parking Lot Pumpkins

My camera was doing some funky overexposure thing..... This is her grunchy face....

All of you that get to pick your pumpkins out of a field, be thankful. We get to roam around a parking lot....on a 90 degree day. Sign. Happy Wednesday! Check out more Wordless/Wordful Wednesday posts HERE , HERE or HERE.