Baked Salmon with Lemon Risotto

   Hubs and I really enjoy watching cooking shows. Although we're nowhere close to being pro chefs and it's quite unlikely we ever will be, it is fun to spend time together in the kitchen trying new techniques, foods and making attempts at some of the things the pros do.  Sometimes we fail, but other times we end up with a delicious success. I'd say this was a success.
   Our latest attempt was Risotto for Sunday lunch. I had never eaten it, much less made it. We watch chefs make it a lot and it seemed like something pretty uncomplicated to make. Turns out it was, just takes a little extra time. 

Baked Salmon with Lemon Risotto

Risotto:

3 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup arborio rice

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 med onion, chopped

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 cup white wine

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 small lemon 

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan.

 Preheat a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Add rice, garlic, onions and pepper. Stir until rice is all coated with oil. Saute 5 minutes or until edges of the rice begin to turn translucent.

Add the wine and stir. Let simmer until liquid is all absorbed. Add 1 ladle full of chicken broth stir and let simmer until liquid is absorbed. Continue this process until the broth is all added and absorbed.

When rice is al-dente, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Add lemon zest and juice. Mix well and serve immediately.  

Salmon:
2- 3/4 lb fresh salmon fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill 
Preheat oven to 350*. Place salmon skin side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and dill. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until flaky.
Serve with risotto.  

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May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in Your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. 

~Psalm 19:14

     

Scallops x 2

   Since this is what we had for dinner Valentine's night this post is a bit belated.....but better late then never they say. 
   Hubby and I decided instead of going out, waiting forever and then paying way too much, we were just going to stay home and cook dinner together. I must say it was a brilliant idea....was wonderful just spending time with each other in the kitchen, trying new recipes and making old favorites.

  - Our menu for the evening - 

 Appetizers:

• Deep Fried Green Olives 
• Pan Seared Scallops
• Caramelized Scallops

Entree:

• Broiled Salmon
• Fettuccine Alfredo

Side dish:

•  Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Dressing

   Was going to make cheesecake, but we were quite stuffed when we finished up with this, so just skipped dessert. Topped the evening off by watching a classic lovie-dovie movie, You've Got Mail. 'Twas perfect.... 

Pan Seared Scallops

 3 large sea scallops

salt

pepper

1 -2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup white wine

parsley to garnish

Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a frying pan (don't use non-stick) over high heat. When oil is hot; place scallops into pan with 1-2 inches between them. After about 2 minutes the base should be browned nicely. Flip and cook for another minute until base is browned. Remove from heat and place on serving dish. While still on high heat add butter to the pan. Move around until completely melted. Add wine and use a whisk or spoon to scrape the pan and stir it into the liquid. Leave heat on high and boil until it reaches desired consistency. Immediately remove from heat and pour over scallops. Garnish with parsley.

Caramelized Scallops

 2 large sea scallops

salt 

pepper

1 tbsp butter

1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup dry white wine

juice of 1/2 a lemon

parsley, chives and lemon zest to garnish

Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat skillet on med-high for 2 minutes. Add butter and swirl to coat the pan. When the butter begins to foam, quickly take the scallops; grasping the sides and using a gentle twisting motion, dip into sugar. Place the scallop sugar side down into the pan and saute for 21/2 minutes. If sugar begins to brown to quickly reduce heat. Flip the scallops and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan and reduce by half, about 11/2 minutes. Transfer scallops to a serving dish and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with parsley, chives and lemon zest.

   I can't honestly say that I love scallops, but I did enjoy these, especially the caramelized ones. Daren preferred the pan seared because the scallop flavor was more pronounced. {That's why I liked the caramelized ones better....more than just scallop flavor going on with them.}

Have a blessed day! =)

♥ Sheila

 

 

    

Ceviche

  Well I tried to get the hubs to write this post, but he refused.....{not that I was at all surprised ;)} I thought since he did all the preparing and cooking this time, it would be fun if he blogged about it too, but this obviously is not his idea of fun. =) So I will be a good little wifey and write for him. =)
  Daren has been wanting to try and make this ever since about two summers[ish] ago.....Our Hispanic neighbor had made some and gave him a taste of it and he thought it was delicious. {Me? I wasn't all that impressed} He had said something about trying to make it again the other day and while I was shopping at the oriental market I picked up the Serrano chili peppers that he needed and then he stopped at the grocery store on the way home from work Tuesday morning and got the rest of the ingredients.
  He had searched  different ceviche recipes and came up with several that sounded similar to what he had eaten, so he combined parts from each one and came up with this.  And for those of you who don't know what ceviche is.....(I didn't when Daren brought it here the first time)....It's a Spanish dish, kind of like a fresh salsa but made with  fresh, raw shrimp, fish and/or other seafood that has marinated/cooked in the fridge in lime juice. It  would be more of a refreshing, summer time, cook-out type food, but it still tastes the same in winter, I guess. =)  

Ceviche 

yield: around 8-10 cups (too much for one person or even two)

 3/4 lb fresh Tilapia fillets (or any other firm white fish)

3/4 lb fresh shrimp (or scallops or a seafood mix)

7 limes, juiced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

1 firm, ripe avocado, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

2 Serrano chili peppers, sodded and chopped

2 cups Clamato (clam and tomato juice cocktail)

2 tsp red chili salt

hot sauce to taste

Corn Tostadas (he got them at a Hispanic market)

proof that Daren actually did make this ;)

Chop the tilapia into bite sized pieces. place it and the shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Squeeze the lime juice over until it is covered. Cover and put into fridge to marinate/cook all day or overnight. Remove from the fridge and drain the lime juice off. 

getting the vegetables all chopped... 

