more from my kitchen

Based on how much of myself I have recently devoted to new endeavors in the kitchen, I'm thinking that I must have converted my nesting energy to cooking energy. That is the only explanation I can come up with for my sudden urge to want to be in my steamy kitchen in this muggy weather. All of my attempts so far have turned out well enough for me to want to share them with you. So put on your aprons, friends, because here we go.

Crunchy Tilapia
I found this one in a parenting magazine that keeps showing up unexplained in my mailbox. It's a keeper for sure. The tilapia tastes like fish sticks (only way, way better), so Garrett will eat it. And the tartar sauce -- oh, the tartar sauce. I think it's the lemon that makes it taste so good. The only way I can keep myself from eating the leftover sauce by itself with a spoon is to dip pretzels in it.

Lemon Tartar Sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tbsp sweet relish
1 tsp lemon zest
salt, to taste

Fish
3/4 cup finely ground bread crumbs
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (I used a much smaller amount of dried parsley)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp milk
1 lb tilapia fillets, halved lengthwise
salt, to taste
2 tbsp oil

Stir together all ingredients for tartar sauce and set aside. Combine the bread crumbs and parsley on a dinner plate. Mix egg and milk in a bowl. Working one at a time, dip the fish fillets in the egg/milk mixture and shake off the excess, then dredge lightly in the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the fillets and cook until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until fish is no longer translucent in the center, about another 4 minutes (longer if the fillets are thicker). Serve immediately, using the tartar sauce as a dip, or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Lemon-Raspberry Muffins
I like to make muffins occasionally to supplement our breakfast and snack menus, and I have a long list of varieties just waiting for me to attempt. These were next on the list. They turned out good, albeit a little dry, which may have been because I overmixed them a bit (so consequently the batter tasted slightly better than the muffins). I do plan to make them again someday, though.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cream (next time I might try substituting the cream for lemon flavored yogurt to make them both more moist and more lemony)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine the eggs, cream, oil, and lemon extract; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raspberries. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes (about 13 minutes for mini-muffins), or until golden brown.

Chocolate Chewies
I have a friend who, a few months back, started the most mouth-watering baking blog. (You all should seriously check it out. Unless, of course, you're watching your sugar intake, in which case maybe you should steer clear.) I am collecting her recipes much faster than I can create and consume them. At any rate, this one came from her, and it definitely lived up to her baking reputation. The batter tasted like something from See's Candies, so you can just imagine what the actual cookie was like. Also? They were super easy to whip up. Always a bonus in my book.

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I usually bake with walnuts, but at her recommendation, I used pecans.)

Preheat oven to 325. Melt the chocolate chips and butter together slowly, either over double boiler or in the microwave. Remove from heat and add sweetened condensed milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Basic Hummus
One of the beautiful things I've discovered in this city is hummus. Unfortunately, buying it ready-made at the store gets a little pricey, especially considering that it's basically just mashed up chickpeas. So I decided to try making my own. I found a basic recipe online and adapted it as I went along. For a first try, it wasn't too bad, if I may say so. I only wish that I could coax my blender into acting more like the food processor I don't have so I could process the chickpeas to a smoother consistency. I plan to make this again, experimenting with different supplemental ingredients to see what other varieties I can come up with (a sun-dried tomato and basil hummus is high on that list).

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed/chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans), drained, with liquid reserved
1 tbsp sesame seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
lemon juice, to taste
basil, to taste

In a small skillet, cook the garlic in olive oil until tender, about 3 minutes. Place chickpeas in a blender/food processor with a small amount of reserved liquid. Process until smooth. Mix in garlic, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Blend to desired consistency, increasing the amount of reserved chickpea liquid and lemon juice as desired. Blend in basil. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

So, who's hungry?