Honey Salmon in Foil

You know you've found a winning recipe when dad compliments the flavor. Yes, dad. While he was here in Boston for his 24 hours stay this week, I quickly made this before we headed off to a game at Fenway.  I happened to be out of honey (forgot to stock up on Cox's last time I was home), so I used maple syrup instead. Just as delicious!  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I've also used apple cider vinegar) 
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds salmon 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together honey, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place salmon onto prepared baking sheet and fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Spoon the honey mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon, covering completely and sealing the packet closed.
• Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.*
• Serve immediately.

Notes

*Baking time may need to be adjusted depending on the thickness of the salmon.

Grilled Salmon and Pineapple with Avocado Dressing

Isaac's parents were in town this past week, and I had to dig up some "heart healthy" recipes for them. This one was one of my favorites we had. It was DELICIOUS and refreshing tasting. I didn't have all the herbs the recipe calls for, so I used what I had... chives, thyme and basil. It still ended up tasty. People pay big bucks for things like this in restaurants. You'll thank me for sharing this. 

grilled salmon and pineapple with avocado dressing

ingredients

4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh basil, plus some sprigs, for garnish 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus some sprigs, for garnish ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Four 4-ounce skinless salmon fillets, each about 1 inch thick Four ½-inch-thick round slices (rings) of pineapple, preferably fresh
Avocado Dressing: ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon 1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste, optional 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 small clove garlic, smashed ½ avocado, diced

instructions

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Whisk the oil, chopped basil, chives, chopped tarragon, salt and pepper in a small bowl to blend. Brush the salmon and pineapple slices with the herb mixture. Cook the salmon until barely cooked through and still pink inside, about 4 minutes per side. Cook the pineapple until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer 1 pineapple slice to each plate and arrange a piece of salmon slightly overlapping it. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the Avocado Dressing over each piece of fish. Garnish with basil and tarragon sprigs and serve.

Avocado Dressing: Combine the lemon juice, basil, chives, olive oil, tarragon, anchovy paste if using, salt, pepper, garlic and avocado in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of water and process until smooth. Cover the dressing and let stand for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour for the flavors to blend.

Eggplant Tomato Sauce

When Isaac and I were in Bethlehem, we had lunch in the main square (called Manager Square) right outside the Church of the Nativity. It was Arabic food and it was amazing. My lunch came with a delicious eggplant-tomato sauce to pour over my chicken and couscous. When we got home, I tried to find a similar recipe. I tried out the below recipe, and while it didn't taste near as legit as the Bethlehem experience, it was still pretty good. If any of you like eggplant, then you'll enjoy this dish too. Now, if only we had fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice...

The eggplant-tomato sauce is in the upper right corner in a bowl. Oh my, was it delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

5 pounds ripe plum tomatoes (I used a large can of tomatoes, both crushed and stewed)
3½ pounds firm eggplants
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups onions, finely chopped
¼ cup garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon dried peperoncino, or to taste (I have no idea what this is, and therefore did not use)
4 sprigs fresh basil with leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the tomatoes for sauce.  (since I had no idea what "prepare" meant... I stuck with canned tomatoes)

Trim and peel the eggplants. Cut them lengthwise in 3/4-inch wide slices, stack the slices and cut them into 3/4-inch wide strips, then chop into 3/4-inch chunks.

Stir together the oil, the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the saucepan. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, add the garlic and let it caramelize it in a hot spot, then stir in a couple tablespoons of water and cook the onions and garlic together for a minute or two.

Now pour the eggplant pieces into the pan, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt, and turn to coat the pieces with the oil and sautéed onion and garlic. Cook over low-medium heat, uncovered, stirring and turning the eggplant frequently. If the pan gets dry and the pieces start to brown, stir in several spoons of water; lower the heat if needed.

Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the eggplant chunks are very soft, almost mushy, but still retain their shape. Pour in the prepared tomatoes and juices, rinse the tomato bowl with 2 or 3 cups water and pour it into the pan (the eggplant needs the additional liquid). Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the peperoncino and stir to blend everything together. Submerge the basil branches in the sauce, cover the pan and raise the heat to medium.

When the sauce reaches the boil, lower the heat to keep an active simmer and cook, covered, for 40 minutes or so. The eggplant should now be broken down and melting into the tomatoes.

