Baked Salmon

baked salmon, hash browns & sauteed baby spinach - YUM!

I have a love-hate relationship with salmon. LOVE it for a bit, then can't even bear the sight of it for months on end! Don't ask me why...I just don't understand it at all! However, the other night was a salmon night as it looked fresh and wonderful at the fish counter. While I usually buy wild salmon, this time is was Norwegian-farmed salmon. While it isn't nearly as good for you as wild salmon, it certainly tastes wonderful! 

For two folks: 

3/4 - 1 lb. salmon fillet*

3 T. mayonnaise

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. pure maple syrup

1 - 2 T. Victoria Taylor's toasted sesame ginger seasoning (sesame seeds 54%, ginger 22%, garlic powder, sea salt, cayenne, toasted sesame oil)

Preheat the oven to 425º F. 

Mix together all the ingredients (not the salmon, duh!) (If you don't have the Victoria seasoning (which you really need badly), look at it's ingredients and add them individually to the marinade.)

Put parchment paper or foil on a cookie sheet, smear a bit of the marinade on it and place the salmon fillet on top. Evenly coat the salmon with the marinade. Bake until it easily flakes, about 15 - 20 minutes. Serve. 

(*Slice the raw salmon into individual servings before baking - makes it easier to serve.)

(I love parentheses.)

