Parmesan-Basil Encrusted Swai

It's been a while! I hope that you kids are doing well. Once again, things have been pretty hectic. Papers, homework, and studying for exams has consumed my life :/. I haven't had a lot of time to cook anything new lately. Actually, I've been eating out so frequently that one of the security guards at my apartment has dubbed me "The Jimmy Johns Girl." =_=. First of all, I feel like she could have been way more creative with the nickname. I think that she just nicknamed me the thing that I happened to have that day. My overwhelming desire to go back to my given name was what prompted me to cook tonight. 

This recipe is really simple. Swai has a very mild flavor - not fishy at all like tilapia, so it takes well to lots of herbs and spices. Personally, I like softer fish so I tend to bake my swai. However, it can be breaded, fried, grilled, you name it! Experiment! This recipe has a peppery, creamy, sweet herbaceous taste to it. Here we go!

WHAT YOU NEED
4-5 large pieces of swai
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (you know, the "shaky cheese")
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for drizzling)


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix your parmesan, paprika, basil, cracked black pepper, and salt together. Feel free to taste the mixture before applying to the swai - this will allow you to make sure the mixture has a good balance of salt and pepper for your own taste.

 Drizzle olive oil over the top of your fish (you may want to rub it on the fish for a more even coating). Take each piece of swai and encrust the top of the fish with the mixture. Cover a 13-by-9-inch pan (whatever size works of you) with a piece of tin foil. Spray the tin foil with canola oil spray or coat with butter. 

Place the swai on the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the swai coating is golden brown and fish is flaky. And just like that, you're done! Enjoy!

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Good day to you all! I hope that you had a fantastic weekend! I know I did! It's truly rewarding when you can find a few moments to not only relax, but to try out some new recipes. This past weekend, I had a craving for cookies and tea, so I decided to combine the two. I love earl grey tea - It's probably the fanciest thing that I drink. I like to pull out my monocle, handle bar mustache, and top hat when I drink it (if only :/). It's the smooth taste of bergamot and citrus oils that makes my weekends so special. Earl grey just adds a new level of richness to sugar cookies. Anyway, cookies!

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WHAT YOU NEED:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves, fine (or 6 tea bags full)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and tea leaves. Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls, and place onto un-greased cookie sheets. 

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheet for two minutes before serving. Enjoy with milk or a cup of earl grey tea!

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend and try to find some time to be fancy :)!