Ginger it!

24 days until Christmas.  The final countdown!  I love the Christmas lights, the Christmas music, and the season.  Everyone is starting to decorate outside and my run this morning was a bit more pleasant because of all the pretty lights.  I will have to start switching up my route so that I can see everyone's decorations!  We went pretty minimal on our lights and did 8 of our trees out front, slapped up two bows, and hung our Christmas wreath (which is in serious need of repair) on the door.  The Christmas wreath is one that my mom and aunts collaborated on to make from scratch and it has taken a few hits over the years.  I think we're down to one bulb... some frilly stuff... and the bow.  It's still pretty though!  (note: not pictured below and you can't see the four other lit up trees on either side of our yard.  Matt did a wonderful job with symmetry though!)

Last night I made Cod and Swai.  Swai is an Asian catfish.  It's better than plain ole catfish in my opinion because it tastes less like sea water (aka fishy).  I also threw together another spaghetti squash casserole. I guess I don't really have a name for it.... you can call it whatever you want. 

The fish on the left is Asian Steamed Cod

3-4 Cod Fillets - we like the Cod Loins from Sam's.
2 tbsp. Soy
4 tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp. grated Ginger
1 tbsp. powdered Ginger
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
2-3 Green Onions (or white), sliced
1 tbsp. Sriracha (optional)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Thaw the fish if frozen.  Drain and place on a paper towel.  Sprinkle on powdered ginger and garlic powder.   In a skillet combine the soy, rice wine vinegar, grated ginger, and sriracha. Add Cod.  Cook on medium (with lid on, hence the steamed part) for approximately 4 minutes, flip.  Stir around the sauce and add more liquid, if needed. (I added more vinegar, but that's up to you.  Could add soy, chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, wine, etc.)  I found that the soy/vinegar mixture started to caramelize. Add sliced onions on top of cod.  Put lid back on and cook until the fish is flaky.  We of course added more sriracha afterwards..and scooped up the sauce from the pan and poured it over the fish.  YUMMO. 

This was the first "steamed" fish experience and although you can't beat a nice sear on a piece of fish - this was absolutely amazing.

The Swai was encrusted with a 7 Seed Sesame Ginger store-bought mix.  So I didn't do much other than ginger, garlic, extra sesame seeds, and the mix.  Baked it and voila. 

The Un-Named Spaghetti Squash Casserole.  (Please feel free to give name suggestions.)  This transpired because we needed to use the mushrooms and spinach... how many things that I make come into creation... using what needs to be used!

1 1/2 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
2 Mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup fresh Spinach
1/3 cup sliced Onion 
3/4 cup Feta cheese (we have been using Fat Free Feta from Sam's...basically nothing in it so you can use as much as you want!)
15 Turkey Pepperoni slices, cut in half
1/4 cup Parsley
2 Eggs beat, or 1/2 cup Egg Whites (again... from Sam's - one of the most convenient things ever)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper

Place spaghetti squash in dish, mix 1/4 of egg mix in.  Layer 1/2 of the mushrooms, all spinach, all onions, 1/2 the feta, sprinkle with garlic powder, the remainder of mushrooms, pepperoni, the remainder of feta. Top with parsley.  Pour over the rest of the egg mix, as evenly as possible. You can microwave or bake until the pepperoni looks crispy and it appears cooked through (because of the eggs).

So that was dinner...

I have to state the if you aren't watching Parenthood - you need to be.  NBC Tuesdays at 10 pm.  You can probably get most of the episodes from the seasons at NBC.com or sidereel.com or hulu.com.  Definitely one of my top two shows on right now. Definitely one to give a taste!

Just Keep Tasting and see what you come up with!