Food

Cooking Cravings-Sweet Chili and Mustard Glazed Salmon

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Sunday I took three recipes out of Chrissy Teigen’s cookbook Cravings to try this week. Usually  during the week I don’t actually “make” dinner. I figure out something easy for me and the picky girls. But this week, with Shane working from home I decided to meal plan. I thought it would be the perfect time to knock out a few of Chrissy’s healthier recipes. She has some really good looking dishes in there but those need to be saved for “special occasions” or otherwise known as Saturday’s.

Monday night I made the sweet chili and mustard glazed salmon. This is a really simple dish and cooks in no time. It was good, good enough to make again but not good enough to “put on rotation”.

Ingredients

4 skin on salmon fillets

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2/3 Thai sweet chili sauce

2 TBS Sambal oelek

2 TBS large grain mustard

Position oven rack 4-6 inches from heating element and preheat the broiler.

Season the salmon all over with s and p. In a small bowl, stir together the sweet chili sauce, sambal and mustard.

Pour the mixture into a large cast iron skillet or oven proof pan. Set the skillet over med-high heat and heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Lay the salmon, skin side up, in that sauce. Cook until the salmon starts to turn pale pink on the outside, about 2 minutes, then move the skillet to the oven and broil until the skin crisps and the salmon is med-rare, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the oven and transfer the salmon to a plate. Return the skillet to the stove, add 1/4 cup water and cook over high heat, stirring and scraping, until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

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I served the fish with pesto zucchini noodles and tomatoes. I made the pesto and spiralized the zucchini earlier in the day. Then when time came, I blistered some cherry tomatoes over high heat, added the pesto just to heat it through and tossed in the noodles. Very easy and delicious.

 

See Food

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Catalina offshore is a local seafood market. We were told about it by a neighbor and watched it make its debut on a travel channel show. I don’t know why it took us so long to make our appearance.

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We strolled in early on a Saturday morning side swiping the local chefs and fishermen. A cook behind an enormous stock pot was  handing out bowls of piping hot bouillabaisse while we waited for our order. We came for mussels but left with a side of snapper. I love a whole roasted fish, if it’s one the specials at a good restaurant, chances are that will be my choice.  But scaling and cleaning a whole fish and then worrying about cooking it has intimated me. But standing in front of this array of fish, I decided this was my time  to tackle the snapper.

First up, mussels. We had an amazing dish at a local seafood restaurant a few weeks back.The Mr and I love our shellfish and after 10 years I think we agreed that those mussels were indeed some of the best. I needed to replicate this dish!  After intense recipe research I chose a favorite blogger of mine and used this recipe. They turned out better than I imagined, the mussels were the plumpest and juiciest I have ever had and the coconut curry broth was drinkable, like pour in a glass and cheers!

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Then there was the Snapper. Since I hooked it on a whim, I really had no idea what I was going to do. I chose to keep it simple and let the fish shine. I grabbed some lemon, herbs and salt. I wrapped it in foil and roasted it,  at the end I let it sunbathe under the broiler for a minute.

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We delightfully dug in.

IMG_8778 Along side we enjoyed caprese and grilled artichokes with an aioli, never forgetting the crusty bread.

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It was some good eating!

Bolognese + Garlic Cream Sauce

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You know what marriage is? it’s bumping into the same person in your kitchen day after day and not killing them. Also known as true love.

The other night I made a recipe that I got over a year ago with a wine shipment. Dunham cellars in Walla Walla, one of our favorites in town.  Most of the recipes we received from them looked good, but this one I knew I was going to make, I just needed an excuse.

The recipe read like it was a  Bolognese meets Alfredo sauce, where is the fault in that?  My first step after reading a recipe, any recipe is to pick it apart. Most of the time I will counter it with multiple other “similar” recipes and come up with my own ending.

The results were pretty fantastic. Sausage and garlic can do no wrong, just make sure you get an Italian sausage in casing that has fennel, otherwise you’re wasting your time with this dish. I am not sure what my final measurements were so I will give you the original recipe. Do as you wish but don’t leave out the sausage or the red peppers, trust me.

Oh, and for some reason the original recipe is named “Tagliatelle Bolognese”. I am not sure if the person who submitted this recipe couldn’t find Tagliatelle and just grabbed the nearest fettuccine and “forgot” to tell us, or they  just didn’t know. But the two are different. With that, it really won’t matter what you use, although if you can find fresh Tagliatelle than by all means use that. I couldn’t, well I didn’t want to drive down to Little Italy, so I used fresh Fettuccine that I found at Sprouts.

Happy cooking!

