Ginger Soy Salmon

If you can get my 5-year-old and 2-year-old to eat salmon I would pay you a million dollars. Not really. But, seriously! It's so tasty and healthy, just C'mon, eat it already! My husband and I recently ate at a sushi restaurant and our table was directly across from a mother with her two sons who were digging into none other than, gasp, grilled salmon filets! No whining. No, "EWW, what's that!??" coming from their mouths. Just empty plates. I gaped. I poked Travis in the ribs. I outright stared. Well, I tried to serve it at our home, but with no such luck. Each child ate their obligatory "No Thank You" helping and went hungry that night. Sigh. 

Carrot Almond Cake

I've made a gluten free dessert. And it actually tastes good. Sometimes you waste time, energy and expensive ingredients when you experiment. Not today. Today is a day of cake that kinda tastes like Grandma's Impossible Pie, because it has layers - magical layers that you never created, but just exist in the final product.  The bottom layer is kinda custard-ey and the top layer is spring-ey and cake like. It gets more kick from cardamom (ah, the Swedes) - a lot of it, a whole tablespoon. I wasn't sure about that measurement, but it works so well with carrots. My hubby said it reminded him of Indian food. There is no flour and you can avoid sugar all together if you can get your hands on some vegetable glycerine (what is that, anyway?). If you like your cake less sweet I would recommend taking out a 1/2 cup of sugar - it was a little sweet for me. Not having vegetable glycerine, I used a combo of honey, sugar and coconut oil. It doesn't really need frosting, but I put some on to make it more appealing to the cuties in my house. The original recipe called for cream cheese frosting, but never having cream cheese in the house, I did a powdered sugar and coconut oil frosting.

Vegetable Pancakes

 Do you ever find a recipe online and count the days, minutes and seconds until you can create it?  Do you check your fridge three or four times a day making sure you have the right ingredients, wondering when you'll be able to eat your masterpiece, keeping track of how many kale leaves you have (actually, I'm sure no sane person ever goes through that)? For me, it was this recipe from Smitten Kitchen that un-did me. However, I had to wait several days before the stars would align and I would find some time in the kitchen while my two little monkeys gave me a break from Hot Wheeling down the driveway. Grandma took them to Despicable Me 2 and they came home talking like little yellow men that say "BEE-DO BEE-DO BEE-DO." Back to the pancakes.

Tomato and Burrata Baguette

Spanish Bocadillos are one of Spain's greatest everyday culinary treats. In college I was able to spend a Summer eating my fill of all things Spanish.  A Bocadillo is really just a simple sandwich, not a lot of condiments or sauces.  Just really good ingredients.  Amazing, crusty, FRESH bread that has been rubbed with tomato and layered with salty ham or jamon serrano was my favorite version.  

Thai Basil Iced Tea

One of my childhood memories is gazing at an enormous pitcher of water with tea bags and a ton of cut lemon basking in the Summer's heat on my Aunt's sunny picnic table.  Wondering how odd it was that the sun would cook the tea.

Cheddar-Fennel Scones

 

When this showed up in my weekly CSA box I originally assumed it was the herb dill.  The "dill" stayed in my crisper drawer, delicately wrapped in a damp paper towel, awaiting its rendezvous with cheddar so as to become one of Ina Garten's Cheddar-Dill Scones.  Upon unwrapping and sniffing "Mr. Dill" my direction in the kitchen changed as I sniffed not dill, but licorice and anise and nothing dilly, at all. Total let-down. What could that be??  Fennel?  There was no bulb at the bottom of the fronds.  But, yes, it was fennel. My box contained fennel fronds. What the heck do people do with fennel fronds other than store them in your freezer for one year because you can't imagine throwing something away telling yourself you'll use them one day?  Yeah, right.  Could it go in my scone?  Sure.  The recipe has 3 sticks of butter - what isn't going to taste heavenly with 3 sticks of butter in it?

Preserved Green Beans

 
Ah, Summer.  How I love thee.  I love the car windows down - air on my skin, whipping my hair around. Being hot and sweaty all the time.  Diving into lakes.  Parades.  Festivals.  Garden produce.  GARDEN PRODUCE.  Best part. BEST. PART.  Summer doesn't last long enough in Minnesota.  So, in my futile attempt to drag it out I use a squirrel/hoarding technique of stacking my freezer with so many frozen what-nots that Summer can be had in January.

Caper Tuna Salad

 
I'm a creature of habit.  Every month I forget that I'm female and am reminded of my femaleness by being tormented by the fact that I believe I am the Michelin Man. After the Michelin Man consumes my brain for a day and a half I turn to carb-less creations.  Like this one. It was kinda like a gourmet Subway Sandwich (minus the bread). Their tuna salad is sooo--ooo good! I add capers to mine to add extra flavor and fancy-shmancy-ness. Because of the capers don't add any salt - or proceed with caution, my salad didn't need any extra salt because of the salty, briny caper-yummalishness.  Try it!

 

Chard Pie

 

Are you wondering how Swiss chard is going to taste in pie form?  Absolutely scrumptious!!  The 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and generous serving of parmigiano reggiano might have something to do with that.

This was served as dinner to my mom, dad, brother and sister with a beautiful green salad and cheddar fennel scones (recipe to come on future blog post - think butter, butter, butter!).  Everyone ate every morsel from their plate. They raved.  They ooh'd.  They ahh'd.  They wanted it for breakfast.  My mom beat my dad to the kitchen next morning, which he was very sorry for.

Lemon Balm Shortbread

What is lemon balm you ask? It's an herb with a wonderful minty, lemony aroma. It's great steeped as tea, made into pesto, and the plant itself attracts butterflies to gardens. Lovely. It made an appearance in my CSA box which totally excited me because I've never used lemon balm before. I decided to swap out the basil that was called for in this cookie's original recipe for lemon balm. Why not??

Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

 My sage plant is running rampant.  What shall I do??  There is not much I eat with sage, other than Thanksgiving Day stuffing.  A hot plate of stuffing is exactly what I don't want in July.  I walk by my sage plant and run my fingers through it to smell it.  Its kinda musty and gross.  I wasn't sure I'd like the sage in this sauce, but I do. Oh, yes, I do. Actually, the sage was the best part!!  I wanted more of those crisp-ity, butter-ery little sage bites.  The flavor competely mellowed out.  Yumma!!

Summer Vedge Pizza

This pizza is simple.  Its fresh and tasty - full of seasonal vegetables.   I love to use Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough. It comes in a plastic bag and it cost like a dollar!!  Let's be honest, that's what makes this so simple.

No-Bake Oatmeal Haystacks

Good Morning! I'm here to give you the easiest, fastest, yummiest, most kid-friendly cookie recipe in the whole entire world. Guaranteed. Nothing can beat it. Nothing tops this. Nothing even comes close. Never. Ever. Ever. In. The. Whole. Entire. Creation. Of. Human-dom. 

Doubtful? Just try me! BWA HA HA HA HAAAAA !