Flashback Friday: Salmon!

My friend Marsha, from Marsha's Kitchen made Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter the other day. I had already made it once before and we loved it, absolutely loved, but I added the jalapeno's, Marsha didn't. But I wouldn't call her a wuss or anything. Not me :) So anyway, I'm reading her post, early this morning, and boy, it is looking really good! Especially on her pretty plate next to the grilled vegetables!  and I get to thinking, and I get to craving. I have to have this again! Today was a beach day so the fish guy by the beach has really fresh, really great salmon. So we spent the day at the beach and stopped off at the fish guy!  I got a tan, the Griller and the kids get a really good dinner. Everyone's happy!

Thanks, Marsha, your salmon looked so good when I saw it, I had to have it again! When I made the recipe the first time, I added fresh jalapeno's and chopped shallots. Tonight I made it with jalapeno, a roasted poblano and shallots!

To roast the poblano pepper, just put it under the broiler, and roast it until the pepper is charred! Then put it in a brown paper bag and roll the top closed! The pepper will steam inside the bag and the skin will peel off easily!  Throw it into a food processor with a shallot, a garlic clove, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice and some of the lime zest. Salt and pepper and 1/2 of a jalapeno. Whiz it up in the food processor! You can freeze any leftovers for another use.

 Charred and peeled!

  Garlic, Lime and Jalapeno-Poblano Butter

Joining Suzy from Kitchen Bouquet for another Flashback Friday! Click here to see more Flashbacks with Suzy!

The Flashback fish...

Here's the Flashback links...

http://theresalwaysthyme.blogspot.com/2010/01/grilling-salmon-with-garlic-and-lime.html

The original recipe is here @ epicurious.com!

and the printable adapted recipe!

and this is how it looked tonight...

and with the leftover lime butter, we grilled some calamari for me and my shellfish allergy, and some scallops for everyone else!

Dinner was so good, I even had a few of the grilled asparagus. used to really dislike asparagus. The kids love them. So I decided to set an example and just try something I normally wouldn't touch. and I surprised myself, and really liked them. But only the really thin ones. I may even have them again one of these days!

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Pretzels and Smoothies!

Oh how I love to bake. NOT! and the last attempt at baking was interesting. Two loaves, same recipe, same oven, same time. One was somewhat perfect. The other inedible. and so goes the history of my baking. Hit or miss. Mostly miss. But when my daughter, Miss Picky, went with me to Crate and Barrel and said let's buy this pretzel mix, we can do it together. Who could resist?

So off we went with our packages, me with lots of fun gadgets for the kitchen and Miss Picky, who stopped at a few, or what seemed liked hundreds, of clothing stores all along the way! When we got home, I put the package of pretzel mix way in the back of the pantry, hoping she'd forget! I was so wrong. She didn't forget and today on a beautiful, sunny morning, Miss Picky said, let's bake the pretzels together. and so we did. And we lived happily ever after.

The end.

Actually Miss Picky turned out to be a very good, and very patient baker. Unlike her mother :) The pretzels came out really good. Better than good. They were fantastic. The mix was good, just pre-measured flour with salt and sugar, yeast and pretzel salt! I could probably measure it out myself. Maybe. We just added melted butter and water! Miss Picky kneaded it by hand. and we rolled them out.  Pain in the neck. That dough is elastic and no matter how much we rolled, they shrunk went back to being small! So we dropped them in the boiling water anyway and then baked them! For 12 minutes and they ended up being the best pretzels we've had! A very big hit. So I looked for a recipe online for next time, because these were so good, there has to be a next time. and I found this one by Alton Brown. It looks extremely close to the mix we used!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

We started with fruit smoothies. Frozen strawberries, bananas and some strawberry sorbet! A little cup of berry yogurt, a fresh apricot and some granola. A little bit of apple juice to thin it out. Whizzed in the blender, it's really good with a side of pretzel!

It took a couple of tries, but we finally got the hang of rolling out the dough!

Some ended up as pretzel sticks!

Not too bad. A little crusty crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. They were great, better than the ones from the mall!

This is our finished product!

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Mosaic Monday: Ice Pops!

