Ina Garten changed my life. I had never attempted a recipe until I met Ina Garten. Her recipes never fail. Her instructions are easy to understand, the ingredients easy to find (you might even have them all in your pantry). The end product is simply good food. Nothing complicated at all.
Panko Breaded Salmon (adapted from Ina Garten's How Easy Is That?)
2 Filets of Salmon (With Skin)
1 C. Panko Breading
1 Small Bunch of Parsley Chopped
Zest of 1 Lemon
3 T. Olive Oil
Mustard (I use Trader Joe's Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce)
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Dry the filets with paper towel. Salt and pepper the salmon filets.
3. Spread mustard on the filets, skin down. Be generous.
4. In a bowl, mix panko, parsley, lemon zest and olive oil.
5. Cover the salmon with panko mix. Press down on the filet to help the breading stick.
6. Place filets skin down onto a well heated cast iron or alike for about 3 minutes (until the skin gets crispy). Make sure that the pan can transition from the stove top to the oven.
7. Put the pan into the oven for 5-7 minutes. For the last minute, broil to brown.
I also served roasted brussel sprouts. Roasting vegetables is another thing I learned from Ina. Easy and always good. Just use lots of olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Toss together with your hands and bake for 15 minutes at 400. Never fails.
I had the enormous privilege to travel back to Korea for a cousin's wedding! I say enormous, because I have two kids and a husband and a full time job and limited financial resources. Add it up and it never equals travel. But my dear John made it happen. He purchased my ticket using his own personal miles and I was fortunate enough to get the time off! The last time I was in the Motherland was in 1996 (you read that right).
Not only did John use his miles, he booked me in Business Class! I felt like an imposter sitting in the plush, roomy seat. It's different world! As soon as I walked on the plane, I was greeted by a nicely wrapped comforter (yes, comforter, not a thin, small piece of cloth) and a fluffy pillow! I didn't have to wonder if the blanket was clean. The leg room was fantastic (I could stretch out my legs without touching the seat in front of me... okay my legs are on the short side).
The food is well, still airplane food, but it all looked so very nice...
They also passed out Bose headphones and coffee was free flowing whenever I wanted some! I finally got to watch Mad Men to see what the big deal is all about.
Some 15 hours later, I arrived in Seoul. It was late and since I didn't get a wink of sleep on my flight (too busy trying to enjoy every amenity), it wasn't long before I fell asleep.
It felt great to be in Seoul. My first meal cooked by my mom:
Lots of different kinds of kimchee and fresh raw oysters (on the white square plate) bought that same morning at the wholesale market. It was so fresh and tasty dipped in a vinegary hot pepper sauce! And yes, this was breakfast!
I received a Kindle from John for Christmas. He followed it up with this cute leather cover, complete with a light!
I was one of those book snobs who looked down on the e-readers when they came out. I valued the experience of flipping though the pages, the musty smell of old books, dog-earring the pages to mark your place, highlighting a line that spoke to you. Well, I've not only changed my mind but I am a huge advocate (read: pusher) of the Kindle! I can carry around three or four books at a time without running out of purse space. I now click through the pages, mark my place with an electronic dogear and I can even highlight/make notes without worring about running out of space in the margins! I hear rumors that the Kindle may be available in 2011 for $99! Do it! You won't regret it!
I just finished reading:
This is a satisfying quick read about the complicated relationships between white women and their black housemaids in Jackson, Missippi as they struggle to find their place during the beginnings of the civil rights movement.
It's been a while, I know. But, really, I've been busy. One of the things keeping me occupied was the half marathon I ran. Back in October, I was feeling out of shape and rather jiggly. I decided (on a whim and with the encouragement of a co-worker who later became my cheerleader/coach) that I would train for a half marathon. I didn't tell many people on fear that I would back out. You see, a half marathon is 13.1 miles. It is quite a long distance especially if you have never run for more than 5 miles at a time (me!). IIn the end, I didn't think about how hard it would be to train (it was!) or how long the training period would be (12 weeks!). But I did it, and if I can do it, you can too! It really was a great way to kick off the new year!
Official Time (with pride) 2:14:40.3
I got this recipe from a baker friend. She developed it herself. Thank you, MC!
My favorite part of this cookie is the crystalized sugar from the melted marshmallow.
1/4 C. unsalted butter (I know, not much butter)
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 T. vanilla
1 C. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 package of graham crackers (one standard size box is usually divided into three packages)
3 Hershey bars
1 C. mini marshmallows (leave the marshmallows out on a plate for a bit so they dry out)
Preheat oven to 325.
1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add egg and vanilla and mix.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Break graham crackers and Hersheys into bite size pieces.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet. (Wet bowl should be big enough to receive the dry ingredients.)
5. Bake for 15 minutes.
Warning:
The dough looks weird and really dry but don't worry. It's supposed to look that way.
Just spoon it onto a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven.
On a different note, I recently received two mini succulents. Cute, aren't they? Best of all, it is nearly impossible to kill them or so I am told.
Now that Katie can read, it's a joy to go to Borders and to hang out at Starbucks. The girls have reached the age where I feel like the hard, physical stuff is over. When I see baby pictures of them, I miss it for a second or two. But I am enjoying this stage of their lives. Back to Katie...I looked over one night and saw her reading.
Not sure if this is hugely resourceful or just lazy. In any case, it cracked me up.
Mexican wedding cookies...Russian tea cakes...powdered circles of nutty goodness. Whatever you call them, they are my favorite cookies of the season.
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| My Personal KitchenAid |
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| Ready for the Oven |
This is an old Bon Appetit recipe.
2 1/4 C. all purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1 C. (two sticks) butter, room temp.
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 C. finely chopped pecans, toasted
powdered sugar
1. Sift flour and salt together.
2. Cream butter in a large bowl until light. Gradually add 1/2 C. sugar and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla.
3. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 batches. Mix in pecans.
4. Refridgerate at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven at 400F. Form dough into 1 inch balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool and roll in powdered sugar. You can cool completely and roll them again in powdered sugar but who has the time or the patience!
