Dinner Thursday

Since I e-mailed all my friends about the starting of the blog (after I figured it out, sort of), I have received several that say we are on a diet and please let me know when you have healthy input.  All eating is healthy that you cook at home and as someone who has been on a diet (on and off) since grade school, you'll be screaming for chocolate by mid February.  Julia said it best.  Nothing is bad for you.  You just need to have it in moderation.  Of course, Julia was 6' 2".  Jim is 6' 2".  When you are 6' 2", there is a different reality than 5' 2". 
Today was the first day of my new pastel classes.  For some reason after I retired I chose pastel as my medium.  I think it was because when I worked in the ID field, I spent years drawing with pens, pencils, and magic markers before it was all turned to computer drawing.  Brushes feel alien in my hand and I hate the smell of oil paint.  Acrylic paint drys too  fast and you can smudge around.  So even though I announced that Food is my passion, I have a second passion, art and design.  My class starts at 12:30 and lasts till 3:00 PM.  Those of you in the DC area know that the return commute for Occoquan to Gainesville is the equivalent of hell.  So dinner had to be simple but good tonight.
I happen to love Chilean Sea Bass.   It may be on one of those endangered lists right now, but I love it.  So that was the main course for tonight.  Jim hates CSB only because it cost a lot more than steak per pound, and his three food groups are bacon, eggs and steak.  So we had CSB, green beans and crostini.  Let me explain how it was so simple.
 
Chilean Sea Bas.  I have a lame Advantium speed cook oven.  Martha has good ones that she promotes on her show.  However, when we bought this house, Alton Brown was promoting these GE ovens, and I added the only loser GE model that Lennar offered.  That said, it does a great job with fish.  It does not list all fish, so just go to the one that may look like what you are cooking.  The weight you have will also never match, so I undercook.  I hate overcooked fish.  To make it better, I sprinkle it with Penzey's Trinidad lemon-garlic marinade.  When we moved to VA (I think the second Christmas), our friends the Nuckols gave us a marinade group of spices from Penzey's.  We fell in love with Trinidad for fish. 

Green Beans.  If you want to cook really good green beans go to page 443 of Julia's book.  If you are in a hurry, listen.   First buy French cut cleaned Green Beans.  Mine come from Wegman's.  If you want to cut the tops off green beans, in my opinion, they had better be fresh from the garden.  If Jim wants to save money at the market, then he needs to hire an assistant for me to do the grunt work.  They are in a 1 1/2# package.  I rinse and put the whole thing in the microwave on the fresh vegetable setting for the quantity.  Salt liberally before microwaving.  After they are done, they will be moist.  Put a wok on the stove on high with orange olive oil.  Throw in the beans and stir fry.  Julia uses butter; I use Orange Olive Oil.  Why, I do not know, except I love the orange flavor with the green beans.  Stir fry until warm and what is left over put in a vacu-bag and save for the next leftover night.  Sprinkle with almonds before serving.  Others may ask where do I get orange olive oil. I am a nut about good olive oil.  I buy my Olive Oil from Sciabica's in Modesto, CA.  I first met Joseph Sciabica in the Farmer's Market in Pleasanton, CA back in 1997. Charming gentleman and really knows his olive oil.  He introduced me to Manzanillo, Fall Harvest. You can access them on the internet and their flavored olive oils which I have just expermented with over the years. I have nothing against Julia's Haricots Verts a l'Anglaise, but I like my heart healthy orange olive oil green beans also.


Crostini.  Potatoes seemed over kill tonight, so I cut 6- 1/4" slices of french bread.  Toasted in the broiler and turned over.  On the second side I sprinkled Salad Elegant Seasoning, also from Penzeys, and Parmaesian cheese.  Return to broiler.  Bottom line it is healthy and fast.  It took me longer to set the table and find two flat pans which are stored way over my head, than to make the meal.