Grilled Salmon and Hot Potato Salad

"The salmon had a good flavor, but was cooked a little too long so it was on the dry side.  I left my husband as the grill master and he is still learning to know when things look done.  I can't complain because I really appreciate when he is willing to help with dinner because I know cooking is NOT one of his favorite things to do."  

Method

1. Preheat the Grill

2. Brush each salmon fillet with olive oil

3. Season with salt, pepper and your favorite type of dry season mix.  I used a lemon pepper season.

4. Grill the Salmon Away - It should only take about 8 to 10 minutes - 4 - 5 minutes per side. 

5. When you remove the salmon it is ok if it's a little raw in the center.  Once it is sitting off the grill it will still cook. 

 "You want your grilled salmon to be moist, flaky and firm.  If it's dry then it's been cooked to long."

"The hot red potato salad flavor was tangy from the vinegar, but I didn't feel as though it was too much.  The potatoes were soft, but the skins gave them some texture so they weren't mushy.  The onions, mushroom and turkey pepperoni added a unique flavor."

Below is the link to the recipe that I used, however I made some changes which are listed below too. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/hot-german-potato-salad-iii/detail.aspx

Changes

1. I did not peel the potatoes and I just cut them into chunks instead of slices
2. I did not have bacon so I used the turkey pepperoni.  I just tossed it in at the end so I skipped that step completely
3. I did not use celery seed, but I did add dry parsley and garlic powder
4. When I sauteed the onions I also added mushrooms

" The thing that is great about cooking is you really can be creative even if you start out following a recipe.  You can make your own changes along the way.  The same can be true for baking, but you have to be a little more careful, because certain recipe changes can not be made or you will have big mess on your hands. "

Kick it Up Grilled Cheese and Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup

Chicken Soup with Carrots, Celery, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Filled a Deep Stock Pot with Water, Sprinkle in Salt, Pepper and Italian Seasoning, and 1 Large Chopped Onion

2. Add 1 Whole Uncooked Chicken and Bring Contents to a Boil on High Heat ( I use an Organic Chicken)

3. Lower Heat to Medium Low and Simmer for 2 Hours

4. Remove Whole Chicken from the Pot - Meat Should be Tender and Fall of the Bone

5. Remove all skin and bones and discard

6. Set Aside the Amount of Chicken you want in your soup - the rest can be refrigerated or put in the freezer for a later date

7. Strain Remaining Liquid/Broth - There will be a lot - Set Aside Enough to Make a Nice Batch of Soup and then I usually put the rest in containers and freeze for a later date. 

8. Place Broth for Soup into a smaller pot

9. Peel and Slice Carrots, Slice Zucchini, Squash, and Celery

10. Place all Vegetables Pieces into the broth - Put on Medium/ High Heat till Boils

11. Add Shredded Chicken Pieces -  Lower Heat and Simmer till Vegetables are Tender

12 . Serve and Enjoy

" I enjoy this soup because it is  comforting and warm. Even on a hot August day if I've been in AC all day it is a good meal. It is also very healthy for me too! "

Grilled Cheddar Cheese on Sprouted  Ezekiel Bread with Tomatoes and Spinach

Method

1. Slice a Fresh Ripe Tomato

2. Set Aside Enough Fresh Spinach for 1 Sandwich

3. Have Two Slices of Bread - Butter one Side of 1 piece and set aside

4. On the Other Slice Place 1 Piece of Cheese ( I used cheddar, but any cheese will work), 2 Thin Slices of Tomato and the spinach - Top with other Slice of Bread - Butter Side on Top

5. Lightly Coat your frying pan with Oil and Heat up on Medium Heat

6. Once Pan is Hot Place Sandwich Butter Side Down

7. Butter Top Piece of Bread While Sandwich is in Pan

8. When Bottom Side is Golden Flip Sandwich Until it is Golden too

9. Remove From the Pan and Take a Bite

"This Sandwich went nicely with my soup, the tomato added a juicy texture while the spinach added a little soft crunch as it wasn't fully cooked. The sprouted bread was  moist and would be easy to digest for those of you who may not be able to of regular breads made with wheat flour.  The best part was once I ate all the vegetables/chicken from my soup, I still had some broth left so I could dip my sandwich in the broth and that was even more spectacular."  Overall a good meal! You will see a repeat as it got my husband's approval too!

"Oh Yeah! I can't forget to tell ya'll that I washed it all down with a lovely glass of fresh lemonade from a store called Earthfare, to me this lemonade has just the right amount of sugar and lemon spark" Delish!