It's been the 3 H's here for some time in New York and many other places. Hot, hazy and humid! Some days we lose the haze and some days we lose the humid, but the hot is here to stay for a while it seems. What better treat on a hot day but an ice pop? Remember those Tupperware ice pop molds from when you were a kid? Vintage? They are vintage? I must be, too, I remember them well! My mother had those for us, filled with orange juice for a sweet, healthy treat! I bought a set when the big kid was small. We tried the paper cup thing with an ice cream stick but that had the potential for spillage. Huge spills! Huge mess! You know how many times a four year old checks to see if the ice pops are ready?  I still prefer my popsicles from Abe the Good Humor man, who drove around every afternoon with his bells ringing, but he's long gone! There's something about the bells of an ice cream truck! But sometimes we miss the guy and we need a frozen treat!

So when I joined Suzy's Ice Cream Social last weekend, I saw that Susan from Savoring Time in the Kitchen had made fudgsicle's! My absolute favorite! And star shaped! So cute! So I looked online for the stars, but ended up with the Groovy Molds, and due to a large cookbook addiction, I also ended up with a book on Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone! It looked good! Some great ideas!

and it's all Susan's fault. Her fudgsicles looked amazing!

For the first try we went with easy and really refreshing. Lemonade. It's so hot, I thought a nice, frozen lemonade would be perfect. and some strawberries to make it pretty. Although at 98 degrees and humid, I don't really think anyone care much if it was pretty! They wanted cold! Ice cold! These were gone the minute they froze!

How cool are these? Even filled with lemonade they stand up whether they are in the tray or not!
The "stick" snaps in and makes a seal!  No messy freezer here!

Is it me or does this look like it's giving us the finger?

Cool! Strawberry-Lemonade Ice Pops!

Next we tried Root Beer Floats!

The Root Beer, was the favorite! So far!

But then, I haven't made Susan's fudgsicles yet...

Had some trouble with one, but not too big a deal! It was good anyway!

This one held together! For the most part!

Root Beer Float Pops
Source: adapted somewhat from Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella
Printable Recipe

(The original recipe had a maraschino cherry in with the root beer, but I left that out!)

4 cups Root Beer
2 1/2 cups Vanilla Ice Cream

Pour a little bit of the root beer halfway into the molds or cup or whatever you are using and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Tilt them of you can.

Gently put a little of the ice cream into each pop mold, or squish it in a bit, make sure it goes all the way down, no air pockets.  It should be about three quarters full.

Slowly add more root beer until the molds are full. Scoop the foam off with a spoon. Freeze for at least 6 hours or more.

Remove the pops from the freezer; let them sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before removing them from the molds.

Joining Mary's Mosaic Monday again this week. For more mosaic's stop by the Little Red House!

The Root Beer Pops were the favorite! So far!

But then, I haven't made Susan's fudgsicles yet...

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Sliders

Miss Picky decided we just had to have a mini burger / slider press.  If it makes her eat something besides pasta and potatoes, I'm in! So we got one! and tonight we had sliders with all the fixing's!

I looked for slider buns at the supermarket, looked and looked, there was nothing specifically labeled slider buns, but Arnold's dinner rolls were a perfect fit! I guess it's sort of like when my kids were small, I never made cupcakes before, not from scratch and not from a mix. I went to the grocery and couldn't find the box of cupcake mix. Looked everywhere. Nothing said CUPCAKE MIX! Finally went to the customer service desk and asked. The girl directed me to the cake mixes with a very big smile! This time I wasn't taking chances, I didn't ask, I just went with the dinner rolls :)

Mine had chipotle mayo, onions, cheddar, avocado, shredded lettuce and tomatoes!

Miss Picky had two mini's. Plain with ketchup. This was worth it. Very worth it! I think chicken mini's are in our future! and definitely I can make these gyro burgers again, they were amazing!  Flashing back to the Middle Eastern Sliders by Rachael Ray for Suzy's Flashback Friday at Kitchen Bouquet!  Stop by the Kitchen Bouquet to see more flashbacks!

