Butter-Basted Fish Fillets with Garlic and Thyme

Delicate. Buttery. Delicious!

I have now made this several times and I am hooked (pun intended)!

It is more of a method than a recipe. The key will depend on the freshness of your fish. Avoid frozen, since they tend to be mushy when thawed.

2, 6-ounce fresh cod fillets, skinned, at least one-inch thick, 

    patted dry 

Salt and Pepper

2 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, but not minced or cut

3 tablespoons firm butter

2 thyme sprigs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 non-stick skillet

Add vegetable oil to skillet. When hot, add fillets, skin side down. Lower heat to medium. Cook 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook other side for one minute. Add butter and begin to baste by tilting pan and basting for 15 seconds then leaving flat on stove for 30 seconds. 

When temperature reaches 130 degrees, add garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. (I simply add the garlic and thyme sprigs when I add the butter). Continue cooking until fish registers 136-140. 

Carefully remove from pan. Spoon over the butter sauce. Serve with a wedge of lemon. For sides, I like plain white rice with spinach and a bit of parmesan mixed in. It goes nice with the butter sauce.

McDonald's Original Fries (and the truth about FATS and OILS)

Most mornings I spend several hours scouring the Internet for new recipes to keep me mo-tivated. As you can imagine, I have a file that is overflowing. Several, in fact. Will I make all these recipes? It is impossible.

Be that as it may, I've decided to post and share those I find interesting, even though I have not prepared them. 

I begin with fries.

Not any fries, but McDonald's fries which, if you are as old as me, you remember fondly opposed to the limp ones served today. Often cold.

But first, let's talk lard and fat. Lard is from pigs. Tallow is from beef. People often use the terms interchangeably. That is not correct.

I love lard and use it often, along with bacon grease. Here are some facts to consider: The newer lards are much healthier then they used to be.  I use it in biscuits, pie crusts, and to grease bread pans and casserole dishes.

 One tablespoon of lard has 10 mg of cholesterol. By contrast, one tablespoon of butter has 30mg of cholesterol. What about fat content? Well, one tablespoon of lard has 13% fat, of which six is saturated fat. By contrast, one tablespoon of butter has 11% fat, of which seven is from saturated fat. One tablespoon of margarine has 11% percent fat of which 2.1% is saturated but contains no cholesterol. One tablespoon of Crisco all-vegetable shortening is 12g of total fat of which 3 is saturated fat but contains no cholesterol.