In an effort to be “healthier” or at least tell ourselves that, I’ve added more fish to our diet. Salmon is one of the ones I truly enjoy, so here’s a simple recipe that I found worked really well. It ended up being moist, tasty, and full of flavor!
Also, asparagus goes really well with salmon. I use a simple recipe for them that I’ll be posting soon.
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Baked Salmon
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil big enough to encase salmon. Lightly coat the foil with baking spay.
Arrange 2-3 sprigs of the rosemary down the middle.
Cut one lemon into thin slices and arrange half the slices down the middle with the rosemary.
Place the salmon on top - skin side down if you opted for skin on.
Drizzle the salmon with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Rub to coat, then scatter the garlic over the top.
Lay the remaining rosemary and lemon slices on top of the salmon.
Juice the second lemon, then pour the juice over the top.
Fold the sides of the aluminum foil up and over the top of the salmon until it is completely enclosed. Make sure there is room for air circulation inside the packet.
Bake the salmon for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is almost completely cooked through at the thickest part. (Cooking times vary depending on the thickness of the salmon.)
Remove the salmon from the oven and carefully open the foil so that the top of the fish is completely uncovered.
Change the oven setting to broil, then return the fish to the oven and broil for 3 minutes. (Watch closely so garlic doesn't burn.)
To serve, cut the salmon into portions. Portion amounts vary depending on how big your salmon is - you can also do this with pre-portioned filets.
I love a good quick bread. I have always had issues with yeast and getting regular breads to rise, so quick breads are my bread and butter. 🙂
While looking around for recipes for Yule dinner, I found this one. I tweaked it a little, of course, and it turned out really tasty! The Man loved it to and it used up the zucchini I had too much of!
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Raspberry Zucchini Bread
Instructions
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Grease/flour loaf pan (9x5)
Blend flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs well. Add oil and sugar, mixing well until combined. Add milk, lemon jouise, and zest; mixing well.
Gently mix in zucchini until evenly distributed.
Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix well.
Fold in raspberries. Pour batter into loaf pan.
Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pan and cooling on rack.
This is one of my most oft requested cookie when I go to a group function. Or for a very special friend who absolutely loves them and steals them whenever he can. 🙂
I like the fact that the are simple to make, tasty, and still semi-soft compared to ginger snaps. I’m not a fan of overly hard cookies and as long as I don’t over bake these, they turn out perfect!
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Ginger Cookies
Some of the best you'll ever have!
Instructions
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Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Beat in egg and molasses.
Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
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Roll balls into sugar and place on cookie sheet.
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Quick breads are great – no need to fuss with yeast or rising! More dense than regular yeast bread, but super tasty and filling! This particular recipe calls for the addition of savory ingredients, but the basic recipe is the same. You can pretty much add whatever you like, compensating for anything that has extra moisture in it.
The original recipe that I found on Pinterest called for less bacon and chunks of cheddar. I much prefer more bacon (always) and prefer using shredded cheddar to get a more thorough flavor throughout the bread.
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Irish Soda Bread
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with a little bit of flour
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, pepper, and sugar. Stir together.
Add in cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onion. and mix.
Add in buttermilk and mix.
Sprinkle a bit of flour onto a solid surface and knead the dough until it holds together well, about 2 minutes.
Form into loaf and place on prepared baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, slice crossways into the top of the loaf.
Cook for 25 minutes. You'll know it's done when it is light brown in color and sounds hollow when you tap on it.
A while back, I tested out Paula Deen’s recipe for potato soup. Yeah, not great. Since then, I’ve been testing several different recipes and found one that I really enjoy. And yes, I’ve tweaked it a bit. 🙂
I make this in our crockpot and it dishes up more than enough servings for a family. You can also make this up and then freeze portions in quart freezer bags. I did this recently, when I made a huge pot in our bigger crockpot. It’s about winter here now, so having readily available, homemade soup is a good thing!
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Potato Soup
Instructions
With your reserved bacon drippings in large fry pan, saute the onions until translucent.
Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps.
Add chicken stock a cup at a time, stirring constantly to prevent lumps and it will thicken as you add them all.
Once all the stock is in, reduce heat to simmer. You can add the potatoes at this time OR use crock pot, put potatoes in crock pot with the thickened stock.
Add all the seasonings and bacon. Let simmer for about 10 minutes - do not let it boil.
I love zucchini, which is saying a lot since I don’t like many veggies. Something that my taste buds have changed their mind about over the years. This is why I recommend trying things you may not have like the taste of previously. I do it about every 7-10 years.
Anyway, I like finding new ways to cook it. This is one that looked interesting and it involved cheese, so why not? Adding cheese to most things makes it tastier. However, I can tell you that this particular recipe needs tweaking. I added more cheese, because cheese, but if you prefer less, cut down the amount of cheddar by half.
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Zuchini Au Gratin
Instructions
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Slice zucchini - about 1/4 inch
Blanch zucchini - see notes below.
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Add milk, paprika, garlic powder, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add egg.
Pat dry the zucchini one more time. Lay zucchini out in dish.
Pour cheese mixture over zucchini.
Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese and fontina over the top.
Crumble up crackers and sprinkle on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Take foil off and broil for 5 minutes to brown top.
Recipe Notes
To blanch: Set up an ice bath in a bowl big enough for your colander to fit into. Boil enough water that will cover all your zucchini. Once water is boiling, toss in zucchini for one minute. Drain into colander and plunge into an ice bath to stop them from cooking more. Lay out zucchini on paper towels and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
