Salmon by the Seat of Your Pants

Seafood and I have had a love/hate relationship. For the longest time, I hated it, and had a hard time even trying it be be polite. Seafood restaurants were nothing but a source of stress for me, as I sat there eating saltine crackers and ordering the overcooked chicken. But after years of living on the coast, I now love it. Shrimp, tuna, salmon, scallops, flounder...YUM. Still, I struggle with the sustainability issues and mercury problems, which makes it hard for me to know what to order, what to buy, what is generally okay to eat. These days we stick primarily to shrimp (OH!! Have I ever blogged my shrimp pizza? I don't think so...stay tuned for that...) and flounder.

For a long time we were on a big salmon kick. It was one of the first fish I learned to eat, and would order it at restaurants and make it at home once/week. But, as often happens when you get on such a food kick, both of us are a little sick of it. So when I made this recipe the other night, I must admit I didn't really have much enthusiasm for it. That said, it was good, and if you're currently on a salmon kick, it's worth trying.

Okay, one more salmon confession.

I lost the recipe.


I swear it was in the kitchen with all my other "to be tried soon" recipes, and then it wasn't. So when I made it, I had to do it from memory, which is always a little suspect. But still, it came out good, and I've been making salmon long enough and often enough that I wasn't worried about the method.

Salmon by the Seat of your Pants
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
A dash of olive oil
1 garlic glove, minced
A dash of dried ginger (actually, I do remember the recipe called for fresh ginger, but my goodness, what could be more high maintenance? I don't have the patience for that)
Pinch of pepper
Bigger pinch of kosher salt
2 salmon fillets



Whisk it all together. The sauce should be just the slightest bit syrupy, so if it's not, add a bit more honey. Pour over the salmon and let sit for at least 30 minutes, I think all day would be fine. Preheat your broiler, and put the salmon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Pop the salmon under the broiler for 7-9 minutes. Voila! Dinner is done.

Like a Big Pizza Pie

Dear readers, I have been terribly, terribly remiss about posting. And I am sorry! I am merely living up to our family motto of It's Always Something (seriously, I'm pretty sure that's what is written under the old family crest I have) (our other family motto, from the Fraser side, is Je Suis Pret. But I can't live up to that one). I was finally recovered from the Cold From Hell, we had a fabulous weekend, and then BOOM. Literally, BOOM. Lightning struck our house Sunday afternoon, and we've been dealing with the aftermath ever since (Hello new phone line, new sprinkler system timer system, new hot water heater, and new tivo box - I just can't think of anything I'd rather be spending money on than all of you). On top of that, I flew to Atlanta Monday for a lunch meeting, and got unexpectedly stuck overnight due to more storms. THE FUN NEVER ENDS. (On the upside, I did get to see Atlanta Mom - gotta love a friend who greets you in the middle of the night with clean pajamas, Aleve, and a brand new toothbrush).
***
On to better things. I am so enamoured of our grilled pizza, that I took pictures of it last weekend, to show you just how easy it is. In case you've forgotten, here are the quick steps.

(1) Roll out your pizza dough, super thin (to the delight of my boys, I actually toss mine to get it this thin, rolling it doesn't seem to do it for some reason). Brush one side of olive oil, place on grill olive oil side down (medium heat). Quickly brush the side that is now up with olive oil.













(2) Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip.

(3) Put on your toppings - this past weekend we had the best farm box delivery yet, so our pizza is topped with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, peppers, onions, olives, and some pepperoni (yes, green peppers only on one side - little compromises like this make for Marital Bliss). Close the lid and let it cook another 4 minutes or so, until the cheese is nicely melted.

(4) Enjoy the best pizza you've ever had!

Company's Coming

Quick: what's your favorite company dish? The one that you know is fool-proof and a show stopper each time?

I have two. The first is paella, if I know the company likes seafood. But I don't know if the company we're having Saturday night is as crazy about seafood as we are (Actually, let's be truthful here. I don't even know their names. The husband is a work colleague of my husband, and I've never met him or his wife). So I'll likely be pulling out my other favorite tried and true Company And Other Special Occasions Dish, lasagna. But I'm poking around my cookbooks, wondering if there's something else out there I should consider. Ideas?