Uncover the pan and let the sauce bubble gently and gradually reduce. Stir carefully as it thickens, to make sure the eggplant doesn't stick to the pan bottom, lower the heat if necessary. Cook uncovered for a total of 45 minutes to an hour, until the sauce has the consistency you like, and then turn off the heat. Pull out the basil before using, and store in the refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer, in a properly filled and sealed container, through the winter.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

Amy and I have a chicken-spinach go-to recipe that I decided I'd made one too many times, and I needed to change it up slightly. So, this is my improvised recipe with a bacon addition (normally we just pour a bag of spinach into a baking dish, add chicken on top and occasionally add a slice of provolone or swiss cheese on top, topped with slices of tomato): 

Doesn't this look soooo good?  Well, it tastes soooo good!

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or low-fat mayo)
• 1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese (I used mozzarella) 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 8 slices bacon
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place a few handfuls of the spinach in a large glass bowl, and heat in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so, or until wilted. Stir in sour cream, pepperjack cheese, and garlic.
3. Lay the chicken breasts out on a clean surface, and spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each one. Roll up chicken to enclose the spinach, then wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. In a baking dish, cover bottom with a little bit of olive oil, and add the rest of the contents of the bag of spinach into the dish. Douse with a little more olive oil, and arrange the chicken on top.
5. If you like tomatoes, cut up a tomato and sprinkle over chicken and spinach. 
6. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, then increase heat to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), or use the oven's broiler to cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the bacon

Puffy Chilies Rellenos

2-4 oz.cans whole green chilies

8 oz. Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

1-12 oz. can refrigerated flaky biscuits

Topping

3 eggs, separated

¼ tsp salt

about 2 oz

. of taco sauce
warm with 1 can tomato sauce

Heat oven to 375°.  Grease cookie sheet.  Cut chiles lengthwise to make 10 pieces.  Remove seeds and ribs; rinse and drain.  Cut cheese into 10 pieces 3” x ½” x ½”.  Wrap each piece of cheese with piece of chili.  Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Press or roll out each to 4” circle.  Place 1 chili wrapped cheese piece onto each circle’ fold dough over to cover completely.  Firmly pinch edges to seal.  Form each into finger shaped roll; place seam side up on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Meanwhile, prepare topping in small bowl.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In second bowl, beat egg yolks and salt.  Gently fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites until just blended.  Spoon mounds of egg mixture over each partially baked roll, covering completely.  Bake an additional 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. In small saucepan, heat taco sauce.  Spoon over chili rellenos.

Wallenbergare



I heated my oil & butter too soon and the crumbs burned, so make sure yours look like these & turn the heat down!



Wallenbergare (Swedish Recipe)

1 lb. ground veal

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

4 egg yolks

1 c. heavy cream

Mix everything together adding one egg yolk at a time.  Shape into patties and chill at least ½ hour.  Heat 2 T. butter and 2 T. oil in an electric skillet.

Take chilled patties and pat with: 2 – 4 T. white bread crumbs

Cook until done (I used a meat thermometer and it took about 12 minutes to cook, turning once.)

This recipe made about 8 burgers so I froze some of the uncooked patties to cook later separating each burger with waxed paper.

Serve with mashed potatoes.  The Swedish recipes call for cream and butter to make your potatoes amazing!  I used 2% and had Dad mashed the potatoes the old fashion way.

Ginger Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

1 T. oil
1 lb. ground turkey
1 pouch Simply Asia Ginger Teriyaki Stir-Fry Sauce
large lettuce leaves.

Heat the oil and cook the turkey until cooked.  Add the sauce.  Serve in lettuce leaves with shredded carrots, chopped peanuts, chopped chives or green onions.  If you like water chestnuts, chops those up fine and add to the cooked meat.

SUPER EASY AND GOOD (recipe from Brittany's Simply Asia Party).

Crescent Cristo Sandwiches

I was asking mom for this recipe today. I haven't really thought about these in awhile, but I LOVE them. I think they make a good summer dinner, too.

Recipe from Pillsbury Best of the Bakeoff

Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8

Loaf:
2 (8-oz) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
6 oz. thinly sliced smoked cooked turkey breast
6 oz. medium sliced Muenster cheese
6 oz. thinly sliced cooked ham
1/3 to ½ cup red raspberry preserves

Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Heat oven to 375°F. Separate or cut dough into 4 long rectangles. Place rectangles crosswise on 1 large or 2 small ungreased cookie sheets (rectangles should not touch); if using crescent dough, firmly press perforations to seal. In small bowl, mix butter and 2 tablespoons honey. Brush over dough.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown; cool 15 minutes.

Grease 15x10x1-inch pan. Carefully place 1 crust on pan. Top evenly with turkey. Place second crust over turkey; top with cheese and ham. Place third crust over ham; spread evenly with preserves. Top with fourth crust; brush top with 2 tablespoons honey. Sprinkle honey with sesame seed.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is deep golden brown and loaf is hot. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 slices.