What really takes time is the plumbing.  Every spraybar and drain takes numerous elbows, t-pieces, pipe, clamps and valves.  We've painted the solids filter and drain with a waterproof (fish-friendly) paint and it all looks nice and neat.  Here's a shot of the painted solids filter.

The strawberry towers (all 110 of them) also need to be hung and plumbed with 20mm pipe and one valve per row (ie. 3 towers). Here's the growing forest.

I also did some pressure tests on the fish pond drains and unfortunately the press-on joins didn't hold up very well. I haven't worked out what kind of pressure in bars 4 x tanks of 46000L through a 80mm pipe exerts, but clearly more than a PVC press-on join can handle. So everything had to be dug up again and the joints replaced with proper glue-on PVC joiners, which tested fine.

The two pumps arrive next week. We will be running the whole system on 1 x 750W pool pump and because we are totally reliant on wind and solar power, we will switch over to a smaller 200W pump to keep the plants irrigated at night. The blowers will run 24/7 which hopefully will be sufficient aeration for the fish.

The 9m mast for the wind turbine is almost ready, so this week we placed the re-inforcing foot in position and concreted it in. The hole is 1m x 1m and 1m deep, so the mast should be able to hold up to any wind. Here's what it looks like in the hole before the concrete was poured.

We've had a lot of little mice and shrews that have fallen into the pool (aka sump) and they provide a nice midday snack (wink).

Oh well enough for now. I'll try and post more regularly. Promise.

Synaptoman

28 de SETEMBRO, 15h - Heim? Onde? Acordei com uma ressaca acompanhada de uma fome montra. O resto da festa nem existia mais, senão teria detonado as brusquetas já fossilizadas... O jeito foi correr para o shopping. E me arrependi de não ter ido direto ao Quanto Prima. Os crustáceos me seduziram e eu terminei escolhendo um prato no Camarão e Cia. Como na maioria dos self-services prato-pronto, você escolhe a "carne" e acrescenta o resto (1 ou 2 opções). No caso do meu, um filé de tilápia ao molho de mostarda. Na carta diz que você pode escolher um risoto ou dois acompanhamentos. Preferi o risoto que, para minha surpresa, não poderia ser dos "principais". Eu teria que me contentar com um ao pomodoro, de queijo e outro basicão que não me recordo agora. Fiquei muito frustrado, principalmente depois que o prato chegou, completamente monocromático. O arroz (escolhi o de queijo) estava longe de ter o sabor e consistência de um risoto. Sorte que o peixe estava bem interessante e a fome deu o tempero que faltava. Repare mesmo a foto acima.

Selama 5 hari, penulis berkempatan menjadi salah satu narasumber training Agroforestry di Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. Training yang diorganisir oleh Regional Network for Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia (RNIP) diikuti peserta Indonesia dan Malaysia. Salah satu kunjungan dilakukan ke Suai, melihat kegiatan wanamina yang sedang dicobakan oleh seorang petani lokal, suku Dayak Iban.

Perjalanan hampir 2 jam menuju Suai tidak terasa melelahkan karena mulus dan licinnya jalan. Ini membuktikan rapinya infrastruktur Miri. Kiri kanan jalan rapi. Tidak terlihat buangan kertas atau sampah lainnya. Pemandangan yang cukup menarik di sepanjang jalan membuat mata terasa teduh. Di sepanjang jalan tidak banyak ditemui rumah penduduk, apalagi kampung. Tidaklah mengherankan karena penduduk Sarawak saja jumlahnya tidak banyak: sekitar 200 ribu.Beberapa kali masih terlihat rumah-rumah panjang khas Dayak. Uniknya, beberapa rumah panjang telah disulap menjadi lebih modern. Dibuat permanen dan tidak lagi bertangga tinggi, tapi masih tetap panjang dan memiliki banyak pintu sesuai dengan jumlah keluarga yang menghuni.

Yang menarik, kami sempat melewati jalan menuju Taman Negara Niah. Taman Negara sama artinya dengan Taman Nasional. Dari jauh, bisa terlihat deretan bukit tinggi batu kapur membentang. Seorang teman Malaysia mengatakan Niah terkenal karena di dalamnya terlindungi peninggalan Dayak Iban berupa lukisan timbul di dinding gua. Lukisan ini menggambarkan manusia dengan segala aktivitasnya, misal seorang ibu yang sedang menyusui anak. Sayang karena waktu yang terbatas, kami tidak punya waktu menjenguk kebanggaan Miri tersebut.

