Goowey Brownies

If you read my friend Chris' blog - Mele Cotte you know that I am really not a great baker. She has worked hard to encourage me and help me improve in this area and I really appreciate it.

I decided to try my luck with brownies this weekend. Small steps are really the best way to go when I am baking so I started with a Duncan Hines package as the base of the brownie. I followed the directions on the package with a few minor adjustments. I added one extra egg and a cup of chocolate chips. Then I toasted some almonds and added them on top of half the brownies for friends who like nuts on their chocolate brownies.

They were very good.

Crisp on the outside and nice and goowey on the inside.

A New Salmon Recipe

I have a favorite Salmon recipe that has soy sauce, honey, ginger and orange marmalade but I decided to venture out and try something new this time.

I found a new Salmon recipe by Bobby Flay on the food network website.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey (I added a little more honey)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger

Vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

Melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon skin side down on the grill.

Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

This recipe was very good. I would definitely make it again!

A Good Thing Gone BAD!

Blackberry and Cherry Cobbler - doesn’t that sound great! That is what I decided to make the other day.

So I used the following recipe only I did half blackberries and half cherries.

Berry Cobbler
4 cups blackberries

1 tsp. lemon juice

Cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 to 2 tbsp. water

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 dash salt

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 tbsp sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine blueberries and lemon juice in a 9-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; stir gently, and set aside. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine oil, vanilla, and egg whites; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto blueberry mixture. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over topping. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is lightly browned.


When the cobbler came out of the oven it smelled SO good. After taking a few bites we noted that the blackberry seeds were very prevalent and made the cobbler hard to chew and enjoy. Wow, what a major disappointment!

Looks good, smells good, taste good but NOT fun to eat!

Pasta Primavera

After our last trip to the Farmers Market I felt obligated to make Pasta Primavera because of all the fresh, delicious vegetables I purchased: mushrooms, onions, zucchini, asparagus, pepper... I mean how could I refuse. There are many variations to this dish but here is how I like to make it.

I started by washing and cutting all the vegetables and then into the frying pan for a little sautéing in butter.

I aslo add a little dash of red pepper flakes to the vegetables for a little spice.

After sautéing until the vegetables were tender I added

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

tbsp basil and a tbsp oregano

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

dash of nutmeg,

dash of cracked pepper

a pinch of salt

Cook all together for about 2-4 minutes.

Then serve over your favorite pasta. Top with a little more parmesan cheese.

Bon Appetite !

French Toast

My husband shared with you in an earlier post that we like breakfast. Most of the time we like to eat out for breakfast but the other day I felt inspired. So, I decided to make Strawberry, Banana French Toast. It turned out great! Besides then we were able to sit around at our own table and drink coffee and talk at our leisure.

Doesn't this look good?

I Need A Bigger Kitchen

There have not been too many times where I felt that my kitchen, or my stove top to be more specific, was too small - except maybe when cooking for 75 ( our housewarming) .


The other night I was making Tilapia with a tomato topping, rice, and sweet corn when I ran out room on the stove.

Hmmm maybe I need a bigger stove top!

Tilapia with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

I enjoy trying new recipes. I have made Tilapia several times. I love making "Foiled Tilapia" with red onions, lemon juice and butter. Tonight I made Tilapia with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes. The flavor was good and I enjoyed it. If I were to make this recipe again I would cut down on the black olives a little - they were a tad overpowering.

Tilapia with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds tilapia

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add half of fish to skillet and sauté until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Repeat with remaining fish. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives, and garlic; sauté until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper; spoon over fish.