Dining on Flipper!

Well, not really. Dolphin yes, but not the friendly mammalian type that we adore so much and swim with and chirp with and all that amazing fru-fru jazzy stuff. Mahi Mahi, a more acceptable thing to say other than dolphin. It's a hearty white fish that is very versatile in flavor. You can steam it, bake it, grill it, or fry it. The easiest of which being baking or grilling. I have found the best flavor combination is citrus basil. It keeps the light flavor of the fish available while subtly adding notes to it that bounce all around your pallet.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grab some aluminum foil. Lay out a large enough piece of aluminum foil to hold the entire piece of fish. Sprinkle the juice of half a lemon over the fish and sprinkle about half a tablespoon of basil over that. Take a clove of garlic and peel off the skin. Place four portions of the garlic around the fish and wrap the foil up over it all. Place the foil packets in a baking dish and place in the oven.

The fish will take about 20-30 minutes to cook. While the fish cooks, you can prepare your sides. I ended up cheating today and using some microwave in the bag rice and green beans. They are good, simple, and easy to make. That way you can focus more on a glass of wine or ice cold beer and the people you have invited over.

When the fish has completed cooking, it will be slightly flaky, yet still firm. Cut the Mahi Mahi pieces into smaller steak sizes and serve over rice with the beans on the side. This fish goes best with a crisp white wine like a Chardonnay. With the time you saved on making the sides, you can think of an amazing desert to make for afterwards!

What you need

Mahi Mahi

Rice

Green beans

Lemons, or juice of, half for each piece of fish

Garlic

Basil

The Best Plan of Attack is a Flank Steak

Are you in the mood for a steak but don't want to pay a bunch at a steak house and have your steak come out over cooked, over seasoned, and under flavorful? Well this recipe is for you! Flank steak is a super easy option for families that want a nice meal that is relatively cheap. Paired with a simple vegetable and optional bread the flank steak makes a great well rounded meal for about 5 dollars per person.

The flank steak is super easy to cook! Start your grill and bring the temperature up to between 350-375. While the grill is heating season the steak with McCormicks Montreal Steak Seasoning liberally on both sides. Place the steak on the grill and let it cook with the lid closed for five minutes on the first side. [NoProTip: Don't flip the steak more than once, allow most cooking to be done on the first side. This helps the steak hold on to vital juices!] After five minutes, flip the steak and allow it to cook for about two to three more minutes. [This will bring the steak to a Medium Rare state, which is how I like it, if you like your meat to be medium cook for five minutes after flipping, medium well six minutes pre-flip and five minutes after the flip and well done, well just go back to the store and get beef jerky cause that should be illegal] Once the meat has finished cooking, set aside for a minimum of five minutes to allow the juices to settle in the meat and the fibrous tissues to loosen up.

Before preparing your meat, you will want to start on the side dish that accompanies it. A dish that I just learned of, thanks to Pinterest, is a Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato and Bacon mixture. I'm not going to lie, before I made this I was pretty skeptical about it, but I will be cooking this again! Pre-heat your oven to 400 first of all, then start out by chopping two large sweet potatoes into chunks, you can decide the size of each chunk, and cutting the sprouts in half. Liberally coat a baking sheet with EVOO and set aside. With your sprouts and potatoes cut up, place them in a large bowl and drizzle EVOO over the top. Sprinkle some thyme, roughly a tablespoon, and some salt and pepper to taste over that. Mix that thoroughly with your hands, extra virgin olive oil is the best moisturizer you will ever find, and scatter evenly on to the baking sheet. Bake the mixture for 20-25 minutes, until you can easily put a fork through the potato pieces. While that is baking, fry up about five pieces of bacon to a crispy level and set aside on a paper-towel to cool. Once the vegetables are done, place them in the serving bowl and crumble the bacon over top. Mix it all together again prior to serving.

After the steak has rested, and you can not skip that part, slice it into small strips on about a 45 degree angle. Serve on the plate with the steak presented to show the inside of the meat, allowing the diner to admire the deep reds and see the juices, juxtaposed to the greens and yellows of the vegetables. If you decided to add a bread portion, that is best served in a basket on the table so that each diner may grab as they please. Serve this with meal with a Merlot or Chianti, these wines will bring out the bold flavor of the steak and assist in tasting the smokey notes of the seasoning!

What you need

Flank Steak [NoProTip: Flank Steak will shrink quite a bit during cooking]

McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 Sweet Potatoes

16 oz bag of Brussels Sprouts

Bacon

Rosemary

EVOO

Salt and Pepper