Buttery Whitefish Baked In a Bag

Here's a buttery, lemony baked white fish recipe that only takes a few minutes and tastes great. Use any white fish you have - haddock, orange roughy, whatever. If you have some small brown paper lunch bags on hand, perfect--if not, cut up a large brown paper grocery bag.

Preheat the oven to 350. For each person, use 2 fillets, of about equal size/thickness. Cut the bag so it's one flat piece, lay it on a baking sheet with an edge, and brush the bag with just enough vegetable oil to coat. If you've thawed the fish, drain it first on paper toweling so its not waterlogged and wet. Lay one fillet on the paper, and sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice, depending on fillet size. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder and paprika. Top with 2-4 thin slices of cold butter. If limiting fat, you can use Smart Beat or a similar butter-substitute product and smear it on. Lay the next fillet crosswise over it and repeat the steps.

Slice a lemon into 6-8 slices, and cover the fish pile, pinning the lemon slices with toothpicks. Pull the edges of the bag closed, folding them under to make a loose package- it does not need to be airtight. Place package on baking sheet in the oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the fish.

We had this tonight with blueberry cole slaw, and thought it had lots of buttery. lemony flavor.

Uglies- Delightfully Gooey Chocolate / Cream Cheese Treats!

Every  amazing day on the ocean aboard  the Schooner Heritage, just about mid afternoon, around comes someone from the galley with a fabulous sweet treat, baked from scratch, still warm from the galley woodstove.  Some days it's blondies, or cashew cookies, or 7-layer bars.... it changes from week to week and year to year, but  it's tradition to  have Uglies once. 
Despite vowing at lunchtime that we are so stuffed we will never be able to eat again, our willpower is weak when faced with such treats. These Uglies may look like your average black-bottom cupcakes but they are in fact gooey-er and richer and cream-cheesier.  This recipe makes about 18 muffin-sized treats. There should be about equal amounts of both batters in your cupcake papers.   You can skip the papers of course but they are a tad gooey to  eat without them.     Maybe it's because they are not being enjoyed on the ocean in the sunshine off  the Maine coast as we sail,  but they seem only 85% as good when I make them at home. You owe it to yourself to sail on the Heritage anyway, and then you too will get to enjoy them alfresco!   http://www.schoonerheritage.com/  

Combine 1 1/2 c flour, 1 c sugar, 1/4 c cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda. Then add 1 c water, 1/3 c veg oil, 1 TB vinegar and 1 TB vanilla. In a separate bowl mix 8 oz room-temperature cream cheese ( not the tub variety) with 1/ c sugar, 2 eggs, and 12 oz semi-sweet  chocolate chips. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease your cupcake pans or use cupcake papers. Fill about halfway with the chocolate batter, then top with the cream cheese mixture. If you happen to have a little more cream cheese mixture left, just pop it into a cupcake paper by itself.  Bake about 30-35 minutes. Centers may slump and may not seem quite done.   If you make mini's   or use mini chips  in either size, reduce the amount  of chips to 1/2 cup.  There will be plenty.     For a  mocha spin on uglies,  just replace the water with strong coffee.       

 

 

Terrace Portabellas

A tasty appetizer, or a nice ' little warm thing' to serve  for lunch with a salad. Use what you have on hand- feta instead of blue cheese; some cooked spinach; let your imagination and your refrigerator leftovers be your guide.

For 3 or 4 average-size portabella mushroom caps: gently cook the caps in a skillet in butter for just a few m inutes to soften the ( backs ) tops slightly, after scooping most of the gills out and removing the stems. Soften 8 oz cream cheese, add 3-4 TB blue cheese crumbles, and a TB or two of cheddar cheese. Spoon into the caps, and gently press to cover the surface. If you think of it ahead of time, marinate some cherry tomatoes, halved, in some salad dressing: Italian, caesar, whatever. Today I used a bottled red-wine vinaigrette. Drain the tomatoes, place on top of the cheese mixture, and bake in a preheated 450 oven for about 10 minutes, and check to see if it's starting to bubble. I usually get impatient about this time and start the broiler- if you do that, keep an eye on them. When they start to brown just a bit and the centers look hot, add some chopped avocado , and a pinch of shredded cheddar cheese for color, and broil again for 1-2 minutes.

Steak & Asparagus Stir-Fry

This is possibly the richest, most flavorful stir fry ever, with the least labor involved.  About 20 years ago Bon Appetit Magazine's "Too Busy To Cook?"  recipe collection featured  this treat.

Stir- frys are by definition quick to make -----IF you aren't chopping ingredients forever.  Nice to be able to skip that.This goes together in a flash. Have your rice cooked before you begin. If you are low-carbing, just skip the rice. I love the glossy, flavorful  brown sauce.

In a small dish combine 1/2 c water, 3 TB soy sauce, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 3 TB cornstarch, blend well with a small whisk or fork.   Cut 1 lb of fairly thin ( regular thickness) steak .Top round works great- in 2" slices. Easiest to do if it is partly frozen when you slice it. In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 TB vegetable oil til hot. Then, add the steak, stir once or twice, then add in 1 lb asparagus spears cut on the diagonal in 2" pieces. (cut or break off the woody ends of the stems first), 1 drained can of sliced water chestnuts, and 1/2 c. sliced green onions. Stir for about  4-6 minutes, just until steak loses its' pinkness.   Then add the sauce and stir for 3-4 minutes more, until thickened and shiny.  Serve immediately over rice. YUM! It should serve 4 people, but........ maybe not!! It's addictive.