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Yesterday I wrote that braising season is upon us.  Yeah, well, it’s supposed to be over eighty-five degrees for the next three days.  Not only that, but after tomorrow, my husband will be away on a business trip, so my aversion to leftovers has returned.  I need to make something for dinner this evening, and as I so often find myself, I’m stuck for ideas.  I want to make sure I’ve got something fixed in my head before I head out to run errands, so I’m not meandering aimlessly around the grocery store.  I can’t stand that.  In short, I want to cook something tasty and fast, just enough for two, and something DIFFERENT.  I’ve been in a cooking rut.

So what am I in the mood for?  Sure, I could be in the mood for lots of things, but I try really hard to keep ingredients purchased for a single meal under ten dollars.  Pasta’s out (we had that last night), we’ve had a lot of chicken lately…Ugh, I feel exasperated and uncreative. 

Okay, another tack.  What protein haven’t I made in a while?  I love fish, but my husband kind of only tolerates it.  Ooh, wait, I’m just remembering that using crushed chips, cereal, or crackers makes a tasty, crunchy coating on just about anything.  I’ve got it!  I’m going to make some fancy homemade fish sticks (I titled this post “Fish Fingers” because that’s what the English call them, and I think it’s funny).  I guess I’ll buy some firm, white fish for them, and I already have sundried tomato veggie chips in the house.  

Here’s what to do.  Crush two or three cups of chips in a plastic bag, and dump them in a shallow dish.  In another shallow dish, mix some mayonnaise with salt, pepper, paprika, and dried herbs.  You could also use melted butter instead of the mayo.  Heat a skillet with a quarter-inch of olive oil in it to medium heat.  Smear each piece of fish around on both sides in the mayo mixture, then press it on each side into the chips.  Fry the fish on both sides until done.  Times will vary according to the type and thickness of the fish, and whether or not you fry whole fillets or cut your fish into “sticks.”

Can’t have fish sticks without something to dip them in!  Here’s my version of remoulade sauce.  Get out that mayonnaise again, and put a cup of it in a bowl.  Squirt a touch of mustard, a teeny-tiny bit of ketchup, and plop about a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce into it.  Add a little fresh minced onion, parsley, and capers.  Mix well and let the remoulade hang out in the fridge until dinner’s ready.

Tonight I think I’ll make sweet potato home fries and a salad to go with the fish sticks.  I’m just glad an idea finally came to me.  Cooking at home is so much harder at home than at work.