Recipe Serendipity

Cajun Creole Tilapia

'When life hands you lemons make lemonade'. What if you don't have any lemons?
Thank the family member who left just a little bit of lemonade in a bottle of lemonade.

Sometimes I just don't feel like following a recipe. I buy something, like this tilapia, without any particular recipe in mind. Then I get home and hope for some bit of serendipity to occur. And so this recipe was born.

1 cup bottled Lemonade, I used Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade
1 pound Tilapia fillets or another mild white fish of your choice
1/2 cup crushed whole grain cracker crumbs, I used Mary's Gone Crackers Original
1/2 tsp Cajun Creole seasoning or to taste
Fresh thyme sprigs

Pour lemonade into a rectangular baking dish, generously covering the bottom of the dish. Adding more or less lemonade as needed. Place the Tilapia in the dish. Sprinkle with the crushed cracker crumbs and then sprinkle with the Cajun Creole seasoning.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, add thyme sprigs*. Replace in oven and bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
This recipe has a very mild lemon flavor. If you like a more intense lemon flavor (and you have them) a nice squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice would be delightful.

*I used the whole thyme sprigs because I thought they would look ever so pretty in the photo. The stems are a bit woody, though, so before serving I stripped off the tender little leaves and sprinkled them over the fish.

Words, Words I Love Words

I've always loved words and books and reading. 'Serendipity' was one of those words that fascinated me even when I didn't understand what it meant. Thank goodness for children. I've learned so much as a result of having my own. At a book sale many years ago I stumbled upon a set of very inexpensive, wonderfully illustrated children's books. I wasn't sure about the quality of the writing but decided to take a chance on them. That's how I found 'Serendipity' the book and finally learned the meaning of the word. 'Serendipity' is the title of a book and also of a series of children's books written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. They are delightful stories, written with a positive message that doesn't hit you over the head. I have very fond memories of reading these with my children and I am so glad to see they are still available.