ISP, Dragon of the Stars, A to Z.

For the last few days, I have been having a problem with my ISP. It seems to be partly cleared up as far as my laptop is concerned, but the desktop is still having some problems and sometimes I can post and sometimes I can’t. I was concerned whether I would be able to do my blogs this week or not.  I certainly had trouble with emails.  Luckily my A to Z posts are all finished and about half of them have been scheduled so they would publish no matter what, unless Blogger decided to have a hissy fit of course.

On my F blog, April 7, I am helping Alex J. Cavenaugh launch his latest book Dragon of the Stars. I do hope you visit me that day as there is a way of winning prizes, good ones, by locating Mini Alex over several blogs. Mine included of course. A scavenger hunt. As a regular reader you will know that I have been lucky enough to read this book already, I won it, so I know what the Kargrandes are. Alex has had to bribe to keep quiet though. Although I have to confess his offered bribes have not yet arrived on my doorstep so I might have to blow the gaff anyway. Actually, I can recommend it as a very good story with a very big surprise at the end.

Of course the A to Z Challenge starts on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. This is always a fun challenge to do. For those of you not in the know, you have to write a blog every day (except Sunday) beginning with the letter of the day, i.e. A on Wednesday, B on Thursday etc. It is also expected that you will visit 5 new blogs each day if possible. This is a great thing to do because you find lots of new blogs and make new friends doing so. This will be my fourth time of participating. The blog is run by several co hosts These are:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post
Author Stephen Tremp
Heather M. Gardner
AJ Lauer
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
Susan Gourley @ Susan Says
John  Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing
Lisa Buie-Collard, Author

There is such a lot to do being a host that they all have minions and I have been a minion twice. This year I declined. Even being a helper or minion is a lot of work so I don’t know how the hosts manage it. I should mention that this Challenge was the brain child of Arlee Bird – thanks Lee.

This is a good recipe for fish. I love sea Bass and it has lovely solid white flesh which is delicious.

Sea Bass with Dried Fruit Salsa

WebMD Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 5-6 ounce sea bass fillets, (1 inch thick)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup of each dried fruit, mango, papaya, cherry, and pineapple
• 1/3 cup apple juice, or cider
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Step 1

Rub fish with olive oil.

Step 2

Combine coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper; mix well. Set aside 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture for the fruit salsa. Add salt to remaining mixture.

Step 3

Rub seasonings over both sides of fish.

Step 4

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot.

Step 5

Add fish. Reduce heat to medium, cook 3-5 minutes or until fish is browned and seared. Turn fish over; cook about 5 minutes or until fish is slightly firm and flaky.

Step 6

Combine dried fruit, juice, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon reserved seasoning mixture in a small saucepan or microwave-safe dish. Bring to a boil. Stir in jam. Let stand 5 minutes.

Step 7

Transfer fish to serving plates. Top with fruit salsa and sprinkle with cilantro.

Have a great day