Bike Spoke Jewelry, Tomatoes and Tilapia

You know the boy on the bike sporting a tutu in the previous post? He is usually very fashionable in a manly sort of way. It is his birthday on Sunday and I wanted to make sure we had something special for his birthday, so I made him an 18" necklace that features colored spoke nipples. They fun to put together.

This one is for Maris. It was fun to make. Once I got started, I had to make more.

Next up was the necklace for Kathy, Ellie's coach.

And then I offered one to The Girl. She requested Rasta colors.

This one ended up being my favorite. It is for Kate, the person who heads up the Colorado High School Cycling League and puts together the HS mountain bike races that Ellie enjoys.

I have not cleaned up my art room as I may make some more.

We enjoyed some super sweet, tiny tomatoes from our garden. The first of what I hope will be a bounty.

My oven has developed a problem with the oven burner. It is not functioning properly. Somehow it has changed shape just enough to allow gas to escape, which in turn ignites a fireball that makes a scary noise and pops the oven door open just a bit. The repair man says that the repair part will not arrive until Aug. 26th. Until then I need to restrict my use of the oven. Bummer! That is a long time to go without the oven, mostly. That made dinner last night a bit of a challenge. I made a special Tilapia recipe.

Parmesan and Paprika Crusted Tilapia

3 TBL Butter
6 Tilapia Fillets, thawed
Paprika
Parmesan, shredded


Sprinkle the paprika over each Tilapia fillet. Use your fingers or the back of the spoon to rub it into the fish on both sides.

Melt the butter in the pan.

Sprinkle some Parmesan in the pan in the place for the fillets. Place the fillets on top of the cheese. Sprinkle more cheese on the top of the fish. Cook on medium high for about 4 minutes. Flip carefully so that the cheese transfers with the fish. Cook for a few more minutes so that the fish is cooked through.

Serve plain or with avacado and tomato slices.