Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

Marinade: to be made TWICE

3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets, without skin
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large zip-lock bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 1/2 hours, turning once halfway through time.

Combine the first 7 ingredients again in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove fish from refrigerator and remove from marinade. Pat well with paper towel to dry.

Place the second marinade mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; lower heat and let simmer until reduced by half. Set aside while you cook the fish.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season fish with a light sprinkling of salt. Add the oil to the pan and once it shimmers, add the fish to the pan. Cook fish 2 to 4 minutes per side, until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desided degree of doneness.

Place one fillet on each of four plates; drizzle each serving with some of the sauce and sprinkle with the sliced green onions.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

4 large bell peppers, any color, sliced in half stem-to-tip, seeds removed
1 cup quinoa
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, don't drain
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 recipe (or 1 28-ounce can) red enchilada sauce (or 1 28-ounce can)

Add quinoa and onion to a large saucepan with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 5 minutes, cover, turn off heat and let steam 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

In the meantime, microwave pepper halves 2-3 minutes to soften slightly.
Pour quinoa/onion mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in black beans, tomato, green chilies, cilantro, half the cheese, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Pour enchilada sauce into a 9x13" baking dish. Divide quinoa mixture among peppers. Nestle stuffed peppers into the enchilada sauce. Top with the remaining cheese.

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook about 5 minutes longer. Serve peppers drizzled with enchilada sauce.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 to 1 chipotle chile canned in adobo, rinsed and minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups water

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and chili powder; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Bring sauce to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes.
Makes about 3 1/4 cups sauce.

Salted Peanut Bars

Salted Peanut Bars
2 1/4 cups coarsely chopped roasted salted peanuts
14 ounces store-bought soft caramels, unwrapped
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on all sides, then lightly coat parchment with more cooking spray.
Cover paper with 1 1/4 cups peanuts.
In a medium pot, combine 1 tablespoon water, caramels, marshmallows and vanilla over mediumm heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until caramels and marshmallows melt and mixture is smooth, about 8 minutes. Immediately pour over peanuts, then top with remaining 1 cup peanuts. Let cool until set, about 2 hours, then cut into 32 bars.

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps

Stir-fry sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Cashew chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 3/4 lb.) diced
3 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
8 large leaves of greenleaf or iceberg lettuce

Stir-fry sauce:
Mix all ingredients well, making sure to dissolve the brown sugar. Set aside.

Chicken:
Heat oil in a pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken; cook and stir until browned, 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oil. Add the onions, garlic, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to pan; cook until the onions are browned and tender. Add the stir-fry sauce, chicken, and cashews. Saute mixture for a few minutes then remove from heat.

To serve:
Spoon chicken mixture into individual lettuce leaves. Add your favorite hot sauce, more chopped cashews, or basil.

Serves 2

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup crushed pretzel crumbs
6 ounces milk chocolate (I used half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet)

Stir together peanut butter, confectioner's sugar, butter, and crushed pretzels.
Roll into 1" balls.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm.
Melt chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Alternately, use the microwave on medium power, 1-3 minutes, stirring after each minute, until smooth.
Dip balls into melted chocolate, place back on cookie sheet, and refrigerate until set.
Makes 18 to 24 balls.

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes with Chive Sour Cream

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes with Chive Sour Cream

12 to 15 small red potatoes, 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter
salt , to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
salt, to taste

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Add salt to the water.  Bring water to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce to a simmer; cook the potatoes until they are just tender.  
Drain well.  Place the cooked potatoes on a clean kitchen towel on the counter.  Allow the potatoes to sit a few minutes to cool.  Using another clean towel, gently press down on each potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. 
Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil; put a piece of parchment paper on top of the foil.  Transfer the flattened potatoes to the baking sheet and allow them to cool to room temperature. (At this point you may cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. 
If chilled, removed the potatoes from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt and pour the olive oil over them.  Lift the potatoes a bit to make sure some of the oil gets underneath and they are well coated on both sides.  
Roast the potatoes until they are crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.
White the potatoes are roasting, combine the sour cream and chives; season with salt and set aside.
Remove potatoes to a serving platter and top each with a dollop of the chive sour cream.  Serve hot.
 
