Delish Fish

Probably one of the best things about my daily life is that there’s a Trader Joe’s within walking distance of my magazine’s office. I frequent this TJ's so much that the cashiers know me. It’s so easy to pickup stuff for dinner during my lunch break.

Yesterday, I picked up some “barbeque-ready” salmon filets, some garlic mash potatoes and fixings for a salad.

I squeezed some fresh lemon on the fish, then seasoned it with garlic salt and pepper. Living up to the slogan on his apron, Joe really was the “King of the Grill” last night. The salmon was cooked to perfection – so tender and moist. He says the key is low heat and patience.

The Kicker: right before we took the fish off the grill we topped it with the following mixture:
- Goat cheese, softened
- Pesto
- Sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- Pine nuts, toasted

Cuisine for Two

My mom sent me this great cooking magazine the other day, Cuisine for Two. Inside you’ll find delicious, quick, healthy recipes that make perfect portions for just the two of you. The magazine’s mantra is basically that low-fat, low-carb diets are so yesterday. Now, eating healthy means eating right and choosing foods that your body naturally craves – like whole grains, good fats and fresh ingredients. (Also known as the Mediterranean Diet, these are the foods I was brought up on.) Needless to say, last night Joe and I embarked on our mission to prepare some of these kickin recipes.

Since we almost always have chicken breasts on hand in the freezer (Costco has an affordable package of hormone-free chickies) we decided to make the Marinated Chicken with Roasted Potatoes. It’s always very difficult for me to follow a recipe EXACTLY the way it’s outlined in a book, so like I did last night, I tend to put my own spin on things. Here's what we did:

After seasoning the chicken with the standard garlic salt and pepper, I seared the meat in about 2 tbs. of extra virgin olive oil on the stove. Say about 5 minutes on the first side and 3 on the other. Then Joe added some parmesan cheese to both sides and let it get crunchy in the oil – the cheese made like a crust on the outside.

Then we added some quartered Campari tomatoes (the small, sweet ones that taste like they came right out of your garden) and rosemary to the pan and threw the whole thing in the oven for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

In the meantime, we were slicing baby red-skinned potatoes in half and drizzling extra virgin olive oil over the top. We also added some minced garlic and fresh ground pepper and coarse salt to bring out the natural flavor of the vegetable. Right along side of the chicken, we also popped the pan of potatoes in the oven for the same 20 minutes.

When everything came out of the oven it smelled fabulous! The parmesan crust on the chicken was brown while the meat remained tender and juicy inside. The flavor of the tomatoes was really enhanced through the heating process in the oven. The potatoes also got brown on the outside, those little guys were extra tasty.

We served the whole thing with a salad of freh greens and simple oil and vinegar. You must try this one. It’s so easy and quick, and best of all, it’s good for you!

Cuppiecakes

Hey, it's my boss' birthday...what's wrong with a little brown-nosing? :) Cupcake party in the lunch room at 2:00! I made these little babies last night. Joe was in charge of frosting -- a mighty fine job if you ask me.

The Pantry Will Save Us

On my day off yesterday I did a lot of what I love most – cooking! After a morning swim, I made some tasty Paninis. I’ll post a photo soon.

Then, while lounging in the Jacuzzi for the afternoon I was pondering what to prepare for dinner. I didn’t really have anything in mind, all of the meat we have was frozen and there really wasn’t enough time to defrost it properly. I was in the mood for pasta, which I always have LOTS of on hand in the pantry.

While on the phone with my mom, she suggested I cook some noodles then mix a can of crushed tomatoes and some grated mozzarella cheese into a casserole dish and let it bake for a little while. I listened to mom, but added a few other ingredients from my pantry. It really is amazing what you can accomplish when you have a well-stocked pantry.

I also added toasted pine nuts, some feta cheese, sliced kalamata olives, sliced sun-dried tomatoes and a little fresh ground pepper. I also threw in a couple hot Italian sausages that I sliced up and cooked in a skillet until they were browned. Oh, and I used rigatoni pasta. All the yummy ingredients get caught in the large tubes, making for the perfect bite every time. After only about 20 minutes in the oven at 350 the cheese got nice and melty.

