Poached Egg with Salmon on Pumpernickel Toast

Recently I learned to poached an egg. It wasn't really hard. I was nervous about the water being the right temperature before I put the egg in but it all turned out well. I don't really like eggs but knew Adam would and he did!

Easy poached eggs from Everyday Food, March 2010:

In a 12-inch straight sided skillet, heat 2 inches water over medium heat until bubbles cover the bottom and side of the pan. Crack each large egg into a seperate small bowl (do not use eggs with broken yolks). When a few bubbles have broken the surface of the water, gently pour each egg into the pan, leaving room between them.

Cook eggs, undisturbed, while the white is just set and yolk is still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently release eggs from the bottom of pan, if necessary.

Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs from water, blot the bottom of the spoon on a paper towel to remove excess water before serving.



Adam ate his poached egg on top of toasted pumpernickel bread with cream cheese and smoked Nova Scotia salmon (I think thinly sliced Norweigan smoked salmon would have been better but it was not available at the store - it has a less harsh fishy taste and is lighter in color). You can also add a few capers with this combo too.

You can also eat a poached egg on an english muffin with hollandaise sauce as eggs Benedict or on top of a salad or on top of toast with cream cheese and a tomato slice.

Salmon in Parchment Packets

This is the last thing I have to share with you from the Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2010 edition!


Adam has come to be a big fan of salmon. He loved the pan fried salmon I made a few weeks ago and wanted to make it again. But I just had to try something different.

4 skinless salmon fillets, about 6 oz. each (I left the skin on because after baking it's a nice treat for the pups and Adam)
3/4 pounds green beans and/or asparagus, trimmed
lemon zest from 1 lemon
4 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place salmon fillets in center of four 16-inch-long pieces of parchment paper. Top with green beans and/or asparagus, lemon zest and capers. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon oil. Fold parchment into an envelope - bring long ends of paper together and fold down 3 times to make a seam. Tuck ends underneath to secure.

Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until packets are puffed up and salmon is cooked through - about 15-20 minutes but this all depends on the thickness of the salmon.

Waiting to be wrapped up...

All enveloped up...

And done!

Chickpea Curry over Rice

I was cooking from the Everyday Food magazines a lot this weekend! I asked Adam to go through an edition and look for what he'd like and he chose was Chickpea Curry.
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This can be a main course but we ate it as a side dish, which worked out nicely because I had some leftover to bring to work for lunch.

Use a plastic spoon if you can because the curry slightly stained my wooden spoon :(

Like yesterday's post, this is also from Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2010
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1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches) - mine were short so I used 2
ground cloves - I omitted because I didn't have any
2 cans (15 oz. each) no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons ketchup
salt and pepper
chopped cilantro & lemon wedges for serving
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In a large straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, curry, cinnamon and pinch of cloves and cook, stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chickpeas, ketchup, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes.
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Uncover and increase heat to medium-high; cook until sauce is slightly reduced, 5 minutes.
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Serve over a bed of rice and top with chopped cilantro and lemon juice.

Stir-Fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps

A very quick and good lunch. And no carbs!!

From the Jan/Feb 2010 Everyday Foods magazine

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 teaspoons fish sauce (I didn't have any so I substituted it with more soy sauce)

4 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large shallot finely chopped

2 tablespoons peeled fresh ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small jalapeno, finely chopped

NOTE - to save time, I put the shallot, ginger, garlic and jalapeno all in a food chopper until finely chopped.

1 pound ground turkey

2 large heads Bibb, Boston or iceberg lettuce leaves - I used butter lettuce that I bought at the Lancaster Farmers Market

shaved carrot for serving

lime wedges for serving

In a smal bowl, combine soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar, and stir until sugar dissolves. Set sauce aside.

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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add shallot, ginger, garlic and jalapeno and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until almost cooked through, 5 minutes. Add half the sauce, stir and let simmer about 2 minutes until meat is totally done. Serve in lettuce leaves with remaining sauce, shredded carrots and limes.

Lots of napkins are needed because these are very messy once rolled up and bitten into!

Key Lime Pie

Yesterday I made a key lime pie for our new Pastor's Installation reception. Why key lime pie? Well because I came across a bag of key limes for 99 cents at the Green Dragon market and I just had to buy them and then figure out what to make. So it came down to the pie or Lime Macadamia Cookies. The cookies will be made later - maybe not with key limes - but definitely will be made. Plus I had never made a key lime pie before.

This was the first time I worked with key limes. And I emphasize work. It took quite a lot of time and squeezing energy to juice these little guys. But I think the effort paid off with a sweet and tangy pie.


Recipe from Emril Lagasse, with my moderations.


1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime or regular lime juice - I used 3/4 key lime juice and 1/4 cup regular juice from a bottle
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
Lime zest


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie plate, and bake until brown, about 15-20 minutes. If you have a pie curst shield, use for baking the crust. Remove crust from oven and allow to cool to room temp before filling.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

In a seperate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake, using the pie sheild again, for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once pie is thoroughly chilled, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

Before the reception:

After the reception:

It was goood!

I was nervous about the sour cream topping not being sweet enough but it was a nice mix with the tangy filling and sweet crust!

Visiting D.C.

Over the weekend Adam and I ventured to Washington, D.C. to visit my dear friends Susie, Jeff and baby Alex. I hadn't seen Alex since she was a wee baby so I was so anxious to spend time with her. She was such a happy baby!

I have my boots on, Uncle Adam! Let's head to the big city!

The Van Leuvens

The new World War II monument

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After a long day of metro rides, visiting a few memorials, a brief visit to the very crowded Natural History Museum, a walk down the Mall and lunch, we headed home where Alex enjoyed her swing in the great spring weather!

Look that those teeth!