Semakin jauh mendekati Suai, tepi hutan sepanjang jalan semakin banyak dilalui. Hutan-hutan masih terlihat lebat. Sesekali rombongan juga melewati kebun-kebun campuran buah dan sayur. Ada pula deretan kebun sawit yang tidak terlalu panjang, diselingi tanaman pisang.

Sesudah menempuh perjalanan hampir 2 jam dari pusat kota Miri ke arah Bintulu, tibalah rombongan di Suai. Keluarga besar Timboo sudah menanti di rumah modern permanen mereka. Hal pertama yang dilakukan: makan. Rombongan berjumlah lebih dari 20 orang ini memang terlihat lapar mengingat waktu sampai sudah menjelang pukul 2. Makan siang cukup istimewa. Tuan rumah menyajikan tilapia (nila) yang terlebih dahulu di-lulun (dikukus). Masakan tradisional ini dibuat dengan memasukkan potongan-potongan ikan ke dalam buluh (bambu). Air, garam dan bumbu lain ditambah untuk membuat rasa ikan lebih lezat. Para peserta sempat merubung melihat bambu berisi nila kukus matang. ”Ikan ini jika sudah matang dan airnya dibuang bisa bertahan sampai 2-3 hari,” kata Timboo, sang kepala keluarga. Dari sini mengalirlah cerita usaha kolam tilapia Timboo yang telah dilakukan 4 tahun terakhir.

Timboo, kepala rumah panjang Suai, memulai usaha kolam ikan nila menggunakan bibit yang diberikan secara gratis oleh kerajaan, istilah Malaysia untuk pemerintah. Air ke kolam, yang sekarang berjumlah enam buah, diambil dari Sungai Suai dan disalurkan melalui pipa. Jadilah kolam milik bapak asal Sri Aman ini selalu mendapat suplai air segar penyedia oksigen. Hasilnya, daging nilai Timboo terkenal lebih segar dan manis.

Saat pertama panen, bertahun lalu, hampir tidak ada yang mau membeli nila hasil budidaya bapak berusia 61 tahun. Timboo sempat berjalan kaki menjual ikan. Supaya masyarakat sekitar tahu kelezatan tilapia-nya, tanpa ragu-ragu ia menawarkan orang-orang untuk mencicipi. Dengan cara inilah mereka bisa tahu kelebihan nila Timboo. Beritapun cepat tersebar dari mulut ke mulut: Timboo memiliki nila yang lezat. Jadilah budidaya nila menjadi pilihan utama penyangga hidup Timboo sekeluarga.

Sekarang, Timboo tidak perlu lagi keluar rumah menjajakan nila. Pembelilah yang datang. Talipia merah dan hitam dijual 10 ringgit per kg. Paling tidak dalam sebulan, lelaki yang memiliki penghasilan lain dari berkebun ini bisa menjual 280 kg tilapia. Bagi Timboo, pendapatan ini sudah memadai. Paling tidak ia bisa mendirikan satu rumah permanen bertingkat dua bagi keluarganya.

Meski nila Timboo sudah cukup terkenal, ia tetap menjalankan prinsip menyediakan untuk sekitar. Artinya, ia mengutamakan menjual nilai kepada para tetangga dan anggota rumah panjang yang sekarang tidak dihuninya lagi. Jika ada yang datang dari jauh dan sengaja mampir membeli, Timboo tidak akan menolak, asal jumlah yang dibeli dianggap wajar. Namun, pria yang secara rutin masih mendatangi rumah panjangnya ini, akan menolak jika ada pihak yang ingin memborong habis nilanya. Timboo menolak order khusus sebuah restoran terkenal di Miri yang ingin mendapatkan ratusan kg tilapia per bulan. ”Kasian yang lain tak dapat nanti,” jelas Timboo.

Demikianlah kisah Timboo, seorang Dayak Iban Sarawak yang berusaha sebagai penyedia protein bagi komunitas sekitar.

Tortilla encrusted tilapia

Spanish Rice

Fresh Sauteed Spinach

I just read a posting by Thomas Repas on another blog that brings up a really good point. Most of the extra omega -6 fats we get come from fast food and junk food – foods that are not healthy anyway. Even if tilapia does have higher levels of omega-6 than other fish, it is still a good low fat source of protein and a generally healthy food.

I think this gives a good perspective. When equal size servings are compared, tilapia has the same saturated fat content as skinless, roasted chicken breast and 33% of the saturated fat found in lean (95%) broiled hamburger.

While I still prefer to eat the fish with higher levels of omega-3 fats (salmon, sardines, herring and chunk light tuna), and I buy wild fish when possible, there is room at the table for tilapia too.

