In the winter, make the salmon in the broiler (see original recipe), if it is summer, throw it on the grill. I like to pair this meal with jasmine rice (with some of the leftover sauce, and a touch of mayo or sour cream, and salt), salted avocado, and another vegetable like wilted spinach with butter and lemon juice.

Sweet Chili Glaze Salmon

adapted form Bon Appetit April 2010

1/4 cup Asian sweet chili sauce

2 TBS soy sauce

2 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves — minced

kosher salt

6 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin

Prepare charcoal or gas grill. In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients (except the salmon). Place the salmon on cookie sheet with a lip. Lightly salt the fish then place a large spoonful of the sauce over each filet. Reserve 1/4 of the sauce for post cooking (*note: do not let the spoon touch the fish during this process so that you can use the sauce later). Let the salmon and sauce sit for 10 minutes. Place the salmon on the grill (non-skin side down). Cook for 3 minutes, then rotate to get grill marks. Cook another 3-4 minutes then flip and cook until desired doneness (the salmon should feel like the tip of your nose on the non-skin side). ~2 – 5 more minutes. Take off grill and cover with aluminum foil. Serve with another small spoonful of the sauce.

Our new roomates drink really good wine

They have an “account” system at the local meat market – yes, you just give them your home phone number to “pay” and walk out the door with your groceries. I feel like I could run into Marty McFly whenever I step in.

We rarely use our car

We have live-in babysitters

It is amazingly easy to cook dinner when someone is there to entertain your toddler

As great as the suburbs are, it did take us an hour++ to get into the city for Conor’s birthday dinner on Wendnesday night, which was a reality check to my new love of “country-livin.”

Strawberry Shortcake w/ balsamic

Pound cake – from Martha Stewart

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature + more for the pan

2 cups ap flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 large eggs

Preheat oven to F. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt; set aside. In an electric mixer with a fitted paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes, scrap down the sides as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. On the low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Place the batter into the loaf pan and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean; ~50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 10-15 minutes. Turn out cake onto the rack to cool completely. Cake can be kept at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic, for up to 3 days.

..

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tsp sugar

In a stand mixer bowl combine the cream and sugar. Beat until the mixture has stiff peaks. be careful not to over-beat.

..

1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar

Place vinegar in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture has reduced by at least half and has become a thicker-somewhat syrupy mixture.

…

Fresh strawberries – chopped

To make the desert: Slice the pound cake and toast each pace. Garnish each plate with fresh strawberries, cream, and a small drizzle of the balsamic syrup.

I love when I go to make a recipe and I have to get creative since I do not have exactly what it calls for. So with this recipe I used canola oil over vegetable, raw turbinado sugar over brown sugar, and pecans instead of walnuts–the results turned out perfectly. And with a few other minor editorial changes this recipe is just awesome. The bread is nutty, rich, and has an-almost-liqueur-tasting finish. I seriously have a zucchini problem.

Zucchini Bread

adapted from: Martha Stewart’s “Blueprint” (favorite of  chef Scott Fratangelo from Spigolo)

makes 2 loaves

2 cups zucchini – grated (2 medium zucchinis)

1 cup sugar

1 cup raw turbinado sugar

1 cup canola oil

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup pecans – chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix zucchini with sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon–use a fork to mix. Using a stand mixer or a hand held mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the nuts.

Prepare 2, 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans with butter (use a small amount to coat the sides). Pour half of the mixture into each pan. Place the pans in the oven (top rack) and cook for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 mins and then remove the bread from the pans and let it cool for one hour on a cooling rack.

I wanted to bring an app to the BBQ, so I did not need to go crazy buying the 2 pounds of fresh tuna that the recipe called for, so I bulked up on the avocados–poor man style! As it turns out, I went to Whole Foods to buy the fish and as I approached the counter I realized there was no tuna. I made my way to the sushi counter and demanded some ahi tuna. They sliced off a piece that would be the equivalent of 12 nigiri pieces and I was on my way. The “salad” came together nicely being citrusy, slightly spicy, fresh, and smokey. This will probably be my go-to summer app. Brian actually said the dish tasted like “Florida.” And while I’m not  exactly sure what that means, I took it as a compliment.