We ate our salmon with hash brown potatoes and fresh sauteed baby spinach. 

~~~

Yum!

'till we feast again!

xoabb

Simply Sublime Smashed Red Potatoes

After looking at many many recipes, this is my take on a fantastic side dish!

Wow! When I first saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman, I thought to myself that this was something I wanted to try - it looked interesting and delicious! 10 years later and after reading a whole lot of smashed potato recipes, tonight I finally put my spin on it. And it was crispy, tasty - just delicious! 

I made them in one of my trusty iron skillets, of course. Not only were they taste perfection, they looked perfect in that iron skillet! Much better than on a cookie sheet. Of course, if you're making them for a crowd, instead of just six, a cookie sheet is the way to go. (The variations on this are endless - include bacon bits, garlic, parmesan, etc. etc. etc.!) Enjoy!

All ingredients are to your taste. Below is for 6 red potatoes.

Preheat oven to 450º.

2 - 4 T. butter, divided

2 - 4 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

6 medium sized red potatoes, washed

fresh ground sea salt

fresh ground (tellicherry) pepper

about 2 T. fresh rosemary, chopped (dried can be substituted)

12 sprigs of the tops of fresh thyme (dried can be substituted)

about 3 T. chopped fresh parsley

4 scallions/green onions, sliced thinly, green tops included

Preheat oven to 450º.

Put potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Gently boil until potatoes are done, about 20 minutes. In the meantime, melt half the butter and half olive oil in the skillet, on your stove, stir, then turn off heat. Melt the other half butter/olive oil mix in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir. 

Remove potatoes and let thoroughly dry. Place potatoes artfully in an iron skillet (see above) and gently flatten with an old fashioned hand-held potato masher. DON'T smash too fast or too hard - my first smashed potato was a mess! (Below, see that bottom potato? Smushed, not smashed!)

Lightly dab the tops of potatoes with the microwaved butter/olive oil mixture. Grate salt and pepper on the tops of the potatoes, to your taste. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the rosemary. Place, crossed, two sprigs fresh thyme on each potato. 

Bake for 25 minutes at 450º. Remove with spatula to each plate. Instruct folks to remove the thyme leaves off of each stem onto potatoes (or do it for them). Dig in! 

We enjoyed ours with an iron skillet steak. And a side salad. Well....that side salad was a good thought....that didn't happen. (sigh)

UPDATE:

Tonight the potatoes were smashed a different way! All was the same until the toppings were added: To the smashed potatoes: drizzle with melted butter and then toasted bacon bits. Roast in the oven until all is sizzling. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and bake until cheese is beginning to melt. Turn on the broiler and broil until cheese is beginning to brown. 

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Potato Salad ala Grandma Mae

Our Grandmother Mae's Potato Salad
Yeah, it's that good!

Growing up, my sibs, parents, grandparents, uncles & aunts, cousins and all the members of our fambly had more than the average family gatherings, be they on Sunday or any other day of the week because, well, that's just what we did! It was important to us then, and it's important to us now. Though our immediate families are scattered far and wide, we've all embraced our far-flung, but close at hand, relations and made them our close relations, and over the years, we've all realized that no matter how close or far a family link is, by ~blood~, what is in our hearts is what counts the most. And what counts the most...is family. Even when it's friends that become our undeniable family...no blood ties needed. 

The (family) throw 'n go:

5 lb. bag baking potatoes; don’t peel
1 C+ diced celery
1 red pepper, diced, don’t substitute green, omit if you only have green

1/3 C. diced red or white onion
2 T++ fresh dill weed, chopped

3 eggs
2 T. or so Coleman’s dry mustard

2 t. or so sugar
1/2 C. or so vinegar
salt, cayenne pepper, white pepper to taste

1/2 - 3/4 C. or so Hellman’s mayo

1/2 & 1/2 cream to thin to your taste

Put potatoes in a big enough pot so they’re covered with water.  Cook till fork-tender.  Drain and let cool.  When cooled just enough to handle, scrape off skin and chunk into 3/4” - 1” cubes, (not too small).  Put in a large bowl, (big enough to mix everything in), and add celery, red pepper, onion and dill.  Toss all well with your hands. 
Place eggs, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt and peppers in a pan on the stove over medium heat.  Continuously whisking, cook ingredients until they become quite thick - like a sabayon - then remove from heat and stir in the mayo.  Pour on the potato mixture and mix all well by hand.  Add cream to thin if needed.  Taste and correct seasonings. It’s much better the second day - thin with more cream if needed on that second day.

Our Grandma Mae Reusser Heyssel’s wonderful recipe. 

A GREAT buffet or take to salad. Even Julie Murray loves this and she cannot stand mayonnaise.

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Our Sunday Family Dinners

Rosemary blossoms, February 2009

I wrote the below post originally in February 2009. It pretty much perfectly explains what our
Sunday Family Dinners are all about and why they are so important to all of us.
For the original post, click here. For the re-posted post, click here.
For cousin Julie's wonderful take on SFD, click here.
(The oven fries recipe, below, is often a part of our SFD's.)

My World: 

There's one huge aspect of my world that I really don't write much about here, which is really quite odd, considering how important it is to me. It is something near and dear to my heart, whatever the aspect of it is. Matter of fact, it's quite near and dear to the hearts of my family and friends as well. We have shared many wonderful times over it, and, I suspect, will continue to do so ad infinitum. 

So what, you ask, does the above photo have to do with anything at all, let alone the mystery aspect of my world I'm blabbering on about? Nothing and absolutely everything, that's what! It's a pretty enough photo that I enjoy looking at, and hope you do to, but what it really stands for is...food. Food. It's such an important part of my world and I really don't talk or write about it as much as I should. How often have we gathered together, be it two, ten or many folks, to celebrate, commiserate, grieve, just be with each other, laugh, love, play, where food is the centerpiece of the gathering? How irritated do the children of this wonderful collective family of ours get when we miss Sunday Family Dinner two weeks in a row? (Right now they're really mad - we're going on our 3rd week of missed SFD with no end in sight. It's not a good thing.) How wonderful is it to gather together and share good times over good food? It is a pleasure to be forever treasured. And I know we're sending these children of ours forth into this world with the conviction that our Sunday Family Dinner gathering is a tradition whose celebration is sacred, should always be nurtured and never ever forgotten. Food is good. Life is good. For the most part. 

