Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

In the week that followed the delivery of our beautiful baby girl (she's officially two months old tomorrow!), our good friends got together and brought us dinner every night.  Our friends, the Finches, brought us this fabulous salmon and strawberry salsa dish, which became my absolute favorite fish dish. 

At first glance, you see all this pink (of the salmon) and red (of the salsa) and wonder if it could taste any good.  Well, it is a taste like no other.  The dish is simply divine.  And I don't know why I was so surprised...after all, strawberries are my favorite fruit.  But the sweetness of the berries and cherry tomatoes in the salsa (with the balsamic vinegar, honey and everything else) pairs so nicely with the salmon and the dish is aesthetically pleasing to boot.

I'd craved this dish for a month before I finally had enough and went to get all of the ingredients.  It turns out that the recipe was taken from a blog called called Annie's Eats--a simply fantastic blog filled with all kinds of recipes that I am dying to try.  And you should too!

Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

adapted from Annie's Eats

For the salsa:

2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

4 scallions, white and green portions, sliced thin

1 tsp. fresh parsley, minced

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Drizzle of olive oil

Drizzle of honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz. each)

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  To make the salsa, combine the strawberries, tomatoes, scallions, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Mix well to blend, then cover and refrigerate while you prepare the salmon.

2.  Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the salmon fillets on the foil. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over each fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Broil about 6-8 inches away from heat source (in my oven, this is upper middle rack). Cook about 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the fillets, checking for doneness. Transfer the salmon to serving plates and top with strawberry salsa. Serve warm.

I served this dish with some rice.  I mixed some minced parsley into the rice.  Tastes even better as leftover.  I had mine for lunch at work today!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and that it becomes a fave in your house too!

French Fridays with Dorie: Gougeres

Happy Friday everyone!  I just joined the cooking group, French Fridays with Dorie and we're collectively cooking our way through her cookbook, Around My French Table.  I was a part of the baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie a while back, but I had to quit when I moved to El Paso. I couldn't find the time to do it with work.  By the time things had died down here, the group had closed to new membership and I couldn't wait for another group to start.

I have to admit, when you flip through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan, it can be a little intimidating especially to someone who spends more time baking then cooking.  And French recipes at that?  Totally out of my comfort zone.  But that's exactly what I want this experience to be.  I want it to challenge me!  And the recipes in the book are just downright tantalizing and I can't wait to try them and share them with my family and friends.

Dorie Greenspan herself chose this entire month's worth of recipes--and what a great and easy start with the Gougeres, which are essentially cheesepuffs.  Honestly, the cheese rolls at Red Lobster don't stand a chance against these guys.  They are fantastic, light and fluffy, especially right out of the oven.  They were so easy to make.  Just a few ingredients and in and out of the oven in just under an hour. 

The recipe calls for Gruyere or cheddar cheese.  I was sorely disappointed that I didn't get the Gruyere this time around.  I used what I had around the house, which was cheddar.  I can't wait to do it with Gruyere and do try several variations--perhaps putting in some garlic!  Yum!

Supposedly, you can find these all over France.  My best friend, Chrissy, and I visited France for a day during our R&R from Iraq.  I guess we didn't look hard enough because it would have been fabulous to try these out over there.

Dorie recommended enjoying these with a glass of white wine, champagne or kir.  I served ours up with a white wine and a pasta dish.  She was right-on!  Because it's just the hubby and me, I baked us half a dozen.  I froze the rest on the pans, waited for them to get solid and put them in plastic freezer bags.  Now they'll be instantly ready to enjoy whenever I feel like treating myself again.  I have about 1 1/2 dozen in the freezer.

Unfortunately, the cooking group doesn't allow us to post the recipes, so you'll have to go out and get the cookbook yourself.  Not only is it a spectacular compilation of recipes, but Dorie tells such wonderful stories about her experiences.  Definitely recommend it!

Celebrating National Homemade Cookie Day!

Yesterday, I found out that tomorrow is National Homemade Cookie Day.  What a great excuse to enjoy some freshly baked cookies right out of the oven!  My hubby and I just started a new workout regime that includes implementing a healthier diet.  When I told him that I had to bake these cookies specifically for this holiday, he didn't think I was serious.  But we looked it up, and sure enough...it's tomorrow! 

I agreed, however, to bake some cookies and keep about half a dozen for the both of us to share and then give the rest to my friends.  I actually dropped off a batch to my friend, Jennifer, a few hours ago.

