Tough on Stir Fry

The September Cooking Light had a section on stir fry recipes and despite loathing stir fry night as a child I now am drawn to stir fry recipes and had to give the Curried Chicken and Cashews recipe a try. To make the dish you start by combining the chicken broth, water, fish sauce, sugar and rice vinegar and setting it aside. You then cut the chicken into strips. Once cut heat the oil in the pan and then sauté the chicken in batches until cooked. When the chicken is cooked set it aside and add more oil to the pan. Then sauté the onion, ginger and garlic for one minute or until lightly brown. I added red bell pepper to the dish, so I added it right before the onions and then let it continue to sauté with the onions etc. Then add the curry powder and chiles to the pan and sauté for a few minutes. Next add the chicken back into the pan and the sauce and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Serve it over rice and top it with cilantro and cashews.

I talked to Jess on the phone shortly after making this dish and told her that it was just okay. She commented that I am a tough critic on stir fry dishes on the blog. I think she is right; I am tough on stir fry dishes. To me there are two keys to an excellent stir fry 1. not overcooking or undercooking the ingredients and 2. a tasty sauce. The first just takes practice to make sure you get the vegetables cooked, but not limp or that you don’t leave them to crispy. This is somewhat personal preference too. I tend to like them cooked through, but with some texture left and definitely not limp and overcooked. The sauce is where I think I tend to become critical on a new recipe. To me it does not take an inordinate number of ingredients to make a tasty sauce, but I want it to have some complexity, some heat, and a fairly substantial flavor. To me the sauce in this dish was not complex or substantial. It did have some heat from the chiles and I did like the curry powder in it, however, the rest of the sauce just fell short and left the dish somewhat bland. All in all there are better recipes out there including one that was a staple in our house in the pre-blog days and has yet to make an appearance on the blog (not to self, add it into the rotation in the next few months) and a few that have made an appearance such as . This was quick and easy and I did enjoy the curry and cashew combination and the addition of red bell peppers, but I don’t think I’ll make it again. Russ was in agreement rating it a 7.

Curried Chicken and Cashews, Cooking Light September 2008

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup chicken mixture and 3/4 cup rice)

1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
3 small dried hot red chiles, broken in half
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup dry-roasted salted cashews, chopped
3 cups hot cooked short-grain rice

To prepare sauce, combine the first 5 ingredients; set aside. Cut chicken across grain into 1/4-inch slices; cut slices into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut strips into 3-inch-long pieces. Heat a 14-inch wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to wok, swirling to coat. Add half of chicken to wok; stir-fry 2 minutes. Spoon cooked chicken into a bowl. Repeat procedure with 2 teaspoons oil and remaining chicken. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to wok, swirling to coat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic to wok; stir-fry 1 minute or until lightly browned. Add curry powder and chiles; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add sauce and chicken to wok; stir-fry 1 minute. Spoon into a serving dish. Sprinkle with cilantro and cashews. Serve over rice.

Another So So Bachelor Performance

I am not sure how many of you watch “The Bachelor” anymore, but Emily, Elizabeth and I have all decided that it each season gets a little trashier than the previous. So, we’ve started talking about maybe finding a new show to replace “The Bachelor” for our get togethers. Much like the show I feel like Russ and my food contributions have also gone downhill over the seasons too. You might remember a few of our not so great contributions like the Stuffed Chicken Breasts that took forever and were just okay, or the Shish Kebabs that got a little over cooked, or there was another recent Bachelor that didn’t make it to the blog where I made the Roasted Broccoli (that I raved about here) only to under cook it and that is just naming a few... So, tonight Russ and I are in charge of the appetizer and dessert. I decide to try a new recipe for the appetizer and go with a fool proof dessert recipe repeating the Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Cookies that I made here. Well, despite the fact that the appetizer featured two of my favorite foods – roasted red peppers and goat cheese – the recipe as a whole fell flat and was didn’t take advantage of these amazing ingredients. Oh, the cookies you ask… well I forgot to soften the butter and I was running late, so I picked up some ice cream sandwiches at the store… at least they were tasty!

The appetizer I made tonight is Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Red Peppers from the Birmingham Junior League "Food for Thought" cookbook (which is one of my underused cookbooks and counts towards my New Year's Resolution!). To make it you start by combining the goat cheese, cream cheese, and thyme. I did this in the food processor, but if you don’t have one you could do it by hand. Spread this evenly in a serving dish and set it in the fridge to chill. Next you roast the red peppers. You can do this several ways, but tonight I decided to just do it on the stove top (must be gas). You just lay them over the flame and turn them periodically until they are fairly black. Then toss them in a zip lock bag and let them hang out for a few minutes. Once they have cooled, pull them out, and peel off the outer peel. Then cut them into pieces and puree them in the food processor. Pull out the cheese spread and pile the red pepper puree evenly over the top. The recipe instructs you use plastic wrap to pull the cheese spread out and put it on a plate and then top it with the peppers. While this may be a little more appealing as far as appearance I didn’t find it necessary so I just left it in my container. I served it with crostini (slices of baguette that Russ grilled lightly on both sides).

As I mentioned earlier roasted red peppers and goat cheese are two of my favorite foods (hence why I selected this recipe to try). Despite having these two ingredients the recipe just didn’t add any extra flavor to them and didn’t do a good job in bringing the flavors together. To be honest it would have been just as tasty and easier to just take the crostini and spread some goat cheese on it and top it with a roasted red pepper. The thyme didn’t add much flavor and the cream cheese while it added some creaminess to the dip it really wasn’t necessary. All in all it was just okay and with a combination of goat cheese and roasted red peppers you could definitely come up with a better way of pairing them. Russ rates the dip a 7. In case you are wondering what show we are going to start watching after this season of The Bachelor... well we just discovered that they are doing another Bachelorette season - so we have to watch that!

Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Red Peppers, Food for Thought
Makes 2 Cups

Ingredients:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3 sweet red peppers

Combine the first 4 ingredients in the food processor, and blend until smooth. Press mixture into a ramekin or mold lined with plastic wrap and chill. Roast peppers over gas flame or under broiler, turning until the skins are charred all over. Place peppers in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for 20 minutes. Halve the peppers and remove the cores; peel off skin. Cut peppers into 1 inch strips, and place strips in the food processor; pulse 3 or 4 times. Unmold chilled cheese mixture; top with red pepper puree. Serve with crostini or melba toast.

One Apple Too Many...

Tonight is Bachelor Night and Seth and Elizabeth are hosting which means that Russ and I are in charge of an appetizer and dessert. Since I have been on an apple kick and still have apples left I decided to do an apple dessert. There is an abundance of apple recipes, so narrowing it down was a little difficult. I decided I wanted to make an apple bar of sorts and I finally decided on County Fair Caramel Apple Bars from King Arthur Flour’s website.

For the sake of time I decided to make the bars on Sunday. You start by mixing unsalted butter, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, sugars, and vanilla extract together. You then add the flours (all purpose and nut flour – I made my own pecan flour). Once the mixture is crumbly you remove half of it to use in the topping. You then mix the egg into the remaining portion of the mixture. This is then pressed into a greased baking dish and baked at 350 for 17 minutes. While the crust is baking you can prepare the topping. You peel the apples and slice them. You then cut the slices into pieces. The apple pieces are then mixed with cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and vanilla extract. You then combine the flour mixture (that you set aside earlier) to the apples. This is then evenly distributed over the crust and baked at 350 for 45 minutes. Once they have baked you allow them to cool. You then are supposed to go ahead and cut them into bars and let them cool further, however, I managed to skip this step. Lastly you melt caramel candies with milk or cream (I used half and half) and drizzle this over the bars.

So, last night when I made the bars they looked picture perfect! I covered them with foil once they had cooled completely (including the drizzled caramel) and didn’t look at them again until I go to cut them to take to Bachelor Night….. When I go to cut them I am disappointed to find that something happened overnight and the caramel has become liquid and the apple topping mushy. They didn’t look beautiful and appetizing like they did last night. I try to bake them a little longer to have the caramel firm up, but in the end Russ thinks that they taste good enough and we’ll serve them with ice cream and chocolate sauce to help them out. I am not sure if not cutting them and putting them in Tupperware was the problem or what, but in the end the bottom of the crust was over baked (possibly from baking them again in an attempt to have the caramel harden), the apple filling lacked texture, and the drizzled caramel didn’t hold up enough to provide its flavor or stickiness. Russ felt like the apple topping still had good flavor and he is right, but overall these were a bust. I’m not going to bother recreating this recipe to try to have a better end product since there are so many other yummy sounding apple bar recipes out there. For now I am going to leave the rest of my apples alone until this weekend when I’ll pick back up with working with them perhaps to make homemade applesauce (Russ’ request). Russ rates the Caramel Apple Bars a generous 7.

For an appetizer we brought cheese and crackers which were yummy and lucky for me fool proof. Seth gave us all a treat and made his Dad’s special sandwiches which involve a hoagie, sliced steak, sautéed onions, green peppers, and mushrooms, tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Yummy! Russ liked them so much he is still talking about them. Dowe and Emily did a wonderful Caesar salad and tomatoes with basil and fresh mozzarella. It was a fun night, but now Russ and I are feeling the Bachelor pressure… after the not so great shish kebabs and the apple bar disaster we have got to step up our sides for next week and the entrée for the following. We are keeping our fingers crossed…

(Since the apple bars aren't much to look at... I included our latest family picture from one of our hikes in Highlands.)

Apples, Apples and More Apples

This Saturday Russ and I made no plans except to stick around the house, watch football, bake, grill, and hang out with friends. Russ got started in the kitchen first by grilling wings for lunch and prepping the ribs. Once he was done with the kitchen I took over and started my apple baking. As I mentioned before we stopped by an orchard on our way home from Highlands, NC and picked up two and a half pecks of apples. I have been looking at different apple recipes for days now trying to narrow down what I want to try. I decided on a muffin and cake recipe for today.

The Apple Muffin recipe I decided on is from King Arthur Flour and it calls for predominately whole grain flour. To make the muffins you mix the flours (white whole wheat and all-purpose), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set this bowl to the side and cream the butter and sugars. Then mix the egg and buttermilk in and then turn off the mixer and stir in the flour mixture. Once this is all incorporated then you mix in the apple (which is cored, peeled, and cut into chunks). This is then put into muffin tins and baked for 10 minutes at 450 and then 15 minutes at 400. You are supposed to sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the batter before baking, but I managed to forget this until they had already baked.

The muffins turned out really well! They are not a sweet muffin, but a tasty one filled with apples. The apples truly take center stage in this recipe and really make the muffin. You can’t put too many apples into it. This is one I will definitely try again, only next time I’ll probably double the recipe since it only makes 12 muffins in order to have more to share with friends and family. I did manage to share a few with Jess and Scott and sent a couple with Will (Russ' good college friend who was passing through town) and Megan (Will's friend) for the road. Jess called to tell me that she thinks they are best muffin yet and she has tasted lots of them in my quest for a perfect blueberry muffin! I may have to use some of the last of the Mentone blueberries from the freezer and try this recipe with blueberries. Russ rates the muffins a 9.

Next up on my apple baking spree is a cake I have made once before (pre-blog) and despite it not being the prettiest of cakes it was a real hit as far as flavor and texture. It is recipe I found online called Gooey Apple Sheet Cake. I am typically not a big fan of sheet cakes simply because they are not very attractive and have to be served out of the pan, but I do make exceptions and this recipe is definitely worth the exception.

To make the cake you mix melted butter and sugar together and then add the eggs. In a separate bowl you mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and cinnamon). You then add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk until it is all mixed together. You then fold the apples into the batter and spread the batter into a greased pan. Then you make the topping by mixing the cream cheese, powdered sugar, eggs, and oats together. You then spread this over the cake batter and put it in the oven to bake for 45 minutes at 350.