I think one good thing that could come out of all the talk about farmed tilapia is better feed. When we eat animals, we take on the health benefits or risks of what they eat. It will be good to see farmed fish (as well as other animals) raised in ways that are earth and human friendly (and of course humane!)

In the meantime, I agree with Thomas Repas that it is more important to limit junk food, snack food, and fast food than it is to limit healthy foods like fish.

Vegetable oils are a big source of omega-6 fats: corn, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower and soy bean oils. If you start looking at labels, you’ll find that many processed foods contain these.

There is not full agreement in scientific circles about how important it is to reduce omega-6 fats. Some experts think it is enough to increase intake of omega-3. I agree with those who think it makes sense to pay attention. Either way, it is healthy to focus on whole foods and limit fast foods and processed foods.

Find more nutrition information and my monthly newsletter on my website:  http://healthyhabitscoach.com .

Eat well!

 
Here's what's up for this week:

Monday- leftover lasagna

Tuesday- Black Bean Croquettes & Salsa & Cheese Quesadillas

Wednesday- Thai-Style Chicken Fried Rice

Thursday- leftover fried rice

Friday- Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, Cous Cous & Salad

Saturday- Chicken Tikka, Tomato & Cucumber Cous Cous & Naan

Sunday- leftover chicken

Check out more menus here.

I clearly remember the first time I had "fish" when I moved to New York.  It was grilled Mako Shark, with a butter filled with herbs drizzled over it.  It was fantastic.  I ate every morsel, and, if I had not been in a restaurant, I might have licked the plate ;) At different restaurants, over the years, I tried salmon, haddock, fresh tuna, halibut, fresh shrimp, and on and on.

But I was almost afraid to try and cook fish myself.  It was one thing to eat it out at a restaurant, where it was prepared properly, and tasted like it was supposed to, it was another thing to do it myself -- I didn't really know where to start.  I first fried it, thinking I couldn't mess that up too much -- and I bought a piece of some fish the fish monger at my local market recommended to me. But this piece of fish was in the class I call  "mushy" fish.  Mushy fish is fish that is too soft for me -- it's like really wet bread, with a fish flavor to it, and, makes me gag.

I stuck with the basic "meaty" fish for a long time -- salmon, shark, tuna, halibut, etc.  But I started to experiment with different fish, and different seafood a few years back, and have enjoyed it immensely.

I discovered what kinds of fish I really do like -- and they all, for the most part, tend to be "meaty", as I mentioned above.  But some, like the local version of tilapia that I get, is delicately flavored, yet still has a firm texture to it, which I can handle quite well. Once I felt that I could actually cook fish, I started to try different recipes and different types of fish and seafood. It's been a fun adventure, and one I look forward to learning more about as time goes on.

The following recipe for baked tilapia was given to me by Mark, a friend of mine who thinks fish should be served 5x a week.. minimum.  This is one of his favorite ways to eat it.  The tilapia can be substituted with your favorite type of fish.

The relish recipe isn't really a relish, but more like one of my favorite meals ;)  It's really great served on the tilapia, though, and so is included here as well.

Enjoy!

Baked Tilapia

6 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 375F.

Rinse and pat dry the tilapia.

Mix the oil with the garlic powder, pepper, basil and salt, and brush both sides of the fish.  Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet (or use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper).

Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the fish is flaky and done.

Tomato and Avocado Relish

3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 avocados, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 tablespoon oil, preferably olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Prep the tomatoes and avocados.  Place the tomato and avocado into a medium bowl, adding the oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix together well.

Serve the relish over the fish.

I managed to get to the Copley Farmer's Market today after work. I made a beeline for the vendor I knew had big bunches of basil last time (all the way to the left of the booths set up facing Boylston Street, if you're in the area - didn't catch their name). Sadly, their basil was rather unhappy looking. It wasn't terrible, but I could get better looking basil (though less of it) at the supermarket. They did, however have a few nice bunches of dill left, as well as shallots.

I could get dill at the supermarket, too, but I'm sure this is fresher and I think it's a bigger bunch for the same amount of money. I grabbed a bunch of dill and a small shallot. (Weirdly enough, shallots are hard to find at Shaw's.) I have no idea what shallots taste like, but I've been wanting to try out Greg's pan-seared tilapia with shallots and bacon recipe, so I needed a shallot. (The only thing is, Greg's recipe calls for 4 shallots - I'm assuming one per tilapia fillet, meaning one per serving - but I don't know what size an average shallot is.)

