Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tonight's Amazing Dinner
Too bad for them. I have just finished eating and may I say, y'all have missed out.
As some of you will know, I planted an herb garden in the Fall and they are just now beginning to be big enough and healthy enough to withstand me plucking stalks off of them to use in my kitchen. One of the herbs I was most curious to try was "Orange Mint", the result of a marriage of a peppermint plant with an orange tree, the mechanics of which I am nervous to know, so I'll not inquire. I decided when I planted it that I thought its flavor would go very well with fish. Tonight, I have empirical evidence of my genius.
So, here's what you do to cook what I think I'll call "A Christmastide Flounder".
- Catch a flounder and filet it (or, if you must, buy one at the market).
- Rub said fillet on both sides with fresh ground pepper.
- Use the zest from one fresh tangerine and spread evenly over one side of the fillet.
- Chop up about 20 leaves (or to taste) of "Orange Mint".
- Pan fry on high the fillet in the slightest amount of olive oil (flaky fish absorbs oil easily and if you use too much, the oil flavor will dominate the fish) and one slice of butter, until slightly brown on both sides.
- Pour in pan about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of orange juice.
- Spread chopped mint leaves around pan and over fish evenly.
- Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about five minutes on each side.
- Serve. I accompanied mine with green beans, and Mushrooms fried in garlic, olive oil, and fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
-R
4 Comments:
Holy smokes, Ryan. That sounds awesome. I was lucky to make a pot of grits with some toast for dinner tonight... :(
But I am having a gourmet seafood dinner at a B&B on the Outer Banks for New Year's!
- Sherriff
By 
, at
11:17 PM
I apologize for barging in in this fashion, but I hope that the issue I’m raising is one that you and your readers will find of great interest. At least I hope you will! Thanks for reading on:
Celebrate Evolution Sunday – 11 February 2007
By Michael Zimmerman
The Second Annual Evolution Sunday will occur on February 11th 2007. Your help is needed to make this day a success. This date is an opportunity for congregations across the country (indeed, around the world) to join together to discuss the compatibility of religion and science. Evolution Sunday is being sponsored by The Clergy Letter Project, a collection of more than 10,400 members of the Christian clergy who have signed a letter asserting that Christianity and modern evolutionary science need not be at odds with one another.
In a two paragraph plea (reproduced below), these Christian clergy members assert that they “believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests.” They go on to urge that modern evolutionary theory rather than any form of creationism or intelligent design be taught in our country’s public schools and conclude by requesting that “We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.”
One of the main goals of The Clergy Letter Project is to demonstrate to the broad spectrum of Christian believers that, unlike what is being shrilly shouted by many fundamentalist ministers, a choice does not have to be made between religion and science. Because the two are compatible, congregants should feel comfortable accepting both. Additionally, the signers of The Clergy Letter want to go on record making it clear that those fundamentalist ministers are not speaking for the majority of Christian clergy.
Last year, in an attempt to further this message and to elevate the quality of the national discussion on this topic, The Clergy Letter Project sponsored the First Annual Evolution Sunday event. On this day, 467 congregations from every state, the District of Columbia and five countries participated by hearing sermons, having an adult education class or a children’s Sunday school class, or joining in a lunch discussion group. While each participating congregation chose an event that made the most sense locally, together a major international statement was made.
Last year, Evolution Sunday received a great deal of very positive national publicity with articles in virtually every major newspaper in the country. Indeed, the one in the New York Times was the most e-mail article for the week it appeared. Additionally, it is clear the event hit a nerve with creationists: both the Discovery Institute and Answers in Genesis issued press releases condemning Evolution Sunday.
The Second Annual Evolution Sunday event has now been scheduled for 11 February 2007. If you are a part of a congregation, please think about having it participate. It is only by broadening the base in this way that we will be able to reach out to a growing number of people and, hopefully, improve the understanding that people have about the interrelationship between science and religion.
Signing up is easy. Simply send an e-mail to Michael Zimmerman at mz@butler.edu indicating your congregation’s desire to participate along with the name and location of your congregation and its leader. Your congregation will be immediately added to the growing list.
The Clergy Letter Project’s web pages provide more than 50 sermons delivered by clergy last year on this topic. Check them out at www.evolutionsunday.org. So, if you or a member of the clergy you know are in need of ideas, this is a good place to start.
Additionally, if you are a member of the Clergy and have not yet signed The Clergy Letter, please think about doing so. A note with your name, congregation (optional) and address to mz@butler.edu will get you signed up.
Most importantly, please help by spreading the word about The Clergy Letter Project and Evolution Sunday to others who might be interested in participating. Please forward this note to friends and colleagues and ask them to do the same. Please post this note on as many list serves as you can. In short, please help us reach more people as quickly as we can. Efforts like this will make a positive difference for both religion and science around the country.
Michael Zimmerman, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of Biology at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, is the founder of The Clergy Letter Project.
Visit The Clergy Letter Project on the Web at www.evolutionsunday.org
The Clergy Letter
Within the community of Christian believers there are areas of dispute and disagreement, including the proper way to interpret Holy Scripture. While virtually all Christians take the Bible seriously and hold it to be authoritative in matters of faith and practice, the overwhelming majority do not read the Bible literally, as they would a science textbook. Many of the beloved stories found in the Bible – the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark – convey timeless truths about God, human beings, and the proper relationship between Creator and creation expressed in the only form capable of transmitting these truths from generation to generation. Religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth. Its purpose is not to convey scientific information but to transform hearts.
We the undersigned, Christian clergy from many different traditions, believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as “one theory among others” is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children. We believe that among God’s good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator. To argue that God’s loving plan of salvation for humanity precludes the full employment of the God-given faculty of reason is to attempt to limit God, an act of hubris. We urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge. We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.
Signed by 10,418 Christian clergy member as of 19 December 2006
By , at
11:35 PM
ahem. Thank you, Michael. You do good work.
Now back to the culinary discussion - Ryan, I so wish that you had prepared 25 fillets 2 weeks ago. Then we could have enjoyed "Sacerdotal Flounder." JD
By , at
9:13 AM
JD - I suppose had I done as you suggest, I still would only have needed to purchase 2 flounder fillets... :)
-R
