Potassium Tube: Go-ing to the Chapel and She's Gonna Get Ma-aarried

"How do I cut a tomato?" is a sentence that has been haunting me since Sunday when my friend Laura so innocently uttered the words. We were at a cook-out at her house and she was slicing tomatoes for burgers. I think she was just kidding in a way, but I'm not sure.

With her wedding rapidly approaching, Laura is always busy with something. She works, goes to grad school, and is planning a wedding; not to mention the fact that she has the most adorable new nephew that takes a lot of her attention (he would take mine too!). I have no idea how much time Laura spends in the kitchen. If her hectic schedule is any indication, it is probably not much.

For this reason, I want to provide her, my other friend Danielle, and any other new brides, with a quick, easy, and impressive meal your new hubby will swoon over!

The first thing is a super-easy Almond-Crusted Tilapia (sounds fancy, right?). There is not a recipe per se, but I will list approximately what I use and explain the procedure.

Almond-Crusted Tilapia (or other mild white fish)

1-2 packages frozen fish (If you can get it fresh, even better)
1-2 cups breadcrumbs (I usually use seasoned for more flavor)
1/2 cup-1 cup almonds, chopped fine
2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper
1 egg
butter for cooking

Procedure: If the fish is frozen, thaw ahead of time in fridge or leave in the packaging and submerge in a bowl of cold water for 1/2 hour to an hour. If it is still frozen, place it under running cold water or defrost in the microwave.

Prepare one bowl with a beaten egg and a separate plate with a mixture of the breadcrumbs, almonds, flour, salt, and pepper. Sometimes I even add a little Parmesan to the mix.

Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium-high heat.

Dip the thawed fish in the egg and then into the dry mixture. It helps to really press the mixture onto the fish so that it adheres.

Slowly place the fish into the pan of melted butter and cook--without moving it around much--for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until you notice it browning around the edges. Flake with a fork to ensure that it's done.Voila!

The other recipe, that goes fantastic with the fish, is a Zucchini Casserole of sorts that was featured in Family Circle magazine. The magazine called it Seven-layer Gratin, but I left out ground turkey, making it more of a vegetable side dish than an entree. The recipe can be found here.

Here are some pics of how the dish is assembled. Just as a side note, don't you love the baking dish?? I bought it for my mom (selfishly) at our World Market store closing sale which, by the way, was almost like a funeral for me!