Homemade Pie Please!

What's Thanksgiving without a homemade pie? No, I'm not talking about your local grocery store pies that are full of crap. You can't REALLY enjoy pie that is store bought - come on now! Well unless you have never had a homemade pie...which is just completely sad in my opinion.  Let me emphasize what you are getting with a store bought - not frozen - "fresh" pecan pie. 

Corn Syrup, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Eggs, Pecans, Vegetable Oil (Palm And Soybean Oils), Sugar, Margarine [Palm Oil, Water, Soybean Oil, Salt, Mono- And Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Annatto (Color), Calcium Disodium EDTA (Preservative), Vitamin A Palmitate], Brown Sugar, Contains 2% Or Less Of Each Of The Following: Salt, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Maltodextrin, Molasses, Caramel Color, Carrageenan, Skim Milk, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Mono- And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Soy Flour. Allergy Warning: This Product Contains Wheat, Eggs, Pecans, Milk, Soybean. Allergy Alert: Produced In A Manufacturing Facility That Contains Peanuts, Treenuts.


Sound yummy...Yeah, I didn't think so! Pecan pies are one of the easiest pies to make! I make a couple every Thanksgiving and they always go fast. I remember everyone fighting over the last piece last year. Yes, I baked my own pies last year even with 4 month old twins. I just don't do store bought...no matter how tired I am! (:  I challenge you to make your own pies this Thanksgiving...your family will LOVE them! 

Pastry dough
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose four
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water


Directions
In a small bowl of a food processor combine four, salt, and sugar. Add butter and process until mixture looks like coarse meal. Approx 10 seconds.
With machine running, add the ice water slowly through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. To test squeeze a small amount together. If it is too crumbly add more ice water 1 Tbsp at a time. 
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour before use. 
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9-10 inch pies.

Add an extra touch to your pies by cutting out fall leaves,
pumpkins, etc out of pie dough and place on the crust edges!

My Favorite Pecan Pie
1 C. Dark Karo Syrup
1 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Butter, melted
1/4 tsp Salt
3 Eggs, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C Pecan Halves
1 unbaked pastry shell
Directions
Mix syrup, sugar, butter, and salt. Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix in pecans. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Bake 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted near the center of the pie comes out clean. Enjoy!

The Perfect Turkey

Ahhhh...its almost here and I am so excited! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! Most of my childhood thanksgivings were spent at my Aunt and Uncles house in Tulsa, OK.  It was always a blast! The food was amazing...from smoked and oven roasted turkey to Amish noodles and those amazing rolls! And lets not forget my Aunt's famous Wassail..my favorite! There is so much to love about Thanksgiving for me because I really enjoy cooking...but for some I know it can be a bit overwhelming and challenging. This post is solely dedicated to help make your time in the kitchen a success this Thanksgiving with a one perfect bird! 

The Perfect Turkey

Two years ago I made a turkey that was fabulous! Why not last year? Well last year I was dead to the world...I had 4 month old twins - need I say more. (: Anyways, this turkey it was good and the gravy was really yummy! 

Ingredients 

1- (13-14lb) Fresh Turkey - serves 10-12 people

1 lemon

1 garlic bulb

4 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 Tbsp Butter or Olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1st step - One to Two days before Thanksgiving: Remove turkey from packaging and remove giblets from the turkey. Rinse turkey under cold water and blot dry with paper towels. Place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Rub turkey (outside and inside) with 2 tbsp of Kosher salt. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for one to two days. If your turkey was previously frozen: #1 make sure it was not previously brined - if so skip this step, #2 the turkey will need to be thawed before dry brine can take place - place turkey in refrigerator to thaw 3 days before thanksgiving. The day before thanksgiving place dry brine on turkey. Please thaw your turkey in the refrigerator and not in a sink - no one wants to die from food poisoning on Thanksgiving! (; 


2nd step - Thanksgiving Day: Truss the Turkey - Just watch Alton Brown (:


http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to-truss-a-turkey/video/index.html


3rd step - Thanksgiving Day: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub turkey with olive oil or butter and season with black pepper - on outside and inside of cavity. NO salt needed since dry brine has already taken place. Cut lemon in half and stuff in cavity. Cut entire bulb in half so that all of the garlic cloves are open and exposed and stuff in cavity of bird. Stuff rosemary and thyme sprigs inside the cavity as well. Pour chicken broth in bottom of roasting pan and place in oven immediately lowering the heat to 350 degrees. Rotate turkey halfway through cooking. For a 13-14lb turkey, cooking time should be approximately 2 1/2 - 3hours. Baste turkey with drippings every 30-45minutes for a pretty evenly golden brown bird. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thigh of the bird, careful not to hit bone; it should read 170 degrees. 