Makes 4 to 5 servings

Chocolate Bark

Chocolate Bark

2 cups dark chocolate melting disks (I use Chocomakers)
2 cups vanilla flavored melting disks, white or color of your choice
candy flavoring oil of your choice
Add-ins of your choice (toasted nuts, toffee bits, peppermint bits, etc)
Toppings of your choice (candies, toasted nuts, sprinkles, etc)

Melt the dark chocolate pieces in the microwave according to package directions. If making a nut bark, stir in 1 to 2 cups of toasted nuts (your choice). Otherwise, stir in 1 to 2 cups of your add-ins. Spread out evenly onto a pan lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Place in the refrigerator to harden.

Melt the vanilla candy pieces according to package directions. Stir in about 1/4 teaspoon of your desired candy flavoring. Spread melted candy over the chocolate. Immediately sprinkle with candy bits, toasted nuts, sprinkles, etc...your choice. Place back into the refrigerator until set, then break into pieces.

Note: The photo shown is Chocolate Almond Bark.  I did not have enough of the white vanilla pieces to make 2 cups so instead I used 3 cups of the chocolate pieces and a bit over a cup of the vanilla pieces.  Normally they would be about equal amounts.  I used toasted slivered almonds as my add-in to the dark chocolate.  I used a scant 1/4 teaspoon of almond flavored oil in the white vanilla part.  I used about an ounce or so of toasted sliced almonds on top.

Sweet and Salty Crunch Bars

Sweet and Salty Crunch Bars

200 grams (about 7 oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
100 grams (about 3.5 oz) milk chocolate
125 grams (about 9 Tbsp) butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
250 grams (about 9 oz) salted peanuts
4 40 gram (about 1.5 oz) Cabdbury's Crunchie bars, chopped

Put the chocolates, butter and syrup in a large saucepan and place on medium-low heat. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Remove pan from heat and add the peanuts and chopped Crunchie bars; stir gently to coat the nut mix.

Pour mixture onto a small foil lined baking pan and spread it out evenly.
Refrigerate for about 4 hours.

After the bars have set well, remove them from the pan and cut into small pieces. Store in an air tight container.

Note: I was able to find the Crunchie bars at a local European market. If you are unable to find them, I think a good substitute would be butterfingers.
This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson.

Cream of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Cream of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups packed roasted butternut squash, *see Note

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 cup cream

salt and pepper, to taste
freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
sour cream, optional
minced fresh chives, optional

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and saute the onions and carrots, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the squash and cayenne and stir to combine. Heat through.
In two batches, puree the squash mixture in a blender until well pureed. Pour back into the saucepan and add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. LIGHTLY grate some fresh nutmeg over the top of the soup. Do NOT over do this part. You don't want to be able to really tell it's there...you will just wonder it that is what you can taste. I am talking like...maybe 1/32 of a teaspoon.

To serve, garnish with a dollop of sour cream and minced chives.
This makes 2 servings as a meal and 4 as an appetizer.

Note: I used leftover roasted squash from a previous meal. You can always use freshly cooked, and you don't have to roast it. I just had it on hand.

Yield: 4 cups

Butterscotch Pie

Butterscotch Pie

1 9 inch pie shell, baked and cooled
2 1.4 oz Skor bars, chopped

FILLING:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup boiling water
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons bourbon
1 1.4 oz Skor bar, chopped

Sprinkle two chopped Skor bars in the bottom of cooled pie shell; set aside.

FILLING:
Whisk together milk, cornstarch, and salt for slurry in a bowl; set aside.
Brown 10 tablespoons butter for the filling in a saute' pan over medium heat, 10 to 15 minutes, or until brown flecks appear in the butter.  This will provide a toasty nutty flavor.  Add brown sugar and golden syrup; bring to a boil.  Boil 3 minutes, whisk in boiling water until smooth, boil 1 minute more.

Whisk slurry into sugar mixture and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes; cook 1 minute more and remove from heat.

Drizzle 1 cup of butterscotch into the 4 egg yolks to temper, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and gradually whisk tempered mixture back into filling. Simmer filling 1 minute to thicken, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour filling into pie shell.

Press plastic wrap onto filling to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature, then chill overnight.

TOPPING:
Beat heavy cream to soft peaks in a bowl with a hand mixer on medium. Add 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar and 2 teaspoons bourbon, beating until combined.
Top pie with the whipped cream and garnish with the remaining chopped Skor bar. Chill until ready to serve.