Add all the chopped vegetables, seasonings and Clamato. Stir it all together. Cover and refrigerate for at least another hour. Serve chilled with corn tostadas.

     

   I did try it again and it was ok, but I'm just not a huge fan, although I think he did an excellent job of making it =). Daren thought it was pretty good for his first attempt. It did make me start craving Mexican food though, so I ended up making spanish rice which turned out great and really hit the spot! That post will be coming soon.... 

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God made Him who had no sin to be

sin for us, so that in Him we

might become the righteousness

of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 

Until next time, =)

♥ Sheila  

Baked Crab and Artichoke Dip

  Happy New Year to you all!! Yes,  this post may be a little late and yes, it has been awhile since I have posted; but with all the festivities of the past couple of weeks I just decided to take a short break. So now that most all the Christmas/New Year gatherings and celebrating is over I hope to be back to blogging more frequently. 
  So yes, this post is about what I made for the party we went to on New Years eve......I have a cast iron skillet that I use fairly often, but always just use it on the stove top. The first thing I noticed with this recipe was that it was baked in a cast iron skillet. I was pretty much hooked right there....it just seemed like such a cool idea {why have I never thought of that anyway?} and I loved the presentation then when you serve it. And the dip sounded pretty ok too! ;) There was sooo much food that the dip didn't all get eaten, but it seemed to  be a hit with everyone who tried it. Daren thought it was great....but then again anything that has the word crab in it, he is going to love. =) 

Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip

 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups grated Asiago cheese, divided

14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

8 oz jumbo lump crab meat (I used claw meat because it was cheaper)

salt

pepper

Pico de Gallo

2 roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped

1 handful cilantro, chopped

1/4-1/2 cup green onion tops, chopped

squeeze of lime juice (I used most of one lime)

salt

Beat cream cheese, mayo, and yogurt together until smooth.  Add the white and light parts of the green onion (the dark green will be used for the pico), lemon juice and 1 1/4 cup grated cheese. Fold in crab and artichokes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer into the skillet (or if you don't have a cast iron skillet you can just use a baking dish) and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake @ 425* for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

To make the pico toss all the ingredients together and  set aside until ready to serve.

Remove the dip from oven and top with pico de gallo. Serve with crostini and crackers.

Best served hot or very warm....can be made ahead of time and baked at the last minute. {which is what I did}

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My verse for the New Year ~

Forgetting what is behind and straining

toward what is ahead,

I press on toward the goal to win the prize

for which God has called me heavenward

in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 3:13+14 

May your year be abundantly blessed! =)

♥ Sheila 

Broiled Flounder Parmesan

  If you like fish and quick/easy dinner ideas then this oh so delicious recipe is for you! =) Since fall officially arrived on Friday my hubby and I {well to be honest it was mostly me ;)} decided to celebrate by doing a few "fall" activities. Our first order of business was to go get some apples and cider at his great uncle's orchard....which we did, but it ended up being a rainy day and not the best for hiking or anything like that. So we had a change of plans and spent the afternoon at an auction instead!
  Anyway, until we finally made it back home it had cleared up a little and Daren wanted to get some dove hunting in before dark and since I hadn't started anything for dinner we had to think of something quick and easy. We had just bought some fish and I remembered this recipe and decided that was what we would have.

Broiled Flounder Parmesan

•  1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp celery salt
• 2 lbs tilapia {or flounder} fillets 

 Mix together all the ingredients except for fish. Line a pan with foil. Broil fillets for 2-3 minutes. Flip and broil 2 more minutes. Remove from oven and top with the cheese mixture. Broil for 2 minutes or until topping browns and fish flakes with a fork. Do not overcook!

  What made this even better was that Daren fixed it while I cooked some rice etc...=) The recipe originally says to use tilapia and we normally do, but flounder is what we had this time and it was just as good. Fresh fish is definitely better, but frozen is what we used and it was still yummy. I like to make rice pilaf with this, but I didn't have any and was in a hurry so just used brown rice. It is good just doesn't make as colorful of a plate as I like to see. =) 

  We still didn't get finished in time for Daren to get his hunting in, so we just went for a walk instead. Which I thought was a better idea anyway! ;) He wanted to walk around some of the corn fields and look for deer and we did get to see a doe and fawn! All in all it was a great start to the fall even if it didn't go like I had first planned!

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The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

~Zephaniah 3:17 

 

Blessings always! =)

♥ Sheila