A Fish Fry and Memories of Mom - A Holiday Weekend for Many, Too

Last night's final fish meal was actually delightful. DH had warned me he needed the oven, and, as it turned out, I needed the stove top, so that worked out well. I had a small Walleye fillet and a Tilapia fillet that I wanted to fry up. The last time I tried frying, it was good, but not quite what I wanted, so I was determined to do it right this time. I almost succeeded completely, and I'll definitely do this again. 

I coated my fish completely, not just on the top as 
this photo, but the coating was perfect, and crunchy, 
just the way I had wanted it to be. I'll call last 
night's meal successful. 

I washed and dried the fish completely, then dusted them with a thin coating of almond flour. I then dipped them into a raw egg that had been whipped with a fork, and finally I pressed gluten-free Panko crumbs onto each side. I used a heavy pan, heating it until it smoked before adding 3 tablespoons of avocado oil to it, then I added the fish and let them fry, turning them when I thought they had cooked enough on each side. They cooked beautifully and quickly, and had that crunchy exterior that I had wanted in my earlier attempt a few weeks ago. It was an excellent Good Friday meal. 

I love eating heirloom carrots. I like carrots in general, 
but the flavor of the heirloom ones is varied and 
deep. They're wonderful roasted, so I have some waiting 
in the refrigerator for my Sunday dinner. 

For Easter Sunday DH picked up a marinated roast, so I'll be putting that into the oven with my thermometer, and roasting it to a medium-rare. I have some Brussels sprouts and seasoned heirloom carrots to go with my roast, DH has some potatoes and other things he wants for his. All in all, as long as I don't overcook the roast, we should have a lovely Easter Sunday meal. 

Thanks to all who were kind enough to comment on  
yesterday's "Five Questions" post. I learned some 
things from reading your comments, and smiled 
with each one. *hugs* to all! 

Thanks to all who commented on my little "five questions" post yesterday. I got to find out a little more about friends, and had my error in Spanish gently corrected by my dear friend in Peru. You're all the BEST! 

As you know by now, this is Mom when 
she was between 30-40 years old (I suspect 
closer to 40). Happy Birthday, Mom! 

As I mentioned yesterday, today would have been my Mom's birthday. She was a hurricane in a small frame - only 5 foot, 2 inches tall but with energy enough to power a small town. She was a talented seamstress and clothing designer, as I'm sure many of you know, and she was always broadening out into new crafts and art forms. Through my time with her we did mosaic (I have one of her exquisite bowls in my living room) and painting - she was quite good, I was rather dismal although I do enjoy it now and again. In my teen years she did some jewelry making until her hands gave out, and then she turned to working with stained glass. I have one of her sun-catchers in the upstairs bedroom window. 

Mom was never afraid to do what needed doing. Dad was hopeless when it came to home maintenance, so if something broke, it was up to Mom to fix it. She had a small collection of tools, and the phone number of a variety of handy-men upon whom she called for the larger work like putting up false walls or installing ceiling fixtures. I still remember George, who did occasional work for Mom for many years. He was an ex-con, a super nice guy, and we went to his memorial wake when he passed from a heart attack. Mom moaned that she never had a better handyman than George. 

Mom rewired lamps, painted many walls, and redecorated until she was happy. She always bought quality - her couch was from the early 1960's and she had it re-upholstered with every house she moved to. The large round living-room table was also from the 1960's and moved from house to house with them, along with her sideboard credenza and the two armchairs. When they moved to their condominium, there wasn't any room for me when I visited, but that was fine. They would put me (or us, if DH came along) up in the hotel next door (a very nice suite hotel) and we would just walk the block over to visit. Mom loved the opera and ballet (Dad adored opera, but really was NOT a ballet fan). Somehow they clicked - the scholar and the designer. They were married for almost 60 years. Dad died a month before their 60th wedding anniversary. 

So, today's post is a bit long, but I thought I'd share a remarkable woman with all of you. I'm going to wrap this up and start getting ready to go to work. Have an excellent weekend, and if you're celebrating any of the numerous religious holidays this weekend, Be Blessed. Slava Ukraini.