Lemon Herbed Salmon

I love fish! I grew up by the sea and fish was just a staple in our diet. I also grew up Catholic and we didn't eat meat on Friday during lent. But what's not to love about fish and chips? My husband, on the other hand grew up nowhere near the sea and didn't even try his first piece of fish until he was in his twenties. Needless to say, I wasn't cooking much fish early on in our relationship. Now he loves it just as much as I do!

For some reason Salmon was the one fish that I never got into until recently. Now I find it to be the easiest - and one of the most versatile - types of fish to cook. Here's an easy weeknight recipe for salmon that comes together and cleans up in no time. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon because I usually have all of the ingredients in my pantry ready to go.

Lemon Herbed Salmon

.25 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP dried Basil
.5 TBSP dried Oregano
1 small lemon, juiced
Salt and fresh cracked pepper - to taste
1 pound fresh Salmon Fillet

Preheat over to 400.

Whisk together first five ingredients. Place salmon in plastic ziplock bag. Pour mixture over salmon and refrigerate for 30 min to marinade, turning once.

Transfer salmon and marinade to baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until salmon flake with a fork.

Chicken Broccoli Rigatoni with White Wine Sauce

So, there's this chain restaurant that I love. I don't say that about many, or, okay, ANY chains. This one is a (somewhat) local chain found in the Northeast called Bertucci's. I have a fondness for small chains that I can't quite explain. Perhaps because they usually begin as a Mom& Pop and are so fantastic that they merit a second location. And then a third. I think the rolls at Bertucci's have magical properties that keep drawing me back for more. Oh, and the sausage soup. And the pizza. And...I've actually never been disappointed with anything I've had from their menu.

It's funny, Italian food is hands down my favorite, but not ever my first choice when dining out. It's just that so many Italian dishes can be made really well at home, that I don't see the point in paying someone to do what I could easily do myself. I would rather pay someone to make me French or Indian food, because I'm hopeless and inept when it comes to those cuisines.

I love Bertucci's though. Currently, I live in a location that does not have a Bertucci's within at least 1,000 miles and they won't deliver to me. One day when a particularly strong craving for Bertucci's Chicken Broccoli Rigatoni came over me, I decided I needed to take matters into my own hands. That's when this recipe was born. If given the choice, I would choose the Bertucci's version over my own. I'm afraid I'll never cook with enough butter to get it exactly right. This recipe is close enough to cure my cravings when I can't have the original.

Chicken Broccoli Rigatoni with White Wine Sauce

.5 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" cubes seasoned with salt and pepper
.25 c seasoned breadcrumbs
.25 c grated Parmesan cheese
.25 c shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 c. fresh broccoli florets
2 c rigatoni

White Wine Sauce
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup white wine
2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Squeeze fresh lemon juice
.5 tsp Kosher salt


Combine chicken, breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese into large zip-lock bag and shake to coat chicken. In large skillet heat olive oil and add chicken. Brown on all sides and remove from heat.

Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Steam broccoli in .5 cup of water for approximately 8 minutes. Drain.
Combine broccoli, chicken and pasta.

Sauce:
Place garlic, white wine, broth and lemon juice into a pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce to half and whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add salt and crushed red pepper. Toss in with pasta. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.


Makes 4 servings

Barbecue Pulled Pork

Or, the best darn sandwich you'll ever eat!

I love pulled pork. It's always a toss up when I walk into a BBQ joint: pulled pork or brisket. I usually go for the brisket because pulled pork is something I can, and do, make at home. And you can too because it's just about the easiest darn thing you'll ever make.

I made a big pot of this yesterday. We're smack in the middle of hurricane country and supplies are low due to hurricane Ike. Luckily our power wasn't out for long and none of our food spoiled. But we have been going through our supplies and I didn't have a few things - like onions and garlic - that I would normally put into this dish. I didn't even miss them though. This was the best batch of pulled pork I've ever made, so I'm thinking simple is the way to go.

Ingredients

1 3-4 lb Pork Butt (Bone-In or boneless whatever you can find)
1 cup Barbecue Sauce - your favorite recipe or bottle
1 can Coca Cola
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

Season pork liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in crockpot. Spread one cup of barbecue sauce on top of pork just to coat. Pour entire can of Coke into the crockpot. Not directly over the pork, just around the sides.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove pork from crockpot - it should be falling apart. Remove fat and bone from pork. Shred remaining meat with a fork.

At this point I drain all of the liquid out of the crockpot and into a bowl. I separate the good stuff from the oil with a turkey baster. Just suck out the liquid in the bottom of the bowl; what's left on top is fat and can be discarded. If you don't mind the grease, then just leave it be.

Return the shredded meat to the crockpot with just enough of the reserved liquid to barely cover the meat. Continue cooking on low for 30 minutes.

I would usually serve this on Kaiser rolls with pickles and a side of cole slaw and maybe some sweet potato fries. Yum! Of course, due to our limited kitchen supplies this week, I only served it with the rolls and pickles and regular roasted potatoes. But it was still delicious. And EASY! You can't go wrong.

Asian Noodles

I should preface this recipe by saying that I am not of Asian descent and I don't pretend to be an expert of their complex cuisines. In fact, Asian cuisine is one that I love, but that tends to elude me once I get in the kitchen. This recipe would probably make any REAL Asian chef scoff. And then double over in laughter. This is my take on an Asian Noodle dish. It's not Lo Mein, unfortunately, and it's not trying to be.

What I love about this dish is that it's so versatile and, other than the noodles and sauce, every ingredient is optional. Don't have peppers? Use carrots. Don't like chicken? Leave it out. This dish is very unfussy and is good warm or cold. I like it best served cold the next day.

Asian Chicken Noodles

1 lb Spaghetti
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 lb cooked chicken breast cut into 1" cubes
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 c broccoli florets, chopped
1 sm onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 c peanuts, chopped


Sauce
.5 c soy sauce
.5 c brown sugar
2 TBSP sesame oil
.25 c vegetable oil
.5 tsp garlic
.5 tsp crushed red pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute onions, garlic, peppers and broccoli until tender. Add peanuts, saute and additional 1 minute. Add chicken to skillet mixture, stir.

For Sauce:
In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce and brown sugar. Slowly drizzle in sesame oil and vegetable oil while whisking constantly. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper.

Add sauce to skillet mixture, toss with pasta and serve warm or cold.

Welcome!

Starting a blog is so daunting. Not the act of blogging itself but that dreaded first post. The post where you introduce yourself. You're not yet sure the tone of your blog because you're hardly familiar with what it looks like, never mind what it's supposed to sound like. Do you introduce yourself? To who? You don't even have any readers yet. Stop talking to yourself, you're making everyone uncomfortable.
I'm going to skip all that awkwardness and just hop right in and talk about what I love...cooking!