On a whim, I decided to wander up to Haymarket to see if the market there was still open. (As I was reminded today, Haymarket isn't an actual farmer's market, it's just vendors trying to get rid of extra produce.) I thought they closed at 6pm, but most of the vendors still had a lot of stuff out, so I did a lap around to check it out. A surprising number of vendors had dill (when I was there last, only one person had some, and after my lap around to check things out, I couldn't find that vendor again - I'd gone at closing time then, too, so they'd probably packed up). A lot also had fresh cilantro and parsley, which wasn't exactly surprising, but more vendors had it than I remembered. One also had nice bunches of mint, so for $1.50, one came home with me:

I do have peppermint in my garden (the chocolate mint died awhile back), but while it's grown quite a bit, the leaves are still tiny and the newer shoots seem to have a magenta-ish/brown tint to them, which concerns me. I've never had mint in the garden before, so I don't know if this is normal (other parts of the plant don't have this tint, which is what confuses me), and it's making me a bit reluctant to use the peppermint for cooking purposes.

In addition to the mint, I managed to pick up five and a half pounds of red potatoes for either $1 or $2 (can't remember what the guy said, but he basically gave me all he had left - the sign said 2lb for $1, so either way, I still got more than I should have by that pricing). I also noticed on my return lap that someone was selling pomegranates. I'm not sure how big they're supposed to be, but I thought they were bigger - these are about the size of a small apple. So in my mind they're baby pomegranates. I hadn't seen them around before, so I bought 3 for $2. I was quite pleased with this find, though on my way out of the market, I saw a vendor with 2 for $1 that looked slightly happier than mine (two other vendors had them as 3 for $2 also, so I didn't feel too shafted). I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them, but I seem to have an unexplained interest in them lately, so I'm sure I'll find something. (I've got to have at least one bookmarked recipe that calls for an actual pomegranate rather than just the juice.) Long ago, I also bookmarked an incredibly useful page detailing how to properly deal with pomegranates - I'm excited I'll finally get to use it.

Methinks this all means that there will be some form of salmon in my weekend meal planning (because of the fresh dill) and some garlic mashed red potatoes (because I have a ridiculous amount of red potatoes now, in addition to the obscene amount of garlic I bought last weekend at Haymarket).

There will also be some more herb ice cube making (which is why I bought the dill and mint in the first place - figured I could freeze it). I want to attempt freezing some of the leaves from my lavender plant as well, and harvest a bit more from my happy rosemary plant. (More on my adventures in freezing herbs later.) I'm not sure how the lavender will fare, but I imagine if I can freeze other stuff, I should be able to freeze that as well. So, in addition to trying to catch up on some previous experiments/product reviews, I should have some new experiments to share next week.

Whoohoo! Look at the new beautiful badge to go with Fridays Fave 5. Tia created it for Susanne...

1. One of my favorites this week is listening to Chris Tomlin's new Cd called Hello Love. You can see the Cd and words to one of the songs here.

2. One of my favorite meals this week was this Mediterannean Tilapia. Recipe is here.

3. Hearing about cousin get-togethers that are planned for October this year. Two of my nieces from Dear's side of the family are flying from New York and Los Angeles to spend time with my kids for a cousin reunion in Seattle. Then the 2nd week in October two of my nieces on my side of the family are flying from Los Angeles to Seattle for an Anne of Green Gables Weekend with my girls in Washington. How wonderful is that? It makes my heart glad...

4. Eating breakfast at Allison's on Saturday after our early morning walk on the beach. Look at the size of those freshly made biscuits! My favorite here is the Mexican Omelette with hot chiles, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese. Served with a side of quacamole and beans. Hee, hee, I cut down on calories by ordering the fruit instead of the potatoes. :0) Dear orders the Green Chile Omelette. It comes with a whole green chile on the top and filled with more.

5. Here's one of my favorite photos from this week. This is from a walk down Main St. in Ventura, California.

So is it just Dear and I or are those door handles taken off a coffin?

To see more Fave 5 or to join in and participate visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. I'll be around later after Bible Study this morning. I'm getting a breakfast casserole ready to take to the study. I'll be sharing that recipe sometime soon. Have a great Friday and weekend everyone...

Baked Mediterranean Tilapia- I got this recipe off the package of High Liner Mild Tasting Tilapia Loins (frozen individually wrapped and purchased at Costco)

4 Tilapia Loins
1 large or 2 medium Vidalia onions (if unavailable use yellow onions)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I've also used canned tomatoes)
4 Tblsps. Fresh Chopped Basil
8 cloves of chopped garlic
4 Tblsps. olive oil
12 Calamata olives chopped

If you don't have fresh tomatoes you can used canned variety. I have and it turns out very nice, too.

