27 October 2011

Salmon Success



Dinner tonight was salmon, broccoli, brown rice, and baked pears with raspberry preserves. And I enjoyed it.

All my childhood, I hated fish. The smell of seafood made me nauseous. But my tastebuds have been changing, so I figured I'd give salmon another chance. I bought a big ol' slab of wild Alaskan salmon and let it thaw in the fridge.

Then I wimpered, because I've always been scared of cooking fish. I can whip up a full South American meal like nobody's business, but put a little sea creature in the pan, and I'm calling for takeout.

But I recently saw this video by the great Pam Anderson and felt brave. I put foil down for easy cleanup, laid the fish skin side down, sprinkled sea salt, and ground some fresh pepper. And then I panicked and forgot the temperature and how long to bake, and all I can remember is Sharon putting the pan in the oven saying, "Even I can get behind that."

I think it was fifteen minutes, but salmon is thicker, so should it cook longer?

I started at 450 and then remembered that is for roasting root vegetables, so I knocked it back down to 400. At fifteen minutes, the thickest part didn't look quite finished, so I let it go five minutes more, all the while trying to find the link. I should have pinned it.

I ended up cooking the fish twenty minutes. After squeezing a lemon wedge, a took a tentative bite and was pleasantly suprised. It was good. And my husband loved it. Score!

After dinner, I searched around for the video and finally found it. Yay! So I posted the link just in case I forget again, and then I have it in print.

17 October 2011

Menu Plan Monday

Here are my meals for the week.

Monday: Turkey Tacos with Brown Rice Tortillas

Tuesday: Chicken Stir Fry, Fried Brown Rice

Wednesday: Sesame Crusted Seared Sashimi Tuna, Edamame, Miso Soup

Thursday: Roast Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Wild Rice

Friday: Chuy's

Check out more at the source, Organizing Junkie.

10 October 2011

Halloween Cake


My daughter was home from college this weekend and we made this cake. She did all the mixing herself, and we took turns decorating. It has been a joy to watch her grow over the years, and I'm treasuring our time together in the kitchen.

Time to start looking for Thanksgiving treat ideas.

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

Tonight was a "What am I going to cook?" kind of night. I wanted dinner fast. Here's how it happened.




Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

2 T walnut oil
1/2 white onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 t rosemary
1 pork tenderloin

Heat some walnut oil on medium high in a skillet. Slice some onion thinly and toss in the pan. Dry pork with a paper towel and add to the pan. Brown for about a minute, then flip. Add the cranberries and rosemary. Cook for five minutes. Flip and cook five more. Decide it's taking too long, and slice it lengthwise. Cook for five more minutes. Serve.


Asparagus

1 T olive oil
1/4 t oregano
2 c asparagus

Heat olive oil and oregano in a skillet. Add asparagus. Cook seven minutes.

Couscous and Quinoa with Vegetables

Pull bag from freezer and put in microwave. Follow directions. Cut open bag and pour into serving dish. Marvel at your masterpiece.

Dinner in under 20 minutes for less than $10. Score!

04 October 2011

Climbed Off the Wagon

After weeks of healthy eating, Sunday evening, I embarked on a 24 hour period of gastronomic hedonism. Not that I went all out... But I had a Zero sandwich, chips, and Dr. Pepper for lunch. And pizza for dinner. And froyo after our run.

The bread was fresh-baked with a chewy, perfect crust. The chips tasted like powdered cheese covered shortening blobs. The Dr. Pepper was amazing.

After two slices of pizza, some cheese sticks, and an hour of American Pickers, we went for a jog. My body felt the difference in fuel. I ended up walking the last half because my energy tanked.

The salad, quinoa, and lean meat I had for lunch today tasted delicious, and I could feel it fueling my body with goodness. Saddle up, we're gettin' back on the wagon.