This recipe is so simple to put together and it is so moist, rich, and gooey (hence the name). It is not light by any means, but it is well worth the splurge. I was a little disappointed though that I chunked the apples instead of leaving them in thin slices. Last time I believe I did the think slices and I think the shape and thickness of slices would work much better than the chunks. Allen, Russ, Will, Megan and I all loved it! It is a recipe that is a guaranteed hit with a crowd, so if you are in need of a dessert sometime soon I would highly recommend it. As an added bonus it is similar to a coffee cake, so it is tasty in the morning too! Russ rates the cake a 10.

On a non-apple note I also made homemade Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese tonight. Russ and I were watching the Food Network recently and ran across Alton Brown’s Good Eats on cheese. Being the cheese lovers that we are we could resist watching. Russ loves the macaroni and cheese from the blue box, so despite the many recipes I have tried for homemade macaroni and cheese he still prefers the box kind. Alton convinces his nephew on the show that his Stove Top Mac and Cheese is better than the box kind, so I had to give it a try.

To make the macaroni and cheese you start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling you cook the elbow pasta until al dente. While the pasta is cooking you grate the sharp cheddar cheese. You also mix the evaporated milk, dry mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper together. I went ahead and double the recipe since there were five of us for dinner. Once the pasta is cooked you drain it and run cold water over it. Then you return it to the pan and add the milk mixture and then the cheese. This is supposed to cook for a couple minutes until it thickens up and the cheese melts. I had to turn up the heat in order to get it to thicken a little quicker.

The recipe is very simple and the results are good, but not great. The texture was not as smooth as I would have liked, however, this may have been in part to my increasing the heat to have it thicken. It also had good flavor, but was far from fantastic. I think I’ll keep trying to find a homemade macaroni and cheese recipe that is true winner. Russ rates the mac and cheese a 7.

Gooey Apple Sheet Cake

For the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar1 cup butter -- melted

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c buttermilk

2 c chopped apples -- (1/4-1/2 inch pieces)
1 and 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon

For the Topping:
3 cups powdered sugar

8 oz. lowfat cream cheese (softened)

2 eggs
1/4 c oats

Mix melted butter and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and beat well. Combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing well. Fold in the chopped apples. Spread batter into well greased (or sprayed) 13 x 9 baking pan. Mix Topping ingredients and put over cake BEFORE baking. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 40-45 minutes. You can store this on the counter or in the refrigerator. Great warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Source: Found online and is modified from a recipe from Diana's Desserts.

Firey Salmon...

Well, tonight’s dinner turned out to be a little more exciting than I thought it would be. While we have had several kitchen mishaps before including one that where I ended up with stitches and one where the inside of the microwave changed colors permanently and I have set the smoke alarm off on many occasions, however… tonight was our first kitchen fire.

So, we haven’t had fish in a while, so I decided to try an old CL recipe for Bourbon Glazed Salmon. For the salmon you make a marinade of brown sugar, crushed garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and bourbon. The recipe calls to have it marinate for 30 minutes, however, I think it would have been better to let it marinate longer. You then broil the fish for 11 minutes. This is exactly what I did, but I think I had the rack in the oven too close to the boiler because the marinade that had run off the fish caught fire in the last minutes of its cooking. I panicked and opened the oven door only to confirm that the orange I was seeing through the door was in fact flames. Still panicking I ran to get Russ who was outside to help put the fire out. He pulled the baking sheet out and blew out the fire that had by this point mostly put its self out. The fish turned out a little crusty on the top from the flambé, but was still very edible and good. Russ rates the salmon a 7 and I definitely think if I make it again and don’t flambé it that it will get an even higher rating!

My Mom gave us some fresh okra and black eye peas earlier this week that I wanted to have with the salmon tonight. The black eye peas I just cooked on the stove with water, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. The okra I decided to try something a little different and have Russ grill them. There is a restaurant that we like that does okra this way and it is really flavorful. I put them on wooden skewers with four to a skewer and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. Russ grilled them for a couple minutes on each side. Next time I think I’ll have him grill them a little longer as they were not as tender as they probably needed to be, but they were still really tasty and a fun new way to serve okra.

Needless to say cooking is certainly an adventure for Russ and me and tonight was no exception. Let’s just hope that the next time I flambé a dish it will be intentional…

Dinner with a Lemon Twist

Ken, a long time friend of my family, has recently taken an interest in cooking and baking. He called the other day and wanted to bring a new dessert by to share with Russ and me one night. We checked calendars and decided tonight would be perfect and that he should come in time to eat dinner with us too. So, then came the decision of what to make for dinner. I flipped through several cookbooks and with Russ’ help I decided to go with a lemon theme and make Ina Garten’s Chicken Piccata served Giada's Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. Since neither the chicken nor the broccoli are very time consuming I decided to go ahead and have an appetizer of Late Summer Tomato Bruschetta (Michael Chiarello).

I made a few changes to the bruschetta recipe to make it a little easier and to try a few different variations of it. To make the bruschetta you slice the bread (I used a baguette instead of a country loaf). I then put the bread on a baking sheet under the broiler for just a few minutes on each side to get it toasty. While the bread is toasting then you chop the tomatoes and basil and mix them together with a little salt and pepper. Here is where I added some variation by adding a little balsamic vinegar to part of the tomato mixture. When you pull the bread out you rub it with the pieces of garlic. I then topped some of the pieces of bread with thin slices of fresh mozzarella and then topped all of the pieces of bread with the tomato mixture.

The bruschetta was very easy to put together and very tasty. We liked the addition of the balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella to it. Next time I might try cutting the mozzarella into small cubes and mixing it with the tomato mixture. The only thing we didn't like was the strong garlic flavor. I rubbed both sides of the bread with garlic and the bottom side had too strong of a garlic taste to it. The garlic rubbed on the top side works well with the tomato mixture, but the bottom side was overkill. Russ rates the bruschetta a 7.