For dessert, we made chocolate covered strawberries. The photo (when I post it tonight) will speak for itself!

Pass the Cheeeeese Pleeeeease

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love cheese. And when I say I love cheese, I mean it. It’s not just some sort of casual fling. No. It’s more like a passionate love affair.

But I’m not satisfied with just any ol’ cheese. It has to be GOOD cheese. Cheese that you know took time to develop the sharp flavor that my mouth enjoys so much. I think my favorite is Extra Sharp Cracker Barrel cheddar cheese with thinly sliced pieces of sour granny smith apples. If I’m really feeling saucy I may even drizzle a little bit of hot honey over the top. Mmm!

Last night, however, Joe satisfied my cheese fix. He made us Five-Cheese and Tuna Paninis. I can recall four of the cheeses: Feta, sharp cheddar (Tillamook, I think), parmesan and cream cheese. He then mixed an avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, kosher salt and pepper into the chunk light tuna.

Then onto the Panini maker. Agh, all the cheeses melted together and the Trader Joe’s wheat sourdough bread got crusty on the outside but remained moist and soft on the in. It really was a treat of a sandwich.

p.s. If you live in the L.A. area you must try YogurBerry. Yes, some call it the poor man’s PinkBerry – I call it Yummy in My Tummy! I like strawberry frozen yogurt topped with fresh strawberries, kiwi and semi-sweet choco chips. Somehow it’s low cal. Genius.

All Hail the Mighty Crock Pot

Is any one single household appliance greater? My Crock Pot sets me free! Yesterday before I went to work (you could totally do it the night before too) I threw some mushrooms, baby carrots and some of those cute little red-skin potatoes in the Crock Pot, then put a chunk of eye-of-round beef seasoned with garlic salt and pepper on top of the veggies.

I then poured about a ½ can of chicken stock into the pot and turned the heat on low. Joe usually goes home for lunch during the day and always reports back to me the way the whole house is full of the wonderful aromas emerging from the magical Pot.

By the time we got home from work around 5:30 the meat was so succulent it was nearly falling apart and the veggies were cooked to perfection. I love, after a long day, just sitting down to a slow-cooked, hearty meal within minutes of returning home.

Since the Crock Pot contents were a meal in itself, we simply toasted some Trader Joe’s wheat sourdough bread and put some Greek feta cheese on top. I used my bread as a dipping tool to soak up all the delicious cooking juices.

I had my dinner in a bowl, kinda like a stew. Joe wanted his on a plate, separated. Could there possibly be a better meal to accompany an all-new episode of Deal or No Deal? Yea, didn’t think so.

And just for the record, I HATE THAT SHOW, but somehow I’m drawn into watching – thinking one day the contestant will find the friggin $1 million case.

The meat made for a great lunch the next day.

Mmm...Sausages

We stuck with a classic last night – Italian sausage sandwiches. These little easy-to-prepare sandwiches require: hot/spicy Italian sausages, good bakery-fresh crusty rolls and (I prefer) mozzarella cheese. They are also really good when topped with sautéd red/yellow bell peppers and onions.

Joe thinks everything tastes better on the barbeque and in most cases I think he’s right. So, we simply boiled the little sausages in some water on the stove until tender and juicy. Then Joe threw ‘em on the grill, just long enough to make those beautiful marks on the outside. We also toasted the rolls in the oven with the cheese inside to make it all gooey and delicious.

To accompany, we had a salad and Trader Joe’s buttermilk garlic mash potato chips.

It’s a good idea to have these Italian sausages on hand in the freezer. On our latest jaunt to Costco (that’s right, we became members a few weeks ago – finally!) we picked up a 14-pack for about $8. We just take a few out of the freezer before we go to work and they’re ready to go when we get home.

My mom has made these simple sandwiches for years. She INSISTS on using Panera sourdough rolls. I don’t blame her, they really are the best!