Crispy Skin Salmon Salad w/Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

During our Sunday night planning, Micah found this recipe by Curtis Stone:

CRISPY SKIN SALMON SALAD WITH ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES 

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

16 cherry tomatoes on the vine 

2 teaspoons plus ¼ cup extra-virgin 

olive oil 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

4 6-ounce / 180 gram salmon fillets, 

skin on 

1/2 cup fresh lime juice 

1/4 cup grapeseed oil 

4 ounces / 125 grams mixed baby 

lettuce leaves 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F / 180°C. 

2. Place the tomatoes on a small baking sheet and drizzle with 2 

teaspoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

3. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until they begin 

to split. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and cool slightly. 

4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon skin side down in a large heavy nonstick sauté pan. 

5. Place the pan over medium-low heat. Increase the heat to high and cook the salmon for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the skin of the salmon is golden brown. 

6. Turn the salmon and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the salmon is just pink in the middle. 

7. Place the lime juice in a bowl and slowly whisk in the grapeseed oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. 

8. Season with salt and pepper. 

9. Mound the lettuce leaves into chef rings on 4 plates or stack the lettuce in the center of the plate. 

10. Arrange the crispy skin salmon and roasted tomatoes over the salads. 

11. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the salmon and salads and serve. 

I love taking a recipe and putting my own twist on it (or sometimes I just have to make do with what I have on hand). We didn't have grapeseed oil so I substituted peanut oil, we also used spinach instead of the mixed baby lettuce leaves.  Then we added a few cashews, slivered almonds and a pinch of parmesan cheese. Here's our finished product - in Micah's words, "Sunday night planning taste good!"

Food & Fellowship

Anytime there was a holiday or some occasion to celebrate Micah and I would naturally have our family (Master's Commission) over to the house.  Well now that Master's Commission is over we've decided to broaden our family circle to encompass the youth leaders that work with us in Axis.  So we're having a few couples over to the house... I just love when we have company because I get to cook a nice meal and I get to bake some sort of dessert:) 
Here's what's on the menu:

Lasagna/Bread/Salad
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 12 dry lasagna noodles
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I figure after a heavy meal like Lasagna we need something a little lighter for dessert so we're gonna try this (made my own tweeks so we'll see how it turns out):

Strawberry Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pkg of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 egg
• 
  
• FILLING:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups crushed fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Put butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt.  Once melted, crack egg in the butter and whip. Next pour it over the sugar cookie and mix well.  Spread in a pizza pan.  Cook for 14-16 minutes. Cool completely.  
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over cookie. 
3. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and crushed berries until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. Spoon over cream cheese mixture then arrange sliced strawberries on top. Refrigerate until serving.

Looking forward to our food and fellowship! 

Delicious Snack

Not sure what to call this but it is quite a delicious snack! (Thanks to Kirk)

• Crackers (Triscuts are best but I had to substitute Ritz)
• Mustard (just a dab)
• Lunch meat (I used turkey & ham)
• Cheese (I used swiss & cheddar)
• Salsa

After you assemble in order the ingredients are listed, warm in the microwave approx. 25 seconds to slightly melt the cheese. And ENJOY!

In the mood to bake

So I've been in the mood to bake lately although it tends to get me in trouble with the husband (and the scale), but having company is always a good reason to bake right?  Well Micah decided to have a staff meeting at the house this afternoon and of course he always wants coffee and snacks.  So I got my reason to bake...

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/8 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavored extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 
  

Directions

1. Mix together the flour, 2 1/4 cups white sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and eggs. Mix in the vegetable oil, poppy seeds, 1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavoring and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond flavoring. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans or 6 small loaf pans. Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cool for 3 minutes and top with the orange glaze. (*if you don't have 2 loaf pans a 13x9" pan will work just as well and 45 minutes is usually adequate)
3. To make Orange Glaze: Mix together 1/4 cup orange juice, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring.

Well I hope you enjoy if you decide to try your hand at baking.

Apple Crisp

Think I may try this recipe...

Apple Crisp

• 5 cups sliced, peeled apples (about 8 medium)
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place apples in 2 quart square baking dish. Stir in granulated sugar. In a separate bowl for topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts and sprinkle over fruit. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden. Serve with frozen yogurt, if desired.

NUTRITION VALUES Servings: 9 Calories: 295
	Protein:	3g
	Carbohydrate:	48g
	Fat:	12g
	Sodium:	86mg
	Fiber:	3g