The Best Turkey Gravy
Pour all juices off of the turkey and into the roasting pan. Pour juices in a gravy separator to remove the fat. Discard fat. Add chicken broth to the juices to make approx 2 cups of liquid. Pour all juices back into the roasting pan and place on two burners on the stove on medium heat. Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch to approx 1/4 milk or water. This will make a thin paste. Once broth and drippings begin to simmer add the cornstarch mixture slowly stirring until gravy starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy! The garlic, lemon, and herbs from the turkey drippings adds amazing flavor to this gravy!

Napa Valley Road Trip

Okay, so I totally missed blogging last week. My mind was a bit preoccupied with my girls weekend get away to Napa coming up! It was so so fun...right up my alley. Amazing food, wine, beautiful views, and much needed girl time with my sister-in-law! It doesn't get any better than that! We stayed at the Cottages of Napa Valley and let me say it was perfect! They delivered Bouchon Bakery (Best bakery in Napa) pastries, fresh OJ, and fruit to our door step and I made some french press coffee in our little cottage kitchen. 

We visited Mumm sparkling wine and Francis Ford Coppola Winery. We had the most amazing french dip at Rutherford Grill in Rutherford, beer can chicken with all the fixings at Bounty Hunter Wine and BBQ in downtown Napa, and Calamari, Ricotta Gnocchi, and Potato dough Raviolo at Bottega in Yountville...and of course we drank LOTS of amazing wine!

We wrapped up our vacation with some shopping at Napa Premium Outlets and then drove into San Francisco to Union Square! We had the perfect weekend that leaves me feeling refreshed and blessed! 

Mema's Biscuits

My grandmother always made a huge breakfast. That crazy woman would wake me up at 6am just to ask me how many eggs I wanted and how I wanted them prepared. She exhausted me just watching her and I was just a kid! Her typical breakfast: Eggs, homemade biscuits, gravy, sausage, and bacon. This was EVERY morning! She would always serve milk, orange juice, and apple juice to my brother and me...never just one.  She was known for her cooking and so well known that not many people tried to cook in her presence. She was my grandmother, but she was...well how do I put this...blunt and just down right mean sometimes! If your dish wasn't good she would tell you about it and not even blink an eye. Yep, she was a strong willed & hearted woman but I loved her dearly. This week I am posting my grandmothers homemade biscuit recipe. My brother and I LOVED these biscuits and would have thrown a complete fit if she didn't make them...although thankfully we never had to! (: This recipe was a secret for many many years. She would act like she was giving people the right ingredients but she would leave something out or change the measurements...at least we all speculate this. Well, she gave me the recipe a couple years before she passed and they taste identical to hers. Before my father passed away he also gave me her biscuit cutter. I will cherish it always!

Did I mention that EVERY time I make these biscuits I send a picture of them to my brother just to make him mad! Haha! He really hates me for it.  Oh and one more mention - These are not healthy and shouldn't be...they are good ole southern biscuits! (;

Mema's Biscuits
Ingredients
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup Crisco, melted

My grandmothers biscuit cutter!

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk and mix lightly. Add the melted Crisco to the dough and continue stirring just until combined. Don't overmix (I use a fork as my grandmother did). Dough should be very wet and sticky in appearance (if it isn't add a little more buttermilk). Pour dough out onto a well floured surface and add additional flour on top of dough. Work dough lightly adding more flour, if needed, until dough is about 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits and place in a greased pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown - approx 15-20 min.  Enjoy!

The Best Lasagna EVER!

I never make lasagna because honestly I feel like it takes forever! All of the layering, shredding cheese, and boiling the noodles...ugh...too.much.work. Well, last night I decided I needed to make something that the girls haven't had yet.  They LOVE italian food so...lasagna it is!

I used Ina Garten's recipe for turkey sausage lasagna but of course I changed it!

My changes: no boil pasta vs. regular pasta - way too time consuming to boil my own,  extra lean ground beef and mild italian pork sausage vs. turkey sausage - come on who really likes turkey sausage, and no goat cheese vs. goat cheese - need I say more. (I like goat cheese just not in my lasagna!)

Well, my changes were a success...It was SO SO amazing! I always hope and pray that after spending all that time in the kitchen (and completely butchering someone else's) that I don't completely bomb a new recipe. Well, this was truly amazing! You really can't mess this up...it is all about the ingredients! So choose your ingredients wisely and I promise you won't be disappointed! The first words that came out of Ryan's mouth after the first bite...well I can't write that on here! (: Enjoy! 

Do not cover lasagna while baking.
Bake 30 - 40 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Best Lasagna EVER!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles (no boil) 
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

The fresh mozzarella made this lasagna...
and no shredding! Just slice and layer!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and beef and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish.

Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Just a few side notes: I only used half of the pasta...not sure why but that was all I needed. Also, when cooking the beef and sausage, blot as much grease as you can get with paper towels before adding the tomato sauce and paste.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

I just can't stop baking! I'm not sure what it is...fall season - the changing leaves and cooler weather, my underlying love for baked goods, or that smile that lights up my husbands face every time I pull something out of the oven. Okay, its every bit of it!

As I mentioned in previous postings I bake something for breakfast every weekend. It's usually blueberry muffins but I try to change it up here and there and add something new. So this weekend...Cranberry Pecan muffins. I love fresh cranberries but not so much dried cranberries. I never choose a baked good with dried cranberries...not sure why...I just like fresh better in baking. Who am I kidding I like fresh better in any scenario! These muffins are perfect flavors for the fall! You can add walnuts instead of pecans if you want or add a bit of cinnamon for even more fall flavor! Enjoy!

 

If using frozen cranberries - do not thaw!
Roughly chop in a food processor
 and add to the batter frozen. This prevents the
cranberries from bleeding into the batter.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup quick-oats

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

¾ cup milk

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup fresh chopped Cranberries

1/3 cup chopped Pecans

1 tbsp fresh orange zest

1. Grease muffin pan. Set aside.
2. In medium bowl combine flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside.
3. In another bowl combine beaten egg, milk, oil, and orange zest.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Do not over mix! 
4. Fold in fresh cranberries and pecans.



Don't leave out the orange zest! It adds tons of flavor!

5. Spoon batter into prepared (spray with Pam) muffin pan. Bake in a 400° oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove from muffin pan and serve warm.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Serve with fresh Basil and Parmesan!

I love tomato sauce! I have always made my own...Why? Because it tastes better and it's ALOT cheaper. I am amazed at the tomato sauces at Whole foods that are $7-$8 for a not so big jar! Yikes! By the time I buy the pasta and meat I might as well go out to eat! Sigh...

This recipe is super easy! Ryan was working late last night and I really needed to make dinner! I have this problem...I feel extremely bad if my kids don't get the best food all the time.  Yes, I know...completely ridiculous! lol! So, I gave the girls some bowls, pans, and spoons to play with in the kitchen floor and I threw some tomato sauce together. I made some rigatoni to go with it- mostly because its the only form of pasta that Olivia likes - Geez 1 year olds! Smh... I also roasted some squash  - the girls LOVE this as well!

Make some sauce...you will LOVE it! If this makes too much for your family, freeze the extras in a ziploc freezer bag or glass jar for later. Enjoy!

Add a little sauce to your cooked pasta after draining water
to prevent the pasta from sticking. Don't use olive oil as it
prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta.
Then serve extra sauce on top! 

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ingredients 
2 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes - Preferably San Marzano
1 small onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 lb. Ground beef, browned (optional)

If using the ground beef, brown in large sauce pan. Transfer beef to a bowl lined with paper towels to drain grease. In same pan add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and onions and let cook over medium heat. Once onions become translucent (about 5-7 minutes) add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Season the onions and garlic with salt (approx 1 tsp) and pepper (approx 2 tsp).  Add the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and 1/2 c. fresh basil, and cooked ground beef (if using) to the onion mixture.  Stir sauce well to combine. Simmer covered sauce over medium low heat for approx 1 hour. Stir sauce often throughout the hour to prevent sticking.

BBQ Baked Chicken and More - SUPER Easy

We are all looking for recipes that taste good but if they take forever FORGET IT! I used to make all kinds of recipes that took hours of prep time and clean up. Of course they all turned out amazing but with kids I just don't have the time during the week to take that on these days.  My homemade tomato sauce that used to take 8 hours now only takes 30min to whip together (recipe coming soon). When you are a mom you learn to do everything FAST!

Therefore, my next recipe posting has to be my BBQ baked chicken. Well, its not really a recipe - you just put boneless skinless chicken breasts in a pyrex baking dish and dump BBQ sauce  (I prefer Stubbs BBQ sauce) on top of the chicken, cover with foil, and pop it in the oven for 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees. Yes, so easy even the worst cook can't mess this up! If you do...nahhh...you just CAN'T! This is a great recipe for kids and so are the sides: Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, and asparagus. My girls ate everything...even the asparagus!

Just a side note: Don't think that your kids are going to hate something just because you do. We all have our own tastes and likes, so don't ever dismiss foods from your child's diet. Roasting veggies brings out TONS of flavor. I think Asparagus and Brussels sprouts are completely disgusting heated up in the microwave or boiled. When they are roasted with olive oil and a little salt and pepper...simply AMAZING! Remember - Every food has the potential to taste good!

Add color to your plate it makes it more appealing!

BBQ Baked Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Jar BBQ sauce

Place 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts in a pyrex baking dish. Pour BBQ sauce to your liking over the chicken breasts just to cover - you won't use the whole bottle. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you don't like Sweet Potatoes - you will now!