I have made chicken piccata before, however, I have never made Ina's chicken piccata before tonight. The main difference I see in her dish is that she finishes her chicken off by baking it and simply pours the sauce over it instead of finishing the chicken cooking in the sauce. To make her chicken piccata you pound the chicken out to about 1/4 inch thickness. The chicken pieces are then dipped in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs. Once coated the chicken goes into the pan with olive oil and sautes for 2 minutes on each side. After the chicken is browned on both sides you put it in the oven to finish baking it. Meanwhile you make the sauce of lemon juice, butter, white wine, salt, and pepper. You bring it to a boil and then reduce it by half. I served the chicken over a bed of angel hair pasta with the sauce poured on top. You top the chicken with parsley and a lemon wedge.

We all really liked the lemon flavor and the texture with the breading on the chicken. The chicken was tender and moist. While it did take several dishes to bread the chicken the most time consuming part was simply pounding the chicken. This was a fairly simple dish that looks impressive and is very tasty. Russ rates the chicken a 9.

As a side I tried Giada's Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. This was a very easy, but different take on steamed broccoli. You cut the broccoli into florets and then steam it. Once it is done then you toss it with the lemon olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. I used the lemon olive oil that Jess and Scott brought us back from Italy.

While the lemon flavor is fairly subtle I thought it complemented the broccoli well. I also really liked the change from using butter to olive oil with the broccoli. As long as I have lemon olive oil around I will continue to dress our broccoli with it. Russ rates the broccoli a 8.

Ken ended our meal on a very high note with a spectacular dessert called a Mixed Berry Pavlova. It is one of Ina's recipe and it was a wonderful summery dessert. The bottom layer is a light, fluffy meringue with the center still somewhat soft and creamy. The meringue is topped with homemade whipped cream. The whipped cream is then topped with fresh berries that are tossed in a raspberry sauce. All in all a beautiful and tasty dessert that is just sweet enough for a hot summer night.

Russ and I enjoyed having Ken over and tasting his sweet creation!

Chicken Piccata, Barefoot Contessa at Home
Serves 4

4 split (2 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 extra-large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups seasoned dried bread crumbs
good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
sliced lemon, for serving
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper of plastic wrap and pound it out to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread-crumb mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the saute pan and cook the second chicken breasts. Place them on the same sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each plate, spoon on the sauce, and serve with sliced lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, Giada's Family Dinners
6 servings

1 and 1/2 pounds broccoli florets
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water. Set a steamer rack in the pot. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and steam until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 7 minutes.

Transfer the broccoli florets to a large bowl and toss with the oil. Season the broccoli to taste with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Note: As an alternative to the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, use 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. If you have fresh mint, add some, finely chopped.

Chicken Wings Italian Style

Russ, Cash and I went up to Mentone this Saturday and we went low key as far as food is concerned. For dinner we just grilled out steaks and served it with corn on the cob and salad. Simple and yummy! We did do a fun, new appetizer. One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is Everyday Italian with Giada. We had it on the other day and she was making Balsamic Chicken Drumettes. Russ and I love wings and most of Giada’s recipes, so this was a perfect recipe for us to try.

You start by preparing the marinade. You cut the garlic in half, add honey, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and rosemary sprigs. You then put the chicken drumettes in the bag and let them marinate for 2 hours. After two hours you cook the chicken. Russ and I decided to grill them since we were already firing up the grill for the steaks. You then take the leftover marinade and put it in a sauce pan. Let the sauce come to a boil and then reduce the heat to let it simmer and reduce. Once the chicken is cooked and the sauce reduced then you brush some of the sauce over the chicken and top it with chopped parsley and toasted sesame seeds except we didn’t have any sesame seeds.

Overall Russ and I really liked the flavor of the drumettes. We did think that they would have been better with even more flavor from the marinade. Next time we will try baking them (as Giada did) instead of grilling to see if it helps keep more of the flavor from the marinade. Another change we'll try is instead of brushing the sauce over them I think we will just pour it all over them. We also did not like the parsley added to the top. It added great color, but the texture and flavor took away from the wings. Next time I’ll either try the sesame seeds or garnish them with chopped green onions. Russ and I thought these were good, but have the potential to be great. We’ll definitely try them again with a few changes. Russ rates them a 7.

Two Salads and Brownies for the Lake!

Sumner (now Sumner and John) has done a lake weekend with Birmingham and Atlanta friends for several years now. I have been lucky enough to be included in these and for the past few years Russ has been a part of them too. Sumner’s parents have a great lake house that lends to lots of fun times in the water and on the porch! Everyone always brings some food and some drinks and we eat, drink and be merry all weekend! There are a few dishes that have become traditions for the annual lake weekend including Sumner’s Lime Daiquiris, Erin’s Rotel Cheese Dip, and Sumner’s Broccoli Salad. This year I am tasked with bringing the Broccoli Salad, a potato salad, and a dessert.

Don’t be fooled by other Broccoli Salad’s out there as this one is the best! I might be a little biased as it always reminds me of fun weekends at the lake, but I have tried other broccoli salads and have yet to find one I like as much. It is very simple to make too. You start by washing the broccoli, cutting the stem off, and separating / cutting it into bite size pieces. You then add golden raisins, toasted chopped pecans, chopped red onion, and crumbled bacon or taken (turkey bacon). For the dressing you mix mayonnaise, sugar, and apple cider vinegar together. The dressing is made and left in a separate container until you are ready to eat.

The broccoli salad has the perfect mix of ingredients that give great flavor and lot of texture. The dressing is light, sweet, and tangy and complements the salad perfectly. This is a real crowd pleaser that everyone loves. It is a great dish for picnics, tail gates, lake weekends, or any other time. I don’t think it is as good the next day as it looses some of it great crunchy texture, so if you are making it for just a couple people you might just dress half of it to start with and keep the rest of the dressing and dry salad for another day. Russ rates the broccoli salad a 9.

