Legos for Christmas

2 weeks ago we had to go out to the shopping center to get something. On a Saturday. Headed into Christmas. And if you think USA stores are busy, try Austria where all the stores are closed on Sundays!

If you know me, you know I hate crowded shopping centers. Which is exactly why I usually have all my shopping done and everything wrapped by the 1st week of November. IF I want to add something more, I can...but no stress if I go shopping again, or don't. My DH thinks this is a bit funny of me, but over the years he has learned just how very stressed I become if I wait too long. Can we say panic attack in a crowded store? So, I know what bothers me...and avoid it.

But, School Boy needed something for school and he has a tight schedule, which meant we headed out shopping on a Saturday. We went early in the morning...to get a parking spot.

The stores were loaded up with toys, games, Playmobile...and stacks and stacks of Lego sets. Everywhere I looked - Leo's.  It was actually a pretty amazing sight.  The most wished for items tend to sell out fast. But, happily, it is not something I have to worry about. I am all done with Christmas shopping.


We went in a car provided by our Auto Club.

My car broke down, sigh. 80 km from home. But the Auto Club came right away...towed the car to a home garage...and gave us this car for a few days. It was super nice to have, but sadly we had to give it back.

But I am not worried. We live in a city and can get around by walking, biking or public transportation for now. And, I already have ALL my Christmas shopping done. So, no stress. I was able even score a most wanted Lego set late in October. Phew!

Cactus Flower!

 My son's cactus had a flower this month. It was such a nice surprise!

 In the photo below you can see it is not a huge cactus yet.  I am pretty sure we got it last year. When we repot cacti, we get a special soil mix. Seriously, I have no idea what the plant in the front is, but I guess it likes living with us - it keeps getting taller!

This tall cactus...should I be worried? My son has 2 of them and they keep growing and growing. I am afraid that eventually I will not be able to fit them out the door! One needs to be repoted and we got the soil this week. The spider plant is a "baby" from the spider plant my son gave to me when he was 6. You can see some of the many plants I still have out on the balcony.

 Someone recently told me that I can snap off these small, new growths and pot them. Hmm. I am just wondering how many more cacti we have room for in the house?! 

 The fuzzy cactus has been moved inside next to my kitchen basil plant. The weather here is unusually warm, still mid 60's during the day. I need to go to the thrift shop to get some saucers for underneath. But, since you hardly ever water a cactus, there is no rush!

 This one is still outside. Don't worry, it will not fall! It is not windy here. If it does tip over it will just go into the flower box. But it has been there since June with no problem.  My pepper plants below are still going strong. But I know, winter is coming and I will need to re-arrange to make room for all these cacti!

 And here is my little, white Christmas cactus, blooming away for all it is worth!

Well, that is a little tour of some of my plants. I have more out on the other balcony. I really enjoy having fresh chives, rosemary, thyme, basil,  etc. And those plants are still outside. Some herbs are in windows boxes and those will need to be put into inside planters. So, I have a bit of work this week to get the plants sorted out for the coming winter. I wonder what cactus will have a flower next?!

Simple pan fried fish with Mediterranean tomato sauce

We had some tomatoes that needed to be used, so I decided to make a tomato based sauce and serve with fish. This is a nice sauce and freezes well if you make extra.

Sauce:
Onions
Garlic
Butter
Tomatoes
Green/black olives - chopped
Basil - I have a plant on my kitchen counter
Tomato paste - just a bit. Or tomatoe juice. Or both.
Squirt of lemon juice
Some white wine (maybe 1/4 cup)
Capers if you have any

Seems like most my favorite foods start with the same base.
Sautéed chopped onions in a generous amount of butter for 4-5 minutes and then add chopped garlic for another 2 minutes maximum. Garlic cooks much faster than onions and burns quickly. If you burn your garlic you have to start over. So, I add garlic at the end and make sure I stir, stir so it doesn't burn.
Now add your other ingredients. Turn the heat down to simmer and put a cover on the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes, give it a stir every now and then. Make sure you stir in the paste of using.

Fish
Cod loin, or whatever fish you have. Haddock is a favorite of mine too
Milk in a shallow dish with sides
Enough flour to coat the fish on a plate
Salt
White pepper - I prefer white over black pepper
Paprika! A nice large pinch, plus
Grated parmesan cheese
Any other seasoning blend you like

Mix the flour and spices and cheese together.
Rinse and pat dry the fish
Dip both sides in the milk
Dip both sides in the flour mixture

*My frying instructions
I put about 1/4" of cooking oil in a cast iron pan. A frying pan is fine, but I use my deeper pot to help contain the grease splatters. But wear an apron anyway! I put the heat on low and start preheating the pan/oil while I am cooking the tomatoe sauce. I love cast iron pans, but it is best to preheat them. Anyway, while you are battering the fish, turn the heat up. You want the oil pretty hot. Once hot, put a big glop of butter on top. Butter is fragile and will burn directly on the pan, but floating on the oil protects it. The butter will give the fish a nice dark crust, which I prefer.

Ok. NOW you are ready to fry the fish! Put it in there and do not fiddle with it or your crust will fall off. 3 minutes first side, flip over and take a look. 2nd side is 3-4 minutes depending how crusty the 1st side was. This is based on a thicker piece of cod/haddock. Adjust if you are using thinner fish.

A note about frying with oil. Do NOT walk away from it, you might get a fire. If you ever do have a grease fire, do NOT put water on it! Use flour! You already have your flour out anyway for the fish. If you even think your oil is too hot, turn it down! I guess I should add that this is just a friendly blog post about how I pan fry fish, if you suffer damage from anything I write about, I am not responsible.  Ok. You are warned.

Ta-da, done! Garnish with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Anyway, I served it with salad and bread & butter. We also ate left over cream of pumpkin soup and I posted that recipe a few days ago.