Roasted Yukon Gold and Sweet Potatoes

2 medium sized Yukon Gold Potatoes - leave skin on
1 Large Sweet Potato - skinned
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Line a sheet pan with foil. Cut potatoes in 1 inch cubes and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper on the foil lined pan. Spread the potatoes out evenly. Bake at 375 degrees for approx 30 min until lightly golden brown. Side note: Pierce potato with fork to check if done.

Roasted Asparagus is the BEST! 

Roasted Asparagus


1 bunch of Asparagus, with approx 2 inches cut off bottoms
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
salt and pepper

Line a sheet pan with foil or you can use a baking dish. Toss Asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper on the foil lined pan or baking dish. Spread the Asparagus out evenly. Bake at 375 degrees for approx 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Side note: You want the asparagus to be a bit firm. Mushy asparagus is NOT good! (:

Orecchiette with Meatballs

I am constantly trying to find the best and most nutritious foods/recipes for my girls. I might go as far as saying that I am a bit obsessed with it! It's my job...what I do best! Seriously, it really really bothers me the crap that kids eat these days.  I want my girls to grow up loving and savoring REAL food! I stumbled upon this recipe from one Giada DeLaurentiis's cookbooks. As I said before I change every recipe that I find...so instead of ground chicken I used ground beef.  Ryan requested that I do this because he thinks ground chicken sounds disgusting and I have to be honest it doesn't sound too great to me either. I also bake my meatballs instead of pan fry. Why? Because it's so much easier and no mess! The girls loved this recipe and I am sure your kids will too! 

Orecchiette with Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup grated Romano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef stock, hot
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 ounces bocconcini mozzarella, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 
  

Line your baking sheet with foil for no mess!

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the ground beef and gently stir to combine.

Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure), form the beef mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With hands (I use gloves), roll the beef pieces into mini meatballs.

Place meatballs on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes (leave meatballs slightly undercooked as they will cook in the sauce in the follow steps). Heat a large skillet with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Place meatballs in pan and continue cooking in pan for 2-4 minutes.  Add the beef stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil.

Fall is here...time to bake!

I love to cook but I LOVE to bake! Quick breads are one of my favorite things to bake because they are "quick" and simple! I made Butternut Squash bread last weekend and Blueberry Oatmeal muffins this weekend. The Butternut Squash bread is AMAZING...if you like pumpkin bread this recipe is for YOU! You can totally make this recipe with pumpkin in the can but I promise you the butternut squash is 10 times better! The Blueberry Oatmeal muffins I make every weekend and if I don't...I hear about it...even from the dog! No joke...when he smells them he comes running!  I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as my family does!

Just a couple of tips on quick breads:
1. Follow the measurements exactly  2. DO NOT over mix the batter  3. Please don't burn them (:  4. I bake the butternut squash bread in these disposable pans that you can buy from Sur La Table - they bake the bread perfectly and they are great for giving away as gifts and for freezing loaves of bread for later.

Butternut Squash Bread

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup squash puree (see tip)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice and cloves in a medium bowl until combined.
3. Beat squash puree, sugar, honey and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and egg white. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until combined. Fold in chopped walnuts. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake the bread until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes more. Serve warm.

Tip: Skin and cube the butternut squash up in 1 inch squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with a little water and a plate on top and let the squash steam for approx. 6-8 minutes. Then mash with a fork.  

Herb Baked Salmon

So I am going to be honest...I am terrible at cooking fish! Could it be that I grew up in Oklahoma eating beef, chicken, and pork my whole life? Oh wait I ate fish too, if you want to count the fried catfish my dad cooked for us after we went noodling in the river! LOL - yes this is all true...me in a muddy river digging around for catfish! (: Okay, okay back to cooking...

I am a dietitian, I know that fish is great for me and I really want to like it but I just DON'T! So I went out on a limb this weekend and decided to make some Salmon that I bought from the farmer's market. My mother-in-law was visiting and LOVES seafood! I prayed that I wasn't going to completely screw it up AND I did not! It was fabulous! Finally! I am pretty sure I've cracked the code on baking good Salmon.  My thoughts: Bake at high temp for short time, fresh herbs are best, the thicker the filet the better, kosher salt is a must, and top it off with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. Try it! I know you will love it...especially if I did!

Herb Baked Salmon


4 generous size filets of Salmon
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
Fresh Rosemary, roughly chopped
Fresh Italian flat leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon for serving, cut in wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place Salmon filets on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush Salmon filets with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, and fresh herbs to your liking. Bake Salmon for 12-15 minutes until fish is firm and flakes with fork.  Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Enjoy!

I served the Salmon with wild rice (just a box - yes, I do use convenience items some times) and Barefoot Contessa's French String Beans. The green beans were amazing. The girls LOVED them! Follow the link below for her recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-string-beans-recipe2/index.html