Defrost tilapia loins. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Peel and slice onions 1/4" thick. Saute in olive oil in oven proof pan over medium heat, 2-3 minutes each side or until onions are translucent.
Place loins over onion slices. Sprinkle olives, garlic and basil over fish. Place tomato slices on top. Salt and pepper to taste.
Place pan with fish in center of oven, uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until fish is opaque.

You'll notice that I only made 2 tilapia loins so I cut the recipe in half. There are only two of us and fish isn't  great as a leftover in my opinion...

Serve tilapia with rice pilaf and spinach salad (their recommendation) Serve it with any starch you'd like and any salad or green vegetables.

Tonight we're going to have it with pasta and a spinach salad and some fresh bread.

Yummy light and fresh tasting...

This little story — unique to Matthew's gospel — concerns the temple tax which was a tax first imposed by Moses for the upkeep of the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 30.11-16). It is a story that is full of interest.

Under Moses, the tax was imposed every time there was a census, but by the time of Jesus it was an annual tax which, though it lacked the sanction of Roman law, every Jew between the ages of twenty and fifty was expected to pay. And that brings us to the first point of interest. For although Jesus and his disciples were all there, newly arrived together in Capernaum when the demand for the temple tax was made, only Jesus and Peter ended up paying the tax.

Why just those two? Surely it must have been that they were the only two people in the company who were over the age of twenty. In other words, Jesus' other eleven disciples must still have been in their teens — though we usually imagine them to be older, closer to the age of Jesus. But the fact is that, in those days, someone who wanted to be a rabbi's talmid or disciple would generally join him at the age of fifteen; so there would be nothing at all unusual about James, John, Andrew, Philip and the rest all being little more than boys.

The second point of interest is the fish. Commentators tend to pour scorn on the idea of a fish being caught with a coin in its mouth, but there is in fact a fish called a tilapia found in Galilee (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus) that carries its eggs and later its young in its mouth. Once the young must be made to fend for themselves, the tilapia picks up a stone or any other suitably-sized object that it can find and carries that in its mouth instead of the young so as to prevent the young returning. So it is certainly within the bounds of possibility that a tilapia could be caught carrying in its mouth a coin that someone had lost overboard while sailing on Galilee.

So much for the background. What of the teaching? Peter is clearly being taken to task for affirming that Jesus does pay the temple tax, but why wouldn't he pay it? He was a Jew over the age of twenty. On what grounds could he possibly be exempt? Jesus explains by way of a rabbinical kind of question. Do kings who impose taxes collect them from their own sons? No. So work it out for yourself Peter ... Who is the king who collects the temple tax? God. The temple tax is an obligation to God. But what has Peter just heard God say about Jesus on the mount of transfiguration? "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17.5). So should Jesus, as God's son, pay the tax due to God? No, "the sons are exempt".

I note the plural. The sons are exempt; not the son is exempt. Jesus is including Peter in his sonship exemption, and when he instructs Peter to pay the tax it is "so that we may not offend them." The new kingdom, the kingdom of God that has dawned with the coming of Jesus, is a kingdom of no-one but those who are sons and daughters of God. Or to put it the other way round: all who enter the kingdom of God through Jesus (and there is no other way) become sons and daughters of God by doing so.

But the teaching here is also that, until that kingdom comes in all its fulness, the sons and daughters of God must follow Jesus in his humble submission to the duties and demands that fall on everyone in this world. We cannot go around claiming our exemption. What we can do, however, is to rely on the fact that Jesus will enable us to fulfil what is required of us. This story ends by assuring me that he will provide the wherewithall to pay my "tax" as well as his own — whatever that "tax" might be.

Just to recap, the water flowing from the Tilapia ponds will go through a solids filter, then into the drain and then into the sump.  Water to the growbeds will flow into this drain and the strawberry towers will also drip directly into the drain.  So here is how we are going about building it.

First we dug the channel and then lay plastic down.

Then we concrete it. We mixed an admix called Sikalite into the cement to provide even more water-proofing. Levels are important. It has to be completely square across but have a gentle slope down to the sump.

Then we built a small brick wall all the way down the length of the drain right down to the sump. It is one brick high at the top of the tunnel becoming three bricks high at the sump side. I am going to make a fibreglass rim flow over the end and into the sump. This is what it looks like at the end.

I have also mocked up my solids filter and it will consist of three compartments, namely filtration cloth and charcoal, secondly coral and oyster shell, and thirdly a settling section in which I'll probably stock some Tilapia fingerlings to eat any remaining solids. Here is roughly what it will look like.