I don’t have a tried and true potato salad. On top of that I don’t even have a particular favorite kind of potato salad as I like the ones with mayo and mustard, the white ones with no mustard, the vinegary ones…. The only thing I don’t like is when they are too saucy and it overtakes the potatoes and other ingredients. So, I went on a search for a recipe and talked to a couple co-workers and ended up going with a co-worker’s tried and true recipe for Sour Cream Potato Salad.

To make the salad you boil the potatoes whole, let them cool, and cut them into large chunks. You also hard boil four eggs, let them cool, and give them a rough chop. You then chop the celery and onion (my addition) and toss all of these ingredients together. You then make the dressing in a separate bowl. You combine mayonnaise, sour cream, Italian dressing, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. This is then gently tossed with the potato mixture. Shortly before serving you add the chopped pimientos, and pickle relish.

While I really like the use of sour cream in this potato salad I found it a little to saucy for my tastes. I think it is a good recipe, but I think I'll keep searching for my tried and true potato salad recipe. Russ rates the potato salad a 7.

My last item was any type of dessert. I knew I wanted one that I could make ahead and that most everyone would like. I decided to try a brownie recipe that I found earlier this summer and had wanted to try. It is for Classic Brownies that can be made with or with out nuts. I made them without as that is how Russ’ prefers them.

It is a fairly simple recipe; however, I managed to make it more complicated by not reading the ingredients list very well before hand. I start making them only to realize the bar of unsweetened chocolate I have is 4 oz and not 6 oz. I then do a pantry search and find exactly 2 oz of unsweetened chocolate! So, I think I am good to go only to get a little further and realize that I don’t have cake flour like I thought I did. Allen and Russ were hanging out on the porch, so they sweetly offered to go get cake flour. Two grocery stores later and with a little help from someone in the flour aisle and they find it. Finally I am ready to get started.

To make the brownies you melt the chocolate and butter slowly in a double boiler. You then mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Once the chocolate and butter are melted you remove them from the heat and whisk in the sugar little by little and then stir in the vanilla extract. You then fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture in thirds. The batter is then poured into a baking pan that is covered in foil and sprayed with Pam. The brownies bake for about 35 minutes at 325 F. If you like you brownies cakey then be sure that the cook through and that a tooth pick comes out clean. If you like them a little more chewy then cook them until the toothpick comes out with just a little batter on it.

I made these on Thursday night and let them cool over night wrapped in foil. I went ahead and cut them Friday morning and Russ helped me out by sampling them. He said that he would like to start having brownies for breakfast more often! The brownies are rich, dense, and just little chewy. Russ rates the brownies a 9.

The lake weekend was lots of fun! Russ and I enjoyed being with good friends and good eats! (Russ and I forgot to take pictures of the Broccoli and Potato Salads. Sorry!)

Broccoli Salad, Recipe from Sumner

Salad Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli (wash, cut most of the stem off and separate)
½ cup of golden raisins
½ cup toasted pecans, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped (plus a little extra)
1 pack (12 slices) turkey bacon

Dressing Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of mayo
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

To prepare the salad wash the broccoli and cut off the bulk of the stem and separate it into bite size pieces. Chop the pecans and onion. Cook the bacon according to package directions. Crumble the bacon once it is cooked. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl.

To make the dressing mix the mayo, sugar, and vinegar together and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours. Keep the dressing separate until you are ready to serve the salad and then dress it. The dressing makes a lot more than you need, so add it as you go and use enough to give it a good, light coat.

Sour Cream Potato Salad, Old Southern Living Recipe Collection

6 medium red potatoes
4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
½ cup sliced celery
2/3 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup Italian dressing
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
1 (2 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained

Wash potatoes, and cook in boiling salted water to cover 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool completely. Peel and cube potatoes (I didn’t peel them). Combine potatoes, eggs, and celery in a large bowl; toss gently.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, Italian dressing, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; stir well. Pour over potato mixture tossing gently. Cover and chill thoroughly. Just before serving, add the relish and pimiento; toss gently. Yield: 8 cups.

Classic Brownies, Cook’s Illustrated

1 cup (4 ounces) pecans or walnuts, chopped medium (optional)
1¼ cups (5 ounces) cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into six 1-inch pieces
2¼ cups (15¾ ounces) sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhand pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to 12-inch width; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

4. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs on at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

5. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts (if using) evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, and then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.)

Lots of Cooking and Baking Tonight

There are several ingredients out there that I see in lots of recipes and want to try using, but haven’t gotten around to trying them yet. One of these ingredients is won ton wrappers. I found a recipe that called for them in the June CL that I have wanted to try for a couple weeks now. You may think it is an Asian dish, but it is actually an Italian one. Won ton wrappers are frequently used as a short cut way (as opposed to making homemade pasta) for making raviolis. The recipe is for Mushroom Ravioli with Parmesan-Chive Sauce and since Scott (a non-mushroom eater) is out of town we decided to have Jess (a mushroom lover) over for dinner.

The recipe is fairly simple to make the different parts, but is time consuming and does dirty up a few dishes. To make the filling you cut the mushrooms up in the food processor by pulsing it a few times. Once they are chopped you sauté the shallots and add the mushrooms and a little salt and sauté for a few minutes. Once the filling is made you add about 2 teaspoons full of it to the center of each won ton. You then fold the won ton over and seal it using a little water to dampen the edges. You will want to keep a damp paper towel over the other won tons to keep them from drying out while they wait. Once you have formed all the raviolis they hang out on a cooking try with that has been sprinkled with a little cornstarch (keep them covered with a damp towel and stick them in the fridge if you are not going to boil them for a little bit). Go ahead and get a pot of water boiling for the pasta and then start on the sauce. For the cream sauce you whisk the milk and flour together over medium-low heat until it thickens (about 4 – 5 minutes). Then you remove it from the heat and add the chives, salt, pepper, and cheese. Once the pasta is cooked then you add them to the sauce and top with chives. I did increase the quantities on everything as this recipe comes from a section on cooking for two and since tonight’s dinner was for three I upped the amounts.

