Easy Salmon with Butter and Olive Oil

I know lots of people are afraid of making fish - but there are some simple techniques that make it a snap.

The best one I know - roasting. Easy, no fuss, and usually - no mess.

Simple Roasted Salmon with Butter and Olive Oil

3 4 oz pieces of salmon fillets (make sure they are about the same size)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter cut into thirds (or the number of fillets you have)
salt and pepper

Note: You will want to use a small frying pan or other small pan that has sides - just big enough to fit the salmon without crowding, so the olive oil is about 1/8 inch deep and coats the pan. You are not looking to "fry" the salmon - but place it in enough olive oil so it doesn't stick and there starts to be a sauce in the pan.

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Put olive oil in bottom of small heat resistant frying pan so there is a nice layer of olive oil on the bottom of the pan.
3. Place salmon in the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, place one tab of butter on each fillet. Return to oven for another 5 minutes of cooking - or until just done (salmon should 'flake' - the salmon will continue cooking once it is removed from the oven)
6. Remove from oven and with a spoon, gently spoon olive oil and butter over fillets.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I served this salmon tonight with some quinoa mixed with diced carrots and peas for a quick quinoa pilaf and a salad. Simply follow the directions to make the quinoa (1 cup of quinoa + 2 cups of water bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until all water absorbed) and add some diced veggies at the beginning to the pot (essentially throw everything in together - simmer for 15 minutes and voila!)

Spring Peas, Asparagus and Pasta

It's almost Spring. I can taste it. Last week we had a couple of warmer days - even though it rained. And, you can just begin to see the buds coming out on the trees. Oh, it's there. Believe me! Personally, I cannot wait! Chicago has had a terribly long and snowy winter and the thought of walking around a farmer's market and starting to plan out our veggie garden makes me giddy (and thank you Target for putting out your garden stuff early... SO tempting!!)

Anyway, I digress.

Question, as always - what's for dinner? As we look toward spring, I want green. Lots of it. And I want peas. The best days are when early in the spring season you go to the farmer's market and there are FRESH peas - in the pod - so sweet. Unadorned, they are a great snack. Slightly steamed works too. In addition to peas, Spring makes me think of tender asparagus. Thin stemmed. Slightly steamed - delicious.

However, there are certain (ahem) wonderful significant others who really don't like asparagus. However, if you saute it (or roast it) - it loses a lot of the bitter taste and sweetens up. Pair asparagus with some fresh (or frozen) petite green peas - mix with pasta and you have a winner! If the kids don't go do sauteed veggies in their pasta, make everything separate (I always have a bowl of plain steamed carrots or peas just in case) and they can put it together as they like.

Spring Pasta with Asparagus and Peas
(serves 4)

1/2 box favorite pasta (rotini, etc... something that will hold up to the veggies)
1 bunch asparagus
2 cups fresh peas (or frozen)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh minced sage
kosher salt
pepper

1. Start making pasta (boil water, add salt, add pasta, etc...)

2. As pasta is cooking, prepare vegetables. For asparagus, snap off the ends (there will be a natural break where the stem is tough), and cut into 2 inch pieces (thirds).

3. Heat oil in pan. Toss in garlic and swirl gently so it doesn't burn. After about 30-45 seconds (before garlic turns brown), throw in asparagus. Cook for about 5 minutes, tossing gently so it is coated with olive oil and garlic.

4. When the asparagus turns bright green, sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper (layer the flavors people!!)

5. Toss in rest of ingredients (peas, sage) and saute gently until the peas are just bright green and warmed through.

6. By this time, the pasta should be done.

7. Drain the pasta, toss with the veggie mixture and serve with grated parmesan.

By the way, if you like a bit more of a "sauce," you can always add a bit of vegetable stock to the veggie mixture as it is cooking - about 1/2 cup should do - a tbsp or two of cream at the end (my family doesn't really do "cream sauce")

That's all folks! Enjoy!!

Quesadillas or Grilled Cheese Made on a Tortilla

So what's a quick and easy meal when you have hungry kids, really don't feel like cooking but want to do something other than pizza?

Think quesadilla.

Yes. Quesadilla.

It is about as easy as it gets. Of course, in our house, we only put cheese on our quesadillas. But, you can certainly fill them with a couple of other things (veggies, chicken if you like, etc.) I wouldn't recommend more than 1-3 items as it gets to "full" but once you master the technique - you can pull this out quickly.

Add a quick salad, some condiments (salsa, guacamole, etc.), cut up some mango - and you have a great easy weekday meal.

Easy Quesadilla

1 cup shredded cheese (or slices that you cut up... just lay them in one layer)
4 tortillas (I used whole wheat)
Non-stick frying pan

1. Warm frying pan.
2. Put down one tortilla in pan.
3. Put cheese on tortilla.
4. Put other tortilla on top of cheese.
5. After about 1 minute, flip quesadilla. Cook for about 1 minute more or until it is slightly browned and cheese has melted.
6. Remove from pan, cut into triangles.
7. Repeat and serve.

(Yes - it is really that easy, and no the type of cheese doesn't matter. Whatever you like that melts easily or can be shredded. My kids like cheddar, mozzarella, havarti, swiss)

Spinach.

Well, I haven't written anything since December. Sorry about that. We were visiting family, and then January just pounded down like nobody's business. But that doesn't mean we weren't eating, cooking, etc.

Actually, we have been doing what most folks do during the winter months - comfort food and easy.

However, we have also been trying to get our youngest to eat more veggies. As I have said before, both kids prefer veggies when they are not cooked and don't have lots of sauce. A good thing!

And, we have been eating lots of salad.