Meanwhile at our completed site the plant growth is quite phenomenal. We are being visited next week by some members of the local Town Council and I am sure that they will be highly impressed at what Aquaponics can do towards food security. Just look at the difference after only a few days.

Believe it or not, those giant leaves in the foreground are beans !!

Enjoy your weekend

Synaptoman

Fish farming has often been touted as the solution to our fishery problems. Proponents say that we can grow our own fish and give wild fish populations a break. It sounds good on paper. But as usual, reality doesn't match expectations. Fish, even caged ones, need to be fed. Carnivorous fish require fish meal (ground up fish) in their diets. And humans are not overly enthusiastic about herbivorous fish as a food source. Fish markets sell Tilapia, a species which can be grown on a diet of algae, but humans still have a major hankering for Wild Salmon and Sea Bass.

By the time I got home I was starving...It was already 7:30 pm and I hadn't ate a snack yet. So while I was making dinner I snacked on 2 handfuls of Annie's cheddar crackers.

For dinner I made some tilapia with tartar sauce on the side. I also had a sweet potato with black beans, salsa, yogurt and hot sauce. To drink I has the rest of our diet 7up. This dinner was so good and filling. By the time I finished I was stuffed! A little while later though I wanted something sweet so I finished the rest of my Jelly Bellys.

http://karitoon.com/xoops/modules/news/article.php?storyid=695

So as you might know, I like to plan my weekly meals out each Sunday before I go grocery shopping. On Monday night I'd planned to make a new recipe with fresh tilapia I'd bought at the store.

Unfortunately, I was a little under the weather Monday night and I tasked Mr. Hillman's Helpings with putting together this simple dish which required many steps. He could have chosen to order in Chinese or make me an omelet, but he was up to the challenge and pulled off this simple and elegant dish with ease. (It actually turned out great!) Who ever said that men are lost in the kitchen?

Enjoy!

LEMON AND BROWN BUTTER TILAPIA FILLETS WITH SEARED GRAPE TOMATOES - Adapted from Rachael Ray

Serves 2
Preheat a large skillet over high heat with 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil. Add one pint of grape tomatoes and let them sear for 2 minutes without moving them. Add ¼ cup chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper, then cook for 1-2 more minutes or until all of the tomatoes start to burst. Remove them from the pan to a plate a cover to keep warm.

Wipe out the skillet and return to the stove over medium heat. Season two fillets of tilapia (or sole or flounder) with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Add 2 tsp. olive oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the fish to the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Once the fish has cooked, transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Wipe the skillet clean again and melt 2 tbs. butter in the pan. Keep your eye on the butter and wait until it turns brown (it will smell nutty). Add the juice of a half a lemon and ¼ cup chopped parsley. Stir to combine.

Pour the butter over the fish and then top with the seared tomatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Sincerely,

Lauren Kase
Hillman's Helpings

I felt like a bum for skipping the gym most of last week, but I just couldn't bring myself to go on Friday, either. So I ran some errands on foot and came home to make a reasonably healthy dinner. Here's some Turkey Ragout (French = Fancy!) from Clean Eating. I think I've talked before about how much I love this magazine, even though I will always associate it with being stuck in the Kansas City airport two days before Christmas, crying because we ran off the road in snow and missed our flight, and I was convinced we weren't going to make it home for the holidays. The fact that I overcame that is a testament to my love. That love, paired with mentioning it six or eight hundred times a week, resulted in a two-year subscription as a birthday gift. Thanks, Matt!

Anyway, this was good. And, apparently, clean:

It called for turkey breast cutlets, which I've never cooked with before, but might try to do more in the future. Mostly because they were so much cheaper than chicken. And all natural! Other than that, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, and lots of spices. It's thick like a stew. I did some serious internet research and found out that ragout can be paired with noodles, so I decided to throw a grain in there. I made some bulgur because, when it comes to bulgur, our cup (or grain container) runneth over.

Yesterday I went to kickboxing and then I never left the house again. It was a football Saturday and I had a good book and I just couldn't bear to go out. I know I had dinner, but it must have been really especially unremarkable, because I didn't even bother to take a picture. I do know that whatever it was, it was just a stop gap between reading and dessert. I got these cookies and cream ice cream bars at the grocery store and I couldn't wait to try them.

Today we actually did some minor labor, including laundry and spending bundles of gift card money at Target on fun things left on our registry. Then I went to yoga and came home and we made this colorful meal:

This is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, and I loved it. I'll definitely be trying more recipes from that gem. This was braised fish with artichoke hearts and red peppers. There's some tilapia under there, it's just hard to see. It was really rich and tasty but still healthy. Mollie Katzen is pretty much a genius.