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Ingredients

Meat sauce

3 oz. ground beef (crumbled into ½” pieces)
• 3 oz. Italian sausage (crumbled into ½” pieces)
• 1/8 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
• 12 oz. Plum tomatoes (seeded, drained, chopped)
• 1 Tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons roasted red pepper (cut into ¼” strips)
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb. Fettuccine
• Parmesan, finely shredded
• Fresh parsley, chopped

Garlic Cream sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cube butter
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
Meat sauce: Preheat 12” sauté pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle salt over the bottom of the pan to aid in browning and prevent meat from sticking. Add ground
beef and sausage a little at a time. Meat should sizzle and smoke. Let meat brown on one side then stir. Cook to medium rare and drain off excess fat. Add all other
ingredients except olive oil. Simmer uncovered about 30 minutes until thickened. Stir in olive oil and set aside.

Cream sauce: Heat butter in a heavy gauge sauce pan until melted. Add minced garlic and simmer on low heat for 5 to 8 minutes. Add cream, salt and pepper. Let
simmer for 45 minutes until reduced in volume by 10%, stirring often.

Heat meat sauce, then add the cream sauce and heat until it bubbles and reduces. Cook pasta, drain and add to the sauce, thoroughly coating noodles. SERVE IMMEDIATELY. Garnish with shredded parmesan and parsley.

*recipe from Dunham Cellars

Tomato + Caramelized Onion Tart

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I have made a few different versions of this tart. Sometimes I leave out the onions, sometimes I use goat cheese and once made it in a home made pie crust. Every time it’s delicious. Pretty sure you can’t go wrong with any of these ingredients.

Unfortunately we don’t have any tomatoes in our garden yet, so I succumbed to buying Heirlooms at the market. That just means I will have to make it again in the summer, right?

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This tart accompanied many other amazing dishes at our Easter brunch. But it can be a stand alone with a salad on the side. Serves about 4 as a meal, 6 as a side dish.

 

Ingredients

4 medium Heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 medium sweet onion, sliced.

1 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. white wine

1 tsp Thyme

1 sheet puff pastry

Boursin cheese, as much as you want

Shredded or shaved parmesan

Basil, torn or cut

Kosher salt

Olive oil

 

Directions

If the puff pastry is frozen, lay it on the counter until soft to the touch, about 30 -40 minutes. Or defrost in refrigerator over night.

Layer a large plate or cutting board with paper towels. Lay tomato slices on a single layer on the prepared plate. Sprinkle with kosher salt, flip them over and repeat. Let them hang out and drain while preparing the onions.

Heat the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add onions. Saute them for a few minutes and then add wine and thyme. Lower the heat and let them cook until golden brown, stirring every so often. About 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 425. Unfold puff pastry sheet on baking pan, lined with parchment or foil if that’s all you have. With a sharp knife lightly score a border (3/4 inch from the edge) around the entire pastry.

Spread on as much Boursin cheese as you want inside the border and then sprinkle with parmesan. Add the onions on top of cheese when they are good and caramelized. Add your tomatoes, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil, add more parmesan if you want and pop it into the oven for about 20-25 minutes or when the pastry is golden brown. Sprinkle with your basil and you are set to serve. Prepare to wow your guests!

Easter in Ramona

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Our old neighbors are now living out in Ramona. They have so much land, so much space, perfect for an Easter egg hunt. So the girls got their baskets and we loaded up the truck.

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Their house has quite the views, hawks soar above the citrus trees and squirrels dart across the path to their pool.

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If you squint you can see some of our favorite wineries.

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The kids had a lot of fun hunting eggs, well I should say Kaili had fun. Averi just wanted to chase the cat and explore.

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There was quite a spread for lunch, homemade quiche to fried chicken sliders and delicious fresh squeezed OJ from their trees. I made this lemon cake. I was overly cautious to keep an eye on it but somehow I overcooked it by a few minutes, but I would still recommend the recipe. I am going to try another recipe this week to compare and because I need a another piece of lemon cake in my life.

Once we were able to drag the kids away from their playground we headed down the road to Kohill winery. We are new members and had a wine pickup but also, you can’t go to Ramona without hitting a winery, i am pretty sure it’s illegal.

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The girls snacked because they don’t eat their actual meals and then they chased each other around the tasting room while we decided what wines to take home.

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It was a good practice run for Easter, now we get to do it all over again next week but without getting in the car.

Butternut Squash Bisque

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

I am back on the Farm Fresh to You bandwagon. This time I am taking the time to personalize each delivery and try to meal plan around it. It’s really nice to know what will be delivered to your doorstep and that it will all taste so good, much better than the store bought produce. Last week I got some butternut squash and hemmed an hawed all week on what to make, none of the recipes looked good. I decided since the weather dropped a good 10 degrees that I would make a soup. 80 is totally soup weather in San Diego.

I like to hang out in my kitchen during the day when I only have one child, it’s my favorite PDA. (primary daytime activity) I planned on having the bisque done by lunch so Shane could have a hot meal waiting for him when he walked in the door. Awww, aren’t I the best?

