2014 - Book 31

"The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls" - Delaware

I found this book very strange. It's about a book club, and I think it was written to be a book club book. There just seem to be lots of things left unanswered that the reader can decide for themselves or discuss with others. I don't really like books like that . . . I want the author to tell me what happens. Maybe I'm boring, but I like answered questions and happy endings. So, if you're looking for a book about four very different teenage girls and their mothers and what happens in a small town in Delaware over one boring summer, then this is for you. Take it to your book club and discuss it, but it just wasn't for me.

My recipes this week, on the other hand, were definitely for me: Blackened Tilapia, Parsley Pesto, and a Great Zucchini Brownie Challenge (Fudgy Zucchini Brownies vs. Low-Fat Zucchini Brownies).

I wish I could give credit to whomever came up with this tilapia recipe, because it's delicious. However, I got it off of the tilapia package and I only saved the recipe part, I don't even know what brand it was. Here is the recipe:

I think MasterChef has improved my plating skills :)

1 lb. of tilapia fillets, thawed
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. onion powder (I didn't have this, so I just upped the garlic powder)
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. brown sugar

Combine the dry spices together to create a rub. Completely coat the tilapia fillets and allow to sit for 15 - 20 minutes before cooking. Heat oil in a large pan (I used a cast iron griddle) and add fillets. Cook fillets for 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Enjoy :)

So good :) I made a southwestern style salad to go with it. Yum :)

I had a big bunch of parsley from my CSA box that I didn't really know what to do with. Luckily, the CSA farm sends recipes with the boxes and this recipe was included. I don't really like parsley all that much, but I do love pesto, so this was a very good way to use it up. I have no idea who thought 1/5 of a cup was a good measurement though. Are you starting to see why I prefer to use weights in a lot of my cooking? Oh, and I don't think I've shared this page before, but it is very helpful once you transition to using a kitchen scale: How Much Does a Cup Weigh? It's a very handy chart with weights in ounces and grams for one cup of a wide variety of different ingredients. Give it a try.

And finally, another brownie challenge, but this time with zucchini brownies. I think you can probably guess, just by the names, that the fudgy zucchini brownies won by a landslide. The low-fat ones were still good, but the fudgy ones were GOOD. I used dark chocolate cocoa powder for both the brownie and the frosting of the fudgy brownies and it was very tasty. If you want the nice color contrast that she has on her blog though, I would use regular cocoa powder in the frosting. Mmm, so good :) Not to neglect the low-fat brownies though, they were still good brownies, and much healthier than your typical brownie. Give them a try if you are watching your weight and still want something sweet. But if you are just looking for a really yummy zucchini brownie, go for the fudgy version :)

That's all for this week folks :)