My parents visited this weekend and aside from loads of gifts for their grandkids they also brought one for me: A Le Creuset oval stoneware cooking dish that is a monster. A sign of getting older (and more hip) is that I get truly exited about a new piece of cookware.
My first meal in the new dish was my patented (not really) Mustard Fish. There were a few inquiries about this when I previously mentioned it, so here goes:
For the marinade, you are making something similar to a balsamic vinaigrette. First, chop one shallot and place in a bowl. Then add balsamic vinegar, depending on the amount of fish you will need anything from 1-4 tablespoons. I hate measuring, so experiment. Then add Dijon mustard and your favorite stone ground mustard, something seedy. Add parsley, salt, and pepper. Finally, add olive oil (stir while adding) to taste. When the mixture suits your palate, pour over fish (tilapia is my recommendation) and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees.
Sorry about the lack of precise measurements. If I wanted to measure things I would bake, which if you are a consistent reader of this blog you would know that I do not like to do. Experiment.
You can also get creative. Use Chipotle Mustard instead of Dijon and the stone ground, and add Frank’s RedHot for a spicier dish. This one is my personal preference.
This marinade also works great on chicken. Nice way to liven up a boring boneless chicken breast.
In other news there is a good chance I will be in Philly in a couple weeks, in which case my lifelong dream of consuming authentic Philly Cheesesteaks will be realized. As we have a very solid stop for great Philly-style hoagies here in Ypsilanti, I will have a nice basis for comparison. A post about them will no doubt follow, along with a general post about Philly’s finest cuisine.

If you’ve been to some sort of party that hasn’t had cheesy potatoes as a food option then I’m not sure what’s going on with the people you know. Every graduation party, wedding, or other social event should have cheesy potatoes. If you aren’t a good enough host to have cheesy potatoes, then I’m not going to be a good enough guest to stay. It’s just… not cool.
What a lot of people don’t realize is how easy they are to make. Seriously, 8 bucks and 45 minutes later you have yourself an enormous pile of cheese and potatoes. Who doesn’t like that combination?
Ingredients
- 2 lb. bag of hash browns – Get the diced variety. The ones that are cut into squares.
- 1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- Butter
- 1/4 of a large, yellow onion, diced.
- Salt, pepper
Directions
- Mix everything together, throw any remaining cheese on top, and bake for 45 mins. Really difficult.
Just for the record, I’m not really down with putting Cornflakes on top. If you want a little texture, throw some breadcrumbs on it. Don’t be crushing up breakfast cereal and putting it on food. That’s just weird.
I know I’ve been an absentee bloger lately and I apologize for that. I would offer you several good excuses, but I don’t really have any. Not going to make any up either. I simply needed a little bit of time off. Eating and then writing about it is really hard work. You just wouldn’t understand. It is EXTREMELY stressful at times(actually, not at all). After a couple weeks of short posts with pictures stolen from the internet, I am back with a short post with a picture that wasn’t stolen off of the internet.
I made a grilled cheese last night. On this grilled cheese were Kraft singles, turkey, and mayo. It was really exciting. Actually, it was exciting because this is the first post which will contain a picture taken by my HTC EVO. It’s pretty much the most amazing piece of technology I’ve ever owned. This little device is going to allow me to post content more frequently due to a Wordpress app that lets me post directly from the phone. Yes, me and my phone are awesome.
Anyways, on to the grilled cheese. It was delicious.