Middle Eastern Sliders
Source: Rachael Ray Everyday Magazine, June-July 2009
Printable Recipe

4 pita breads
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 romaine heart, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dill pickle slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
3/4 cup store-bought hummus

Tip: You can also use Greek-style yogurt instead of the hummus and add feta cheese crumbles to the salad.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Stack the pitas and wrap in heavy-duty foil; place on the grill and cover to warm.

In a large bowl, combine the beef with the cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; shape into twelve 1/3-inch-thick patties. In another large bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes and pickles; toss with the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the pitas from the grill. Transfer the beef patties to the grill, cover and grill for 2 minutes on each side for medium. Spread each pita with some of the hummus, then top with some of the salad and 3 patties. Serve with the lemon wedges.

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Mosaic Monday: Pea Shoots

It's so hot here. It's so hot everywhere! So the best I could come up with for Mosaic Monday is a salad mosaic. A nice cool salad! I love salad when it's hot out. but the family can't live on salad alone, or won't, so the Griller grilled a couple of skirt steaks, too!

My new favorite in my salad the past few weeks has been pea shoots! They add flavor and crunch and it's a nice something different. Adding dried cherries, fennel, walnuts and fresh mozzarella doesn't hurt either!

Joining Mary's Mosaic Monday again this week. For more mosaic's stop by the Little Red House!

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You are invited to Suzy's Ice Cream Social!

Joining Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for her now annual Ice Cream Social to celebrate National Ice Cream Day! It's a great time to celebrate ice cream, it's been so hot here in New York!  

First of all, if you plan on making homemade ice cream, make sure you have room in your freezer for the freezer bowl. OK, so that let me out of making fresh ice cream. The freezer is packed. Jam-packed! So I thought of the next best thing, easy as pie, and I could kill two birds with one stone (where did that saying come from? Sorry, Marsha, I know you love birds!) by making Baked Alaska! I could make more room in the freezer by using the ice cream that was already in there, and then I'd have room to freeze the cakes! Just had to go out and get a pound cake for the crust. No big deal. Except I felt like I was melting myself when I left my air conditioned house. Baked Alaska. A favorite dessert from my days at sleep-away camp as a kid. Barb at Foley's Follies did it last year, and Suzy did it this year, and so I figured what could be the worst that happened if I tried to make it?  Burnt Alaska? Almost!

 Not quite Burnt Alaska but getting close! I got to it in time! 

 

I made some in silicone baking cups and some in mini springform pans!

But then I put them in that packed freezer. That jam-packed freezer! One dropped out and I caught it. Most of it! 

Uh-oh!

Take my word for it, that one was the best looking one :) Yeah, right!

So I lost one, not too bad, considering!  I used Edie's Cookie Dough Ice Cream and Entenmann's All Butter Pound Cake. You can do it all homemade, homemade pound cake, homemade ice cream, but it seems I had issues the last time I made Pound Cake, for Teacher Appreciation Day, and next year I don't think they'll be calling my house for a baked donation!

In the end the Baked Alaska turned out great. Maybe not so much looking, but great tasting. I think I can get the hang of this. It came out pretty good, and the kids loved it!

Baked Alaska
Source: Amy from camp
Printable Recipe

1 pie tin
1 loaf pound cake
ice cream, chocolate and vanilla, a little softened to spread (or any flavor you like)
4-6 egg whites
1 cup of sugar

Slice the pound cake.

Press it into the pie tin on bottom and around the sides.

Spread ice cream on top of the cake. Spread chocolate on bottom, vanilla on top.

Freeze.

Meringue: Beat the egg whites and sugar with a hand or stand mixer. When the egg whites are stiff, they should form peaks when you lift them with a spoon. Spread on top of the ice cream.

Put into broiler for 45-60 seconds. The top should be brown. You can return to the freezer to serve later if you like.

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Joining Letz Relish Ice Cream Event at Tasty Appetite

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Flashback Friday: Sorbet

This weekend is the Annual Ice Cream Social over at Suzy's Kitchen Bouquet ! 

 Check out Flashback Friday with Suzy for a look at all the fun stuff from last year's Ice Cream Social! and join Suzy this weekend for this another Ice Cream Social. I'm joining in on Flashback Friday to bring back a really great chocolate sorbet from last year! and still thinking of what I'm making for the Ice Cream Party! I just have to remember to clean out the freezer to make room for the ice cream maker bowl.

