Broiled Salmon with Mango Salsa and Rice

Yummy.  The mango salsa was perfect with wild rice.  Great, fresh meal!

(Recipe and photo from juliasalbum.com)

Ingredients for mango salsa:

• 2 cups pineapple, chopped in small cubes
• 1 cup mango, chopped in small cubes
• 1 cup tomato, chopped in small cubes
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
•  Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, chopped

Ingredients for rice, salmon, and glaze:

• 2 cups uncooked rice or wild rice
• 1.5 pounds salmon, or 4 6-ounce salmon fillets
• garlic salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1) Mix all chopped ingredients for mango salsa in a large bowl, add lime juice, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to let the juices do their work.

2) Cook 2 cups of uncooked rice according to instructions for the type of rice (or even quinoa) you’re using.

3) To prepare the glaze: combine honey, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small pan on medium heat until honey is softened and well incorporated with other ingredients. Set aside.

4) Preheat broiler. Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Before broiling salmon in the oven, I like to sear it a little bit on the stove top: this will add nice color and will also allow to easily remove the skin. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on high heat in a skillet until very hot. Add salmon, non-skin side down and sear on high heat for 2 minutes, constantly moving the salmon in the skillet so that it doesn’t stick. After it’s nicely seared, flip the salmon skin side down and continue searing for 2 more minutes on its skin side, constantly moving the salmon to avoid sticking to the skillet. After it’s nicely seared on the skin side, remove the skin easily with spatula.

5) Place the salmon in an oven-proof dish skin-less side up (with the side that used to have skin – down). Brush the top of salmon with half the amount of glaze prepared in step 3. Broil for about 3 minutes, brush with the remaining amount of glaze and broil for additional 2-3 minutes until nicely charred. Watch to make sure salmon does not burn because of the sugar in the honey. Remove from the broiler, cover with foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving. This will allow salmon to cook through but not be overcooked.

6) To serve, place a scoop of rice (or quinoa) on one side of the dish and a scoop of mango salsa next to it. Top with salmon.

Greek Flat Bread- Perfect for Souvlaki

Our store was out of flat bread so we had to make our own last night and I am afraid we have been ruined.  The texture of this was so soft and delicious, nobody wants to go back. :)


Ingredients
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling, see Cook's Note*
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Melted butter for slathering on the finished bread
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
In a large glass, dissolve the dry yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar with 3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F). Let it sit on your counter until it's frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift the flour, salt, remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar and baking powder into a large, deep bowl.

Once the yeast is frothy, add the yogurt and the olive oil into the glass, and stir to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix the ingredients together with a fork. When the dough is about to come together, use your hands to mix. It will feel like there isn't enough flour at first, but keep going until it transforms into a soft, slightly sticky and pliable dough. As soon as it comes together, stop kneading. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free place for 2 to 4 hours.

When you're ready to roll, make sure you have two bowls on your counter: one with extra flour in it, and one with water. The dough will be extremely soft and sticky-this is good! Separate the dough into 6 equal portions and lightly roll each one in the bowl of extra flour to keep them from sticking to each other.

Shape the bread into a round circle. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circular shape.

Warm a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's nearly smoking. Make sure you have a lid large enough to fit the skillet and have a bowl of melted butter at the ready.

Dampen your hands in the bowl of water and pick up one of your circles, flip-flopping it from one hand to the other to lightly dampen it. Gently lay it in the skillet and set your timer for 1 minute. The dough should start to bubble.

After about 1 minute, flip the bread.  Cover the skillet with the lid and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Remove the bread from the skillet, brush with a bit of butter and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Place the bread in a tea towel-lined dish. Repeat with the rest and serve.

Mango Berry Salad

I just ate this rececently at Zupas.  It was so fresh and delicious.  Loved it!

Mango Berry Salad
created by Sugar.Betty

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2  cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh, ripe-firm mango, peeled, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons cinnamon almonds, chopped
6-8 cups mixed greens

Toss greens with mango yogurt dressing. Plate dressed greens and divide fruit and nuts among plates. Drizzle lightly with more dressing, if desired.

Mango Yogurt Dressing
1 large ripe mango, pitted and roughly chopped
1 heaping tablespoon plain yogurt
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (regular distilled vinegar is too harsh)
1 tablespoon honey, optional (depending on sweetness of the mango)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients except honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste. Add honey and blend again if dressing is too tart.

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham

I found this recipe for ham at Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I love the crockpot so I thought I would give it a whirl.  The ham was very moist and so so easy to put together.   It was fantastic!

Slow Cooker Maple Brown Sugar Ham

Ingredients

• 7-8 pound spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups pineapple juice

Directions

1. Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down. Rub brown sugar on all sides. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving.

Chicken Bellagio- Cheesecake Factory

Pasta and Sauce 

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 C Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese

5-6 Fresh Basil Leaves Minced

Juice from 1 lemon

salt and pepper

1 pkg. Spaghettini (thin spaghetti)

Whisk heavy cream and garlic in sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to thicken. Add in Parmesan cheese and whisk til incorporated. Lower heat to medium-low careful not to scorch. Add in basil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk thoroughly and reduce to a low heat to keep warm. When ready to serve toss with Spaghettini that has been  cooked at pkg directs. 

