Contributors

Rach

I'm daughter to Lissie, sister to Jess, wife to Brien, mom to Hannah, Lily and Eleanor. I am a stay at home mom to my girls, and my free time is dedicated to gardening (I confess I'm still a novice and look to Lissie and Jess for advice), baking and cooking, and card making. I'm doing my part to make the earth a bit greener, trying hard to avoid processed foods and HFCS, and find the "slow food" movement intriguing and inspiring. I love visits to my local farmers' market, fresh produce, reading, getting out in nature, and spending time with my family.

Jess

Catholic, homeschooler, lover of books and great wine and an amateur gardening addict.

Lissie

I'm Melissa aka "Lissie", mother of Rachael and Jessica, and grandmother to a passel of the sweetest children on the planet. I'm a semi-retired public educator and professor who works from home for a small publisher. I am a lover of all things beautiful ... flowers, the mountains, nature scenes, the innocent faces of children, and my rock and fossil collection, to name a few. I enjoy shopping at the farmers' market for fresh foods and then experimenting with new recipes. Good food and good wine delight me. I love to travel so my suitcase is always packed. Like my daughters, I take pleasure in simple things ... clothes drying on the line, tomatoes so fresh they are still hot from the sun, good books, and interesting movies. I'd like to know everything before I die.
Red Snapper

I grew up on Florida's Gulf Coast, so fresh seafood was a regular part of my diet, and I miss having access to it. As a teenager, I'd drive over to Hubbard's Pier at Pass-A-Grille and wait for the deep sea fishing boats to come in. Tourists would arrive with their fresh catches in tow. They'd have their photos taken with the fish while smiling broadly. Then wouldn't know what to do with the fish. They couldn't take it back to their hotel rooms. As a result they often just gave the fish away. And, for a small fee--about 50 cents--one of the deck hands would clean the fish for you. Those days are long gone, but my vivid memories of having fresh fish to eat often come to mind. Lately, in efforts to improve my diet, I've decided to eat fish once or twice every week. Here in the mountains of Virginia, the only available salt water fish are found in the seafood case of our grocery store. I try not to think about the fish having been frozen and thawed and just buy it as quickly as I can. The other day I saw red snapper and it brought back so many memories I had to have it. When I got home I decided to bake it. Here's the recipe I used:


Baked Red Snapper with Garlic

Ingredients:
  • 2 red snapper fillets, about 6 to 8 ounces each
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
  • 3 or 4 drops Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, or your own favorite seasoning blend, with salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon snipped fresh or frozen chives, optional
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons plain or seasoned bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Preparation:
Place snapper fillets in a baking dish, which has been sprayed with a butter-flavored baking spray.
In a skillet, melt butter with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning blend, pepper, parsley, and chives, if using. Cook on low for 2 minutes, just to blend flavors. Brush both sides of fish fillets with the butter and herb mixture. Toss bread crumbs in the remaining butter mixture; sprinkle over the fillets. Bake at 400° for about 12 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets, until fish flakes easily and is no longer translucent.
Serves 2.





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