We thought the raviolis were good, however, they took a lot longer than I anticipated to make. In fact we put Jess to work to help fill the raviolis when she got to our house. Aren’t we great hosts... lucky for us she is a great big sister and likes to cook! Russ’ Dad had brought us some fresh shrimp back from the beach, so Russ grilled them up and we had the shrimp along with some yummy contributions Jess brought as an appetizer. This worked out really well since dinner was a late one tonight. The cream sauce worked well with the raviolis, however, I still think there could have been flavor to the dish. I think the mushroom filling could have used some red wine and more seasoning (I used a little more salt than called for and added pepper) to enhance the flavor. The won ton wrappers were a lot easier than making homemade pasta I think homemade pasta for raviolis is better as far as taste and texture (if only my homemade pasta turned out better….). I will most likely not make this recipe again mainly because of how time consuming it was, however, I love the combination of mushrooms, cream sauce, pasta, and chives and will certainly look for more recipes like this in the future. Russ rates the raviolis a 7.

I must also point out that Russ thinks I am trying to kill him when I make vegetarian meals. The last few times I have planned on making a vegetarian meal something comes up and we end up eating out that night or like tonight conveniently meat shows up at the last minute (in the form of fresh shrimp tonight)…. Hmmmm….

For the side I tried one of Ina Garten’s recipes for Green Beans with Shallots. This recipe struck my eye since I knew I would have leftover shallots from the pasta. You blanch the green beans for a couple minutes in boiling, salted water and then dump them in an ice bath (which stops the cooking and keeps the pretty green color). Then sauté the shallots in a little oil and butter for a couple minutes. Last add the green beans, salt, and pepper and sauté until the green beans are heated through. (Please note: The recipe for the green beans will be posted shortly.)

We liked the flavor of the green beans with shallots. I let them boil a little too long (my hands were busy at the 3 minute mark, so they boiled a little longer) and I think they would have been better if I had cooked them a little less. I liked the flavor combination of the shallots and green beans. I don’t think this is the ultimate green bean recipe, but I certainly may make it again as it was tasty. Russ rates the green beans a 8.

I have been in the mood to make a fruit cobbler recently, but can’t seem to justify making a big dessert for just Russ and me. So, since Jess was coming over I decided to go for it. There are so many recipes out there that I didn’t know which to pick and ended up deciding on trying Fine Cooking’s that is on the cover of their June / July 2007 issue. I like how their instructions give you options on some of the flavorings. The topping is a little different than I am used to as it almost looks like sweet biscuits that top it and don’t cover the entire top. For my cobbler, I decided to go with peaches and blueberries.

To form the dough you use a food processor and add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to blend. Then you add the butter and pulse until they are the size of small peas. You then hand blend the sour cream and any flavorings you want (I used cinnamon). You form the dough into a log and split it into 10 pieces and put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.

For the fruit you put it in a bowl after slicing it appropriately (depending on the fruit you use) and add the sugar, flour, salt, and any flavorings. I used vanilla extract and lemon zest in mine.

You then dump all the fruit in a bowl and top it with the dough pieces. This bakes for 50 to 60 minutes at 350F. I put the fruit in first and then added the biscuit pieces a little later as I wanted them to brown, but not get too hard. Once it is cooked then you let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving. We served it with vanilla ice cream, of course!

The cobbler was yummy and to be fair to the raviolis I must confess that a significant part of why dinner was a late one was because I took on making a full meal and a dessert on a weeknight. Russ had warned it would be too much to do for one night and while he was probably right… I was set on making a cobbler and Russ was looking forward to eating it. The cobbler was fairly simple to make and I feel like if I make this recipe again then it would come together even faster the next time around. The biscuit topping was yummy and was sweet, but not too sweet. I really liked the sour cream in it. The fruit was wonderful, but how could you go wrong with fresh, ripe Chilton County peaches from the farmer’s market and blueberries we picked with Russ grandparents last summer in Mentone. The ice cream was the perfect accompaniment to the dish as it added a creamy, sweet flavor. I will certainly make another cobbler, but while we really liked this recipe I imagine I’ll keep trying new recipes until I find one we like even better. Russ rates the cobbler a 9.

Fruit Cobbler, Fine Cooking June / July 2007

Sour Cream Cobbler Dough
Yields enough topping for one cobbler.

7 ½ oz. (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar or packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
¼ tsp. table salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
Up to two dough flavorings (optional)
¾ cup sour cream, chilled

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse briefly to blend the ingredients, about 10 seconds. Add the butter pieces and pulse until they are the size of small peas, 5 to 7 one-second pulses.

Dump the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add any dough flavorings (see list below), if using, and stir until evenly dispersed. Add the sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently smear the ingredients together until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough begins to form large, soft, moist clumps. Bring the dough together into an 8 inch long log. Divide the log into 10 roughly equal round pieces. Refrigerate the pieces while preparing the fruit.

Dough flavorings (choose 1 or 2 – optional):
Finely grated lemon zest: ½ tsp.
Finely grated orange zest: ¾ tsp
Finely ground cornmeal: ¼ cup (1 ¼ oz)
Ground cinnamon: ¾ tsp
Toasted almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts: ½ cup, chopped

Prepare the fruit filling:

Put the fruit in a large bowl. Toss with ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar (use less for very ripe, sweet fruit and more for fruit that’s not perfectly ripe and sweet), 1 Tbs. all purpose flour (if you cobbler has any berries in it, use 2 Tbs.), and a pinch of table salt.

If you want to add optional filling flavorings, choose 1 or 2 from the list below and gently toss them with the fruit now, making sure to mix them in evenly.