Chicken Fajitas with Lime Rice





 Chicken, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Onion and Frontera Chipotle Lime Sauce

Method

1. Slice 1 Green pepper and 1 Red pepper into thin strips

2. Slice 1 Onion Into think strips

3. Coat Frying Pan with Olive Oil

4. Heat Pan

5. Saute peppers and onion till tender and browned

6.  Add previously cooked pieces of chicken

7. Stir in Frontera Chipotle Lime Sauce and Simmer





 Brown Rice, salt, pepper, butter and lime juice

Method

1. Cook brown rice per package directions  - 1/2 cup of rice per 1 cup of water

2. Stir in pinch of salt, dash of pepper, 1 tablespoon of butter and juice from half of a lime





Whole Wheat Tortillas

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees and warm tortillas in oven for 5 - 7 minutes



Filled Tortilla with greek yogurt/salsa topping

Method

1. Put Chicken/Pepper/ Onion mixture in warmed tortilla

2. Put Rice in tortilla or place on the side if you prefer

3. Top with Greek Yogurt/ Salsa Mixture which was made by taking 1 cup of yogurt and strirring in 1/2 cup of your salsa of choice

Why the Final Product Tasted Great?

1. The Chicken, Peppers and Onions were tender and full of flavor

2. It had just the right amount of spice and was balanced with the greek yogurt topping

3. The tortillas were fresh, warm and soft

4. The rice was seasoned well and the lime acidity wasn't to heavy or too light

5. The rice was cooked so it wasn't too gummy or crunchy















A Letter to My Followers

Hello Followers,
I know there are only a few of you out there right now, but I would like to share with you my thoughts on this blog and ask for your feedback.  I am definitely passionate about food and the hospitality industry, but currently am not actually working in the field.  This blog is a way for me to talk about food and allow myself to use my passion in a positive way.  However, I am still trying to figure out my goals as far as where I would like to take the blog.  For those of you who have been reading.  What do you think?  Do you enjoy reading my blog? Do you get bored easily? Are there certain things that you wish I would explain further? Should I stick with the theme of what I had for dinner or do you think I should head in a different direction?  Please let me know your thoughts.  I will consider both constructive criticism and positive responses.  

Thanks,
Natalie

Won Tons, Veggie Lasagna and Picnic Dinner

Thursday night, I ate organic chicken won tons with a side of roasted asparagus.  The won tons were boiled and then sauteed in olive oil. The asparagus were drizzled with olive oil and soy sauce and sprinkled with salt and pepper, then put in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Friday night we traveled to Lebanon, Pennsylvania! I ate a wonderful home cooked meal. Vegetable lasagna, bread from La Brea bakery to be dipped in olive oil and garlic and champagne to celebrate time with the family.

Saturday we went to a local amusement park for a family reunion. For dinner I had part of a pork bbq sandwich, part of a chicken leg and a baked potato.  The best part of the meal was just having the time to spend with my family.  The food was good, but nothing over the top.  Something I've learned is that a good meal may not be all about the food while other times it is all about the food.  In this circumstance the food was secondary to the time being with others. Let's face it sometimes food is what brings us all together.

Not Much to Report

"I don't really have too much to say today about dinner last night." It was pretty much leftovers and odds and ends."  I won't bore you with the details.  Hopefully something worthy of a post tomorrow.  Thanks to you who keep following me, I appreciate your support."

Chili Gone Bad -What Now?

"Yesterday I had planned on making a turkey chili over rice. I was talking with my sister on the phone while measuring out the ingredients for the chili.  As I was about to say goodbye I realized that I had measured the rice right into the other chili ingredients.  NOT GOOD! The rice was supposed to be cooked separately and then the chili should have been poured over the rice! There was no way to scoop out the rice as there were other ingredients already on top.  Ahhh! So I thought, well I will try to cook the rice in the tomato/bean liquid and see if it will still cook properly? Nope, didn't work. Boiled the rice in the liquid for about 40 minutes, tasted it and the rice was still crunchy! Dang, the chili was a not happening.  Luckily, I had not poured in the cooked turkey meat.   I had to throw away the bean, tomato, rice mixture.  It was 8:00pm and dinner still wasn't done.   I took the turkey meat added some leftover tomato sauce and poured it over some cooked shell noodles. Along with the pasta I had a English Cucumber, spinach, tomato and crouton salad with a raspberry vinaigrette."

Lesson learned, don't talk while in the middle of the measuring process of the recipe! Thought I learned that by now.  Oh well, better luck next time with the chili recipe. 
Have you ever had a recipe gone bad?  What did you do to fix it? Please share!