Back in the Saddle Again

WHEW. I have returned to the Land of the Living, and not a minute too soon. I woke up Saturday morning feeling human again, for the first time in 2 weeks, and we had a great holiday weekend. I can always tell how much fun we've had over the weekend by the state of our laundry room...right now it is strewn with beach towels, bathing suits, pitiful American flags, empty sunscreen bottles, and 2 coolers that need to be cleaned out. Must have been fun.

Now, though, back to reality. I am attempting to regain the upper hand with the laundry, mail, errands, exercise, and, most importantly, food. There's something about being sick that makes me abandon all attempts at feeding myself and my family balanced meals. We've pretty much been living on sandwiches, chips, and honey nut cheerios, with the occasional Chinese or pizza take out thrown in. Ugh. Not satisfying and not particularly healthy. My shorts are protesting today.

So here's the meal plan for the week, to get us back on track.

Tuesday: Rotisserie chicken, tortellini salad
Wednesday: Honey/soy glazed roasted salmon, brown rice, peas (this is a new salmon recipe for us, I'll post it if it turns out good)
Thursday: Spaghetti (whole wheat!) and meatballs, salad
Friday: Pizza night, and we're loading up on the veggies

Hope you all had a good Independence Day!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

I feel cheated. Summer is my favorite season, the time of year when we are supposed to be spending every free minute outside engaging in some sort of water activity - pool, beach, boat, water slides, sprinklers. Instead, we are all spending the afternoons inside in front of the TV, thanks to the Head Cold From Hell (cue the mothering guilt, but I am in survival mode). Aren't these things only supposed to hit in the wintertime? Holy smokes I've been miserable. (Of course the boys, who brought this thing home in the first place, had about 3 days of the sniffles and then they were over it, while DH and I have been completely taken down. Typical.)
***
While lying on the couch moaning about my aching head, aching throat, cough, and fever (this cold is apparently a better multi-tasker than even I am), I stared for a while at our bookshelves. And came to the realization I am a cookbook addict. Despite ruthlessly purging when we moved to this house 3 years ago, I am still the proud owner of 43 cookbooks. Is that excessive? It seems like it might be...but there are still at least 4 at Barnes & Noble right now that are on my wish list.
***
No recipe today, since my dinner tonight consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and cold medicine. But I'm sharing my latest food discovery: BelGioioso's tiny fresh mozzarella balls (pearls, I think they're called on the package). These are WONDERFUL for using in pasta salads or on homemade pizza. Just the right size.

Easy Peasy

I'm typing this through the fog of a summer cold. Ugh! Even our 5 year old, who normally has the immune system of steel, is sniffling. We've been living on ham sandwiches and watermelon, since making anything else seems like WAY too much effort. I have chicken broth in the freezer, but there's something terribly unappealing about soup when it's 105 degrees outside.

Here's an incredibly easy and fast dinner idea, courtesy of my mom. And oh so good! Pick up from the grocery store: Alfredo sauce (we like Buitoni or Classico), rotisserie chicken, bow tie pasta, sundried tomatoes (in oil), and pitted kalamata olives. Cook the pasta according to directions. Heat Alfredo sauce and shred the chicken (or use leftover beer butt chicken!). Toss with the pasta, olives, and sundried tomatoes. If you want to add a veggie, broccoli would be great in this.

Happy eating!

No Butts About It

Want to get a 5 year old boy in the kitchen with you? Here's a surefire way: make a recipe that has the word "butt" in it. Works every time.

"Beer butt chicken" is actually a recipe I've been wanting to make for years, but for whatever reason never tried it until a few weeks ago. I am absolutely a convert now. There are lots of recipes out there on the internet for this, but ultimately I just decided to do it like I would roast it in the oven. Here are the steps:

1) Rinse and pat dry a whole chicken, approx 5 pounds.

2) Open beer can, drink a few big gulps (or, if beer is not your drink of choice, just pour a little out so the can is not completely full). Set beer can into fancy grill beer-holder and place in the middle of a disposable tin pan (see picture).

3) Wiggle chicken onto beer can.

4) Brush all over with melted butter, and sprinkle liberally with seasoning of your choice (I used herbs de provence)

5) Heat grill to medium high heat. Place pan on grill, close lid, and grill for one hour and 15 minutes.

6) Enjoy! Ours was fabulous - crispy skin but moist and rich meat. There was no actual beer flavor we could discern, but the meat was wonderfully smokey. And we had perfect leftovers to use the next day for a pesto, mozzerella, and chicken pizza. So good!!