Salmon and Vegetables with a Horseradish Sauce

We just got back from a quick trip to the
Dekalb Farmer's Market. I say quick because
now that I know the store I can write out
my grocery list in order. This helps because
the market is crazy on Saturday and if you
don't know where to find things it takes
forever because of all the people. Everyone
is in a hurry and acting crazy. Today
we managed to get in and out in about 45
minutes, which is awesome, considering we
shop for two weeks worth of groceries.

Now we are back at home with plenty of time
to enjoy the afternoon.


I love it when I find a recipe that is low in
calories but still full of flavor.
This particular recipe is a keeper because it
is also easy to make.


Salmon & Vegetables with Horseradish Sauce
adapted from Cuisine at Home
Fish:Salmon Fillets with skin removed
3/4 cup of julienned carrots
3/4 cup of washed and chopped leeks
3/4 cup of peeled and julienned celery
2 TBSP. of dry vermouth
1 TBSP. of dried oregano
1 TBSP of lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400. Fold two pieces of parchment paper.
Cut paper so it forms a heart shape when opened. Brush inside
of paper with olive oil. ( I did not have parchment paper so I
cooked my fish in glass baking dish).

Combine the carrot, leeks, celery, oregano and vermouth in a bowl.
Toss to coat the vegetables. In the center of the parment paper,
inside the heart, place the salmon at 90 degree angle over the vegetables.
Sprinkle the lemon zest, salt and pepper on top of the fish.
Fold the paper over and crimp the sides making a tight seal.
Transfer onto a baking sheet. Bake the fish for about 15 minutes.
*(you will have to determine how long to cook your fish based on
the size of your fish ~ my salmon did take a little longer than 15 minutes).

For the Horseradish Sauce:
Whisk together 3 TBSP of sour cream or plain yogurt,
2 - 3 tsp. of horseradish
2 tsp. of minced scallions
salt and pepper


This is a really nice dish. It is light but full of flavor,
especially when you add the Horseradish Sauce.

Polenta Cakes with Spicy Sausage and Mozzarella Cheese

Opps, I should have read this recipe more carefully
~ almost two hours of prep time is not what you
want on a week night.

We tried a out this new recipe I had for Polenta Cakes
topped with tomatoes, sausage and mozzarella
cheese ~ kind of like Polenta Pizza.

I must not have read the directions carefully because
each step took a long time. The first set of
directions explained how to make the polenta cakes.
I followed the recipe carefully because I wanted to be sure
the cakes turned out right since they were going to hold
all the other ingredients.

After making the polenta, you move into making a tomato,
onion and white wine sauce that cooks for about 40 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking and the polenta cakes are cooling,
you cook and slice the sausage, slice the cheese and cut up
some fresh basil.

From there you take the polenta cakes out of round tins
and put them on a baking dish. You pour some of the sauce
over the cakes, top it with fresh mozarella, sausage and
basil. Then you bake it for about 5-7 minutes in the oven
at 400.

We were excited to eat dinner after such a long preparation.
The dish was good but the polenta cakes were lacking in flavor.
Looking back at the recipe, I noticed
that it called for the polenta to be cooked in water.
I think next time I will change this to be a broth mixture
of some kind to add a little more flavor. I might even
add some basil and oregano to the broth while the polenta cooks.


Here are some photos of the Polenta Cakes.

Pork Roast Recipe

I found this recipe for Pork Shoulder online.
It sounded fairly easy so I decided to apply
this recipe to the Pork Roast I had in my freezer.
I did have to make a few minor adjustments because
the piece of meat I had was little smaller than
what this recipe called for.
No worries, the roast turned out very good!


Shredded Pork Shoulder
by the ktchn.com

4 to 5 pound pork shoulder, bone-in
*(I used a pork roast that was about 4lbs.)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut into wedges
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
* (I used fire roasted tomatoes )
1 12-ounce beer (a basic lager works well)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Trim the pork shoulder of any thick layers of fat. Combine the brown sugar, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the pork with the spice mixture, getting into crevices and on the sides. Allow the pork to sit for about 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the pork on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pot. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, and beer. Bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to bring up any browned bits.

Return the pork to the pot. Cover and put in the oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, checking once or twice, until the meat is extremely tender and pulls away from the bone easily. Shred the pork in the pot, using tongs to separate the meat from the fat (see photos above). Discard the bone or set aside for another use.