And now, it's time for me to figure out more ways to not do anything.

THis recipe was inspired by the avenue plaza sesame fish that they serve, It is the most delicious fish I ever tasted, and I don't usually enjoy fish! 

I got the recipe from my mom, she always makes it!

( I do not have the exact measurements for the batter, so just follow any basic batter recipe that you use on chicken or anything... basically some flour, eggs, spices, water...)

Take your tilapia and cut in chunks. 
batter them, and fry till golden. 

Sauce:
3/4 cups bbq sauce
3/4 cups duck sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce

mix, pour over fish ( which should be in a foil pan) and let it hang out in the oven on 350 for around 20 minutes. 

Served with:

mini brocolli cupcakes:

They are called cupcakes cuz they are made in cupcake tins! don't start thinking that cupcakes are all of a sudden healthy!! :)

cook brocolli till soft, drain water.
blend with hand blender, and add 3 eggs, mayo, bread crumbs, onion soup mix, salt, pepper...

spray pans very well, otherwise they will stick. spoon mixture into pans, and sprinkle cornflake crumbs on top. 

bake at 375 for 40 minutes

~ Emme Kay

While making dinner I snacked on some Annie's cheddar crackers.

and Mike and I shared a Jack Daniel's Downhome Punch (no pic). I'd rather have a Jack and Coke but these aren't too bad and they only have 170 calories.

Aquaculture is the next big issue at the dinner table.

Supermarkets are introducing new standards for the farmed fish and shrimp that make up roughly half of U.S. seafood consumption, riding a wave of consumer demand for environmentally friendly products.

"Whole Foods Stores, last month, announced the first comprehensive set of aquaculture guidelines by a major retailer. Wal-Mart has established standards for farmed shrimp and certified its factories with the Aquaculture Certification Council. 

Wegmans worked with Environmental Defense Fund on its farmed-shrimp policy to ban antibiotics, avoid damaging sensitive habitats, treat waste water and reduce the use of wild fish to feed shrimp."

“There are actually a lot of farmers right now who are trying to do the right thing,” said Jill Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the World Wildlife Fund, which has advised Whole Foods on its standards. “Things are moving in the right direction.” - Ylan Q. Mui | Washington Post

Demand for seafood has grown as U.S. consumers increasingly accept it as an alternative to red meat and poultry.

• The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week for the omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for the heart.
• Americans on average ate 16.5 pounds of seafood in 2006, up from 15.6 pounds in 2000, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
• Supermarkets increasingly rely on the $70 billion worldwide aquaculture industry to help meet that demand as the supply of wild-caught fish remains limited.

Although the non-profit Marine Stewardship Council provides certification for suppliers of wild-caught seafood, there is no widely accepted standard for sustainable farming practices.

Several groups are joining Island Bounty, SA in establishing safe aquaculture guidelines.

The World Wildlife Fund launched its “aquaculture dialogues” several years ago and plans to announce standards for tilapia by the end of the year, followed by catfish, several mollusks, shrimp and salmon next year.

The Global Aquaculture Alliance has established standards for shrimp and some catfish and is expected to unveil a plan for tilapia soon. And in Europe, the Global Partnership for Good Agriculture Practice certifies salmon and trout and is working on shrimp and tilapia, among others.

Whole Foods said it decided to develop its own comprehensive plan two years ago, and it began consulting with environmental groups and scientists and visiting its suppliers’ farms. The company said it may modify its guidelines as consensus is reached among advocacy organizations. The new policies would apply to all seafood except mollusks.

They include prohibitions on preservatives, antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals that can be harmful to humans but are typically used to stave off sickness and encourage growth in fish.

Instead, I bought a piece of tilapia. I prepared it as if I were making Tilapia Piccata. At the moment, I only have a white merlot open in the fridge, and I didn't want to open a bottle of white wine just to make the tilapia. So instead, I just dragged the fish through a little flour with some salt and pepper mixed in, and put it in the frying pan over medium-high heat with a little bit of melted butter for two minutes or so on each side.

One thing I still haven't quite figured out is that how to time cooking different things without one getting cold. The fish was done before the potatoes, even though I started the potatoes first. I ended up having to boil the potatoes for a bit longer than the recipe calls for (it says 13 minutes - I think I left them in for closer to 20 minutes). I also wasn't sure if the skin was supposed to be left on. (Since the recipe didn't say otherwise, I left it on.)

