A laid-back family fish fry

Last night we had an old-fashioned fish fry. It wasn't really that old-fashioned but the concept of having a fish fry is old fashioned. You could say it was also our second annual fish fry because we had a very similar one last year about this time and we were all looking forward to it.

It was so nice. I think it would make a wonderful July 4th event -- a nice departure from grilled burgers.

My husband and sister caught all the fish. We used vegetables from our garden to make it extra tasty and we just had so much fun.

I think the thing I really enjoyed was that we really didn't even try to make it fancy. We just got everything together, cooked it and spent most of our time savoring the food and enjoying each others company.

This was our menu:

Fish, of course. Ours was mostly bass, and fried up golden brown in a fish fryer.

We also had grilled fish. That wasn't exactly old fashioned but sometimes my mom has problems with her digestive tract and fried fish can cause problems. My husband, "the family griller," put down tin foil, sprayed it with PAM and then grilled the fish on top of the foil. He then added salt and pepper. It was quick and easy.

Hush puppies are a must. My sister mixes this up and uses slaw in the batter to give it a great flavor.

We made oven fries. Always good, less fat. Pan fried okra was also a big hit. It is one of the best treats of summer, in my opinion.

And of course, corn, the first corn from our garden this year. We grilled it and it was very tasty.

Perhaps the best thing was the slaw.

We used cabbage, carrots and onions from our garden and used my sister's special ingredients: Duke's mayonnaise, vinegar, sweetener, salt and pepper. She makes the best slaw.

I also served sliced tomatoes and onions and forgot to get out the cucumbers, but no one complained.

We had ice cream and lemon bars for dessert but who could eat dessert with so much good food around.