Smoked Salmon Spread

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD

A week ago, a friend gave me a bag FULL of smoked salmon, and said he has a ton and will have more soon.  Well, I love salmon, so who am I to refuse?  First I used some of it for a Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad, and last night we had company for dinner, so I decided to make some Smoked Salmon Spread. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is my recipe:

 

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD:

8 oz Cream Cheese

1 Tablespoon capers
4-6 oz Smoked Salmon
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Dill weed
Salt and pepper to taste (heaver on the pepper than the salt!)

In a food processor, soften the cream cheese, add the Worcestershire sauce, seasonings and capers, blend until smooth.  Add Smoked salmon, and pulse to mix, but not enough to puree the salmon!

Serve with sturdy crackers.

Picnic at the beach

A day at the beach……One thing I love to do is head for the beach, every chance I get.  So recently, when my partner, Craig and I had a day off together, we decided to pack a lunch, grab the leash and head for the closest island!  (We live in the Puget Sound area, so islands, while not tropical, are not that far off)

As you can see from the picture our dog, Zoey joined us on our journey to Whidbey Island’s great Double Bluff Beach.  It’s an “off leash” park, so she was really able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the beach.

 

Craig loves to search of seashells, so I was excited to find this little gem!

 

After our walk to the end of the beach and back we decided to enjoy our picnic.  For our lunch, I made a Turkey and Smoked Gouda sandwich on Ciabatta roll, with a “quick” pasta salad.

 

 

 

 

Quick Pasta Salad

 

Need something for lunch, or a last minute picnic?  Here is what I make whenever I need to make an unplanned side dish.

 

8 oz Pasta ( I used leftover stars, but any kind can be used)

¼ Cup pre-julienned Carrots

¼ Cup red pepper, julienned

¼-½  cucumber, peeled and deseeded

⅓ Cup Salad Dressing (I didn’t measure, and I used a sundried tomato vinaigrette)

¼ Cup Crumble or shredded cheese (optional, I used feta)

 

While the pasta is boiling, get the vegetables ready.  When the pasta is done, rinse in cold water.  Then add all vegetables to pasta, and toss with salad dressing.

Monkey Bars with Browned Butter Icing

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a recipe using aged bananas. I always have ripening bananas and am tired of making banana bread, so I thought, this recipe sounds pretty good, lets give it a shot. And to my coworkers approval, they turned out incredible.

Monkey Bars with Browned Butter Icing
Ingredients
For the bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 & 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
3/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted
For the icing:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk*
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
To make the bars:
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 10"x 15" sheet pan and dust with flour.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Mix in sour cream and bananas.
Gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Stir in pecans.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Place pan on wire rack to cool slightly while you prepare the icing.
To make the icing:
Place butter in a medium saucepan. Melt butter over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter foams and brown specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat. Add about 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and about 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir into butter. Add remaining sugar and milk in 2-3 more portions, working quickly to mix well.
Quickly spread icing evenly over warm bars. Allow bars and icing to cool before cutting into bars.
Notes
*The amount of milk you'll need may vary. Use as much as you need to make the icing spreadable. It shouldn't be as thick as frosting, but thicker than a glaze.

Trader Joe's

How can you say you don't like Trader Joe's? I love the place, but don't shop there near as much as I would like to! Mainly I shop there to get ideas for dinner or a special menu. It's difficult, because if you really like one of their items, you can't just run in anywhere and pick it up, or when they have an incredible seasonal item, that you crave off season! Ugh.

Anyhow, today was one of those days I needed inspiration for dinner. I knew what my main course was going to be (potato crusted cod), but no idea on the sides. When I went in I perused the store looking for ideas ....a different kind of fish...... maybe nuts for crusting the cod..... oh! Harvest Blend Couscous .....do they have harissa spice ......yummy BRUSSELS SPROUTS!!.... oh wait shredded Brussels sprouts-same price an size as non shredded (score) .....mmmm Fresh English peas ......oh look, haricot verts (tiny French green beans) ......and Pita Chips for Craigy, his favorite! Next thing I know I have a $30 bag of snacks/veggies and side dishes or the rest if the week!

Maybe this is why I don't shop there more......

Wine trip catering

Wine trip catering

Some of you know, and some may not, my partner and I are starting a business that melds his love and work with mine. The new business is a Wine Tasting Group that travels to several local wine countries. Craig selects the wineries, and my catering company supplies the lunches. We've been doing this informally for about 6-7 years and decided to make it a business.

Recently we traveled to Walla Walla Washington to taste (and purchase) some fabulous wines. This year I decided to do "themed" lunches. Day one was Asian inspired. Day two was California/Italian inspired, and Day three was French/Greek inspired.

I featured glimpses of each day’s meals on my Facebook page as a preview of what was to come. There was such a huge response to each of these pictures; I decided to share a few of the recipes for the salads.

 

 

Day one was a

Asian Bow Tie Salad

Chicken (is optional-I left out)
3-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (optional)
1 bottle kikkomans teriyaki marinade and sauce
16oz bow tie pasta
10 ounce fresh spinach
6 oz dried cranberry
3 11 oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
16 oz water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
6 oz honey roasted peanuts

Dressing
1 cup oil
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
6T sugar
Salt & pepper
2/3 white vinegar

Blend dressing and cook pasta al dente.  Allowed cooled pasta to rest in dressing for 2 hours before adding other ingredients.

Marinate chicken in teriyaki sauce over night.  BBQ chicken until done.  Cut into bite size pieces, cool. Toss all ingredients, serve immediately.

Day two was a
Caprese Style Salad

Sorry this is sideways, I couldn't get it to flip!

12 oz perllini size fresh mozzarella (if you can't find this size, use chiligene or whole size, just cut them down to a cherry tomato size)
12-16oz small cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
8-10 leaves Basil, chopped
1-2 oz balsamic vinegar
1-2 oz olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Drain the mozzarella and coat with spices and olive oil. Add vinegar and allow to marinate for an hour or so.
Add tomato cucumber and basil, serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day three was a

Greek Pasta Salad

16 oz orzo, cooked al dente, drained and cooled.
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
12-16oz small cherry tomatoes, halved
8 oz pitted kalamata olives , sliced
8 oz feta
2 tablespoons fresh or dried oregano

Mix together all ingredients and toss with Dressing, below.

Greek dressing.

2 fresh garlic cloves, minced then crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (Grey poupon)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (not bottled)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves (optional)
1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and shake well to mix.
For a creamier dressing, add all ingredients except oil to a blender. Pulse several times to mix ingredients. With blender running on high, slowly pour oil into blender until mixture is creamy. Refrigerate.