I am this much closer...

To becoming a real person. Shocking? Yes, very. Great things always happen in Texas, my sunshine state. Who knows where my future will take me? Perhaps, I will return to my home state one day, but for now, New York City lures me into its giant melting pot. I am anxious about my first real job and elated about the result of confessing my culinary intentions. I always seek parental approval, but this time, I received more than that; they genuinely tried to warm up to the idea and stay supportive. That's more than I could ever ask for.

Now for the anticipated confession-chat dinner menu: Vegetable Cracker Baked Alaskan Halibut, Lemon Garlic Fingerling Potatoes, Baked Carrots with Chipotle Pesto, Cookies with Pomegranate Ice Cream



Vegetable Cracker Baked Halibut

1/2 cup crushed vegetable crackers
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp flour
Salt & Pepper
1 egg
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 halibut fillets Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine crushed vegetable crackers, garlic powder, and paprika together on a plate. Mix flour, salt, and pepper together in another plate. Whisk egg in a bowl. Pat both sides of each cod fillet with lemon juice before seasoning with salt and pepper. Dip only one side of cod fillet in the flour, shaking off excess. Then, dip the fillets in egg. Press each of fillets into the cracker mixture coating only the top side. Place encrusted cod onto a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

In the pan.

Lemon Garlic Fingerling Potatoes

4 ounces fingerling potatoes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp pine nuts
Salt & Pepper
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Boil potatoes until tender. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Drain and slice the potatoes in half and toss with lemon sauce. On high heat, cook minced garlic until fragrant. Sautee marinated potatoes with garlic in skillet for five minutes on low heat until edges are crisp. Let potatoes cool and top with scallions.

Baked Carrots with Chipotle Pesto

Handful of carrots
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Trim ends of carrots after washing and slice into thin strips. Toss olive oil, salt, and pepper with carrot strips in a baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

I am all about decorations.

Pomegranate Ice Cream

3/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups heavy cream
Pomegranate seeds
Blueberries
Cookies

Combine pomegranate juice with powdered sugar and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in the cream and keep whisking until soft peaks form a smooth pink cream. Spoon and smooth the ice cream into a large plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Scatter the pomegranate seeds and blueberries over the top when serving. (Adapted from Nigella Lawson)

The poison of choice.



The final product.



Baked fish is always tender.



Must have the sweets!

I throw two thumbs up signs.