Fruit (choose up to 3, for a total of 8 cups. All fruit should be ripe, well rinsed, and drained.): Apricots (cut into 1 inch thick wedges), Blackberries, Blueberries, Peaches or nectarines (cut into 1 inch thick wedges), Plums or pluots (cut into 1 inch thick wedges), Raspberries, Strawberries, hulled (if small leave whole; if medium cut in half; if large cut into quarters)

Filling Flavorings (choose 1 or 2 – optional):
Finely grated lemon zest: 1 ¼ tsp.
Finely grated orange zest: 1 tsp.
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp.
Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp.
Minced fresh ginger: 2 tsp
Pure almond extract: ¼ tsp.
Pure vanilla extract: 1 tsp.

Assemble the cobbler:
Pile the fruit into the baking dish, scraping any remaining juices or sugar from the bowl, and spread evenly. Remove the pieces of dough from the refrigerator and arrange them randomly on top of the filling, leaving spaces between the pieces. Don’t be tempted to flatten the dough – the large pieces are important for proper and even baking of the filling and topping. If desired, sprinkle a little sugar evenly over the cobbler.

Bake the cobbler:

Bake (at 350F) until the filling is bubbling and the topping is browned, 50 to 60 minutes. Let sit about 20 minutes to allow the juices to settle. You can serve this cobbler hot or warm (it will stay warm at room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours). Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! Russ and I are flying our American flag for the first time today and are going to a 4th of July celebration tonight with friends for dinner. We didn't want to go all out cooking bbq today since we'll be having it tonight, but we did want to grill out something for lunch. We decided on chicken wings. Russ and I both love wings and have tried grilling them out at home once before with great results. We decided that it would be a very American lunch for the 4th!

Today Russ picked a new method for preparing the wings. He decided to go with a salt water brine to start the process. The wings sit in the brine for 40 minutes and then are patted dry. Once dry we decided to test out several different seasonings we have to see what we like best. We went with Huey's, Mr. P's, Butt Rub, and some with just salt and pepper. All of them will end up being tossed with some of our favorite wing sauce, Phil's Wing Sauce.

All of the wings turned out really well, but our favorite were the ones that had Mr. P's seasoning followed by the Butt Rub. The plain ones were too plain. All were a little on the salty side, so next time we will use a modified brine (listed below) with less salt than the one we used today. We also will do a taste test doing have in the brine and half not in the brine. All in all they were very yummy, but I forgot the carrot and celery sticks and the ranch... Russ rates the wings a 7.

Russ' Modified Brine

1 gallon cold water
1/2 cup kosher salt (or 1/4 cup table salt)
1 cup sugar

Let the chicken wings hang out in the brine for 40 minutes. Then drain them and pat dry.

And the winner is....

And the winner of the first annual Rib Cook Off is.... Russ! That's right tonight was the rib cook off and Russ was the overall winner. Scott, Seth, and Russ all did a great job and used different styles and flavors that made it a very tough decision for the judges. More importantly the boys had a fun day of sitting outside barbecuing, drinking, and hanging out with the dogs. All the grills and dogs were brought over to our house, so that the boys and dogs could barbecue together. Meanwhile the wives in their respective kitchens were whipping up some delicious appetizers, sides, and desserts to complement the ribs.

While I cannot reveal Russ' secret rib recipes... I can tell you all about the other dishes that the girls made. I have had my eye on a pasta salad of Ina Garten's for a little while now and decided to try it out for tonight. It is called Pasta, Pesto, and Peas and it works great for picnic or rib cook since it can be made earlier in the day and is served at room temperature. To start the dish off you make a homemade pesto sauce that includes walnuts, pine nuts, lots of fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Once the pesto is complete you add frozen spinach (thawed and drained) and mayonnaise. This was a fun way to really put my food processor to work. The end result is a thick, tasty sauce that is tossed with cooked, cooled pasta. Lastly you add peas, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper to it.

The pasta salad turned out to be really tasty. Russ who used to claim he didn't like pasta salads was excited that I had doubled the recipe as he knew there would be leftovers for him. When you make the sauce it is very thick, but when tossed with the pasta it covers it in a light layer that keeps it fresh and light tasting. I used a mix of bow tie and penne which worked well with the sauce. The peas add a nice additional flavor bust that keeps it interesting. I think you could make a meal out of it by adding grilled chicken or shrimp to it. However, I think it is truly perfect for picnic style events. I anticipate this showing up again this summer or for football season this Fall.

The pasta salad was only one of many wonderful sides last night. Jess made a really tasty and light Mixed Bean-Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette from CL. She used both yellow and green beans which mixed with the cherry tomatoes made for a beautiful salad. Elizabeth made two sides for tonight. She repeated her Uncle Richard's Slaw that was such a hit last weekend. It really has become my favorite slaw now. She also made her hash brown (aka "Hassbrown") casserole that was hearty, cheesy, and yummy. I boiled some corn, Mom brought a huge tray of mixed fruits, and Elizabeth's Uncle Richard brought very tasty fresh shrimp on skewers that were marinated, grilled, and served with two homemade sauces, a remoulade and a cocktail sauce.

For dessert I made blondies. This is my first recipe to try out of the "How to Cook Everything" cookbook. This is a cookbook that was a bonus in marrying Russ. He had some great cookbooks books and utensils that I didn't have and wanted which I consider bonuses in marrying him. The blondies were fairly simple to put together and one of the great things about this cookbook is that it gives you the base recipe and then lots of options as to what you can add to it. I chose to add dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips and a dash or two of bourbon. While these seemed to be a well liked by most everyone at the cook off I felt like they came up short on flavor and texture. I think I should have added chopped walnuts to them, but even then I feel like there would still be something missing for me in these. Russ really liked them, so I may make them again or I'll try a different recipe for blondies.

