having hot cocoa for dessert and i usually follow the recipe on the hershey’s hot cocoa container but i recycled it long ago and haven’t made hot cocoa in about 8 weeks or longer. i found the recipe online. here it is so i never forget again:

1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
5 teaspoons 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

don’t forget to use other extracts such as hazelnut or peppermint. the orange extract was waaaaay strong and very fruity.

have i mentioned we signed up for a seafood csa? we are trying to introduce more fish – sustainably fished fish – into our lives. we are on week four and to m’s great disappointment, we have had halibut for the last 3 times. i’m being kind referring to her unhappiness as disappointment. she dislikes halibut *so* much that there’s now lots of swearing and ranting each time halibut appears. when we first signed up, there was lots of cod being offered – perhaps halibut is simply in season now. like kale in the winter and strawberries in the summer. even if that is the case, i don’t know how much more halibut we (she) can eat (tolerate). the first 2 times we had tacos. tonight she made halibut fish sandwiches a la giada. it was a bit sweet but smelled and tasted great. she said she’d eat it again. she may get her chance in 2 weeks. ;)

Mediterranean Halibut Sandwiches
makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

Fish:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 (12-ounce) or 2 (6-ounce) center-cut halibut fillets, skinned
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Bread:
1 loaf ciabatta bread, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

Filling:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon capers, drained
Zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups arugula

Directions

For the fish: Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a small baking sheet or glass baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Season the halibut on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Bake until the fish is cooked through and the flesh flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, about 20 minutes.

For the bread: Preheat a grill pan or a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove some of the dough from the top half of the bread. Brush the cut-sides of the bread with olive oil. Grill the bread until golden, 1 to 2 minutes, and rub the cooked surface with the cut side of the garlic.

For the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, capers, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

Using a fork, flake the cooked fish and add to the filling. Mix until incorporated. Place the filling on the bottom half of the bread. Top with arugula. Add the top half of the bread and cut into 4 equal-sized sandwiches.