I don’t know why they have to ask such difficult questions at my bank on Monday mornings… Like, what did you do this weekend? What are your plans for the rest of your day? It’s far too much pressure for me. This morning I could remember that we had Ella’s soccer games, which accounted for about 3 hours total this weekend, but little else. I just sort of gave a blank stare and said it was always hard for me to remember what I did over the weekend. Really?!? What am I 90 years old?
As I was leaving I remembered that we went to the Spring Festival on Friday and Saturday and that I raked a bunch of pine needles but I thought it would be pathetic to run back in and report that to the young teller who was simply trying to make small talk with her idiot customer (me) while silently vowing to herself never to have a life so boring she couldn’t remember what she did over the weekend.
As I was leaving I remembered that we went to the Spring Festival on Friday and Saturday and that I raked a bunch of pine needles but I thought it would be pathetic to run back in and report that to the young teller who was simply trying to make small talk with her idiot customer (me) while silently vowing to herself never to have a life so boring she couldn’t remember what she did over the weekend.
I should note, I’m not saying my life is boring, just that it must appear so to those who ask me about it. The second question was worse and prompts me to make the following plea. If you know a stay at home parent who does not have a regular job outside the home, please don’t ask them what their plan for the day is. I know it seems an innocuous question but the fact is, and I speak for only myself here but I suspect I’m not alone, I often have no freaking idea what the day might bring and if I do it’s not very interesting and I’m just going to feel bad about myself when I say “Uh, well, I gotta drop off my daughters glasses at school that she forgot for the hundredth time then maybe some laundry… you know, Monday stuff.” I’m happy to say my day was (slightly) more interesting than that. Just, please, don’t ask me about it tomorrow.
I suppose it’s appropriate I fixed fish for dinner – clearly, I need “brain food”.
I used wild caught mahi-mahi from the freezer section at Costco and it was really meaty and juicy. So good. Big hit with the whole family. I forget (no surprise there) how much my girls like fish!
Mahi Mahi with Sauteed Vegetables and Soy Ginger-Orange Glaze
(4 servings)
4 (4 to 6 ounce) mahi-mahi fillets, thawed if frozen
salt and pepper
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 1/2 inches of the root)
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 TB low sodium soy sauce
2 TB orange juice
1 TB honey
1 TB canola oil
1 TB sesame oil
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
4 mini bell peppers (or 1 regular size), sliced
5 medium stalks asparagus (or 8 thin stalks)
Place thawed fillets of mahi-mahi on stacked paper towels to drain excess moisture. Lightly salt and pepper the fish.
Peel about 2 inches of ginger root then grate about 1 teaspoon of it into a small mixing bowl. (Save the rest of the peeled ginger for tomorrow’s smoothie.)
Peel and grate 2 cloves of garlic into the bowl.
Add soy sauce, orange juice, and honey. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Preheat large saute pan on medium-high heat.
Peel and slice carrots.
Add canola and sesame oil to the preheated pan. When the oil is hot, add the carrots.
(You might notice, I got a little carried away with the amount of oil I used, you don’t need quite that much.)
While the carrots are cooking, slice peppers.
Add the peppers to the pan and cook until carrots are soft. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside while you cook the fish.
Making sure the pan is hot, add a bit more sesame oil if necessary (I had plenty), then place the mahi-mahi fillets in the pan. Cook about 4 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, remove tough ends of the asparagus and slice each stalk in 4 pieces.
When the fish has cooked almost all the way through, add the soy/ginger/orange mixture and allow to boil and cook down for a few minutes on medium-high heat. (You might notice I removed one fillet in case the sauce was too spicy for Ella. It wasn’t, she ate her glazed veggies just fine with it.)
Turn the fish to coat it then remove it (I left one big one that wasn’t quite cooked) and add asparagus. Cook for about 2 minutes, add carrots and peppers and stir to coat the vegetables with the glaze.
Plate it up alongside quinoa or rice. Radish garnish is optional. Enjoy!
This is so me… Except it’s closer to 30 years later. I don’t know why I feel it necessary to mention that. I should stop talking now.
Oh yes, this is another one of your dishes that I'm definitely going to be trying out. It looks really nice and easy to do with lots of flavour. Thanks Aunty.