Jess also made a dessert for tonight. She made homemade oreos. We both enjoy reading food blogs and one of our favorite blogs is Smitten Kitchen. The blogger is both an incredible writer, photographer, and cook. She recently made these oreos and Jess and I both drooled over our screens looking at them. Jess did an excellent job with these and they definitely tasted like a wonderful homemade oreo. The only thing that would have made them even better would have been to serve them with a glass of milk instead of a beer.

All in all the rib cook-off was a wonderful time with friends, family, and yummy food! I think that Jess, Scott, Elizabeth, Seth, Russ and I (and all our dogs) had a fun time planning and cooking for tonight. Russ rates the pasta a 7 and the blondies a 8.

(I have included a picture of Russ' grill, The Big Green Egg. I have mentioned it several times previously, so I wanted to finally show what it is in case anyone was curious.)

Blondies, "How to Cook Everything"

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or ½ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1. Butter an 8×8 pan
2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar - beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.
3. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below).
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. I Cool on rack before cutting them.

Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract in addition to or in place of the vanilla
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup bourbon, scotch or other whiskey; increase the flour by one tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the vanilla
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit, especially dried cherries, into the prepared batter


• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

Salmon for the Beer Bottlers

Tonight Allen came over to bottle the beer with Russ (the second step of the process), so I cooked dinner for the three of us. I have been wanting to try a recipe in one of Ina Garten's cookbooks for Eli's Asian Salmon, so I decided to try it out tonight.

The salmon recipe is very quick and easy since you put together a few items for a simple marinade that you pour over the salmon and then you add the panko and pour the remaining marinade over it. The salmon then bakes at a high temperature in the oven for about 18 - 20 minutes. The only issue I had with baking it is that the sauce that ran off the salmon burned. The fish itself didn't burn and was moist and flavorful, but the house smelled like the burned sauce. To go with the salmon I decided to serve sauteed spinach and to try another of Ina's recipes, Garlic and Herb Tomatoes. The tomatoes are cooked on the stove top with a few fresh herbs and minced garlic. They are also very quick and easy.

Allen loved the salmon and Russ and I both liked it a lot. The topping was a little on the salty side (despite using reduced sodium soy sauce) and it didn't crisp up as I had hoped it would. I did like the flavor and I enjoy using Asian sauces / flavors with fish. All in all I think I may repeat the salmon, but at the same time I may keep going and look for other Asian style fish recipes. The tomatoes on the other hand I absolutely loved and the boys thought they were good, but not great. I thought the fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil really brought out the flavor of the tomatoes. I really could have eaten a bowl of the tomatoes with crusty bread and been perfectly happy. The tomatoes are definitely a repeater for us. Russ rates the salmon a 7 and the tomatoes I give a 9. All in all it was a simple and fast meal that was tasty.

Russ' Salmon on the Plank

Sumner and John have had Russ and me over for dinner several times and we finally reciprocated and had them over tonight. Kilkee, their sweet puppy, came with them and she and Cash had a wonderful time playing outside. By the end of the night they were happy, tired pups!

Since the weather has been so nice we decided to grill part of the meal. We decided to have Russ do salmon on a cedar plank on the Egg. He has done plank salmon before and it has turned out very yummy. The planks soak in water all day and then a rub is applied to the salmon a couple hours before grilling. The salmon turned our really well tonight except that it was a little bit saltier than we would have wanted. Next time Russ plans to make a few minor adjustments to the seasonings to make it even better.

We served with it fresh corn on the cob, homemade blueberry muffins, and asparagus. I made the blueberry muffin batter earlier this morning and then baked them this afternoon. I have been on a quest to find the "perfect" blueberry muffin recipe for a few months now and this has been our favorite one so far. It is a whole wheat blueberry muffin from my new cookbook, King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking. They are a dense muffin from being whole wheat, but have great flavor and texture. Next time I will make a couple changes by adding more blueberries and taking them out of the oven a couple minutes sooner.

The asparagus is a repeater for us. It is a Cooking Light recipe from September 2001 that is quick, easy, and very tasty. It is called Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter . We typically grill our asparagus after marinating it in Italian dressing, however, when we don't grill it this is our preferred recipe.

All in all it was a wonderful Spring dinner with good company! Russ rates the meal a 7 (only because he is being hard on himself with the salmon).

Chef Howie's Plank Salmon, "Planking Secrets"

For the dry rub:

2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp light brown sugar

For the salmon:

1 cedar plank, soaked overnight or at least 1 hour
four 6 oz pieces of fresh salmon fillet about 2 inches thick, skin removed (we use one large piece of salmon instead of individual portions)
2 lemons, cut into 8 wedges

Combine the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl.

Place the fillets on wax paper. Sprinkle both sides of the fish evenly with 2 Tbsp of the dry rub, pressing the seasoning into the fish. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chamber temperature rises above 500F. Rinse the plank and place it on the cooking grate. Cover the grill and heat the plank for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it starts to throw off a bit of smoke and crackles lightly. Reduce the heat to medium.

Place the salmon on the plank and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish has an internal temperature of 135F. (This temperature is my standard doneness measure for fish. Chef Howie prefers his salmon rarer and removes it from the heat at 120F.) Transfer the salmon pieces to plates and serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Sour Cream Muffins (King Arthur Whole Grain Baking)

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (we used reduced fat)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries or diced stone fruits (such as peaches or plums) of your choice
Coarse sugar for sprinkling (we used regular)

Lightly grease muffin tin, or line with papers and coat the papers with non-stick spray. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy and almost white in color. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then turn the mixer back on and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream, and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, mixing on a low speed just until the batter is smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once more, to be sure everything is evenly combined. Gently fold in the fruit and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Scoop the batter by the 1/4-cupful into the prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar or other topping. Bake the muffins until a cake tester is inserted in the center and comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling. (My notes: I baked them for 22 minutes and think they could have come out a minute or so sooner. Next time I'll check them at 20 minutes to see how they are doing.)