Friday Recipe: The Ultimate Fast Food

One week after the move, we're settling in, but cooking remains a low priority. There have been complications all week. Aren't there always? Yesterday, I spent more time than you want to know getting rid of Norton anti-virus software from my new laptop. Norton seems to come pre-installed on most computers these days, and getting rid of it so you an opt for something of your own choosing involves effort. First you have to download a special uninstall package and then apply it, checking that you've nixed all the bits of Norton that embed themselves in all the corners of your computer. It's done now, with a little help from Isabel, my in-house computer science whiz. Then I had to figure out how to get the rather ancient alarm system in the house disconnected. The sellers were supposed to take care of it, but nothing ever goes perfectly and the alarm system was one of the blips in our closing. It too has now been taken off the to-do list (it was pretty high up because you really don't want an alarm to go off at 3 a.m.) Today, I had to figure out what the chimney balloon was and how to deal with it. See here for more about that. Then to add a little knitting-related urgency to the list, I needed to come up with some extra photos for an upcoming publication asap. Very challenging with no sunshine on the horizon and outdoor photos not an option (it's for a spring/summer issue and snow is NOT a desirable backdrop).
In the midst of all this busy-ness, the recipe that came to mind is this.

Steamed Fish

Fish is the ultimate fast food. While fresh is the most delicious, frozen can be very handy and can help you get dinner on the table with a minimum of effort.

one fillet of fish, fresh or frozen

parchment paper

baking sheet

optional: lemon slices and/or thinly sliced onion
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Wrap the fish, with toppings, in the paper so that it is airtight—you can simply crimp the ends and they will usually stay put. Place the package on the baking sheet and bake for the following times:

fresh—10 minutes per inch of thickness

frozen—20 minutes per inch of thickness

At the end of the suggested time, carefully unwrap the package and see if the fish is opaque. If not, re-wrap and bake for a few more minutes. 

Ridiculously easy, right?
Not much knitting going on here today, although there was a bit of this.

Oh, oh, that third fret from the bottom looks as though it's come loose! Off to do a little repair.