Grilled tuna/avocado dip

adapted from barefoot contessa at home

Serves 4 -6 (appetizer)

zest of 2 limes

juice of 4 small limes

2 tsp soy sauce (low sodium)

10-15 dashes Tabasco sauce

a splash of honey

1/2 red onion very small dice

2 scallions (white and green parts) – minced

1/2 tsp prepared wasabi

4 -5 ripe avocados – medium dice

1/2 pound of fresh ahi tuna (see note above)

olive oil

s and p

crackers (I used the pita crackers from Trader Joe’s)

In a bowl whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, honey, red onion, scallion, with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Season with s and p. Set aside.

Prepare the tuna by brushing the olive oil on both sides as well as salt and pepper. Sear the fish (just slightly) on a charcoal grill ~2 minutes on ea. side. Let rest for 5 minutes, then roughly chop. You want the center to be raw.

In a medium bowl add the avocado (salted), the tuna, and then slowly add in the marinade (to taste). I used about 70 % of the marinade. I used the remaining marinade as a salad dressing the next day.

Serve with crackers.

I decided to make this soup I found on Heidi’s blog, 101 Cookbooks. We were at a friend’s house before dinner and they asked what I was making. My response was, “oh just a boring soup since B gave up meat for Lent.” Is it just me, or do all of us non-vegetarians look at vegetarian meals as kinda uninteresting? I mean we eat a decent amount of meatless dishes, but there is still this idea that vegetarian food = missing out.

You will not miss anything with this soup. It is very unique, very healthy, and super flavorful.  There is a sweetness and texture that you get from the onions that is just amazing. It does incorporate turmeric and cumin so beware if you are having company over.

We all really loved this soup, especially Nora who had trouble eating it and spilled all over her new summer shirt. We can’t seem to keep clothes clean around here (that goes for all of us). So if you see a little girl with a a stained blue and white stripped top, don’t judge, she needs to wear it more than once.

Red Lentil Lemon Soup

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves 4

2 cups red lentils – rinsed

1 TBS turmeric

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt

1 large onion – diced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 cup chopped cilantro

3 lemons – juiced

1 large bunch of spinach leaves – chopped

In a stockpot add the lentils, 7 cups of water, the turmeric, and 1 TBS of butter, and 2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer (covered) for ~20 minutes or until lentils are soft and breaking up. Then puree the soup in a blender of with an immersion blender add water until desired consistency. (I think the soup is best a bit thinner).

Meanwhile heat a skillet over medium heat and add 2 TBS of the butter, the onion, the cumin, and the mustard seeds. Cook (stirring occasionally) for ~ 10 minutes or until soft. Then add the cilantro and cook for a few seconds, remove from pan and reserve in a small bowl. In the same pan, add another TBS of butter and cook the spinach until just wilted, salt.

Add the juice of 3 lemons to the soup (or to taste), then add the onions and the spinach. If reheated the soup, you may find you will need to add more water at that time.

**The recipe from 101 Cookbooks calls for brown rice and Greek yogurt as garnish, but I found the soup to be best on its own.

One recipe that was on my “to-make” list all winter were these crispy potatoes that I first saw in Bon Appetit. I then saw them again on Amelia’s blog, Bon Appetemt. She sold me on the spuds. I urge you to read her comparison of the crispy potatoes to McDonald’s french fries… spot on!

This recipe is a bit labor intensive, but so worth it. Looking at the ingredient list, you will think that this recipe will take 5 minutes, but the taste of these potatoes comes from the technique, which takes some time. The Yukon Gold’s are crispy on the outside with a fluffy potato center; they are salty and rich. I think you will really like them. They are perfect right out of the oven or even cold from the fridge (the best food test). I served them with Greek yogurt at dinner and with ketchup the next day. Make extra so you can pack them in your lunch or brown bag it for your kids.

French Fry Fix Potatoes

adapted from Bon Appetemt

Serves 6

4- 6 pounds small-ish Yukon Gold potatoes –  peeled
1 TBS kosher salt plus more
1/2 (scant) cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat a large pot of water and a generous pinch of salt. Add the prepared potatoes in batches and cook for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a dry cookie sheet. Once cool, use the tines of a fork to scrape down the sides of the potato throughout. Repeat with all of the potatoes.