Click here for the sorbet recipe! It's so good on top of a slice of toasted pound cake.

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Mosaic Monday: Mushrooms again

Has to be one of my most favorite foods in the whole wide world! Stuffed Mushrooms!

I usually have some sad, old tomatoes left, just one or two, getting a little soft. So I roast them. A little olive oil, some garlic, salt and pepper.  It's saved from being thrown out and wasted. This time I put the roasted tomatoes inside the mushrooms and sprinkled a bit of Parmesan on top! A drizzle of olive oil, a drop of white wine, and a dab of butter in the pan and baked them. Delicious. Nice change from the breadcrumbs.

Joining Mary's Mosaic Monday again this week. For more mosaic's stop by the Little Red House!

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Stuffed...

Allergies stink. My whole life I ate lobster, shrimp, clams, everything. No worries. Until one day, a few years ago. Baked clams. Couple hives. No big deal. Must have touched something. Never gave it a second thought. Weeks later, a bucket of steamers. More hives. More Benadryl. A few weeks after that the fish store was having a sale on steamed lobsters. Yum! Covered, head to toe, hives. Get a marker and play connect the dot. So many hives!  Doctor said allergies. Zyrtec did the trick. and I haven't had shellfish since. So I make do. Crab cakes out of fake crab. Calamari every which way. But I never prepared calamari myself, only had it out. Or ordered in. usually rings. and then I saw some not too disgusting looking squid. Really fresh, tentacles and all. and I thought I could try this. I would also be the only one eating it, except for the big kid. He's somewhat adventurous when it comes to food. Miss Picky was not home. Much easier to be adventurous when she is at a friend's house.

Always rushing, always short on time, I just threw this one together, no recipe. A little chopped tomato, some garlic, salt and pepper, and dried bread crumbs. A little dot of butter. Mushed all that together and stuffed it in the squid. Put them in a small disposable foil pan, also dotted with a bit of butter, a little olive oil and sprinkled some more bread crumbs on top. Baked it for more than ten minutes but less than 30, can't remember, I think I just lucked out and didn't over cook it, because I was also trying to get some salmon ready, too!

Have to figure out a way to make calamari taste like spaghetti and white clam sauce. I bet I could. or close. or maybe still good.

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Mosaic Monday: Pups!

Happy Fourth Of July! America's 234th Birthday!

Took a nice break from things this past week. It was gorgeous weather, perfect for strolling the boardwalk, walking by the beach. So I did. We're enjoying the weekend! Not much cooking, not much doing lately, a welcome relief.  But joining in Mary's Mosaic Monday again this week. For more mosaic's stop by the Little Red House!

Trying a new way to do the mosaics this week. Change of pace from Big Huge Labs. Found the link to Picnik on another blog. and now I can't remember which blog, but I loved the mosaics, so I tried it. I usually use Big Huge Labs. Picnik is nice, too! I tried it with a mosaic of our dogs!

Sorry, Kathleen, but I did the mosaic of my pups this week! I know how much you love big, sloppy dogs, LOL! But scroll on down and there's a nice calzone for you and Mike :) Serves two!

Three dogs, Max is the baby at ten months, he was really supposed to be a pair of sneakers from the mall, but the big kid came home with a dog instead of new sneakers. Chip was a whim, from the dog pound. Six weeks old, he fit in our hands. Just couldn't leave him. and Trixie is because we were passing the Bide-A-Wee adoption place, and stopped to look instead of the bowling alley down the block. No one in the family is allowed near pet stores, pet adoption places or the pound any more in the near future.

                                                Max                          Chip                        Trixie

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So not much happening in the kitchen this week, we ordered in a lot. This was by far the favorite of the week. A brick oven calzone, stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella. The thinnest crust and not overstuffed to the point of a total globby mess, and it's huge, it's for two or more! With delicious brick oven taste! and a very crispy crust! I think I could do this, but it won't look as good, and it won't be a thin crust or as crispy a crust. but I'm going to try one of these days! Minus the brick oven. Unless Mr. Griller plans to buy me a nice, expensive brick oven, we'll stick to the grill! or a baking stone. Or takeout again!

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