Alaska Trips, Job Searches, Other Tidbits...

I'm back, and I didn't see any bears from the inside; saw plenty from the outside!  How thrilling!
Wrestling halibut was FUN!  Trying to snag dilapidated salmon was fun, too, but not as much fun as wrestling halibut.  All in all, a great time was had by everyone, but at a substantial cost.  Can't go every year, but Kodiak Island hasn't seen the last of me, not by a long shot!  The salmon counts as the Buskin weir the day we left was about all I needed to know I'll be back.  Too bad we weren't there for the fresh, biting silvers.

The job search is going somewhat decent.  I actually managed to wrangle an interview for a job that's probably beyond my qualifications.  However, it would be a great challenge and change of pace.  Time to dust off my interview skills and get my suit dry cleaned!  In other news, I submitted an application to General Mills.  Too bad I can't seem to find another 3M position I'm interested in, but such is life.  And, living in a big town like this that is still mostly economically sound has it's benefits; there are lots of opportunities out there.

Since I've been stuffing halibut down my face with considerable frequency, here's a couple quick recipes that taste fantastic, courtesy of my mind:

Coconut battered halibut tidbits:
Cut small cubes, about 1", and dry on paper towels.
Pour oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, etc.) in to a cast iron skillet, up to about a half inch from the bottom.  Heat on stove, using a popcorn kernel to determine when it's ready.  When the kernel pops, the oil is hot enough.  Test with flour sprinkle; it should turn brown, not black.  If it turns black, turn the heat down; medium heat should work well.  If the oil smokes, it's too hot!
Set up three shallow bowls; one with cornstarch, one with an egg and a splash of milk (or multiple, one egg should coat about a half pound of fish). Let the egg rest to room temperature, it will coat the fish much better than if it's cold.  And finally, one with a mixture of sweetened baker's coconut shavings and flour,  seasoned if desired (try Cheyenne pepper, garlic powder, and sea salt).
Roll pieces in cornstarch, coating thoroughly.
Coat those pieces in egg and roll in flour/coconut mixture until fully coated.
Place coated pieces in skillet, cook about a minute on each side or until brown and crispy.
Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
Serve with marmalade or dip of your choice.  They also taste good without dip, just salt.
Halibut lacks the "fishy" taste and no lemon juice or vinegar is needed!

Pan seared halibut with shallot cream sauce:
Halibut:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Heat canola oil to a "shimmer" or until it begins to smoke, in a cast iron skillet.
Prepare fillets, about 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound each, of roughly equal thickness throughout, about 1" if possible.
Dry thoroughly and coat with a light coating of seasoned flour.
Place fillets in the hot oil, sear for about one minute on each side.
Drain excess oil from skillet and place in the oven for 7-8 minutes or until done.  Halibut will remain juicy and should easily flake with a fork when it's cooked properly.  Searing well helps hold in moisture, so be sure the fish is well seared on both sides before putting in the oven.
Remove skillet from oven and remove fish from skillet right away and serve hot!

Cream sauce:
Melt about 2-3 tbs. of butter over medium/medium-low heat in a small saucepan and add one small shallot, finely chopped.  Add fresh or dry dill weed to taste, about a 1/2 tsp to start; more can be added later and since dill is strong, don't overdo it!
Cook in butter until shallot pieces become translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add some flour and whisk well until most butter is absorbed and cook flour until brown to make a roux.  This should take only a couple minutes.
De-glaze the roux with white wine, about 1/4 cup or so. 
Add a little heavy whipping cream (about 1/4 cup) at this time and mind the heat; don't let the mixture boil!  Continue whisking!
Add about 1/4 cup of milk until the mixture is thin, or to desired volume.
Continue to whisk, keeping the mixture from boiling, until it reduces to half the original volume, or to desired thickness.
During the reduction process, you can add more dill, or any seasoning you want.  A pinch of parmesan and/or fresh ground black pepper adds nice flavor.
Pour cream sauce over fish and serve the dish hot hot hot!
This should be enough cream sauce to serve with two fillets.  Increase amounts of butter/cream/wine as needed.

