Lemon Tilapia

I'm behind again on posts--it's the snow. It causes sluggishness, apparently. So, a bourbon-baked ham post will soon follow this one. But this one is just easier to relay.

Because we ate some heavy food this weekend, I was ready for something a little light. I originally made a trip to the grocery store for a bag of mussels but ended up coming away with about 1.5 pounds of tilapia since mussels were unavailable (I'll have to make a mussels post next time they're in stock). The great thing about fish is that, if you choose something like tilapia, which is just a mild, white fish, you can buy a lot for a little and end up with a very full stomach. I've never been big on covering fish with a lot of spices, so I just sprinkled the tilapia with some salt and pepper, melted butter over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, and placed the tilapia in the skillet. Tilapia takes little time to cook--it should take about 3-4 minutes per side. You can tell the fish is done if the fish easily flakes with a fork. I sprinkled some minced garlic and lemon zest on the fish at the last minute to give a little more flavor and served with lemon wedges.

Sides included a crusty wheat bread and a salad of romaine lettuce, chopped pecans, thinly sliced red onion, bleu cheese crumbles, and a red wine vinaigrette. 

Our house over the weekend was chock-a-bock full of sweets, which is never a good thing. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but because I was raised in the South, it's like an abomination if you don't finish EVERYTHING on your plate or within your sight. Oreos, homemade cookies from the husband's mom, and an amazing orange/lemon cake the husband ordered for me from a local bakery danced around us and tempted us for about 48 hours. So, tonight, our sweet tooth had to "settle" for some fruit. I found this quick little recipe for a Radiance Fruit Salad on Food Network's website. Because I am a HUGE fan of key lime pie (and anything citrus for that matter), the dressing for this hit the spot, almost like a liquid key lime pie. I thought the cantaloupe got lost against the lime-honey dressing and couldn't quite stand up to it. Our grocery store didn't have any kiwi in stock (probably because it's been in the 30s and snowing), but that would have worked well. I think, if you want to try this, your best bet is a mixture of berries. 

Okay, I lied about the ham post--we have very important things to do now. It's called the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. We're beagle owners--we may be a little biased.