In any case, I chose this Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk cookies that I saw Rachel Ray's October issue of her Everyday magazine.  It was actually on an Ocean Spray Craisins ad and I thought they looked and sounded delicious.  So after a day of running errands with the hubby and our little one, I whipped up 2 1/2 dozen of these cookies.

They weren't the best cookies that I've ever had.  Admittedly, they were a little dry and I suppose I messed that up somehow.  Nevertheless, they were tasty and I'm happy to share them with my friends!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

by Ocean Spray at www.oceanspray.com

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 6-oz. package of Ocean Spray Craisins Original Dried Cranberries

2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well. 

2.  Combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate mixing bowl.  Add to butter mixture in several different additions, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

3.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets  Bake for 10--12 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.

Note:  recipe yields 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

So, just so I can keep up with other food holidays, I found this website that breaks down each month.  Looks like October is a fabulous month for foods.  I mean National Pasta, Chocolate, and Chocolate Cupcake Days in one month?  No way!

Ribbon Pasta with Tomato, Dill, and Ricotta

I got this recipe from this month's issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray.  The entire issue is fantastic and is filled with wonderful recipes for this fall. 

It's crazy, but I know a lot of people who can't stand Rachel Ray and cringe at the sound of her voice on the television--especially when they hear her cheesy sayings, like "EVOO" for extra virgin olive oil or "Yum-o!".  Well, I totally love Rachel Ray.  I love her recipes.  Just my style--quick, easy and downright delicious.  I love her personality--she's witty, fun and seems so down-to-earth. I love her kitchenware and gadgets (I own some of it).  I also love her magazine and talk show.  Wow...that's a lot of love.

Anyway, back to the recipe...I made slight substitutions, like baby spinach for the baby arugula and dried dillweed for the fresh dill--only because I had those handy.  The cherry tomatoes I used were so magnificently sweet and the dill made the dish more savory and delicious.  I can only imagine how much more wonderful this dish would have tasted had I used the fresh dill.  The hubby and I ate the pasta with a huge dollop of ricotta cheese.  I give this a huge "Yum-o!" all the way.  I think he does too.  Definitely making it again.  And it makes for a lovely presentation.  Something I'd definitely serve to a crowd.

Ribbon Pasta with Tomato, Dill and Ricotta

by Rachel Ray

Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 pound egg tagliatelle, fettucine, or pappardelle pasta

3 Tbsp EVOO

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill (I used 1 1/4 tsp dried dillweed)

4 cups loosely packed baby arugula leaves (I used baby spinach)

3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the past and cook until al dente.  Drain and return to pot, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

2.  While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, and the garlic over medium-high heat, swirling the garlic in the oil, for 2 minutes; discard the garlic. 

3.  Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper; cook for 4 minutes, then add the dill and the reserved pasta cooking water.

4.  Add the tomatoes and arugula to the pasta; season with salt and pepper. 

5.  Serve the pasta in large, shallow bowls and dollop with the ricotta for mixing while you eat.

Enjoy!

Bowties with Ham & Sweet Potato Spice Cookies

My friend, Laura, had her baby shower yesterday afternoon.  She hits her 36th week today and is having her second little boy!

The baby shower was a potluck, so I decided to bring both a main dish and a dessert.

Pasta casseroles are one of my favorite things to whip up for parties.  One, I'm a huge pasta fan.  You can't go wrong with it.  Just about everyone eats it!  This particular dish was so simple to throw together.  The asparagus gives it a delicious crunch, the sundried tomatoes kinda give it a nice hint of sweetness and the melted havarti cheese just really brings it all together very nicely.  It's simply called Bow-Ties with Ham, and I got both the recipe and this picture (below) from Pillsbury.

Bow-Ties with Ham

by Pillsbury

3 cups uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta

1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce

10 medium asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil and herbs (drained and chopped)

1 cup diced cooked ham

1 cup shredded Havarti cheese (4 oz)

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.  Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2.  Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot.  Gently stir in cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes and ham.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Pour into casserole.