*Since I had a Pork Roast instead of a Pork Shoulder, I just sliced the meat and
served it in a bowl with the vegetables. I had to adjust the cooking time to
be a little shorter because my piece of meat was smaller.

The meat was very tender and the vegetables were great!

White Chicken Chili With A Little Kick

Ok ~ I think I am back in the swing of things and ready
to start posting yummy recipes again.

This recipe is for White Chicken Chili that does have a
little kick. A few weeks ago I realized that it has been
a really long time since I made a batch of chili.
This is probably because the weather here in
Georgia just hasn't been that cold.
Well, I guess I can't wait on the weather anymore, I just
have to go for it. So here is a new Chicken Chili Recipe.


White Chicken Chili
(with a little kick)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 pounds ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoons chili powder and
1 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder
2 cans of cannellini beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 bunch of Kale, washed and chopped
( added at the very end)
1 cup frozen corn
4 - 6 cups chicken stock
1 can of fire roasted, diced tomatoes
1/2 cup cream



Directions
In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, chili powder and chipotle chili powder. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked, about 8 minutes. If you are going to use a crockpot go ahead and pour this mixture into the crockpot now. Add the beans,tomato, corn, and chicken stock to either your crockpot or pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Allow the chili to cook for an hour or so depending on when you plan to serve it. The longer it cooks the better because the flavors will become more balanced. About 5-10 minutes before serving add the Kale and cream. Make sure the Kale has time to cook for about 5-7 minutes. Serve in bowls. You can top this chili with a little sour cream and some Parmesan Cheese or even Monterey Jack Cheese.


When making chili you should always taste it along the way to test the flavor
and make any adjustments.
This chili has a little kick that is hidden deep within the flavors. The chipotle
chili powder gives the chili a slight smokey flavor.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve

Please don't think that just because
there has been no blogging for the past few
weeks means that there has been no eating.
I feel like all we have done for the
past two months is eat!

We had a great Thanksgiving in Miami
with my parents and brother. There were many
nights out to great restaurants and
a very delicious Thanksgiving Dinner.




We enjoyed a fabulous Christmas in
Chicago. It was was full of laughs and
fun times with family. The meals were fantastic
~homemade ravioli and meatballs~ as Jim's
mom is a great cook.


We left for St. Lucia on New Year's Eve.
We enjoyed the beautiful weather and listening
to the waves crash as we relaxed on the beach.
I did not take many pictures of food on the trip
but we did enjoy some outstanding meals.

One of our meals was at La Toc, which is a
Parisian - inspired restaurant. I enjoyed
amazing Scallops for dinner and Jim had
a delicious Duck Stew.



We also enjoyed a nice dinner at
Kimonos Oriental Restaurant with four
other couples. Our waiter did an
outstanding job entertaining everyone
while he cooked right in front of us.





It is good to be home and back into the
regular routine. I have several
"new" recipes to try out this week.
I hope to be blogging again very soon
and letting you know how the meals turned out.

Sunday Morning Breakfast

I know I have told you how much I love that my husband
gets up on Sunday morning and cooks breakfast but
I have to tell you again because it is GREAT!

It is so nice to wake up and come downstairs to
an already prepared, delicious breakfast.


Today he made eggs with sauted onions, crushed
cumin seed, cilantro, paneer cheese and
diced tomatoes ~ YUM!



This is a perfect start to a Sunday morning.

Risotto with Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Arugula

It is funny why I decide to make things some times.
When I came home from work the other day I did not
have a plan for dinner. I opened the refrigerator
and saw the portobello mushrooms I bought at the
market and thought, "I really should use those
before they go bad." I also noticed that I had
a small brick of blue cheese. HMM, the ideas
started flowing and the end result was ...


Risotto with Portobello Mushrooms, Blue Cheese
and Arugula.

I don't have a specific recipe but what I can
tell you if your going to make this is that
I used about 4 cups of (pre-warmed) vegetable
broth to 1 cup Arborio Rice.

I started by chopping up some onions and
cooking the in a little oil . Then I sliced
my 2 portobello mushrooms and added them to the
pan with the onions. I cooked them for about
4-5 minutes. I added the Arborio Rice and gave
it all a good stir. Then I slowly added
the pre-heated broth a cup at a time while
continuing to stir the risotto. When the
risotto was almost completely cooked I added
in the blue cheese giving it a few minutes
to melt. At the very end I gently folded in
the washed arugula and a dash of salt and pepper.

The Risotto was excellent. It is a heavy dish so
you may want to serve it with a light salad.