The potatoes also gave me a chance to break out my beautiful new Pyrex bowls. I bought them months ago, but due to organizational issues in my kitchen, I had nowhere to put them, so they've been living in a box. But organizational issues seem to have been resolved, thusly, they no longer live in a box. Hooray!

I decided to throw some minced fresh rosemary in there, too, since I've got a lovely rosemary plant out on my porch that I don't use nearly enough. I probably could have thrown a little more in there, since it didn't flavor the potatoes as much as I hoped. I also added some garlic powder in after I mixed everything together, since the 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic the recipe calls for didn't seem to be as garlicky as I would have liked either. (I am, on the whole, a huge fan of garlic.)

When I first looked at this recipe, I was psyched, because for the first time EVER, I found a recipe that was only one serving. For once, I didn't have to do sixteen mental equations to figure out how to make an appropriate amount of food. However, either the scale at the supermarket was off (when I bought the potatoes), or the recipe is wrong - I ended up with what was probably closer to 2 servings instead of one.

I was surprised how easy this recipe was. I've never made mashed potatoes from scratch before, and I don't own a potato masher. At first, it took a little bit if slicing the potatoes with a spoon, but they mushed together well enough in the end. (If you boil the potatoes a little longer, like I did, they'll probably mash a little easier. The recipe says you can use a potato masher, fork, or spoon - I used a teaspoon without much trouble, though I probably should have used a tablespoon.)

I'm definitely going to make this one again (with the skin on - it adds to the texture nicely), though I might add more minced garlic from the beginning, and I'll definitely use more rosemary. This one is also a good quick recipe that would work well for a weeknight, if you're pressed for time.

26 things about Herns Eugene!!

1. I'm a Christian and love God.

2. I'm married to a very beautiful wife!!!

3. No kids yet, but I'm sure any day now, ill be popping them out ;)

4.  I work for a GREAT Church! (I'm not just saying it!! I really do mean it)

5.  I work with a GREAT Staff!! (I'm not just saying it either!!! I really do!!)

6. The teenagers I get to minister to on Wednesdays are the BEST group of teenagers EVER!! (I LOVE THEM!!)  But for real I really do!!!  They make me laugh and make me want to come back week after week!

7. I love anything made by Apple.  MacBook Pro & Ipod (2 things I own), iPhone & final cut studio/express (1 day I will own these)

8. I'm married to the best cook in the WORLD!!! (Wife can throw down!!)

9. My brother is in the Army.  Representing for our country.  He spent a long time in Iraq defending our country. Thanks bro!!

10. One of my sisters wants to go to New York and study law.  She will 1 day soon!! (Check out her blog)

11. My other sister is going to be doing these two things very soon.  Graduating college and getting married!! (Ha ha, she is going to kill me!!!)

12.  My parents are originally from Haiti, and I thank them for being awesome parents!!

13. I love video games, but over the last couple of months, my interest has gone down.  Maybe Ill get rid of my PS3. (YEAH RIGHT!!! A big YEAH RIGHT!!!)

14. I love "most" Miami Sports team!! Starting with my Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins, and UM Football team.

15. I love cold stone ice cream.  I have my own creation, you have to try it!! It's called "The Haitian Sensation". Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream, graham crackers, pound cake, whip cream, and almonds (Maybe thats why I have put on so much weight.)

16. My favorite meal use to be lasagna, until i had my wife's tilapia stuffed with shrimp in a nice creamy sauce.

17. My favorite restaurant is Red Lobster! (Maybe thats y I have gained this weight!)

18. My brother-in-law is a histology technician (I BET YA DON"T KNOW WHAT THAT IS!!!) and a science teacher.

19. I have a membership to 24-hour fitness! It's open 24 hours a day. (One of these days I will hit the gym!!)

20. I have lived in Miami my whole life.

21. I went to William H. Turner Technical Arts High School and played highschool basketball for North Miami Beach Sr. High.  (I won defensive player of the year my JR. year!!  Too bad I can't move like that now!!)

22. I graduated from Florida International University with a BA in Hospitality Management. (Maybe thats why I gained all this weight!)

23. I once worked for the American Airlines Arena (in charge of security), The Radisson Hotel (front desk associate), going to school full time at FIU, and volunteering for Life Impact (where I currently work).  Yeah I was crazy, I HAD NO LIFE!!!

24. My Sr. Pastor and his wife just came from Uganda, Africa!!  18 hour total on an airplane, ONE WAY!!!  My pastor and his wife are true troopers!!

25. I love youth ministry

26. I will let you fill this one in....(Write down what you think of me, HERNS!!!