I felt it would be a fun challenge to take while knocking out one of my "to do's" by just ramming right on through without a lot of forethought or care. It ended up being stressful, but it is done.
I also knew I would have time today while the laundry is spinning to work on the post from Friday that I never was able to get back to.
Oh wait...I almost forgot!!!
Those of you who have been around awhile know that I got snails for my pond when we moved into the new house.
Ninja snails that hide and reproduce!
I have seen a bunch of the little babies but haven't come across an adult until today!!!
I hate to tell you this...but that is the PHOTO of the DAY!
Ahhhh I had to come back and edit here!!!
I am still keeping up with my joy challenge! Today's project was to take a picture that you love that has been loaded to Facebook and print it to cherish it more in your daily life.
Well the picture I found was not one I could share!!
Tho, if you are my fb friend I will post it to my wall so you can enjoy it.
So, I took a picture of me printing the picture!!
Well, technically that is my printer printing the picture.
Now on to prettier things!
You know I reference my "cooking buddy" often around here when it comes to food!
Well, last Friday I got to go to her house for a photo shoot and lunch!!!
When Janice says "Come on over and I will fix you lunch!", there is to be no hesitation on your part whatsoever!! You just ask when and start hoping it isn't next week so you don't have to wait that long for her yummy cooking!!
She specifically asked me to bring my camera, and set about to make it a fun growing photography time for me!
Can I just tell you that was so way past excellent fun!
She knows I am growing my skills and was very patient with me as I changed settings and adjusted and felt completely incompetent, except when I was feeling totally competent!!!
A big part of the fun was getting to shoot photos while she was cooking!
The only other time I get to do that is when I have a sous chef in my kitchen who is trying to follow my directions to the best of his little 10 year old abilities while I am trying to shoot and not mess up the recipe in the meantime!! It can be stressful and frustrating.
A cook knows what another cook is gonna do, which made taking the photos just really, well...fun!!
She set about to cook our Meyer lemon sauteed Swai fish!
Here are some things she told me along the way.
First, melt 1T butter and 1T oil in a pan and get it nice and hot.
Meanwhile grate half the zest of a lemon, orange or lime onto the fish.
Gently lay the fish in the hot pan and season with salt and pepper.
Cook on first side until browned, shaking the pan to be sure it doesn’t stick! What a great tip!
Okay, so this fish is in the pan cooking away!
While the first side cooks take the time to grate the rest of the zest on the side facing up and still needing it.
I can't get the wording on that right enough to make sense...
just...make it look like this!
Janice also added some fresh lemon thyme at this point too!
Okay, now when that first side is browned, gently give the fish a flip!
Just before the fish is almost done, squeeze the juice from your citrus fruit on the fish.
It will have just long enough on there to caramelize and give some extra yum factor to this fish!!
I don't think she said Yum factor...that was me speaking there.
Hey, I tasted it...I would know!!
This whole process shouldn't take more that 6-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.
She served our lovely fish with a gorgeous all green salad and yummy sweet potatoes!
Oh and BREAD! Delicious homemade wheat bread with unbelievable French olive oil for dipping! That stuff was sweet and creamy and dreamy!!
I almost licked my bowl.
The lemon came off of this tree off of the back deck...just steps away from the thyme!
Ahhh, yes. Here is a picture of the thyme!
She took the time to put it in a cute container...knowing I would seek to photograph it!!!
This onion caught my eye and almost made me miss the lemon squeezing part of the preparation. See how the dots on the squash are the same color as the onion.
They were meant to be together.
If you have any interest at all in cooking...you should have a cooking buddy!
Someone who knows their stuff!
If that person can be someone who is like a sister and lifts your spirits almost daily...well then I think probably God was involved in making sure you got together!
Thank you my sister/friend cooking buddy Janice for our fish tutorial, a fabulous onion, and a healthy yummy meal!!!
You are beautiful lady, inside and out!