Pour the olive oil into a rimmed cookie sheet. Place in oven and heat for 5 minutes.  Remove the oil from the oven and add the potatoes; shake the tray to coat the potatoes, season with the tablespoon of salt. Cook for 60-70 minutes, flipping the potatoes 3 times throughout the process.

Once we found out that our renters were coming soon, the first thing we needed to tackle was the dreaded basement storage unit. I think I have mentioned before that this spot frightens me. It’s dark, creepy, and a box or two usually falls on me while I’m there. We (like to) keep things tidy in our house, but what is behind closed doors (or storage unit stables) is another story.

I am a saver, so I like to keep random documents, clothing, and maybe a stuffed animal or two all for the sake of preserving “my history.” But when we found things like my notes for my first interview out of college or my internship binders, I knew what I had to do. Brian even made me throw away my sticks. What are the sticks you ask? Well, they are bare branches that I love decorating with in the winter. Bye, bye, branches.

We also discovered that we have the world’s largest collection of coolers. Lunch coolers, wine coolers (no, not the kind you can drink), backpack coolers, you name the kind of cooler, we had it. So, if you are in the market for a cooler, please visit the Oak Park Salvation Army.

Enough talk about our exciting storage unit cleanse (if you even kept reading), I have a braised short rib recipe that I promised you.

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs

adapted from Secrets of a Restaurant Chef

Serves 6

6 bone-in short ribs (or the boneless ones at Costco are also quite good!) (~ 5 1/2 pounds)

olive oil

s and p

1 large Spanish onion – chopped

2 celery ribs – rough chop

2 carrots, peeled – rough chop

2 cloves garlic – smashed

1 can tomato paste

2 cups cabernet wine

2 cups water

3 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 340 F. In a large dutch oven heat  olive oil (just enough to coat the pan). Pat meat dry with a paper towel, then season the meat with generous salt and pepper. Place the meat in the pan (only a few at a time… do not over crowd) and sear until brown ~3-5 mins on each side. Remove. Keep the pan, but remove most (but not all) of the remaining oil.

In a food processor combine the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Puree until smooth. Place the puree into the pan and cook for ~6 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 3 mins. Then add the wine and water. Cook for 5 mins and then return the meat to the pan. Add the bay leaf and thyme and place in the oven (with lid). Cook for 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours or until fork tender (remove the lid for the last 20 mins).   And turn the ribs half way through cooking.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sauce and creamy polenta or mashed potatoes.

Roasted Beet Salad inspired by Revolution Brewing Company

Serves 4

1 yellow beet

1 red beet

olive oil

–

8 oz goat cheese

1 cup flour

1 egg + water

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

canola oil

–

1 lemon – juiced

1 lime – juiced

1/2 orange – juiced

olive oil – double the amount of the collective fresh fruit juice

1/2 shallot – minced

–

toasted pumpkin seeds – salted

arugula

s & p

Preheat oven to 375 F. Clean the beets, dry. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. In two shallow baking dishes add a 1/2 inch of water and the beets (beets must cook in seperate containers so that the color do not bleed together). Cook for 1-2 hours or until the beets are fork tender. Cool, remove skin, and slice thinly. (The beets can also be boiled, I find this to be faster). (The beets can be made up to a day in advance)

Meanwhile, slice the goat cheese into 2 oz. slices, making small “cheese disks.” Place the four, egg wash, and panko into three bowls respectively. Season the cheese with salt and then do the three-step breading process: run through the flour, egg wash, and finally the panko. Set on a plate in the fridge and chill for an hour (these can be made up to a day in advance).

For the vinaigrette, place all contents in a small bowl and whisk together. Or shake together in a small tupperware.

In a medium dutch oven, heat the canola oil (enough so that the croquettes will be covered) until 350 F (I do not use a thermometer, I place a small piece of bread in the liquid to see when it starts to fry it). Once the oil is ready, place the croquettes (very gently) with a spider strainer in the oil and fry for ~30 seconds to a minute or until golden. Remove with a spider strainer onto a paper towel.

Toss arugula with vinaigrette. Plate the beets (salt), then arugula, then croquette, garnish with pumpkin seeds.