Spring Salmon

Use your hidden hard boiled Easter eggs to make an adjusted" Norwegian hollandaise" sauce to serve with your wild caught Alaskan Salmon.

The traditional sauce is melted butter, chopped hard boiled egg, lemon juice and dillweed -melt 1 stick butter, add 1 chopped hard boiled egg , 1 tablespoon dillweed., and 1/ 2 squeezed lemon juice.

Adjusted or enhanced includes the addition of 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1 /2 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper added to the melted butter.

Cook salmon in olive oil in saute pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes( season w/ salt and pepper), turn and cook 2 more minutes. The general rule of thumb in cooking fish to well done is 7 minute per inch of thickness of fish. Do the math. You want this salmon to be cooked medium - not dried out, which means cook it about half way there. The slower you cook it the better - even on medium low.

Spoon sauce over filets/steaks before serving with your favorite starch and vegetable - rice, boiled or shoestring potatoes, broccoli, or asparagus.

It is a deep kiss with your lover, you lucky one.

Wednesday, April 20th

The wind stopped blowing so I got down to the lake today and saw 3 loons, 5 ducks, 1 eagle and a dead bullhead, pretty good sized. I did not eat any of them.

Guacamole and refried beans w/ chips and corn tortillas a perfect playoff football snack.

Make the guac w/ onions, tomatoes, jalapeno pepper,lemon juice,plenty of garlic, cilantro and olive oil. Process. Serve with chips of your choice.

Pinto or black beans mashed and fried in half butter and olive oil, seasoned w/ salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne topped w/ cheese, served w/ chips and warm soft corn tortillas.

Looks good, smells great, tastes like a touchdown.

A Winter Sandwich

Use marble jack cheese and bleu cheese and cooked spinach to make a great midwinter grilled cheese sandwich on whole grain bread. Grill the sandwich in a small amount of olive oil, or olive oil and butter. Eat it alongside a multi bean and vegetable soup.

Happy New Year

I braised it stovetop w/ the wine and vegies and herbs/spices because my oven caught on fire. I added herbs de Provence and plenty of garlic along w/ the wine. 3 hours cooking time.

You can add the onions, mushrooms, carrots and potatoes after 2 hours of cooking the meat. 3 hours total. I do it in a black cast iron pan( 8inch) with a glass lid. You can watch it and test it all as you cook. If the vegies are done before the meat is fork tender, simply remove the vegies and continue cooking the beef. Add beef broth or beef bouillon to the pan for a deeper, richer flavor.

Happy New Year!

3 hours is a while. You will want to have some appetizers, like shrimp cocktail and cheese( bleu, and brie w/ jam) and crackers,sardines, minced mushrooms and onions sauteed w/ garlic and sage , artichokes etc... . while you wait, as well as wines of your choice ( I';m a nut for pinot noir), and / or egg nog . You will have sports on tv and as much talk as garlic in the food. It will all be spicy and good. You will need some kooks from your very own family to be involved, as well as the lonesome and homeless. They are as worthy of love and consideration as the food.

God Bless. Happy New Year.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

An historic college basketball game tonight as the 90 game winning streak by Connecticut - best all time since John Wooden's UCLA men's team in the 70's - was eclipsed by the Stanford women. Great ball game. I am an avid fan of girl's basketball because all 3 of my girls have played basketball.

It happens with food, too. You might have made, say, a great beef Bourguignonne - which means beef " as prepared in Burgundy," which is braised w/ onions and mushrooms in red wine, Burgundy, I suppose, which equates with our California Pinot Noir( same grape).

You make it the best 90 times and the next time you screw up and lose and then you might make it great many times thereafter. It will probably make you better after you lose because you don't want to lose again.

I bought a beef chuck roast today and intend to prepare it in the beef Bourguignonne manner tomorrow - a simple adaptation - and will report on the results tomorrow after it is done.

It Will SaveYour Life

Nice to be back. I've had a nasty virus in my computer and was unable to hold my website. Thanks to Norton Live, the virus(es) has been removed and I am protected again.

I have a passion for the roasts, stews and soups of wintertime. The one pot meals that nourish, sustain and excite us through the cold and dark time of the year. I swear that some of these lunches and suppers have saved my life.

If you're from the Midwest( Mn) and you grew up on Mom's pot roast , you know what I mean. You can make it better, I think. She seasoned it with salt and pepper - the chuck or blade front end of the cow, as well as the potatoes, carrots and onions.

Add garlic and rosemary or "herbs de Provence( a mixture of dried herbs from the South of France) which includes basil, fennel seed, lavender. marjoram, rosemary,sage, summer savory and thyme ( according to the "Food Lover's Companion") - a thoroughly intoxicating perfume of flavors esp when married to meats like beef or pork, or chicken in a one black cast iron pan meal.

One hour total cooking time w/ chicken - add vegetables the same time as the chicken.

With a pork or beef roast( or venison), add the vegetables after one hour of cooking and check for tenderness at 2 to 2 1/2 hours. You should add water and wine at the beginning and cover your container( 2 cups water, 1 cup wine - red or white). It is so simple and so good - deep, rich, aromatic, delicious.

Serve with artisan bread for dunking.It will keep you alive and interested. Umm, 350 degree oven. Oh, add whole mushrooms, too. Mom didn't.