Chicken 

3-4 Chicken Breast

1 C Flour

2 Eggs

1 C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 C Parmesan Cheese

Oil {Vegetable oil works great, but olive or grape seed oil is a nice alternative}

You will need 3 bowls. In first bowl place flour. The second whisk the eggs and third combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside. If chicken is frozen, allow to thaw completely. Butterfly the cutlets, or cut them in half by cutting through the middle of the meat so you have 2 thinner pieces. Then place in a large sturdy zip-lock bag and with a meat mallet gently hammer chicken so that the piece is an even and thickness. 

About this time, begin to heat your oil in a large skillet over medium -medium/high heat. You will want to fill your skillet about 3/4 inch deep with oil. You will know when ready if you flick a few drops of water on the oil and it crackles. Take each piece of chicken and first coat them with flour, then dip in the egg, then last coat with bread crumb mixture. Do this to each piece.

 Then place 2-3 pieces of chicken at a time in skillet. This will depend on how big your skillet is. Don't over crowd. Allow to cook a few minutes, sides will start to turn a golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side. When finished remove and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining pieces. 

Garnishes

Prosciutto at room temp.

Arugula Lettuce washed and dried (Pictured is baby Arugula)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 Lemons

Assembly

To assemble this dish in true Cheesecake Factory Style.. 

Place generous serving of pasta in middle of plate. Layer with two pieces of chicken side by side. Ribbon 1-2 pieces of Prosciutto over top of chicken. Then place a generous handful of arugula over prosciutto. Drizzle a little evoo over arugula followed by juice of a lemon half. 

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

We had this cake for dessert today and it was divine.  A perfect Fall recipe!  

We served it with ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium apples, for about 3 cups chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half or whipping cream
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Generously grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Peel, core and dice 3 cups of apples. Toss the apples with the tablespoon of lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla and toss to combine. Set aside.

Using a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Drain any excess liquid from the apples (if any) and stir the apple mixture into the batter. Don’t overmix! Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth.

Using a spoon or butter knife, make a trench in the center of the cake batter (going around in the circular shape of the bundt pan) about 1-inch deep (just scoop the excess batter to either side. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the trench. Try and keep the cream cheese mixture in a ring in the center of the cake so it has cake batter on either side around the circle. Once the cream cheese mixture is in place, use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the surrounding cake batter.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (checking often as you may need to decrease or increase time based on your pan and exact oven temperature). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

While the cake is cooling, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature, drizzling caramel sauce over each piece.

For the caramel sauce, mix the butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold (or use slightly warm but not hot). If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on cake.

Recipe Source: from my brother, Nate, who has made this recipe many, many times, perfecting it along the way

Chili Colorado Burritos

My whole family loved these burritos.  They were so easy to make and really delicious.  Yum!

photo from www.food-pusher.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)
• 1 large can mild enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)  I also used a smaller can of medium enchilada sauce
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 can refried beans (optional)
• 10 burrito size flour tortillas
• 1-2 cups or so of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.)  I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees.  More meat, more time.  A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.  If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla.  Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.


Serve.
Makes 7-10 burritos, depending on how full you make them.

Pickles

Brine:

3 cups water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup pickling salt

Bring to a boil.  Will fill 3-4 quart jars

Bottom of the Jar:

1 head of dill

1/4 tsp alum

1 clove garlic

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 tsp mustard seed.

Place the above in the bottom of the jar.  Layer pickles inside.  Add Brine- fill leaving a one inch head space.  Process according to size of jar.  Water bath is fine.

Sweet Dinner Rolls-Allison

• I wanted to give you this one to try. I LOVE IT. I always reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. I think that's the only change I made. (Ammon made it the first time and things worked perfectly. I made it the next time and...not so much. It needed more liquid when I did it, but not when Ammon did it...so...take that into consideration. Whatever that means!!!)
• 
  
• 
  
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
2. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Creme Brulee- Allison

I really like it....although I often leave the caramelized sugar off of the top. I also wanted to say that this only fills up 4 of my creme brulee dishes. It says six, but I get four plus a tiny bit left over. 

2 Cups half-and-half or light cream
5 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/3 Cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 Cup sugar

1. In a heavy small saucepan heat half-and-half or light cream of medium-low heat just till bubbly. Remove from heat; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl combine egg yolks, the 1/3 Cup sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat with a wire whisk or rotary beater just till combined. Slowly whisk the hot half-and-half or light cream into the egg mixture.
3. Place six 3/4 Cup souffle dishes or 6-ounce custard cups in a 3-quart rectangular baking pan. Set pan on an oven rack. Pour custard mixture evenly into the dishes or cups. Pour enough hot water into the baking pan around the dishes to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes.
4. Bake the custards in a 325 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till a knife inserted near the center of each custard comes out clean. Remove custards from the water bath; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
5. Before serving, remove custards from the refrigerator; let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place the 1/4 Cup sugar in a heavy 8-inch skillet. Heat skillet over medium-high heat till sugar begins to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly. Do not stir. Once the sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low and cook about 5 minutes more or till all of the sugar is melted and golden, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon. 
6. Quickly drizzle the caramelized sugar over custards. If sugar starts to harden in the skillet, return to heat, stirring till melted. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.