Fish Pie

Fish pie is a favorite meal for special occasions at my house.  We had it on Sunday.  Preparing it was almost as much fun as eating it because I had company in the kitchen while I was cooking.  The scrumptious aroma of mushrooms and garlic sizzling in the skillet seemed to exert a magical pull, bringing family members into the kitchen repeatedly, to check how much longer until we could eat. 

This is a meal worth lingering over, and that's what we did.  The misty rain and grey clouds outside, was a nice couterpoint to the the cozy scene inside- the chardonnay, a crackling fire, some jazz music on the stereo, the fish pie, and vanilla ice cream with strawberries.  I think the dessert is what motivated the kids to linger, but whatever works.  I enjoyed the food and the conversation with my loved ones. The recipe I use is from one of my favorite cookbooks, called Apples for Jam, by Tessa Kiros. 

Sauce:  2 TBS Butter

             1/4 cup all-purpose flour

             1 1/4 cups vegetable broth, warmed

             1/2 cup salt and freshly ground pepper

4 TBS Butter

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

2 1/4 cups sliced button mushrooms

salt

3 TBS white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/4 lb. skinless halibut, cod, or snapper fillets

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 TBS chopped fresh parsley

6 to 7 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

lemon wedges to serve

Fish Pie

For the sauce, melt the butter in a smallish saucepan and then stir in the flour.  Cook for a minute or so over medium heat and then add the broth, whisking well to make a smooth sauce.  Let it bubble up for a few minutes and then stir in the cream.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400F and butter in a 13 by 9 by 2 1/2 inch ovenproof dish.  Heat 1 1/2 TBS. of the butter and the garlic in a frying pan and when it is sizzling, add the mushrooms and a little salt.  Saute over high heat, shifting the mushrooms around with a wooden spoon until all the juices have evaporated and they turn golden.  Remove from the heat. 

Cut the fish into large chuncks of about 2 inches and put in the bottom of your dish.  Scrape the mushrooms out over the fish, then add the shrimp.  Scatter the parsley and a few grinds of pepper.  Pour the sauce over the top.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and a bit golden here and there.

Meanwhile. boil the potatoes in salted water until soft.  Heat the remaining butter in milk.  Drain the potatoes and mash them.  Beat in the rest of the butter and the warm milk and season.

Arrange the mashed potatoes in dollops just around the rim of the dish, then bake the pie for another 10 minutes or so, or until the mash is a little golden in places.  Leave it to stand for 5 or 10 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Solstice Garden Tour

On this first day of summer, we visited the Bellevue Botanical Garden. I would very much like to move into this little home among the trees.    Serenity.Imagination.Perhaps a little gnome lives here?Fairies have been here. Happy Summer Solstice!

Change of Plans

On this Father's Day weekend, we really did try to ignore the rain and carry on with our plans.  We stubbornly drove to the Farmer's market, as is our Saturday tradition.  We sloshed through puddles and huddled under the vendor's canopies as we purchased our fresh produce.  We were rewarded with some of the first local strawberries of the season, at a special rainy day price no less.   Plans to go the Freemont Solstice Festival were drowned out by the reality of the rain.  Also, by some slight apprehension about how kid friendly this event would, or would not be.  So Grace and I switched gears and headed to the ballet instead.  It was a most enjoyable change of plans.  We saw the end of year recital by the professional division students of Pacific Northwest Ballet.  They were accompanied by the Seattle Youth Symphony.  I was in awe of the talent that I saw and heard.  Tickets were about a third of the cost of the tickets that one would pay for company performances, and yet it was still a beautiful and professional looking production.  

Creating 6.17

Here are a couple of the illustrations from the story I've been working on.  Can you guess what it's about?    Tonight, Derek and I are going out, just the two of us!  I wrote something here a couple of weeks ago about wanting a "Mary Poppins" for my kids.  I got my wish with not just one, but two, of the sweetest ladies ever.  They've volunteered to come over, hang out, and eat pizza with Grace and Trent.  They're part of our community group from church.  I know I've said it before, but I love being a part of an intentional community.       

Magical

Puget Sound looked like it had millions of diamonds shimmering on the surface the other night.  A single word that came to my mind, was magical.  I love that time of the evening when the sun is low in the sky, bathing everything it touches with a warm, sparkly glow.  The sun is setting on those precious early childhood years for my youngest.  And a single word that comes to my mind, is magical.  Just like that time of day, where everything looks beautiful under the rosy glow of the sunset, the harsher realities fading away into distant memories, here I am, looking back on my son's early years with an immense sense of love, awe, and gratitude.       Yes, I had tears in my eyes as he hugged his teacher and took his diploma.  I will miss these years.  But, I sometimes see glimpses of the man he's growing up to be and I'm excited for the future.  He's an amazing kid with a kind and loving heart, and it's a sweet blessing to be his mommy.