So, how do you get a 2 year old and almost 6 year old to eat salad? Put fun stuff in it! We mix in dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and cut up cucumbers and tomatoes. I chop up crunchy lettuce like romaine, and mix in some different flavors like radicchio. And, I have discovered that if I use baby spinach (and don't call it that) - the kids love it!

How do we dress salad? I don't. It keeps better if there are leftovers without dressing.

For the kids I get some sort of "spray" dressing - it is fun for them. And, although I don't make it myself - they are eating it - who cares. They love the "Ken's" Italian.

As for the adults, simple is always best - vinegar, chopped shallots, mustard, honey, olive oil - pinch of salt and pepper. If I hit it with an "immersion" blender, it emulsifies really well. If I am simply too tired, I put it in an old jar kept for such purposes (cleaned out mustard jars are great) - and shake, shake, shake.

Yum!

Orange Scented Roast Turkey Breast

So last week I had pulled out what I thought was chicken from the freezer - defrosted it - and low and behold - it was 1/2 a turkey breast on the bone!

Oh what to do!!!

This came out absolutely moist and delicious - so easy - and all loved it! I served with rice and a salad.

Orange Scented Roast Turkey Breast

1/2 turkey breast - about 3 lbs.
1 orange - cut into quarters
1 yellow onion - sliced
2-3 tbsp margarine
2 tsp poultry seasoning
orange zest from 1/2 orange
1 1/2 cup chicken stock

kosher salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mash poultry seasoning into margarine in a small bowl so
it is well mixed in. Also mash in the orange zest.
3. Put onions and orange quarters on the bottom of a heavy casserole/roasting pan.
4. Put turkey breast on top of onions/oranges and spread the margarine mixture all over the top of the breast and skin. Rub some under the skin if you can.
5. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
6. Cover casserole and place in oven. Roast turkey for about 45 minutes. At 45 minutes, remove from oven, put in chicken stock and raise temperature to 400 degrees. Do not put cover back on. Cook about 30-45 minutes more, basting about every 15 minutes, or until thermometer reads 180.
7. Enjoy!

Snowflake Brownies

In Chicago, the public schools have been closed since Friday. First, professional development day. Then, school improvement day. Then Veteran's Day and now, parent/teacher conference day.

Fortunately, we have a great network of people to help watch our kids, and Jay is off on Veteran's Day anyway.

Today, I am home with the 5 yo and it is kind of icky outside - on top of which, I have a 1:00 meeting downtown (babysitter coming at noon), so there wasn't a whole lot of time to hit museums/etc. like I would usually do. I have found that baking and cooking with my kids is a lot of fun for me - and they simply love being in the kitchen. The other night while I was making dinner, the two kids completely emptied out one of my cabinets and made a second kitchen under the dining room table!

So, after dropping the 2 yo at daycare and running a couple of errands, we made Snowflake Brownies!

Now, I have never been much of a baker. And, truth be told, I believe that people come in 2 categories - baker or cook/chef. Similar to the "Beatles/Rolling Stones" and "Abbott and Costello/Three Stooges" debates, I believe that while you can come to "appreciate" the one you don't really care for as much - deep down, you can either be one or the other.

I am a cook (Beatles and Abbott and Costello too...I wonder if anyone has ever done a regression analysis of all these... hmmmm).

That being said, I do foray into baking every once and a while. And, I am not opposed to using mixes, as long as they are TERRIFIC!

So, today we made Snowflake Brownies.

Here's the recipe. (really not a recipe - but whatever!!)

Brownie Mix (We use Ghiradelli - but whichever you like is fine)
1 cup Vanilla Chips (The best you can get - of course - Caillebout makes great ones)
1 tbsp flour

1. Toss the vanilla chips with the flour and shake off (this will prevent the chips from "sinking to the bottom" of the brownies.)
2. Prepare brownie mix batter as instructed and mix in vanilla chips.
3. Bake as instructed and enjoy!!

Composed Salads - or How to Get Kids to Like Veggies

There has been a lot of talk in the past year (as always) as to the best way to get kids to eat veggies/fruits/etc. Lots of people have touted "hiding" vegetables in purees and then inserting them into dishes. Personally, I think this is a bit too sneaky, and doesn't actually get the kids to like veggies or different tastes, since they are "hidden."

I generally prescribe to the notion (as my kids have shown over time) that if you present them with a wide variety on a regular basis (and try a few times with different things), they will eventually try and may even get to like them. My daughter, for instance, for a long time, seemed to have an aversion to all things vegetable - now she is really starting to love veggies - crunchy ones that she can "dip" - but veggies all the same.

So, with that in mind (and knowing that both kids will eat hard boiled eggs), last night I made a modified version of Salad Nicoise. The kids loved taking different "choices" from the large bowl with groupings of different veggies, hard boiled eggs, tuna, etc. And then mixing it together on their plate with a simple homemade mustard dressing.

You can choose to make it more traditional and include things like anchovies or nicoise olives - or different veggies. I also sliced a demi-baguette for everyone to have with some butter.

Here are the basics.

Dani's Salad Nicoise

2 cups mixed salad greens (I used baby romaine)
2 cups red baby potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced or quartered
2 cups baby carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cans tuna, drained
2 cups green beans, "blanched" slightly so they are warm and slightly cooked, but not soggy
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled (I left them whole, but you can slice them too)

Vinagrette

2 tbsp mustard
1 shallot sliced thin
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together ingredients for vinagrette and put aside.

In bottom of large platter or serving bowl, place salad greens. Put tuna in middle on top of the greens, and "groups" of green beans, carrots, hard boiled eggs, potatoes, celery on top of the greens around the tuna.

Let everyone pick what they want - spoon some vinagrette over it and dig in!!!