Flounder with Orange Glaze

Flounder with Orange Glaze
Original Recipe

1 lb flounder fillets
flour, for dredging
salt and pepper, as desired
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp ginger*
1 Tbsp flour

Combine dredging flour (a cup or so, as needed) with salt and pepper in shallow dish. Dip the fillets into flour and coat well. Heat olive oil in a skillet until shimmering. Carefully place fillets into skillet and allow to brown (4-5 minutes). Flip and allow to brown again, until fully cooked through. Remove fillets from skillet and set aside.

Pour orange juice into skillet. Add ginger and flour, whisk to combine. Allow sauce to thicken, then pour over flounder fillets. Serve with rolls or rice.

My Notes:
So, I had bought a small thing of orange juice a while ago intending on making something with fish. Problem was, I couldn't find the recipe when I went back and looked. I knew I needed fish (I usually use tilapia, but they were out when I went shopping for it, so I got flounder instead), and orange juice. Possibly even dijon mustard, since I found a recipe also calling for mustard and we have an unopened bottle in the fridge. Can't remember if I bought it or not.

I honestly wasn't expecting much out of this, but it turned out pretty well. My fillets were falling apart by the time I sat down to eat, but it tasted really good. I ate it with dinner rolls, but it would be just as good over rice, especially to soak up all the yummy goodness.

Definitely a keeper. Though I might try to get a little fancier with it next time :)

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
Originally found at All Recipes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (I used 5 bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt, until well combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

My Notes:

Banana bread. My mom used to have a recipe that I loved, but apparently she switched to just pulling a recipe off the internet. I found this one, and it smells heavenly. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars
Originally found at Sugarlaws

1 cup butter, softened
12 sheets of graham crackers (one package), crumbled in a food processor
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Nutella

Mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners sugar, vanilla and peanut butter until blended and smooth. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and nutella, stirring frequently, until melted (30 sec intervals, shouldn't take more than 2 minutes). Spread over the prepared crust, and refrigerate for another hour, until firm. Cut into squares.

My Notes:
Why, yes, I am obsessed with chocolate and peanut butter. Thanks for noticing. I found this recipe on Sugarlaws and thought it sounded delightful. So, I bought a jar of nutella in preparation for making nutella samosas, and proceeded to make these tonight when I had a sweet tooth.

Little background. I first tried Nutella in high school. I had never heard of it before, and then for international day, the French Club sold nutella waffles. They were amazing, but after that I didn't pay much attention to Nutella simply because it was rather expensive compared to other things. And then I went to Italy. Apparently Nutella started there, and I got a little background from some older Italians about how it was a real treat way back when. And now, of course, it's commonplace on US shelves. And yes, it is kosher.

Anyway, I didn't put quite as much nutella in as the recipe called for, because I wanted to save some for bread or something. As such, there isn't a whole lot of nutella flavor in them, which is why the name is 'peanut butter bars' and not 'nutella and peanut butter bars'. But, if you really like Nutella, feel free to spread a layer on top. You can't go wrong, really.

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls
Modified from Emeril

2 tablespoon canola oil
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 pkg coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
Egg Roll Wrappers
Oil, for frying

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and toast sesame seeds. Add coleslaw mix and saute for 3 minutes. Pour soy sauce over and cook until boiling. Remove from heat and cool.

Lay the egg roll wrapper on a flat surface and lightly brush edges with water. Place a spoonful of the filling in the middle of each wrapper. Fold sides over, then roll up. Heat 3 inches of oil in a large, deep saucepan. When oil is hot (350 degrees), fry the egg rolls until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the fryer and drain on paper towels.

My Notes:
Not the best egg rolls I've had, but I'm trying to mix it up some. Can't tell you how many it makes, cause I could only find wonton wrappers at my store, so I made a bunch of mini egg rolls. They're decent, though, and matched up with some stir fry and rice are good.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Originally found at Food Network

1 package chopped frozen spinach
1 can chopped artichoke hearts
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Boil spinach and artichokes in 1 cup of water until tender and drain. Discard liquid. Heat cream cheese in microwave for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in rest of ingredients and serve hot.

My Notes:
One of my friends made this for the talent show that we had last month, and I've used a friend's party as an excuse to make it. That, and I had a block of frozen spinach in the freezer and no idea what to do with it. I threw it in the crockpot, and proceeded to leave it at home when I went to the party. Oops.

It was still good afterwards, though perhaps less volume, and I'm bringing it to a superbowl party later today instead. It'll still be good and we'll have food there. It's great, with just the right amount of spice and ingredients that I can actually fathom eating in the dip (my mom's recipe calls for hot sauce, which I never use in anything else, so I never care to buy a bottle just for the dip).