It's Hump Day....

Oh, thank you Lord - this week is almost over! Gary and I watched The Fighter last night and loved it. Christian Bale definitely deserved the Oscar; he was fantastic.

I recently overcame a lifelong fear of.....

Cauliflower.

Yes, cauliflower. The albino, waxy cousin to broccoli has always given me the heebie-jeebies. Well, I'm running out of approved veggies while no carbing it. So, I broke down and bought a head of cauliflower. I roasted it with olive oil, walnuts, parsley, salt and pepper and then added some Parmesan cheese at the end. It was DIVINE!!! I'm still not comfortable eating it raw, but I'll consume roasted cauliflower any day of the week now. I'm not sure if this will lead me to conquer any of my other lifelong fears, but hey, I'm trying! Once I conquered the cauliflower, I started thinking of other things I'm completely stressed out about. They include:

Snakes
Flying
Clowns
Sharing a bathroom with a man...LOL

Those are just a few of my freaky issues. I have more, but I save them for the therapist :)

I was so excited to have Sea Bass Monday night and Rainbow Trout last night. I made a topping for the Sea Bass, but I cooked the trout with just butter, salt and lemon pepper in my cast iron skillet. I served it with sauteed asparagus, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. I'll share the recipes as well.

I'm on the fence about cooking chili this weekend. Sort of not feeling it....LOL!! I had considered going to Denton, but I really think I'd rather stay home and putter around my house and yard. Gary is gearing up to go to Men's State and I'm thinking I may skip that one, too. Although....Charlie Robison is playing in Luckenbach that Saturday night. I could definitely be swayed....LOL!!

Here are the recipes for my Sea Bass and Rainbow Trout, along with the sides:

Cadillac Cowgirl Sea Bass

2 Sea Bass Filets, about 3/4 lb each
1 Tbsp Horseradish
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
1 Tbsp Chopped Thyme
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Telicherry Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the Sea Bass in a shallow oven proof dish. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together. Spread the mixture evenly over each Sea Bass filet. Place filets on the top rack in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Remember, Sea Bass is a very oily fish, so while it's very difficult to overcook it, don't necessarily expect it to flake when it's done. If you cook it in that temperature for that amount of time, it's going to be done :)

Simple Rainbow Trout

2 Rainbow Trout Filets
4 Tbsp Butter
Salt and Lemon Pepper

Sprinkle each filet generously with the salt and lemon pepper. In a large cast iron or nonstick skillet, melt the butter. When the butter has melted and is starting to brown, add the filets skin side down and turn the heat to medium. Allow to cook for 5 minutes on each side. Once the fish flakes with a fork, it's done!

The following side dishes go great with both:

Cadillac Cowgirl Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into florets, rinsed and drained
1 4 oz package of chopped Walnuts
4-6 peeled garlic cloves
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt, Pepper and Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the cauliflower, walnuts and garlic cloves on a large sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and mix everything around so that it's all coated with the oil. Roast for 20 minutes, sprinkle with Parmesan and let it roast for 5 more minutes. Viola!

Sauteed Asparagus with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

1 bunch Asparagus, ends trimmed
4.5 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
1 Pint Champagne or Cherry Tomatoes
Olive Oil, salt and pepper

Drizzle olive oil in a large non stick skillet. Once heated through, add the asparagus. Saute over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. Throw in the tomatoes, allow them to heat through and get soft before turning the heat off. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

I'm nost sure what I'm going to fix for dinner this evening. I've got a houseful of kids...so it may be chili dogs and frito pies. I hear that Mild Bill's has a premade chili mix....Gunpowder Chili Mix?!?!?!? It's very good if I do say so myself!!!!

Have a great Wednesday....get to humping and maybe the day will go by faster :)

Spreading kindness and joy,

The Cadillac Cowgirl