This one is for Leja...

Greetings, everyone. I have missed you and my little blog so much…

Still thanking Heaven above that I’m able to come back to you all after a car crash on January 10^th in the Westmoorings area close to Superpharm. Another car broke a red light and “t-boned” my fiancé and me, which sent us both to hospital. I suffered a tailbone injury. My boy (who took most of the impact) suffered fractured ribs. Thank God our seatbelts were on.

So, our old cream Corolla is no more and we are still dealing with the aftermath, but we are alive. It’s a hell of a way to get into 2011, but when I think of what could have happened with a different roll of the dice. We were both truly blessed and fortunate. Our friends, co-workers, family and even the strangers who witnessed the crash really threw a net of prayer and support around us, and we were all the better because of it.

Since I can’t do my usual in the kitchen, my neighbour Veronica (God bless her) has been bringing over some of her own tasty home cooked meals for us, both in the hospital and at home, and I can’t thank her enough for feeding us.  Even my daughter stepped up to the stove and cooked... yup, she did. I think you’ll agree that she deserves a “big up” on this blog post.

*grins like a Cheshire cat*

So today, I will be sharing her method for the Breaded Fish Fillets she made, which was served with some mashed potatoes, pigeon peas and a little lettuce. 

This was Leja's plate.

Sadly, there aren’t any step by step pics; but the photos you see here are hers. I’m truly proud of her and I know she will carry on the family traditions with pride, hahaaa!

So, here’s how she made the fish.

She thawed a good sized pack of white fish fillets that you’ll find in any grocery. They were put into a flat dish and the juice of half a lime was squeezed in along with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters.

A stalk of chive and two green pimento peppers were cut up and added, then she put in ½ a packet of Maggi fish seasoning, a shake of ginger powder and a spoonful of our homemade green seasoning (but you can use store bought green seasoning; it works just as well).

Everything was mixed and left to marinate for 15 minutes while she made a simple coating in the meantime:

• ¼ cup fine cornmeal
• ¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• ½ to 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning powder
• Pinch of dried parsley
• Pinch of dried thyme
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

She shook everything together in a little plastic container, and then spread out the contents into a square dish.

How she coated the fish was not how I usually do it (think Shake n’ Bake) but she’s such a neat freak, she had to get out the tongs, lol! She picked up a slice of fish, dipped it into the coating to cover one side, then flipped it to cover the other side. Then each slice was lovingly placed into a waiting foil lined baking dish that was sprayed with cooking spray, before entering a waiting 350°F oven and being baked for 25 minutes.

The Baked Fish

The Mashed Potatoes...

Shredded lettuce; no dressing.

Delicious!

We ate that fish for days; she had made enough to last us a while, and all we had to do was just heat the pieces up to eat with bread or whatever was left of the main meal. Again, it’s an easy recipe to try, and you can even vary the seasonings and add a little salt – the Maggi seasoning had enough for our taste. I’m so proud of her and glad that she wants to cook with me in the future… this will make for some interesting posts to come! (Love you Leja! :-D)

So, I am going to take my meds and relax… the healing process cannot be hurried, unfortunately. Rest assured that we are going to get through this one, and I ask that you all take care of yourselves and continue to be safe. Seatbelts do save lives.

And like I always say, don’t forget to mind de pot!