Last night I joined a couple friends for a glass of wine and appetizers at a restaurant.  It was loud in the restaurant, so I didn’t answer the phone call from my mom. She is in California for a memorial service for her brother who passed away recently. I stepped outside and tried calling her back, but she didn’t answer. The following text message came in shortly thereafter, “I’m cooking tilapia and salmon and I don’t have the store-bought tequila sauce with me. Can I make my own using truffle oil, tequila, pineapple, coconut oil and coconut milk?”

Let me give you a little history. Six months ago, Mom had never cooked fish. When she was here visiting recently I gave her a few basic “fish cooking classes” to bolster her confidence. She returned to Kentucky and started cooking fish several times a week. She’s been updating me on her cooking adventures and I’ve been so proud of her. So when this text message arrived I was excited to hear she was going to tackle creating a sauce “on the fly.”

Later in the evening I received a follow-up text from her saying, “I took pineapple and mandarin oranges & blended them together with a bit of tequila, added coconut milk and a very small amount of coconut flour. SOOOOOOO delicious! Everyone loved it. We served it on a bed of spinach with spaghetti squash and strawberry garnish. It was all quite good.”

Mom, I am SO proud of you for being adventurous with cooking and using new ingredients now. Experimenting with new recipes is fun. Cooking fish is actually quite easy and fast. It gives you extra time to make a special side dish or sauce to impress your guests.

Get in the kitchen and give a new recipe a try. You might be amazed at your own culinary capabilities and creations.

Of course, if you need a little help getting started, give me a call and I’ll come teach you some basics to get you cooking.