Saturday night for dinner we went to Bethesda. After dinner, we had gelato from Dolcezza. I enjoyed Mango Campari & Orange Honey Cardamon (a bit spicy!) and Susie had chocolate and lime. What a great treat! I have had gelato in Italy and Susie has several times... this is just like the real thing!

We had a great weekend catching up!

Girls got to have girl talk; guys got to have German beer and schnapps.

All were happy!
See you the next time we come to visit, Alex!

Adam made a new friend!

New Table & Chairs

Look at our new table and chairs! My mom found this for us from Pier 1. The base of the table and chairs is a light green and the top a nice golden honey - a very rustic look that goes perfect in the "barn".

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I just picked up the 4th chair (it was on back order) so you don't see it in this picture. The table needed to be assembled but it was very easy - I don't know if I can say that because I was enjoying a beer and playing with Baxter while Adam was putting it together - but it looked like it was an easy task. It's a very sturdy table and chairs.

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Now we just have to stay home long enough to have a meal at the table. Maybe in two weekends (we're going to D.C. this weekend).

Madeleines

After we ate our Special Chicken, Adam asked what the funny red silicone pan sitting on the counter was for. I told him it's my madeleine pan and that I want to make some in the near future. Well since he put the idea in my head which caused and instant sweet tooth, I found a recipe and got to it right then.

I know I say a lot of the recipes I try are easy but this one is truly so easy! I guess the most difficult part to overcome is having a madeleine pan. I was out shopping one day and saw the silicone one I have on big-time sale and just bought it on a whim. I'm very happy I did! I need another one now...

While studying in Paris, I remember buying these little cake-cookies in large packages in the grocery store and by the piece at corner bakeries.

There are several madeleine recipes out there. The basic recipe I use is from Cookies Unlimited by Nick Malgieri.

2 large eggs
pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
finely grated zest of a medium orange
1 cup flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick butter), melted
confectioners sugar for finishing
two madeleine pans, buttered and floured

Set rack in the middle level of the oven and reheat to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, by hand, whisk together the eggs and salt until frothy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the sugar in a stream, then the orange zest. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour, then the melted butter. Use a large soup spoon to fill the cavities in the molds about 2/3 full.

Bake the madelines for about 20 minutes, until they are well risen, firm and a golden color.

Remove the pans from the oven and unmold the madeleines immediately onto racks to cool. If you reuse the pan like I did, wash it and butter and flour it again.

Dust the madeleines with powdered sugar before serving.


Next time I want to make chocolate madeleines: Substitute 2/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted after measuring, for the flour. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

A Special Chicken

Friday night I roasted a chicken.

It wasn't any old chicken. It was an Empire kosher chicken from Wegman's. My little 3.22 pound chicken passed strict Jewish dietary laws, he was free ranging and he ate corn, soy grains, natural vitamins, minerals and fat - not hormones. This little guy went through a salting process, which is required for the kosher process, so he hardly needed any more salt.

But the main reason why this chicken was special is because I prepared it according to the Engagement Chicken standards. This recipe is supposed to make a chicken so moist and delicious that when you prepare it for your boyfriend, he'll realize he can't bear the thought of living his life without a woman who can cook such an amazing chicken. And it turns out Adam agrees! He loved the chicken (except for the fact that it took too long to cook when we were both very hungry). Of course, I'll keep you post on when I get that sparkly!

Such a simple recipe from Glamour magazine (I adapted it a bit). I will be making it again for sure.

1 whole chicken (approx. 3 lbs)
2 medium lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice
Kosher or sea salt (I used sea salt)
Ground black pepper

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Wash chicken inside and out with cold water, remove the giblets, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander until it reaches room temperature (about 15 minutes). Pat dry with paper towels. Pour lemon juice all over the chicken (inside and out). Season with salt and pepper. Prick the whole lemons all over with a fork and stuff them deep inside the cavity of the chicken (I used 1 1/2 lemons because my lemons were big). Place the bird breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn chicken breast side up; return to oven and bake for 70 more minutes. Test for doneness - a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh should read 180 degrees - juices should run clear.

More info from the Empire website about what kosher means:

"It has been said that keeping kosher is as much a diet for the soul as for the body. Because every Jew has a soul which is eternal and holy, if forbidden foods are eaten, that holiness is affected. This in turn lessens the ability to absorb all the spiritual rewards of Torah. This is why Jews have followed strict dietary laws throughout the generations, passing this way of life on to their children".

Note: I am not Jewish but simply interested in lifestyles other than my own.

Mochaccino Brownies

Baxter wanted me to tell you about a delicious dessert that he desperately wishes he could try. But sadly, I have to say no to his begging (which I very rarely do)!

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My mom got me the Good Housekeeping Best Loved Desserts Cookbook for Christmas and after thumbing through it several times, marking everything I want to make, I finally made something - Moccachino Brownies.

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These are very chocolatey and have a distinct coffee flavor. I baked them so they came out a bit under-done so they're extra chewy!

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons instant coffee

1 Tablespoon very hot water

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 8 oz package unsweetened chocolate squares (like Baker's or chocolate chips)

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mochaccino Glaze

4 teaspoon instant coffee

2 Tablespoons butter melted and kept hot

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13"x9" pan.

Prepare brownie:

In a small bowl, with wire whisk, mix flour and salt; set aside. In a cup, dissolve coffee in water; set aside. In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in granulated sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and coffee mixture; stir until blended. Stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture just until blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out almost clean, 25-30 minutes ** I baked then for 20 minutes because I like them chewy - you can see in the pictures. Cool in pan on wire rack.

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When brownie is cool, prepare glaze:

In medium bowl, with wire whisk, stir coffee and hot melted butter until coffee dissolves. Stir in confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

With small metal spatula, spread glaze over cooled brownie.

I stored my brownies in the fridge.