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I meshed a couple recipes together and came up with this.

Ingredients

2 butternut squash

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 TBS olive oil

2 TBS red curry paste

1 TBS coriander

1 tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup full fat coconut milk

2 tsp honey

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375

Cut the squash in half, de seed and put on baking sheet face down.

Roast for 1 hour or until super tender. Let cool and then spoon into a bowl.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over med high heat and then add the onion and apple. Sauté for 5 min or until tender. Add the curry paste, coriander, cayenne (You can omit the cayenne if you don’t like it spicy) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let cook for 2 minutes and then add the chicken stock and squash. Let that come to a boil and then bring it down to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender or food processor and working in batches puree the soup until smooth. Put the soup back in the dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the coconut milk and honey and more salt and pepper to taste.

You can top your bisque with cilantro and sour cream or leave it as is. It’s delicious!

Peanut Sauce Zoodles

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I made this recipe twice in a week. The husband isn’t a peanut butter fan and every time I make something like this he isn’t impressed. I thought this would be a perfect dish for myself to eat during the week. I had enough sauce for two bowls of noodles plus extra to dip my chicken in, perfecto.

*Recipe adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner?

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Ingredients

1 TBS grated ginger
1 garlic clove
1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon (packed) light brown sugar * I used PureVia as a substitute, honey would work too.
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 tablespoons water (room temperature, add them 2 TBSP at a time until desired consistency)
3 Zucchini, spiraled
1 large carrot, grated
½ large seedless cucumber, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
¼ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

Make the peanut sauce: In a food processor or blender, I used my magic bullet. combine the ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice,  sugar (or substitute) Sriracha, sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons room temperature water. Pulse until smooth, adding 1 more tablespoon of water if needed to give the sauce a pourable, silky consistency.
In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, carrots, cucumber, and scallions. Pour the peanut sauce on top and toss well to coat all of the squash noodles and veggies. Sprinkle with peanuts and drizzle with Sriracha.

*Note, this does not hold up well. Only dress what you want to eat, save the rest for later.

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Bacon Ricotta Crostini

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Leftover baguette sitting on the kitchen counter and a fresh container of ricotta in the fridge brought me to this crostini. I had some bacon in the fridge, which doesn’t happen very often but it’s now Kaili’s favorite food. Add those things together and drizzle with honey, simple and delicious. Here is a recipe I just found, although you don’t really need a recipe for this, just do what sounds good to you.

Bacon Ricotta Crostini
Bacon Ricotta Crostini

Averi has been eating a lot better these days. I have found that instead of cutting food up into little pieces, she would rather hold bigger pieces and eat away. She can eat as much as her sister in one sitting.

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She is getting dangerously close to walking, the milestone might even happen before her first birthday.

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Chicken Pot Pie

~ Girlmom ~ 2 Comments

I decided Easter was a perfect day for me to try my hand at making a pot pie. I told Shane that it will be our Easter tradition. Something the girls can complain about years down the road, having to eat moms chicken pot pie…again. I think that sounds like a great tradition.

I decided they would be indivual per Shane’s request and that I would not make the pie crust from scratch, at least this time because duh. I decided on this Ina Gartens recipe but I did a double crust. The filling was so good it could be eaten on its own so I knew adding pastry was going to make this dish extra ordinary…and it was. 

I only made a few pies so I had quite a bit of filling left and now it’s in the freezer for the next time I want to make one. The store bought pie crust was pretty good, it was no homemade but the easy factor was worth it!

   

   

Ain’t No Thang!

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

Wings, I do love me some chicken wings. Buffalo, spicy, sweet, sticky…I don’t discriminate. The husband however prefers good ol’ buffalo wings so I made myself some Teriyaki Sriracha wings during the week. Doesn’t every recipe have Sriracha in it now? It’s like a new fad that’s late to the game. Anyhow, the Sriracha gets lost in this sauce so you could easily swap it for sambal or even cayenne pepper.

I made the sauce ahead of time and let the wings marinade in it while I fed the kids and did baths. I followed the cooking time from the recipe but the timer went off while I was reading stories so they cooked a little longer than I wanted them to. I broiled the shit out of them because I like the skin to get a little crispy. End result is I will make these again, finger licken’!

*Recipe from Damn Delicious

  

  • 3-4 pounds chicken wings 
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch 
  • 1 1/3 cups soy sauce 
  • 1/3 cup Mirin rice cooking wine 
  • 1/2 cup honey 
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2-3 tablespoon Sriracha 


  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray. 
  • In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together soy sauce, Mirin, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha and cornstarch mixture. 
  • Arrange wings in a single layer onto prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce evenly over the wings. 
  • Place into oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, using metal tongs to turn at halftime. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the wings are slightly charred. 
  • Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.