Salmon Burgers

We had family for dinner this evening.  I made Salmon Burgers, and beef burgers to give my guests a choice.  I would so make these salmon burgers again in a heart beat.  So good!  I used a Paula Deen (and not a speck of butter in this recipe!) that was rated highest on many food websites.  After tasting, I definitely see why.  Many reviews claimed quality canned salmon could be substituted easily for fresh ground.  I chose wild caught salmon fillets that I ground myself.  Don't skip the Sesame mayonnaise, it made the burger delish!

Salmon Burger
printable recipe

1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. yellow bell pepper, diced
3/4 c. panko bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. of skinless salmon finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. soy sauce

Mayonnaise

1 c. mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

lettuce
tomato, sliced
8 buns

In a medium bowl,  combine peppers, panko, garlic and salmon.

In a small bowl, combine the egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt.

Add to the salmon mixture.
Form into 8 patties.

Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Mix the mayonnaise ingredients together.  Chill.

Heat grill or broiler to high heat.  Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until you have a nice crust on both sides.

Serve on bun with sesame mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato.

Cranberry Almond Cake

I am having guests in over the weekend so I wanted to make dessert tonight, that way I can work on dinner tomorrow.  I plan on serving this with vanilla ice cream.  It was my last hoarded bag of cranberries I froze when they were in season.  This is simple and looks elegant.  I can't tell you until tomorrow how it tastes!  I will add a footnote after I serve it.

Cranberry Almond Cake
printable recipe

1-1/2 c. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. butter at room temperature
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. milk
1-1/2 c. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. sliced almonds

In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking powder.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer until they are light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extract.  Beat on high for 1 minute until creamy.

Add half the flour mixture and beat on low until the flour is incorporated.
Add half of the milk, and beat until incorporated.  Repeat.
Beat on high for 1 minute.

Spread in a buttered 9" pie plate.

Sprinkle with the almonds and gently press them into the batter.

Bake for 35 minutes until the cake and almonds are lightly browned on top.

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs, Bay and Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy

The title tells it all....if I say YUMMO! can you guess this is a Rachel Ray recipe?  I didn't choose this for any particular reason.  We don't eat a lot of red meat and it has been awhile.  I also have the last of the tomatoes from last year's harvest to use.  I think the name of the recipe and the technique simply intrigued me!

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs, Bay and Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy
printable recipe

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground sweet sausage
Salt and Pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls plain bread crumbs
3 T. finely chopped fresh sage leaves
3 T. olive oil
4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
1 T. butter
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 c. chicken stock
1-15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place meat in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Add garlic, eggs, Parmesan, bread crumbs, and sage.

Mix and shape into 8 large meatballs.  Arrange in a 9 X 11 baking dish.
Drizzle with 2 T. olive oil.

With the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a hole half with through in the middle of each meatball.

Stuff the cavity with Gorgonzola.

Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes.

Heat 1 T. oil and the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion and sage.  Cook 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken stock and tomatoes and heat through.

Add the cream, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.

Ladle sauce into a shallow bowl and top with the stuffed meatball.

Cucumber Salad with Radish and Dill

I harvested the first Spring vegetable from the garden today!  Beautiful, tender, spicy radishes.  Rather than simply tuck them in a tossed salad, I featured them in this delicious light side dish.  The crispy cucumber pairs well with the delicate radish slices.  You could easily make this salad all summer long with the summer season's more robust radishes.  This is really simple.  Something that can be made at the last minute.  It is an elegant, healthy side to a light entree of chicken or fish.

Our Bounty of 'French Breakfast' and 'Easter Egg' radishes:

Cucumber Salad with Radish and Dill

printable recipe

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced thin

6 oz. fresh radishes, sliced thin

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 T. white wine vinegar

1 T. finely chopped fresh dill

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 garlic clove, smashed with the flat side of a large knife

coarse salt & fresh ground pepper

1/4 c. olive oil

Put cucumber, radish and lemon zest in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl combine the lemon juice, vinegar, dill, sugar, salt & pepper to taste, and garlic cloves.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Whisk while streaming the olive oil in slowly.

Discard the garlic cloves from the vinaigrette and add dressing to the vegetables and mix well.  

Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup

I made some rich stock with the leftover chicken from Sunday.  I looked around for any recipe I had saved that appealed to me using the stock and chicken meat, and of course what else I had on hand.  I had tagged this Jeff Mauro recipe a few years ago.  Oh my, this soup is light and fresh tasting.  It seems so simple, but has a layering of flavors that is delicious.  There is just enough lemon flavor that it doesn't overpower the vegetables and herbs.  The fresh tarragon sprinkled on top of each serving should not be skipped; the fragrance and slight licorice taste is delightful!  Ok, by now I am sure you can tell I liked this soup!  Keep in mind it is not a cold weather soup; more of a spring or summer soup.

Chicken Lemon Orzo Soup
printable recipe

2 T. olive oil
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 gallon of chicken stock
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
3-4 c. diced chicken
Zest of 2 lemons
1 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/4 c. fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
lemon slices

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the celery, carrots, garlic and onion.  Saute all until tender.

Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook for 15 to 20 minutes more.  Taste broth to see if you need to season with salt and pepper.

Remove the bay leaves and any floating thyme sprigs.  Add the lemon zest and juice.

Place some orzo in a soup bowl.  Ladle soup over the pasta.  Sprinkle with the fresh tarragon and a fresh lemon slice.

Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

It is M & M Monday.  I pay extra attention to Mondays now that my grandson enjoys eating Big Boy food.  I chose a recipe I found on Pinterest that seemed to be posted every time I wandered around Pinterest.  I have made a some recipes I find on Pinterest and a few of them have been misses; but, how can you go wrong with pork, brown sugar and garlic? This is a double thumbs up!  The glaze is perfectly balanced between sweet and salty.  The meat was fall apart tender.  It would also make a great sandwich with coleslaw.  Pork tenderloin is an inexpensive protein.  No waste, low fat and inexpensive-sounds like a cooking trifecta to me!

Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin
printable recipe

2 lb. pork tenderloin
1 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 c. water

Sauce:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. Balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. water
2 T. soy sauce

Mix together the sage, salt, pepper and garlic.

Rinse and pat dry the tenderloin (both, usually there are 2 in a package).
Rub with the herb and garlic mixture.

Add the 1/2 c. water to the bottom of a crockpot.  Lay the the meat in next.
Cook on Low for 6-8 hours.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Stir until it begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat.

Crockpot method for glaze:
Brush the top of the tenderloin with the glaze 2-3 times in the last hour of cooking.

Oven method for glaze:
Line a baking sheet with foil. When the roast is completely done, remove from the crockpot and place on the baking sheet.
In a 425 degree oven, bake for 10-15 minutes, brush with glaze every 5 minutes until caramelized.

Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato, Oranges and Blue Moon

I spent my Sunday afternoon doing what I find the most relaxing....spent it in my kitchen.  Turned on a good movie, opened the windows and jumped into an afternoon making a Sunday dinner.  As you know from past posts, my favorite thing to make on a Sunday is a roast chicken.  It makes the house smell wonderful, the day feel special and gives you something to build meals from for the rest of the week.  I love a traditional roast chicken with no frills; however, I have done that already this year so it doesn't pass muster with the rules of not repeating a recipe.  I can't decide if I chose this recipe for the preparation, or the name!  

Personally it was a little too orange for me.  The layers of flavor were very good.  I would have liked more rosemary to come through and maybe some garlic to cut the sweet citrus taste.  But, none the less, this was a new recipe that looked appetizing and tasted good, not great, but good.

Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato, Oranges and Blue Moon

printable recipe

1 Roasting Chicken, cleaned and patted dry

Juice from 1 orange

1 Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2" chunks

1 orange cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 bottle Blue Moon Wheat Beer

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

1/2 onion, chopped

3 T. melted butter

3 T. olive oil

1 T. honey

2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp. fresh grated orange zest

Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, melted butter and honey.

In a bowl, combine the potatoes, onions, orange slices, 1 tsp. chopped rosemary, 1/2 tsp. orange zest, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  

Pour half of the oil and butter mixture over the potato mixture and toss to coat.

With the other half of the oil mixture rub it all over inside and out, on the chicken, along with the remaining diced rosemary, orange zest and salt & pepper to taste. Place the chicken in a roasting pan.

Surround the chicken with the vegetables.

Place 2 orange slices, and the whole rosemary sprigs in the cavity.

Pour the beer and orange juice on the vegetables, but not over the bird as that would wash off the rub.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for approx. 1-1/2 hours, basting the bird with the juices every 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving.