Welcome to My Special Day

On March 22, 2021 I shared a post with you. It was in celebration of West Virginia. From that moment forward, for the last 1,000 days, I have shared a post with you every day. Some have been short, some lacked a recipe, while others were bursting with good things to eat and too much to say.

March of 2021 saw a drop in overall visitors compared to 2020. But then 2020 was such a crazy time, and cooking blogs like mine were blowing up with panicked people trying to figure out how to prepare meals at home. We were all pretty scared back then, and I think puttering in the kitchen gave some a sense of security.

By the following year, the world was beginning to seem more normal, even if some things had changed. We lost a lot of good restaurants, some famous landmark hotels did not survive the restrictions, and worst of all were loved ones we would not see again in this lifetime. Many of whom we were denied a last good-bye. And that was the saddest part of all.

I don’t want to look back and be sad. I’m here to celebrate my own personal best – 1,000 days straight with something to say. From this point forward, every consecutive day will be another milestone, another personal best for however long. I intend to look to God for guidance, and inspiration. And I will look to those around me and to the world at large. For there is goodness in life. Sometimes it might be harder to find, but it is there. Close your eyes and feel the joy of just being alive wash over you.

Now I know Saturdays aren’t generally a day that I like to talk Fish – it’s really a Friday Night Catholic Thing. But this dish is so tasty and so pretty – popping with color and flavor – it deserved to be in the limelight of 1,000 Days of Posting. This would even be great as part of the Feast of Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve.

Enjoy and may the Good Lord watch over you.

Celebrating 1,000 Days of Posting
Tilapia with Tomato Pan Sauce
Christmas Red Potatoes
Warm Dinner Rolls

Tilapia with Tomato Pan Sauce
4 Tilapia Filets
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Black Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons Butter, soft
2 Garlic Cloves
1-1/2 teaspoon Marjoram
1 teaspoon Paprika
Splash White Wine
1/4 cup additional White Wine
2 cups Grape Tomatoes
Fresh Parsley, garnish

Warm oven to about 250 degrees. Place a serving platter in the oven to warm.

Pat fish dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

Place butter in a small bowl. Peel and press garlic cloves into the butter. Add Marjoram and paprika, mash together to blend. Season to taste with additional fresh black pepper. Set aside.

Warm a skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the marjoram butter into the skillet. Brush to coat the bottom of the pan in the flavored butter. Add filets to the pan, cover and cook until cooked through and flakey, about 5 minutes. Gently flip fish, continue to fry, covered, another 5 minutes or until flakey. Transfer filets to the serving platter in the oven.

Pour a splash of white wine into the now empty skillet off heat. Deglaze the pan, scraping with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Return to medium heat. Add remaining quarter cup of wine to the pan. Swirl over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to blister, about 5 minutes.

Add remaining marjoram butter. Crush a few tomatoes with the back of the spoon, leaving most intact. Stir for 1 minutes. Remove fish from the oven. Spoon tomatoes with sauce over the filets. Snip parsley, scatter over the fish. Serve and enjoy.

Christmas Parsley Potatoes
10 medium-small Red Potatoes
Kosher Salt to taste
4 tablespoons Butter
Handful Parsley
Splash Olive Oil
Fresh Black Pepper to taste

Scrub potatoes. Peel a strip of skin from the middle of the potato all the way around to create a circle of exposed potato.

Place potatoes into a pot, cover with about a half-inch water. Season water with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook just until potatoes are tender but not soft, about 12 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, melt the butter and mince the parsley. Set aside.

Drain potatoes well. Return to the pan. Drizzle melted butter over the potatoes along with a splash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl. Scatter parsley over the potatoes and serve.

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 Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths:
All flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia, alleluia.