broccoli stuffed flounder

modified from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, 1999

4 to 6 4-oz fresh or frozen skinless flounder, sole, or other mild fish fillets, about 1/4” thick

1-1/2 C frozen broccoli, thawed & finely chopped

1 beaten egg

12 oz onion & chives flavored soft cream cheese OR

12 oz brick style cream cheese, whipped with dried minced onion & chives added

1/3 C grated parmesan cheese

1 C herb stuffing mix

¼ C milk

¼ C dry white wine

1. Thaw fish; rinse & pat dry with paper towels.

2. Drain broccoli, squeezing out excess liquid. Combine egg, half the cream cheese, and parmesan. Stir in the broccoli & stuffing mix. Spoon stuffing onto wide end of each fillet and roll up, securing with toothpicks as necessary.

3. Place toothpick-side up in a greased glass baking dish. Bake at 350* for 30 to 35 minutes or till fish flakes easily with a fork and stuffing is hot.

4. Meanwhile, cook remaining cream cheese, milk and wine in a small saucepan on med-low heat until heated through, stirring often. DO NOT BOIL. Serve sauce over fish.

Extra sauce is tasty on steamed broccoli. Make more if you want to save some for another meal in the week.

WD-40 and needle nose pliers

in case you haven't heard before, i am pretty independent. my mother was always the hand-wringing waif on the side of the road, waiting for a nice strong man to come change her tire. except that she didn't talk to strangers. so it was usually a long wait until my dad could get off work and come rescue his fair maiden. my father wanted me to be different, and i quote, "no daughter of mine will stand helplessly on the side of the road." before i was allowed to take my driver's test, i had to demonstrate my knowledge of the inner workings of my own car. i had to change a tire and the oil & filter. and that included getting the motha f#%*^% jack back into it's place. i had to know how to check for a bad spark plug and maintain the fluid levels in my car. the only time i called for help was for two busted tie-rods in the middle of a busy intersection in the heat of friday night rush hour. tow truck time.

the "knowledge is power" that my father instilled in me carries on to this day. i've trouble-shooted (is that the proper past tense?) my washing machine, bikes and a ceiling fan, ordered parts online and repaired them myself. and when i get stuck, i have friends to help me figure things out. they are the good ol' google-meister, and my favorite book:

Dare to Repair, A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home, by Julie Sussman & Stephanie Glakas-Tenet.

i bought the book the day after we signed a contract with a realtor to start looking for our very own house. with no on-call repair folks included in the monthly mortgage payment, i thought it best to figure out how houses work so to better decide when to call a repair person. i read the book cover-to cover in a couple of days. not necessarily an interesting read, but it was well worth stocking up on the info. i called the rental office and asked for a work order on my bathroom sink to "replace the broken clevis strap on the pop-up stopper." when dude got there, looked under the sink and confirmed my diagnosis, he was 1) shocked that i had known the names of the parts and 2) wanted to know how i'd figured out that was the problem, and not a clogged drain. i beamed.

i've used the book quite a lot in the past 3.5 years, and it isn't just repairs. it also has lots of tips on what maintenance needs to be done when, including cleaning dryer vents, refrigerator maintenance and gutters. the last time i picked it up? just this morning. i've never heard of anyone breaking their key off in a lock before. i remember glancing over that and thinking, "if you're breaking keys in locks, there is a lot more wrong with you than just needing a locksmith." well, *ahem* i tripped coming in the front door this morning and bent my key in half, mostly because apparently i decided that the little key would hold me up. in trying to ease it back out again, it snapped. i swallowed the panic rising in my throat, calmly walked three feet to the bookcase, and pulled out my little book of friends.

page 154 had all the info i needed. if you can see the key sticking out, gently spray the keyhole (around the key, not pushing it further in) with WD-40 (or cooking spray, in a real pinch) and use the needle-nose pliers to gently free the key. and don't fall on the keys again. and if i couldn't see the key? i would have called a locksmith for an estimate, and determined which would cost less: extracting the key professionally or running to home depot and replacing the deadbolt altogether. i've done that before. it's cake.

i've just learned today that the same ladies who wrote my favorite chick-book also have branched out into specialties: plumbing and car repair. since we most often call experts to our house for heating and plumbing issues, i'll be requesting that book really soon. and both of our warranties just expired on our 6+ and 7+ year old cars. barnes & noble, here i come!

mocha shortbread rounds

Sophisticated enough for a grown-up tea party, sweet enough to serve for an afternoon snack. Fantastic dunkers, whether in milk, coffee, tea, or cocoa. They also make great gifts, stacked in a plastic bag and tied with festive ribbon.

1-1/2 C unbleached flour
1/2 C cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs instant espresso OR
2Tbs instant coffee
1 C (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
1C firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C toasted finely chopped hazelnuts (optional)

1. Sift together dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until dough forms...do NOT overmix.

2. Separate dough into two sections. Turn onto wax paper and roll into a 2-inch log shape. Use empty paper towel roll for a guide, if necessary. Repeat with the second section of dough. Roll in toasted chopped hazelnuts to add crunch, if desired. Wrap the dough in wax paper and plastic, place in fridge for 1-2 hours, no more than 24. (Logs can be frozen and will keep for one month.)

3. Preheat oven to 250*. Slice the dough into 1/3-inch thick rounds and place them on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake cookies until they are dry and firm, about 45 minutes; do NOT overbake. Let stand on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.