8 Ways to Sunday

I wouldn’t think that anyone would actually need this how-to guide on chopping vegetables, but my mother has cut herself enough times that I know better.

(Props: Lifehacker)

Update, 11/06/2007

The link above now goes to a promotional website for the book Knife Skills Illustrated: a User’s Guide, written by the same guy who wrote the 2005 how-to article. The original article is no longer available.

Thanks to Alex for cluing me into this with his comment (below).

This morning a coworker e-mailed me an article from USA Today that gave some holiday diet advice. It’s not what you think, though. The author, Craig Wilson, begins: “I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it’s the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds.”

He goes on to give ten hilarious tips for holiday feasting guaranteed to keep your pants from fitting properly in January. My favorites:

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

…

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

Sounds like a plan to me! Read the rest here.

Last week I found myself in possession of 1¼ lb. of catfish, bored with the two ways I knew how to cook it, and with a limited set of ingredients to work with. I sat down with my trusty copy of Copernic Agent and searched for recipes containing the ingredients I had on hand, and improvised something that was a rough combination of these two Meals.com offerings.

It came out much better than I’d expected, so Friday night I gave it another spin and perfected it. If you have a taste for spicy food, perhaps you’ll find this to your liking.

Ingredients

• 1 to 1¼ lb. catfish fillets, washed and patted dry
• 2 tsp. prepared spicy brown mustard
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. McCormick Peppercorn Medley (This was supposed to be white pepper, but I didn’t have any. Peppercorn Medley is a roughly equal mixture of black, white, green, and pink peppercorns with coriander and allspice.)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp. butter or substitute (I used Smart Balance)

Directions

In a shallow dish, mix the seasonings with the olive oil into a grainy, gooey paste. Be sure to get it mixed up thoroughly; it should have a fairly uniform red-orange color when you’re done. Roll the fillets in the mixture, getting them well coated with spices. Now melt some butter in a skillet and fry the fish four to five minutes on each side, or until if flakes easily with a fork. Serves 2-3 people.

I use 90,000 unit cayenne pepper in this recipe, a habit I got from my mother. You can’t get this strength of pepper at a regular grocery store, at least not where I live. I get mine at Whole Foods in Wichita, about 50 miles from here. I’m not sure how this recipe will come off with the weak-ass milder pepper most people use, but as prepared with my ingredients it provides just the right mixture of mouth-scorching heat and piquant spice with rich, buttery undertones. Very yummy indeed.

This is my first original recipe. If you try it out, be sure and let me know what you think in the comments!

“Protect Your Banana!” Comes in 9 colors! Dishwasher safe for easy cleaning!

(citations: Mimi Smartypants)