Opa!

Greek + Salmon = Opa!

I was grocery shopping today and Matt had asked for Peach Mango Salsa Salmon for dinner tonight. As I really didn't want it so while I was shopping I was keeping my open for something to do with the salmon other than the salsa. First I came to the canned diced tomato. I never buy these but they were buy 1, get 1 so I picked up two. I knew I had basil at home so I figured I would get some mozzarella and make a caprese salmon. Then I came to the perogies and noticed they had a new one- feta spinach. Feta instantly set off my greek alert and in a snap I had my salmon recipe

I am not a horn tooter but I outdid myself this time. Matt and Ansley loved it too.


Greek Salmon

fillets of salmon
diced tomatoes
greek olives
feta
basil

Layer in glass casserole dish in the order the recipe states. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 or until done.

Eat up!

(and don't worry- the Caprese Salmon will be served within a few weeks)

Trust me.....

Okay, you are going to have to trust me on this one.

Preheat the oven to 350. Place raw chicken in a glass casserole dish. Top with one envelope with Liptons french onion soup mix (dry), 1 bottle Catalina dressing,and one can of Cranberry Sauce (use the whole berry one and put it in a bowl and mix it up before you put it on the chicken so it's not canned shape anymore). Cook for 45 min. Serve.

I hate baked chicken but this was amazing. I served it with sweet potatoes and it just tasted like I was eating fall.


To die for.....

Beer Cheese Soup

What do you get when you spend a cold day at an amusement park owned by a beer company? Yup, you are right- beer cheese soup for dinner!

This one was semi- homemade. You will have to cut me some slack since I did just spend 6 hours at an amusement park with my husband, a 6 year old, a (2 days shy of being) 5 year old, a fairly new 4 year old and a 9 month old grumpy baby. As usual, I made it up as I went a long. It was good BUT (and there is always a but) next time I will use more cheese and a darker beer.

I made garlic bread sticks with it and they were perfect for dipping. I would love to do sourdough bread bowls but the only ones the store sells are huge. I will have to figure out how to make them myself.

Beer Cheese Soup (the way I will do it next time)
2 cans "Cream of" something- chicken, celery, mushroom, etc (I used mushroom)
2 bottles of beer (Sam Adams Winter Ale or Oktoberfest or something like that)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of Worcestershire
1/4 tsp paprika
a little salt, pepper, and whatever else you love
3 cups sharp cheddar
4 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled

Pour cans of soup, garlic, Worcestershire, and seasonings into medium saucepan. Slowly pour in beer, heat on medium heat until simmering. Stir cheese in slowly. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Pour into bowls and top with bacon.

Another Basil Mishap

It was really windy tonight and my basil plant fell over. It broke like 4 limbs off so instead of the lemon dill salmon we were planning on having we ended up having Loaded Salmon (help me come up with a new name for that one). I topped the salmon with garlic, white wine, mozzarella (shaved from one of Ansley's cheese sticks!) and TONS of basil. It was amazing!!!!

Ordinary Turned Extraordinary!

Knowing I was going to spend 4 hours in a meeting today, I planned for a super easy dinner- ravioli and broccoli. Boring, I know, but I wanted quick and easy. When I got home, however, I wasn't nearly as worn out as I expected to be and the idea of ravioli and broccoli made me want to revert to old ways and rush out for some yummy take out. I knew though, that we really needed to be good (AKA money is tight this week) so I begrudgingly took out the pots and pans and got to work. I decided to roast the broccoli with garlic instead of steaming it and while I was chopping it I got another fabulous idea...toasted ravioli! We were out of bread crumbs but my dearest friend, Jen, was over and told me how easy it was so make my own. I made some bread crumbs and then battered the already boiled ravioli and tossed them in the skillet with a little EVOO. I had tried making it once and it was a total FAIL.I had baked it instead of "frying" it and it just tasted like ass. Not this time though....

It was AMAZING and it honestly only took me about 5 minutes longer than the boring, ordinary ravioli and broccoli I was already planning on making.



Toasted Ravioli and Roasted Broccoli with Garlic
Matt ****
Kristen ****
Ansley *** (not a fan of the broccoli)

Unexpected Inspirations

Cooking inspirations are everywhere. The other day I was feeding Rylan a jar of apples and chicken and it got me thinking... YUM. From there, the wheels started turning for a few days. What could I do to make a chicken and apples entree? Finally I settled on chicken baked with apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Sounds good, doesn't it. Eh, wrong. I thought it sucked. Matt, Ansley and my parents loved it. Too me, it was too dry. I think next time (yes, there will be a next time) I will marinade the chicken in apple juice and will cook it at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time.

It was nice, though, to have my parents over. My mom has thyroid cancer and ever since she had her surgery to remove the thyroid she has been SOOOOO tired. I called them at the last minute and invited them to come eat. Should have known better than to have them over when trying something new.

Tonight I am thinking Mushroom Pork medallions and sauteed spinach. I was going to wait until the weekend for this one but the mushrooms are telling me otherwise....