It's all pizza from here!

or Terry and Anna come to dinner.
(also I really like curious titles)

Check it out, I'm writing a prompt and timely post. Isn't that strange? I had a very nice evening because Terry and Anna came over to my apartment for dinner. For those of you who aren't Halfwayites, they are friends from Halfway who are here in DC for a few short days to see some of the numerous sites and cool museums. Fortunately though I managed to spend not one, but two evenings with them. Saturday evening we me for dinner over by Union Station and attempted to find Linda's favorite brewhouse, Capital City Brewing. Unfortunately unbeknownst to us they had moved to a new address on New York Avenue and we didn't find them. So we went to Finnegan's Irish Pub instead because it was there (it was fine but nothing remarkable on the restaurant scene).

But we had a nice visit and I had the bright idea that they should come over for dinner at my place. We decided that Monday night made the most sense so I got all inspired about what to cook and went shopping on Sunday. And actually I had Brent and Andrew, two other PSU alums who are currently working in DC, over for homemade pizza Sunday night. So I'm been having very social dinners lately. I rather like having people over, because you know I cook better (or at least more to my own personal taste) than nearly all restaurants and when I'm the chef then it is done right.

So to get back to my non-linear tale, I made pizza Sunday for the guys and I had way too much toppings and ingredients for 3 people so I had leftover dough and toppings. I had already bought some fish (a 1.3 pound haddock filet to be precise) for Monday though. This led to me editing my menu a bit and I skipped the roasted sweet potatoes that I originally thought of. So ultimately the Monday menu was:

• Corn and tomato pizza (farmers market sweet corn and tomatoes)
• Broccoli salad with bacon
• Haddock poached in tomatoes and white wine (a Yellowtail Riesling to be precise) 
• And the last of the farmers market peaches and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for dessert

It was definitely all quite yummy. And it was made right so I like it better than a restaurant. And, since I am not used to estimating portions for only 3 people, I have enough leftovers to feed on for the rest of the week. Which finally brings us to the title of this post--I have a lot of leftover pizza. I really think happiness is homemade pizza so this is a very good thing.

Monday night dinner with Terry and Anna

Another reason to tell you about dinner, beyond the fact that it was fun, is to encourage you (yes you, reading this right now) to come visit me too. I'll cook you dinner as well. I even have a purple futon so you can even sleep here.

Here's the poached fish recipe because it was really good and I think it would work well with all sorts of fish. As stated, I used haddock though because it was on sale. It was good, white and flaky in a cod-type way. It's not a very precise recipe. (adapted from More Best Recipes from the editors of Cook's Illustrated, fish braising page 343)

Braised White Fish (Fish Margherita)
Slice some onion, a half is fine if that's what you have. Start sauteing it in 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium in a 2" deep pan with a tight fitting lid, but don't put the lit on yet. Thinly slice 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and add the slices to the onions. Dice some red bell pepper, 1/3 cup maybe, and add to the onions and garlic. Saute a bit more on medium. Put the lid on if they need help cooking. They should brown a bit but not a whole lot. Add 1 can (15 ounces) of diced tomatoes (I like petite dice because they are a bit smaller) and their juice. Add 1/2 cup or so of white wine--the Riesling was good. Add a bit of sugar and balsamic vinegar to taste (1 or 2 teaspoons of each). Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a while to combine flavors but it doesn't have to cook terribly long. Meanwhile rinse off your fish filet and slice it into 3" chunks (or whatever size makes sense). I left the skin on the haddock and it was fine; actually I think it may have improved the flavor. Nestle the chunks of fish down in the sauce and spoon tomatoes over the top. It should be simmering but not cooking too hard. Add more white wine if you need liquid. Put on the lid and cook at a gentle simmer. When the fish is half to 2/3s done (depending how thick it is), turn the flame off and let it keep cooking through residual heat with the lid on. This way it will cook through without drying out. It will probably take 10-15 minutes in all. The fish should be opaque through and flake gently. Taste for seasonings. Top with a couple of handfuls of thinly sliced fresh basil. Serve with bread or something to mop up the yummy sauce. Mmmm.

I'm afraid I didn't take a picture of it before we started eating. But it was red and white and green with the basil on top. So maybe you could call it Fish Margherita? I just made that name up and I'm going to claim it.

In other news, I need to read the information about making Thrift Savings Plan investment decisions. But I wrote this post for you instead so I guess I'll do that tomorrow.

Goodnight all.
With love from DC,
-Sarah