Road Gypsies - Val & Holland: 02/08/25

Saturday, February 8, 2025

VAL'S TILAPIA WITH BELL PEPPERS Recipe~Shavua Tov; Quartzsite-AZ

Today we spent the day in slo-mo; I pulled some fish fillets out of the freezer - got a marinade prepared, placed the fish inside the Ziploc, and set it to 'flavor up' while I drank my morning coffee and watched the comings and goings happening outside our livingroom window - I like watching the different campers (all eras of camping across America), travel trailers (some tear-drop small, some retro 1960's, and some just regular tongue and hitch), RV's (small-medium-large & x-large, like ours … and the varying - and very expensive, Coach Buses), revamped & outfitted DIY school buses, vans, ambulances, hearses, ect.; and RV-toy hauler combo's (today we saw a horse trailer with attached living quarters up front, and a hay rack atop - that was something new not seen here, before 😉) … pull in and out of The Pit Stop parking lot. The Pit Stop is one of the smaller RV Parks in Quartzsite, but it is also the busiest, as propane is also sold here - and it has a dump station and 2 water stations. Plus, the hosts are very friendly and helpful.

We lazed around the house - chillin', talking about what we hope to do in the near future, making a pact to only talk positively about ourselves betwixt ourselves (including with social interactions) …

… and we continued people watching 'til around 1'noon - then Holland suggested a loop drive. I said I hadn't washed my hair yet, and he said, "It's okay Baby: we're not getting out of Betsy - I'm just taking my Baby for a drive."

So, that's what we did for about 2 hours 😊

Afternoon drive - all corners of Quartzsite-AZ

Joseph Cone Stone Cabin~Quartzsite-AZ; we've visited this beautifully laid out stone cabin a couple times, during our 2 year Road Gypsying.
OCTOBER MEMORIES; Quartzsite-AZ: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/10/october-memories-quartzsite-az.html)

Sighting this Mine Site, is something new - we've been out this road, but I never noticed this before today; Dome Mountain Road~Quartzsite-AZ

After covering all corners of Quartzsite, we aimed Betsy's nose towards Independence; where we continued our slo-mo mindset.

Holland called Aunt Gaye; then went back to researching places he thinks we'll enjoy visiting. He's the best husband. And a true Gift from Elohim 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

And I got Supper underway (using the veggies we had bought yesterday afternoon during our drive to Bouse-AZ), while periodically checking out a movie I had started watching:

==VAL'S ZESTY TILAPIA WITH BELL PEPPERS ~serves 2

3 ct. Tilapia Fillets, thawed * 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil * 2 Tbsp. Honey * 2 Tbsp. Lime Juice, fresh squeezed * 1 Tbsp. Lime zest, fresh grated * 2 Garlic cloves, pressed * 1 lrg. Shallot, thinly sliced * 1 Red Bell Pepper, julienned * 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, julienned * 1/3 c. all-purpose Flour, for coating * 10 ct. small Potatoes (not the baby gourmets; the next size up) * big handful of whole Green Beans * 1 Quart-size Ziploc bag * 1 med-size skillet with lid * Olive Oil Cooking Spray * 1 small steamer pot with basket

1) In Ziploc bag - combine oil, honey, lime juice, lime zest, and garlic: add fish fillets and marinade for 4 hours.

Marinating fish fillets.

2) Spray skillet with cooking spray; slice the shallot & peppers … add to skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally - about 20 minutes.

Shallot & Peppers cooking.

##Set the steamer pot to boiling & trim the green bean ends.

Green Beans; ends trimmed.

3) When the steaming pot has reached a rolling boil, set the basket with potatoes in place & cover with lid - steam 10 minutes: do not turn burner off.

Small Potatoes; trimmed around the center.

4) Place flour on a medium size plate & dredge fish fillets thoroughly on both sides; push vegetables to one side of the skillet … spray exposed skillet bottom and place floured fillets in skillet - cook about 5 minutes on each side (or until fish flakes when pierced with fork tines).

Fish added to skillet …