3.  Cover; bake 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.  Top with remaining cheese.

I just love the fall.  I do a lot more baking at this time of the year because of the holidays and I love the aroma of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin spice to completely saturate the house.  I found this recipe for Sweet Potato Spice Cookies in a Taste of Home Cookies & Bars book that I bought years ago.  Oh my goodness, the flavors in this cookie just meld so well together.  You've got sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg...and butterscotch chips, coconut and pecans to give it a nice crunch.  They were wonderful!  The kids especially loved them.  Even my husband gave it a rave review!  I am definitely going to make these again.

Sweet Potato Spice Cookies

Yield: 7 Dozen

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup finely shredded uncooked sweet potato

3 Tbsp orange juice concentrate

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1-1/4 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1.  In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, sweet potato, and orange juice concentrate.  Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.

2.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until firm.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy!

Penne Panna Proscuitto e Piselli (My Version)

My friends and I frequent an Italian restaurant in town called Trattoria Bella Sera; only we call it Christina's because our friend, Melissa, knows the owner and that is her name.  When I wasn't on convalescent leave (which, sadly, is over in 2 weeks), we would go there just about every week.

Everytime we go there, I always say that I'm going to try something different.  But once the waiter comes for our orders, I always end up ordering the same thing--my favorite dish, the Penne Panna Proscuitto e Piselli, which is penne pasta sauteed with Italian ham, sweet peas and onions in an Italian white cream sauce (which, to me, is Alfredo sauce). 

When I order my pasta, 9 out of 10 times I usually order something with Alfredo sauce over marinara.  I can whip up a good marinara sauce at home when I make pasta dishes, but for some reason, I've always been scared to try alfredo sauce.  And let's face it...the store-bought alfredo sauce just doesn't do it for me. 

A few days ago, I found an easy recipe for Classic Alfredo Sauce, which I used to make my favorite dish from Christina's.  The only thing is that I used farfalle (bowtie) pasta instead of penne. 

Here's the recipe for the sauce:

Classic Alfredo Sauce

6 Tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
Generous dash white pepper
Generous dash ground nutmeg
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 oz.)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3/4 pound fettuccine, cooked and drained (again, I used farfalle)

For the dish I made, I added:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced ham
1 medium sweet onion (diced)
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup frozen peas (thawed)

1.  In a large, heavy skillet, saute onion in olive oil until transparent.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more.  Add diced ham and peas.  Saute for another 2-3 minutes.  Set aside in another dish.

2.  Place butter and cream in the same skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook and stir until butter melts and mixture bubbles.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Remove from heat.  Gradually stir in cheese until thoroughly blended and smooth.  Return briefly to heat to completely blend cheese if necessary.  Do not let sauce bubble or cheese will become lumpy and tough).  Stir in ham, peas, and onion mixture.

3.  Pour sauce over pasta in pot.  Stir and toss over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is thickened and pasta is evenly coated.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve immediately.

This isn't a great picture of how the pasta turned out, but it was delicious.  My husband isn't really one for heavy pasta dishes, but he loved this dish!  And now I'm not scared to try alfredo sauce anymore!

~Baked Bean Duo~

Would you believe that this is the first baked bean dish I've ever made?  For real.  My friend, Laura, hosted a birthday party for her son, Joey.  He turned three last week.  She was serving up some burgers and hot dogs.  And you can never go wrong with baked beans when you're eating some barbecue!

I'm usually lazy and end up buying some baked beans from the grocery store, but I thought I'd actually take the time to make some.  And this version of the classic dish came out delicious!  The "duo" refers to the fact that there are two kinds of beans--the kind that comes with the canned pork and beans and butter beans. 

As always, I look for the simplest of dishes to prepare...and this one was just that! And I love my baked beans to be sweet.  I love that sweet and salty combination.  You would think that will all the honey and brown sugar in this dish that it would be an overload, but I thought it was just right.

Baked Bean Duo
by Better Homes & Gardens Simply Better Cookbooks (Easy Potlucks, May 2006)

6 slices bacon (I used maple bacon--I love the sweet and salty combo)
1/3 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 20 3/4 oz. can pork and beans in tomato sauce, drained
1 15 oz. can butter beans or black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Drain bacon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.  Crumble bacon; set aside.  Add sweet pepper and onion to reserved drippings; cook about 5 minutes or until tender.

2.  In 1 1/2 quart casserole, combine pork and beans, butter beans, ketchup, honey, brown sugar, half of the bacon and the sweet pepper mixture.  Wrap and chill remaining bacon until melted.

3.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until heated through.  Stir gently; top with remaning bacon.

Makes 3 side-dish servings.