Broiled Striped Bass

Dennis came home from an after-work fishing trip with this bad boy back in December 2008. He cleaned it himself and gave me the meat to do with as I pleased! I decided to cook and eat it (as opposed to what, I don't know). Unfortunately, this was one of those times when I had already eaten right before he brought me/cooked me some food and I ate a few bites and said "I'm full!" If you would like to hear more of those stories, just ask Dennis... I'm sure he's dying to relate them.

So Dennis took care of the hard part and I did the easy part. Cooking fish (certain types of fish, I want to say white fish but I don't know enough about fish to confidently say it) can be really simple, quick, and easy to clean up. When I was in college my dad told me how to cook fish and it's so easy I still remember it. Here's what you need.

Ingredients

Olive oil, salt, & pepper (all amounts to taste)

Lemon wedge, if preferred

Yep! That's it. Oh and fish.

This can get a little messy so I like to use aluminum foil to keep it all contained. Make a little tray out of foil and put it on a cookie sheet. I use a cookie sheet with sides just in case the oil gets out. Lay the fish down in the foil tray and drizzle the oil over it, then salt & pepper it. Flip it over and repeat. Then turn the broiler on and put the cookie sheet on the top tray closest to the broiler. Leave it in for about 7 minutes, then take it out and flip the fish again. Wait another 7 minutes then check on it. At this point, the fish should be "flaky," meaning that if you jab it with a fork, the pieces flake off easily.

If you like tartar sauce or anything like that with your fish, you can try it out, but I just add more salt & pepper if needed. I usually pair fish with steamed broccoli & squirt the lemon wedge over both. Fantastic!

Chicken Teriyaki, Yellow Rice, & Cheesy Broccoli

This meal was made back in March after Dennis & I first started dating. We were so proud we sent pictures to his mom, which is the only reason I have such an old meal documented.

It was really simple to make. I think the hardest part is probably timing everything.

The chicken (from what I remember, this was March 2008!) is just a chicken breast, basted with Ken's Steak House Teriyaki sauce. We have some KSH Honey Teriyaki sauce in the fridge right now, so I'm not sure whether we used that or plain teriyaki sauce, but I'm sure either one works.

The rice is also easy enough - yellow rice called "Vigo." We are partial to Success Rice, the boil-in-a-bag kind, so making rice the regular way is annoying now because it always seems to stick to the bottom of the pot. Someday I will find a way to fix this, but not today! The yellow rice packet suggests adding a chicken bullion cube to the boiling water for flavor, which we do, and it makes it very flavorful indeed.

The cheesy broccoli comes from Dennis' mom's recipe. I usually throw some broccoli in a pot with a half-inch of water, put the lid on, and then just check on it occasionally. When it starts to look really bright green, I take a little piece out and taste it. When it has the right consistency, I take it out. I should probably start timing this process, but that would take out the spontaneity factor!!

The cheesy sauce is made of Velveeta, butter, flour, & milk.

1 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

Mix ingredients, warm in a pot on the stove, and then add the cheese. I asked Dennis, "How much cheese?" & he said, "As much as it takes..." So basically, to your own taste. Just stir continuously & add slices of cheese slowly until it reaches the consistency that you like.

Voila! Again, the timing can be difficult but it helps if you have an extra pair of hands in the kitchen. I have to thank Dennis for this one as it was his idea & we have had it many times since.