A Complete Fish Dinner

"I don't enjoy Friday Night Fish Fry," said NO ONE EVER. We all know that I love a big plate of fish on a Friday night. It's what I look forward to all week. (Sad? Absolutely not.) While this is not your traditional Friday Night Fish Fry, I think we found it to be pretty tasty?

I decided to make some Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce, Coleslaw, Homemade French Baguettes, and Spicy Baked Beans (ha!). It sounds like a lot of work, but really...it wasn't, and even if it was, it's worth it.

Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

Fish:

• 4 (4 oz.) tilapia fillets 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning, or to taste
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Sauce:

• 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Directions:

1. Mix together sauce ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish.
3. Season tilapia fillets with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning on both sides. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Place layer of lemon over the fillets so that most of the surface is covered.
4. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

* Note: I made the sauce the night before, so that the flavors could meld a while longer in the refrigerator. I also made sure to take the sauce out of the fridge about an hour before dinner was served so that it could get closer to room temperature. Oh yeah, and this is important...I also doubled the sauce cause I like to slather my fish with tarter. :)

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Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) bag coleslaw mix
• 2 tbsp. minced onion
• 2/3 c. miracle whip
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil + 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. ground pepper
• 1/2 t. celery seed

Directions:

1. Mix onion, miracle whip, vegetable oil + vinegar, white sugar, salt, ground pepper, and celery seed. Pour over coleslaw mix.
2. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

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Homemade French Baguettes

Ingredients:

• 1 c. water
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2-1/2 c. bread flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. water

Directions

1. Combine water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to proof for 5 minutes (let it sit and begin to foam).
2. Add salt. Gradually add flour and knead until no longer sticky. Place in oiled bowl and allow to rise in warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Punch down dough. On lightly floured surface, roll into 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches. Cover and let rise in warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolk with water. Brush over tops of loaves.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Spicy Baked Beans

So, funny story with the beans. This is what happens when your boyfriend tells you he likes his beans thick, not runny...

I bought a can of Bush's Homestyle Baked Beans to heat on the stove. Then, Curtis tells me, "I like my beans thick." So, I added a little cornstarch, to see if it would help thicken them up a little bit... It didn't help much at first, but then it did...and then it got really thick, really fast. Too thick. So, I added some Sriracha sauce to add a little moisture and mask the starchy-ness and it ended up looking a bit like refried beans, but I actually really liked them and Curtis said they were the best thing on the plate (meal-o-fish fail).