A New Twist on Salmon

Salmon hits our dinner table at least once a week.  We all love it.  And usually, we make it the same way every time.  You know, it's kind of like going to your favorite restaurant, swearing you'll try something new and then getting what you always get because it's so good.  That's how we are with salmon.  I've got tons of recipes pinned, printed and torn from magazines, but we seem to always end up with the same version.  It's delicious and simple. 

But last week, we tried something new (gasp!) with it.  And holy COW was I both impressed and ticked because I didn't try it sooner.  And I must give credit to my 5yo because she's the one who found this recipe.  She loves (loves loves loves) to watch The Food Network.  It was this affection for the channel that had us watching Damaris Phillips' show, Southern at Heart, which is where we saw this...and wanted to eat the TV!
 

I've made salmon cakes before, but I cannot (cannot cannot cannot) stand the bones in the canned stuff.  Seriously.  I get shivers even thinking about it and typing it.  Dis-gust-ing.  Anyway....I've avoided salmon cakes for a lonnnnnnnnnnng time for this reason.  But no more.  With Damaris' version, life is good and these bad boys are once again on the menu!

We did not go through all the rigamarole of smoking the salmon blah blah blah.  Mark tossed it on the grill with a little salt and pepper.  No fuss, no muss.  I think it's on the grill for about 15-20 minutes.  Toss it on a piece of aluminum foil, skin-side down and when it's done, it's super easy to flake it all off into a bowl. 

Oh, and that urfa pepper nonsense?  Yeah--plain ole cracked black pepper worked just fine for us.  Urfa pepper?  For real?  Annnnnnnnnnnnnd, I found steam-in-the-bag quinoa in my grocery store freezer section.  I may have broken into a happy dance right there in the freezer aisle.  It's not as if cooking quinoa is all that complicated; it isn't.  But this find made me super happy.  It did.  (more on whether or not that's sad in another post)


Alright, I think that's plenty of set up for ya.  Here's the recipe.  I promise, these were easy to put together and really yummy.  The extra shot of protein from the quinoa is such a great bonus, too.  Alongside some veggies...mmm, perfect!  Even my hubby (who doesn't like quinoa) granted this dinner a spot in the Make Again pile---I added it to the Make Again SOON pile.

What You'll Need
1 1/2 pounds center-cut salmon filet, skin-on
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup chopped green onion, green part only
2 tablespoons flour
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon urfa pepper, plus more for garnish (see Cook's Note)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Lemon wedges, for serving
What You'll Do

Special equipment: 1 cup applewood chips, soaked for 30 minutes

Drain the applewood chips and scatter them in the bottom of a foil-lined roasting pan.
 
Heat the pan over medium-low heat until the wood chips smoke, about 10 minutes. Place the salmon skin-side down on a wire rack and carefully set the rack over the wood chips. 

Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil and cook over medium-low heat until the salmon is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove the salmon from the smoker and let it to cool to room temperature.
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
 
Remove and discard the salmon skin, then flake the salmon into a large bowl. Add the quinoa, egg, green onion, flour, lemon zest, urfa pepper and salt. Mix until well combined. 

Form the mixture into six straight-sided patties about 1 inch tall and 2 1/2 inches wide.
 
Heat the coconut oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Sear the patties on both sides until crispy and deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. 

Transfer the patties to a rack set over a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. 

Sprinkle the croquettes with a little more urfa pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.  

Cook's Note:  Urfa pepper is a roasted Turkish pepper flake that provides smoky flavor and a subtle kick of heat along with crunchy texture. If you can't find urfa, just use freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe courtesy of Damaris Phillips

Who Cares When You Eat It!

Every now and again, Breakfast for Dinner is a thing.  A necessary thing.  Or a "I don't feel like making anything complicated because I've had a day" thing.  Either way, something about eating breakfast food at dinner time usually elicits giggles and smiles that have a beautiful way of dissolving whatever it was that necessitated breakfast for dinner in the first place.  When we have breakfast for dinner, you can pretty much bank on the fact that Abby will don PJs for the occasion. 

I've made this delicious dish for both breakfast and dinner (and brunch, if I'm really honest---which was a breakfast that got, for whatever reason, pushed back!) and there has ever been more than a spoonful or two leftover.

It's sweet, without being over the top sweet and it's easy.  I can totally get behind a dish that has those attributes.  You?

When Mark's Aunt arrived recently with bags and bags (and bags) of fresh-picked blueberries, it gave us an excuse to make this again.  Yummy warmth in a bowl.