~

Those Oven Fries

baking potatoes, chunked, quartered, cut in wedges, whatever

extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat everything

garlic and/or onions, chopped

fresh rosemary leaves, stripped off tough stem

fresh ground pepper and salt

cayenne

(lemon juice is a most excellent addition)

oregano or other herbs if you think necessary - I don't

Now you know why I can't bake - I don't measure anything...ever. Preheat oven to 425º. Wash potatoes, cut into whatever shape you want. Using whatever amounts you want, place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes. Turn potatoes over and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Delicious with just about everything, but especially good with roast chicken, lamb and salmon. It goes without saying (so why am I saying it?) they're delicious with hamburgers and steak. Heck, they'd be good with liver!

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb

Shepherd's Pie & Mary Poppins - Yes, They Go Together!

Well, at least the beginnings of Shepherd's Pie

When our children were growing up, our lovely Sheila lived with us and was their ~Mary Poppins~. In the years since, tho no longer living with us, she has most definitely become family. She brought many wonderful things to our family, and one of the very best was her English cooking. No groans allowed, as we all quickly figured out that most English cooking, aside from waaaay over-cooked veggies, is really really delicious! Miss She introduced us to Scotch eggs, rice pudding, corned beef hash (whoa thunk that would be delicious!?!) and, drum roll please, Shepherd's Pie, to name a few. 

Much as I love it, I hadn't made Shepherd's Pie for years. Until recently. I had a taste for it about a month or two ago and decided it was time to recreate Sheila's masterpiece. It was wonderful and most amazingly, the hubs loved it too.  We've enjoyed it pretty regularly since then, to the point that when I made one for dinner for the Murray family who were returning from a ski trip, George (the hubs) said I couldn't take them one unless there was one for us as well. Happy to oblige!

Amounts to your preference:

1 1/2 or so lbs. ground beef

3 - 5 carrots, quartered length-wise then sliced 1/4" thick

1 medium onion chopped to size of the carrots

1 - 2 Tablespoons butter 

1 - 2 cups water

frozen corn, amount to your taste

frozen peas, amount to your taste

1 1/2 C. gravy (homemade or if you don't have that, a Better 'n Gravy or McCormick packet)

Worcestershire sauce to taste

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

any other seasonings you might like

mashed potatoes

shredded cheddar cheese

paprika

Preheat oven to 350º. 

In an iron (preferably) skillet, brown the ground beef and then drain into a bowl so you can separate fat from any liquids. Set aside. Melt butter in same skillet and sauté the carrots and onions over medium high heat for 5 or so minutes. Pour the water over the carrots and onions just to cover and boil off the water. This tenderizes the carrots. Add beef, and any liquid left from draining it, back to the skillet and mix all together. Pour on the gravy to moisten it all - but don't add too much as you don't want it soupy. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and paper and any other herbs you might like. Stir together well and taste to be sure seasonings are to your liking. Just before topping with the mashed potatoes, pour in desired amounts of corn and peas. I generally add about a cup of each. 

If you're not using the skillet you've just made everything in, pour mixture into a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes (recipe below), then sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and lightly with paprika. Bake until bubbly and hot through and through, about 30 - 45 minutes. This can be made ahead. Just be sure to bring it to room temp. before baking. 

Mashed Potatoes

Alrighty then...a bit of honesty is required here. Because of good advice I've gotten from cousin Julie, the last two times I've made Shepherd's Pie, I've cheated and bought already made mashed potatoes. Simply Potatoes and Country Crock are two brands. I heat them in the microwave according to package directions, then whip them with a little extra melted butter, salt and pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Heck of a lot easier than making from scratch, and in this instance, no one can tell the difference! However, for those of you (hello Mom!) who are pure of heart, here's the from scratch way: 

3 - 5 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled, halved and cut in thirds

1 C. or so hot milk

1 stick butter, melted in milk

salt, fresh ground pepper and nutmeg to taste

Put potatoes in a pot with water just to cover. Boil until potatoes are done. Drain potatoes and put through a ricer (my preferred way). Mix in milk, butter and seasonings to taste. 

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoT'nGG

Potatoes Hasselback

Potatoes Hasselback

I've never eaten a potato I haven't loved, and these delightful spuds are no exception! They were first served in Stockholm at Restaurant Hasselbacken in the 1940's and are still served there today. I understand they've become a big staple all over Europe, and from the number of recipes I found on the internet, it's safe to say they're a big hit here in the USofA as well! My inspiration for making them came from one of my very favorite food bloggers, Kay, a gal from Holland. Her photography, writing and especially her recipes are wonderful. You really should take the time to explore her blog. You can find Kay's original recipe here. (I just discovered her "Hasselback - the sequel" recipe. How good does that skillet of potatoes look? Definitely trying those next time!)

Below is what I did, but this is one versatile dish! You can stuff the potatoes with cheese, or tomatoes and bacon as Kay did in her sequel recipe. I think it would be delicious with fajita or southwest seasonings in the butter and served with sour cream on the side. Endless possibilities, I tell you, just endless!

~

Yukon gold potatoes (one potato for each diner, plus one extra)

butter (approx. 1 tablespoon for each potato)

Trader Joe's lemon pepper grinder*

fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash potatoes. Put butter in a microwavable container that is the right size to roll the potatoes in and melt in the microwave.  After it's melted, add the spices you want to use. I grated about a tablespoon of the lemon pepper in it and since the other ingredients in the grinder are *onion, lemon rind, sea salt, and roasted garlic*, that's the only seasoning I used. Place each potato in a serving spoon and slice potato in a fan, being sure not to slice all the way through. (You can also put the potatoes between two wooden spoons or chop sticks to slice.) Roll each potato in the butter mixture making sure all surfaces are coated. Place them in an baking dish that's big enough that the potatoes don't touch. Pour any remaining butter over the tops of the potatoes. Using a pastry brush, try to get the butter mixture in between the slices, being careful not to break the potatoes apart. Roast for 40 - 45 minutes or until they are nice and browned. Sprinkle tops with the parsley and serve immediately.

~~~

YUM!

'till we feast again! 

xoabb