Pineapple-Glazed Salmon

This is a very straightforward recipe that I served with sautéed spinach and rice. I love a great sauce on salmon because I feel there are so many that are mediocre. Ginger and soy sauce are what I primarily use, so I was interested in the pineapple aspect of this recipe and I already knew the brown sugar part would be delicious. Not much to tell other than it is easy, tasty and a nice addition to my salmon options. One thing I will note, I do a lot of salmon in the oven and with this being so close to the heat it cooked fast and the little bit of drizzle charred the top which really change the texture of the salmon. I was skeptical at first but Eric really liked the change and it really did compliment the glaze.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Listen to the instructions when it says to lightly coat the broiling pan with nonstick spray. I don’t normally do this but I also don’t normally put the pan 4” from the heat. The salmon was extremely hard to get off the pan. I would also stick to the 10 minute side of cooking.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

Arugula-Walnut Pesto Farfalle

I made homemade pesto for the first time a couple years ago and loved it. I had no idea that it was so easy and couldn’t believe I had never taken the time to realize how few ingredients it takes to make it. I get excited now when a recipe calls for it but for some reason I never remember to make it on my own. I love my Cuisinart food processor but have been a little afraid to use it over the years. I can’t really explain why, but I think it mostly has to do with never seeing my mom use one growing up and shying away from recipes that call for one. I accept that I don’t even know what it can do. I also accept that it took about 10 seconds to complete the pesto portion of this meal. This recipe is really self-explanatory and delicious. I loved all the components and especially love the gorgonzola cheese and golden raisins. Eric is not a fan of raisins, but did enjoy the crunch the walnuts provided.

Whirled pesto

Things I learned from this recipe:

Even the box of pasta says “bow tie” and not “Farfalle”.

My Cuisinart food processor and KitchenAid mixer are conspiring to try and take up permanent residence on my island.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The Recipe

Two Recipe Day

Dinner: Italian-Style Stew

It’s cold here right now and soup always sounds good. I’ve never been a stew person and neither has Eric. For me, because it normally involves some sort of pork roast or beef (I don't eat either). For Eric, it’s because it’s the word stew. I also haven’t ever made soups but once or twice in my life. This recipe called for white wine and I immediately thought of my cheap wine disaster from two weeks ago and almost put the recipe aside until I realized they provided a “Make it Red” variation. I was also drawn to this recipe because it involved placing the chicken in a flour mixture first and I really liked that technique from a previous recipe. The red variation involved canned diced tomatoes, red chili flakes and black olives instead of white wine, potatoes and green olives. Have I mentioned Eric is not a fan of olives? The only real problem with this variation was that it did not tell me an exact amount of chili flakes. I get nervous when all it says is “add chili flakes”. Why doesn’t it say “a dash of” or “ ½ tsp”? At any rate, I have no idea how many shakes of the jar I put in but it was slightly too much. Both of our tolerances to spice have gone up dramatically in the last year, but I thought the spice out weighed the overall flavor in this dish just a little too much. It definitely didn’t ruin the meal and it did make me want to make it again to see if i could get the heat under control. As a side note, I didn’t serve Eric’s bowl with any olives and he didn’t think the dish had any olive-y taste. I enjoyed the extra helping of olives.

Fun fact:

I’ve had this recipe ripped out of the magazine since December 2006.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I’m not ready to believe I know how much spice is the right amount.

New techniques (flour-coated chicken) sink in the best for me when I do them a few times with great success.

Please serve this dish with rustic bread.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Absolutely

The recipe

Dessert: Chocolate chip banana muffins

It didn’t take me long to want to try another one of the muffin variations. I knew I was taking a chance on the banana aspect of this recipe because Eric hates bananas (Anyone keep track of all the things my husband doesn't like to eat?). I am also not the biggest fan of pastries with banana flavor, but I have really grown to love zucchini bread (with a strong dislike of zucchini in general) and I was hoping these muffins would have the same effect on us. I was right. They are pretty delicious without the banana-y taste you might not enjoy, but I do think the chocolate chips helped with that.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I could probably make this recipe without bananas and it would be just fine. This recipe is another example of how variations are extremely simple and shouldn’t be feared in baking.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

Muffin variation recipe

Meatballs with Cucumber Sauce on Flatbreads

This easy meal is definitely a highlight of the week. I used Aidells Italian meatballs and instead of adding the Greek seasoning to the meatballs I added it to the yogurt. Eric loved the flavors and attempted to fold the naan to make a pita sandwich which did not work (naan split in half), but was still edible. Sorry no photo. Perhaps pita bread next time but I can’t think of anything else I’d change.

Things are learned from this recipe:

Don’t be ashamed to say you had to use a recipe to come up with a quick and tasty meal where you really don’t feel like you made anything. Recipes are an extremely helpful guide in gaining confidence about what to serve. While I didn’t need a recipe to tell me how to make this meal I did need it for the idea and will love turning it into my own meal in the future.

Would I make this again?:

Definitely

The recipe

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

A little snafu with grocery shopping ended with me trying out a muffin recipe tonight. I was initially drawn to this recipe because it said I could prepare everything the night before and make it in the morning. While I didn’t do that tonight, I could see doing it in the future to ensure fresh baked muffins for guests (or us). The bake time called for 18 – 20 minutes and I always error on the lower side when making something for the first time. They looked fine at 18 minutes so I removed them and let them cool. We tried them and I immediately thought they were slightly doughy and wished I had left them in longer. The taste, other than the delicious cinnamon and sugar on top, left something to be desired. However, I will be trying another of the seven remaining variations they provided.

Prior to baking

Things I learned from this recipe:

I need more than a basic batter to give me the taste I like of a pastry shop muffin. 

Would I try this recipe again?:

Probably not

Basic Recipe

Variation Recipe