FRIED FLOUNDER WITH BLACK BEAN AND AVOCADO SALSA and LEMON BUTTER COOKIES

I LOVE to read, and always have a pile of books.
Reading was what I missed most about my life before kids, but thankfully Book Club got me back in the habit of reading and showed me I could find the time.
I read on the treadmill, in the car line while waiting for the kids to come out of school, while on an airplane, a passenger in a car, sitting beside the pool, curled up on the couch in a blanket, and I always carry my current book in my purse just in case the line at the post office is too long, or I'm waiting on a friend at a restaurant.
I have recently devoured a couple of books that, along with delicious stories included wonderful recipes.
Today is the National Education Associations "Read Across America" day - and with the kids out of school due to snow and ice, this delicious combination of nourishment for the mind and body is definitely worth celebrating.

FRIED FLOUNDER WITH BLACK BEAN AND AVOCADO SALSA

FOR THE BLACK BEAN AND AVOCADO SALSA
2 (14 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 small jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
few dashes of hot sauce
handful of chopped cilantro
2 avocados, cut into cubes

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.

FOR THE FLOUNDER
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
olive oil
1 1/4 pounds flounder fillets
tartar sauce, for serving
lemon wedges, for serving

Set up your dredging stations: one plate or bowl for the flour, one for the eggs and one for the panko.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Dredge your fish fillets, first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the panko.
Add 2 to 4 fillets at a time to the skillet and fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove from the skillet, tent with foil to keep warm, and fry the remaining fillets, adding more oil as necessary.
Serve with a dollop of tartar sauce, lemon wedges and the black bean and avocado salad.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Dinner a Love Story, Jenny Rosenstrach, 2012
www.dinneralovestory.com/‎

LEMON BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extreact
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup cornstarch
sugar crystals

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and zest until smooth. Add dry ingredients, mix until just incorporated. Use waxed paper to shape and roll dough into 2 8-inch logs, (about the width of a cookie).
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
 Heat oven to 350F.
Slice cookies about 1/4 inch thick, put on ungreased cookie sheets, sprinkle on sugar crystals or roll the logs in sugar before cutting.
Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden. Cool on waxed paper.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside, Susan Branch, 2013

www.susanbranch.com/‎

TRAVEL TUESDAY - COUNTRY HAM BISCUITS WITH FRIED GREEN TOMATOES - NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Over a long weekend at the beginning of the year, the kids and I drove to Gaylord Opryland to meet a dear friend and her kids, who were traveling across from North Carolina.
Nashville was a natural half way point, and the perfect place to gather, although we didn't venture far from the resort, we discovered there was no need to - it was such a quick visit, and the weekend was more about us getting together and catching up than seeing the sights of Nashville. I was quite impressed by the resort - having no prior expectations. The inside was lush with vegetation and various water features gave it a charming and picturesque appearance, had a soothing effect, and provided ample space and places for the kids to run and play while the adults joyfully reconnected.
There were many restaurants to choose from, offering a great variety of fare. We ate every meal within the resort, with the most memorable being my cornmeal biscuits with country ham and fried green tomatoes.
It was one of my favorite trips ever - the kids were truly a pleasure to travel with and to be with. The drive was fun and it was wonderful having those precious moments with my children, and spending time with a cherished friend and her kids.

Me, Amy and our sweet kids at the Gaylord Opryland Resort

The cornmeal biscuit with country ham and fried green tomato at the Gaylord Opryland Resort

COUNTRY HAM BISCUITS WITH FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

My version of the cornmeal biscuit with country ham and fried green tomato

1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut up
1 cup cream
1 package of cooked country ham
fried green tomatoes (recipe to follow)

Heat oven to 425F.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cornmeal, sugar and pepper in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add whipping cream, stirring with a fork just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead 3 or 4 times. Pat the dough flat, cut out circles with a round cookie cutter. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until biscuits are golden. Let cool slightly, separate circles, serve warm stuffed with country ham and fried green tomatoes.
Enjoy!

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

2 firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

STRAWBERRY CORNMEAL CUPCAKES

The summer vacation went by very quickly, and although I wasn't quite ready for it to be over, I was looking forward to finding our Fall routine, and getting back to the school week rhythm.
I took the requisite "First Morning of School" photographs out the front of the house by the holly tree, as bunches of Sorority girls walked by smiling at the silly faces my kids were making. My husband and I leisurely walked the kids to school, had coffee with a group of other parents, then took a long walk around the beautiful downtown.
Even though my "TO DO" list was long and loomed large after many months of neglect, once I had cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast, and organized a lunch date with a friend, I wanted to make sure there was a freshly baked snack for the kids when they came home from school.
It's a good thing I was wanting more time at home with the kids, two of them developed fevers and chills over the course of the evening, so it looks like school will be postponed for a few more days.

STRAWBERRY CORNMEAL CUPCAKES

2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons cream
1/2 to 1 cup chopped strawberries
confectioners sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 350F.
Line muffin pan with paper liners.
In a bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs and zest on medium speed for 5 minutes. Beat in olive oil and milk. Add flour mixture, beat just until blended. Gently stir in strawberries. Divide among muffin cups.
Bake until toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 25 minues. Dust with confectioners sugar.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine, May 2013
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search‎