Something's fishy

For years I have tried to find a way to prepare fish that my family really enjoyed. I experimented with various ways of frying and baking, but these recipes were merely tolerated. Often I would coat the fish with bread crumbs but by the time it was served, the crumbs were usually coming off. My husband told me that the fish tasted all right, but the texture was soggy. Oh, what to do?

Since sogginess seemed to be a major issue, I googled "crispy fish fillets" and searched several recipe websites. Finally I came across an easy recipe here. Apparently one secret to keeping the crumbs from falling off the fish is to let them sit in the fridge for a while. Also, for the homemade breadcrumbs, I used packaged croutons.

The results? Everyone actually liked it. My son, who usually takes one bite of a new food and then claims he doesn't like it, ate an entire piece of fish. They all even said I could make it again!

And it only took me 15 years.

First Rose of Summer

I have not had much success with gardening and such. Once someone gave me a chrysanthemum and told me they were very easy to care for. The thing was dead in weeks. And I did water it.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered the rosebush at our new house was actually blooming. In fact, it had several blooms on it. I had not even caring for it except for watering. (And that was done mostly by frequent rain showers.)

Now I have big plans for the flower bed. It involves planting bulbs in the fall and some potted plants in the spring. Maybe even a bushy plant someday like an azalea. We shall see if the plants do better when I show them TLC or if I ignore them.

By the way, I plan on pruning the rosebush next spring. I am already wondering if it will ever bloom again.