RECIPE Tip of the Day 2/23/07: Quick Broiled Salmon with Honey

A delicious and simple Lenten-friendly dish from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2006, p. 181:

"Bake salmon fillets at 350°F until almost cooked. Cover them with honey and place under the broiler until they are nicely caramelized."

I usually sprinkle a little sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder before baking.

Shopping Tips:

Salmon: About fish cuts: fillets are nice when they are at a good price; however, the steaks are usually more economical per pound. It's really not that hard to pick the bones out of salmon. Don't be lazy. Use a dedicated kitchen pair of needle-nose pliers to take out the bones prior to cooking.

Honey: I got the best deal from Costco, a huge 1-quart bottle for under $12 (I forget the exact price). My son's father had turned me onto raw honey while we were dating, but I'm a bit freaked out that it can contain random bits of wings and such.

Lenten Regulations and Meditations

If you are unclear about Lent, its meaning and practice, visit the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw and its Lenten Regulations page.

Also order The Little Black Book: Six-minute meditations on the Passion according to Matthew from their website. It is a type of vade mecum (pronouced vahday maykum, Latin for "travel with me"); The Little Black Book is a pocket-sized booklet to read through the whole Lenten season, based on the writings of Bishop Ken Untener (1937-2004). I have it in my hands right now.

My search for ashes: A Photo Essay

*Special shout-out to Ruby for helping me with this pet project.

40 days and 40 nights...

of no profanity. No cursing. No cussing. (Get ready for some really creative blogs.)

I should really give it up entirely, at least in front of my son. He's a complete parrot now. He can even use the "wrong" words in the right context. The last thing I need right now is some busybody accusing me of nurturing a potty mouth.

Sometimes I think, what's the friggin' big deal? Expletives are so common place in the everyday vernacular. It's almost subconscious how they pervade our speech. I probably have said curse words in my sleep. They can be so useful in conveying just the right amount of vitriol to sum up the moment, the thing, the person. Who says we don't have the right to offend? Not only do we kill each other with kindness, sometimes we kill ourselves. The recipients of swearing should just try to develop a stronger stomach to those bitter little pills, which sometimes are loaded with truth.

This is un-Christian of me to say, I know. I'm going to confession soon anyway.