Side dish ideas:
A fresh garden salad with vinaigrette works well with the fish and cream sauce.
Steamed vegetables.
Mashed potatoes, however desired (traditional, cheesy, with herbs, etc.).
Steamed fresh green beans or asparagus spears with a little butter.
Crusty bread to mop up excess cream sauce.

A dry white wine works best, served chilled of course.

Hi Ho! Alaska!

Here in the life and times, we (I, actually) like to keep things positive.
Well, it can't get any more positive than a trip to Alaska.  And, in case any creepers found their way here, I have someone staying at my place.  Said someone has huge biceps and is a surgeon with a 12 gauge, and has total command over my 80 lb dog.  In case you find yourself with tooth and buck-shot holes in your body while slowly bleeding out, you can't say you weren't warned.
The order of the trip will be Kodiak Island salmon and open water fishing.  My fly fishing skills are lacking, however, so I can only hope I actually catch something.  I'm going to challenge myself, and not "suck the teet" of conventional spinning and casting tackle like I'm used to.  Instead, I'm going to keep throwing flys out there until I succeed.
That's all, folks!  Gotta get caught up at work and in the personal life before I split so y'all enjoy your time, I know I'll enjoy mine!!!!

In Uncle John's passing...

So, the services were a couple days ago, and I've had a little time to reflect.

Mom pointed out how sorry she feels for Judy, and that people forgot that John was "no angel" while they were married.  In addition, Judy felt bad seeing John so happy in all those photos without her in his life to any significant extent.  Also heard she will or may lose a significant portion of her income from his pension from the county and military.  To which I say...
Bummer.  But, is there really any excuse for her to complain about money?  She owns the house outright, got half of a solid income for several years, and by accounts is a pretty frugal liver of life.  There is no excuse for financial troubles, if she has any.  She needn't be concerned about leaving money to her kids, John took very good care of that.  Does she have a right to be upset?  I suppose, but if she's going to start running him down, I'll not be interested in talking with her as time goes on.

Karen is a good person.  Do I want to spend time with her in the future?  Well... people like her normally aren't my cup of tea, too religious.  But a bike ride and a chat here and there should be okay.  No problems with that, not a single one.

And, the old man.  How's he going to fair going forward with this?  Not sure.  I've made extra efforts to talk with him and be as involved with him as I can.  Tuck helps in this regard sooooo much.  Where would we be without that mangy mutt?

Now to John's thank you note, from me:
Thanks for being a willing conversationalist with an overly inquisitive teenager who had all the answers, or so he thought.  Thanks for teaching me how to ski.  Thanks for being non-judgemental all the years I knew you.  Thanks for having me down to Prescott and actually paying me for doing stuff I would have gladly done for free.  Thanks for arranging all the free lift tickets to Lutsen and Afton Alps all those years.  Thanks for giving sage advice to a 20-something kid trying to find his way in the world.  Thanks for giving me a very memorable last word "Matt, listen up.  You take your girlfriend somewhere nice real soon here, don't be a cheapskate."  Love it.  Being called a cheapskate by a Rowe is an honor; I must live one hell of a frugal life for that to be possible!  Wow.  Classic Uncle John, still makes me laugh.  Great way to end things with someone!

In other news, what a sloppy football game last night.  Both teams were dropping passes, making mental mistakes, just sloppy football and our team came out the worse for wear.  Boy, the Vikes sure look rusty on offense.  On defense, they were quite solid, though, and EJ looked really good!  So happy for him to come back from that horrific injury.

The Twinkies continue to hang tough, despite unlikely contributors.  Due to that, I think we're due for another early playoff exit.  I get this feeling that very soon, Gardy won't be given slack like that.  New ballpark, medium sized market, sold out games all year... Yup, hot seat for Gardy if they don't at least look competitive in a playoff series!

Rest in peace, Uncle John.  I'll have your skis on the hill in no time!