Fish and Chips

Tonight I was reminded that there will inevitably be times when the recipe does NOT turn out the way you planned!

Case in point: I found a recipe online for Fish and Chips, and I thought "Great! This will be a good chance for me to make my debut in the fish-cooking world." (Tonight was my first attempt at making a fish meal) Well, an hour later, I discovered differently...

So this recipe calls for potatoes, salt, pepper, an egg, cornmeal, parsley, catfish, and lemon. The recipe itself was not difficult; it just wasn't executed correctly.

I started out by washing and peeling the potatoes. Then I cut them in to "julienned" strips and spread them in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Put that in the oven and then on to the fish.

So I dipped the fish in an egg bath, then in the cornmeal mixture, then onto its own foil-lined baking sheet (which is what the directions said to do) and added that to the oven. When I took the potatoes and fish out of the oven, the fiasco began.

The "fries" were not only soft and somewhat mushy, but they were stuck to the foil. The fish, on the other hand, seemed cooked through, but left the breading sticking to the foil. Even though I was far from thinking the food was tasty, my husband graciously ate everything on his plate, while I only nibbled at the fries (which I was able to peel off the foil, but not without smooshing them).

After consulting a better cook than myself, I learned that cooking fish on a grate of some kind is a better method because it allows the juices to cook off (and drop onto a baking sheet waiting below). Perhaps, after I have recovered from my major kitchen blunder, I will one day try this recipe again. We'll see how that goes.

In other news, I have started attending a cake decorating class. I have made 3 cakes so far (and I have pictures!) and when I get a chance, I will post them on here for your perusal. Please be kind though, as this is my first foire into cake decorating.