Panko-Crusted Salmon

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Usually when I prepare salmon, I use store-bought teriyaki marinade from the seafood counter and Chris throws it on the grill. Simple as that. But it turns out fantastic every time.

Since the weather over here in DC hasn't been cooperating lately, when I wanted salmon the other night I had to figure out a way to cook it in the oven. Surprisingly, I had never cooked it that way before. I usually just eat salmon when I go out to restaurants or when Chris grills it, so this was something new to me.

I'm about to make a bold statement, but it's very honest.

This is the best salmon I've ever had.

Seriously. I devoured it. The dijon mustard adds a little tang and the lemon zest in the panko is a perfect compliment. Drizzle some fresh lemon juice on top and we're in business. It's refreshing and light...a perfect weeknight meal.

In honor of Good Friday, I'm sharing with you the best salmon ever recipe. I hope you all have a fantastic, and hopefully sunny, weekend. And Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup panko, bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 (6 -8 ounce) salmon fillets, skin on
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• Lemon wedge, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Set aside.

Place salmon, skin side down, on a board. Brush the tops of the fillets with a generous amount of mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press panko mixture thickly on each fillet. The mustard should help the panko adhere.

Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat in a 12 inch cast iron skillet, or a large ovenproof pan. When oil is very hot, add salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to hot oven and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until salmon is almost cooked and panko is browned. Remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.


Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

Beef and Broccoli

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When I order Chinese food, my order is pretty standard. Beef and broccoli, maybe some fried rice or lo mein and possibly an egg roll if I'm feeling rebellious. That being said, finding this recipe was a huge deal for me. Knowing I can now make my usual #7 from the comfort of my own home is so refreshing. I was a little hesitant at first since I know firsthand that eating bad Chinese food is a major letdown, so I didn't want to be disappointed. Surprisingly, this tastes amazingly similar to what I usually order and I'm positive it's a lot healthier, too. This is by far one of my favorite dishes. 

It's also a great low-carb meal for those of you who are trying to get ready for bathing suit season like I am. You can serve it on top of rice, but that's completely optional. However, the sauce is pretty delicious so you could probably try brown rice as a healthy alternative.

I know that the list of ingredients is intimidating, but don't let it scare you. Since they are separated into three sections, it's really easy to toss everything together and prepare ahead of time so when it's time to cook all you have to do is throw it in the wok/pan and let it rip. I also triple the sauce ingredients because I found that the original recipe didn't produce nearly enough. Hope you enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound flank or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
• 3/4 pound broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp. high-heat cooking oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp. water

For the beef marinade:

• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

• 6 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 3 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes

Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pink. Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Cheesy Garlic Bread

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I don't think there's anything more important than girl time. And family time. And alone time. And gossip magazines.

Every Thursday I have all my girl friends over for dinner, wine and Grey's Anatomy. Since we are all so busy with other things going on in our lives, having one designated day per week to make sure we get together and catch up is crucial. It's one thing I know I can look forward to each and every week.

Our usual line-up for dinner is pasta with meatballs, salad, bread and wine. Lots and lots of wine. Instead of the usual garlic bread last week, I decided to switch it up and make some cheesy bread this past week. It did not disappoint! The mayonnaise adds a little tang, and there was a perfect amount of cheese and garlic to make it a delicious, gooey mess. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 cup reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups reduced-fat Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
• 1/2 cup scallions, chopped

Put broiler on high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.


While the oven is heating, slice the bread in half. Melt the butter in the microwave (about 1 minute) and mix in the minced garlic. If you're using the jarred garlic, you can add in a little of the juice for some extra flavor. Spread the butter mixture over both slices of bread.


Place bread on the baking sheet and put under the broiler for 2 minutes or until light brown. Keep an eye on it because it will brown quickly.


Once done, remove from the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 


Mix the cheeses, scallions and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Spread over top of the bread slices. When the oven is done preheating, place the bread back in for 7-10 minutes or until cheese mixture is bubbly and begins to brown.  Serve immediately.


Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Soft Pretzels

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Do any of you remember TGIF? The awesome TV show line-up that ABC used to host? When I watched it growing up, it included Step by Step, Family Matters, Full House (or as I used to call it, the Michelle show), Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World....geez, was that good television. Every Friday evening my parents, younger brother and I would sit in front of the TV, laughing and munching on snacks together. We all looked forward to it since the shows were hilarious and entertaining. I'm sure my parents loved the quality family time, and although we enjoyed it too, being able to stay up a little past our bedtime due to watching TV was the highlight for my brother and me.

One of the snacks I remember my mom always making while watching TGIF was soft pretzels. We'd also have popcorn, chips and drinks, but the hot, fresh pretzels were always my favorite. We'd have them with spicy mustard, but lately I've been gravitating towards queso dip. Never had soft pretzels in queso dip? Give it a go. You'll be highly addicted.

I'll admit these pretzels took a little longer than I would have preferred, but they were worth the wait. Boiling them first makes them soft on the inside, and then baking them gives them a nice crust. If you want a little twist, you could top them with cinnamon and sugar instead of salt. I suggest making these on a cold, rainy day when you want a comforting snack and have some free time. Enjoy and have a great weekend!



Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
• 3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp. pretzel salt

Stir together sugar, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water in a glass measuring cup, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Whisk together 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon table salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Dust work surface with 1 tablespoon flour, then turn out dough and knead, gradually dusting with just enough additional flour to make a smooth sticky dough, about 8 minutes.

Return dough to bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll 1 piece back and forth on a clean dry work surface into a rope about 24 inches long. If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour. Twist dough into a pretzel shape. (Dough will retract as you form the pretzel.)

Transfer pretzel with your hands to an oiled baking sheet and form 7 more pretzels in same manner with remaining dough, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.

Let pretzels stand, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Bring a wide 6-quart pot of water to a boil.

Using both hands, carefully add 3 pretzels, 1 at a time, to boiling water and cook, turning over once with tongs, until pretzels are puffed and shape is set, about 3 minutes. Transfer parboiled pretzels to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining 5 pretzels in 2 batches.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and oil paper, then arrange pretzels on sheet. Brush pretzels lightly with some of egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake until golden brown and lightly crusted, about 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve warm.

Source: Epicurious

Pasta Carbonara

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I've heard through the grapevine that some people are not a big fan of Rachel Ray, but I absolutely love her recipes. They are very inventive and flavorful in my opinion. This one is no exception. She said this is the dish that won over her boyfriend (now husband) and I can see why. It's absolutely delicious. And still so easy!

I know I only post recipes that I truly enjoy and would want you all to try out for yourselves, but I'll have to say this is one of my favorite recipes that I've tried out recently. I had never tried carbonara before because the idea of egg in pasta weirded me out. However, I found out that all it did was make the sauce extra creamy and delicious. You can't even taste the egg. This will be a new go-to recipe in my book!

The little teaspoon of red pepper flakes gives it a lot of heat, though. I personally enjoy that, but for those of you who are more sensitive to it, I'd suggest only using 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon to start. You really can't go wrong with this, no matter what modification you make. Hope you enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or linguini
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
• 1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, chopped (about 5 slices)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you don't like a lot of heat)
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8-10 minutes.


Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta or bacon. Brown pancetta for 2 minutes or bacon until crispy. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add chicken stock and stir up all the pan drippings.


In a separate bowl, beat yolks. Add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water and stir immediately. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.


Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta/bacon. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add cheese and lots of pepper. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.


Source: Adapted from Good Housekeeping