Thursday, May 11, 2017

Fish and Flooring!

Spring brings a few of my favorite things.  One being fresh caught trout.  The water is still cold which makes for a nice texture and flavor of trout.  Yesterday I told my grandson and nephew that a small, no bigger than 8 inch trout would taste mighty fine.  They are on the local streams often but always do catch and release.  Just this once will ya bring me home one.  They did!  We had to make a trip to Olean for cabin supplies...............flooring!  When I got back there in a bowl of cold water was my lunch for today.  It was excellent, just as every spring!  Dick was having lunch out with his buddies so it was a perfect time for me to dine quietly on fresh fish. Lightly dusted with flour, salt and pepper.  Then off to the frying pan to fry until crisp on the outside.  That was a memory making lunch.  I even laughed thinking of a little poem I would say to the kids when they were little and headed out to fish with their dad.  Are ya ready.........."Little fishy in the brook, Bart, Amber, Beau catch him on a hook. Mommy fry him in a pan,  Daddy eat him like a man."  Only in our house daddy would not and will not eat trout!  Too many bones he says but I think he is a city slicker and only eats haddock, perch and walleye. 

Here is the only way to fry trout and enjoy the meat with out the fine bones being a problem.
Clean and wash the trout, dry well with a paper towel, add salt and pepper to flour.  Roll the trout in the flour mixture, melt butter in a fry pan and fry the fish until crispy and golden brown.  Now, here is the trick.  Once the trout is done put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  For some reason it pulls the bones from the meat.  Now you have it.  The secret to a good fresh trout fry.  If you wrinkle your nose on the thought you are missing a very delicate, mild fish.  No fishy taste or smell.  From the stream to the pan is the only way!
Fresh fish, thanks Kent and Ricardo!

Off shopping with Amberly, Kamrie, Kent and Dick.
When you go to the city, it is calamari for us!
 
Another thought about fishing trout came to mind while enjoying lunch and watching the Orioles eating oranges and grape jelly from the feeder.  My brother taught my kids how to..........."finger fish".  What you say, finger fish?  It is illegal as heck, always has been and always will be.  There are just times that everyone should know how to finger fish.  Who knows you could possibly be lost, hungry, no fishing pole and then where would you be?  So, just in case here is a way to keep from starving when you are lost, hungry and a trout stream near by.  You get down and do a belly crawl to the edge of the stream bank.  Very slowly reach your hand into the water, under the bank and move it down stream.  With any luck you will have a trout in your hands within seconds.  Trout like to hang under the bank edge or where a tree has fallen in.  They wait until something catches their eye, like a worm or other bait and then, BAM! they swim out and grab it.  By fingering the fish you are eliminating a lot of time.  Just finger them, grab and go but only if you are lost and starving.  Don't do anything illegal............

Back to the flooring for the cabin.  Kitchen cabinets will be started soon by our friend that is building them.  How kind of a guy is he?  One of the best.  Dick will be his go-for-guy.  I will enjoy that considering I am his go-for-gal.  I told Ron, make sure you yell at him and say, hurry up, no not that, over there, see it.......this would be fun but I doubt it will go down that way.  Ok, the flooring.  It had to be put down before the cabinets go in.  We got up early this morning to get started and by gosh didn't we do just fine!  No fighting and the laminate flooring went in just like You Tube said it would.  Not a problem.  Half of the kitchen/living room was down in 3 1/2 hours.  We only had to get half down since that is all the kitchen is.  Maybe tonight get the rest of the flooring down and then, get off those knees.  I got to laughing watching us crawl around like babies!  Unfortunately the tall guy didn't see anything funny about it.  The short girl doesn't have so far to get up and down.  One plus for being short.
Won't be long and floor will be checked off the to do list.
It has been a little crazier than normal around here.  Lawn, weed whacking, asparagus picking and the cabin.  Just the way we like it, fast and furious.   Winter was for resting, now it is time to.......move it, move it.  As soon as the weather pattern changes from wind, rain and frosts it will be time to light the outdoor pizza oven!