Hope you will enjoy eating it--and sharing it--for whatever meal wearing whatever attire.  I'm not judging.  For heaven's sake, do what you do!  (From damndelicious.net)

 What You'll Need:

• 1 (12-count) package Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls, cubed
• 1 cup blueberries (I may have added more here...)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more, to taste
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 
  
For the crumb topping
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

What You'll Do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
•  Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Place a layer of bread cubes evenly into the baking dish. Top with blueberries in an even layer, repeating 2 more times and ending with a layer of bread.
• In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, maple syrup, lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• To make the crumb topping, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add cold butter and toss to coat, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the bread cubes.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Burgers in a Bowl

Alright, I promised a post and here it is. 

Full-disclosure, I was starving when I finally got this delicious bowlful of goodness in front of me, so I probably would have been happy to eat the box the pasta came in.  But seriously, this was easy to throw together, and it really hit the spot.

We lightened it up a bit more by swapping out the beef for turkey, using whole wheat pasta and serving it over a bed of shredded lettuce.  We also skipped the tomato paste (because Dodo Bird here forgot to add it to the list).  It might have been a tad thicker with it, but I didn't feel like it threw the dish off entirely.

I was skeptical about adding pickles, to be honest...but something about the addition of these little green bites worked out perfectly.  I started wondering what else I could add to this...it is a burger-inspired casserole after all.  Bacon?  Mushrooms?  Why not!?

If you "make it your way" (ahem!), be sure to let me know how you're "lovin' it" (equal opportunity burger joint plugs here!).

Cheeseburger Casserole www.skinnytaste.com Servings: 9 • Size: about 1 cup • Cal: 261 • Fat: 9 g • Protein: 21.5 g • Carb: 21.5 g • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 3 g  Sodium: 468.5 mg
What You'll Need:

• 2 cups (6 oz) uncooked rotini pasta
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 lb lean ground beef (95% lean)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 cups reduced fat grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles

What You'll Do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente and drain well.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 

Stir in the beef and cook until browned; season with salt and pepper. 

Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes and mustard. 

Let the mixture bubble gently until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. 


Toss the meat mixture with the pasta and spread it into the prepared dish. 

Top with the cheddar and bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. 

Sprinkle the chopped pickles over the top and serve. Makes about 9 cups.

So There's This Bar....

Some might say the whole salted caramel thing is overdone.  Played out.  A fad.  Whatever....I don't really care all that much, because I happen to love it.  I guess it would be alright if it fizzled out, though---because a girl could get into a lot of trouble if she made these too often.

Decadent?  Yeah.  Rich?  For sure.  Delicious?  Well, duh.  They are not, in the slightest, not even a teensy tiny bit clean.  I should apologize for that, but it's not like I created the recipe.  So how about we blame that girl?  What's that you say?  You are still blaming me because I'm the one who shared it?  Okay.  You have a point there.  But you're going to be the one making and eating them.  So I guess there's no one to blame but yourself.  Ha!  That worked out nicely.

Anyway...I've made these several times and shared them as gifts.  I think they've been appreciated, but it's hard to understand what people are saying with their mouths full of this goodness. 

I present to you...the heaven that is (drum roll, please) Salted Caramel Butter Bars. 
A delicious butter shortbread crust with gooey caramel in the inside!

Prep time:  10 mins     Cook time:  45 mins     Total time:  55 mins     Serves: 16 (really?)

What You Need

• 2 cups butter, softened  (somewhere right now Paula Deen is rejoicing!)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 1 14 oz bag caramels, unwrapped or 11 oz unwrapped Caramel Bits work great
• ⅓ cup whipping cream
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
• Willpower

What You'll Do

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar, and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in the flour and combine until it forms a soft dough.
3. Press half of the dough in the bottom of a 9x13 dish and place the other half of the dough into the refrigerator. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and melt the caramels, heavy cream and ½ tsp vanilla in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir together until smooth. Pour evenly over the hot crust. Lightly sprinkle the coarse sea salt over the crust. I didn't end up using the entire T, just lightly sprinkle evenly on top. You don't want them too salty. :)
5. Take the remaining dough out of the refrigerator and crumble over the top of the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until filling is bubbly and the top is firm. Let them cool completely before cutting.
6. Exercise willpower to not devour the entire pan...they're almost too rich for this to even be an issue, but I feel it's my duty to warn you.  So you can say you were, in fact, warned. You're welcome.