Moving Day

Today's moving day! Our phone service will be going off soon here so I won't be online until the phone service is installed at the new house sometime tomorrow. I hope to be back online this weekend. We are pretty much packed and ready to go. The serviceman came out to take the washer off its pedestal and lock the drum and to take the doors off the fridge last night.

Watch for pictures on my new kitchen along with the changes we make to it in the very near future. Of course, I can't wait to get cooking again so will be sharing that with you as well.

Baked Salmon Steaks

As the move date draws closer and more things are packed I feel less like cooking so am turning to easier, quick to prepare meals. Baked salmon steaks fit that criteria last night. The meal used up two of the remaining four potatoes, two salmon steaks (freezer), peaches & cream corn (freezer) and my last lemon (refrigerator).

Baked Salmon Steak

Salmon steaks are one of our favourite either grilled or baked. Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids making it one of the good foods to eat. Left-overs can be made into a filling for sandwiches and wraps. It can be baked or grilled from frozen in about 20 minutes and in less time if using fresh.

Salmon has a nice, rich flavour that goes nicely with rosemary, butter, lemon, thyme and chives. I insist on both butter and lemon when either grilling or baking salmon then use the desired herbs to compliment the side dishes. I like keeping the sides simple so as to not overpower the flavour of the salmon.

Baked Salmon Steaks

1 salmon steak per person
herbed butter
juice on half lemon
lemon slices

Place the salmon steaks in a baking dish or 2-piece broiling pan*. Brush with the herbed butter. Sprinkle generously with lemon juice and place one slice of lemon on top. Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes or until the fish feels just firm to the touch. Do not over bake. Remove from baking dish and serve as is with a wedge of fresh lemon.

* If using a broiling pan, put a little water in the bottom tray to prevent smoking.

Grilled Chicken with Herbs De Provence

We are moving in nine days and I know I won't be cooking the day of the move! Unfortunately I have not cleared as much food as I would have liked to but that's ok. Over the weekend a cooler full of food from the side-by-side freezer made its way to one of our kids at my husband's insistence. Despite my supervision he managed to get a couple of packets of roasted garlic into the cooler as well! She's quite pleased at this generosity as I don't part with roasted garlic very often especially that roasted on the grill.

We love grilled chicken so I'm always experimenting with different ways to prepare it. Tonight I marinated it in Herbs de Provence from the Jet Set Spice Co. Chef Steven Popp, the resident Chef instructor for the Jet Set Spice Co. is a master of combining flavours with wine with a focus on balance and harmony. While their products can be ordered online, I usually splurge and buy mine at the various ribfests we attend. I paired his herb blend with a VQA Ontario 2006 Riesling Dry from Pelee Island Winery for the marinade. This wine is a perfect complement to appetizers, seafood, cheeses and light meals.

Grilled Chicken with Herbs de Provence

Herbs de Provence is a blend of herbs originating in Provence, southern France. It is usually a dry blend but could be made fresh. The blend I used consisted of marjoram, savoury, thyme, basil, lavender, rosemary, sage, fennel seed, garlic and onion. Herbs de Provence can be used in marinades for grilled chicken as I used it or as a rub for roast lamb or pork. This blend can be sprinkled on pizza, in potato soup or on fresh summer vegetables for a boost of flavour.

There are several recipes online for grilled chicken using an Herb de Provence marinade. I used the marinade recipe on the package of the herb blend from Jet Set Spice Co because I had everything on hand and didn't want a complicated recipe since packing has now moved to the kitchen. After making the marinade and the chicken was in the refridgerator, I realized I had the amounts of Riesling and olive oil reversed but the end result was wonderful so that's the way I will make it again. The recipe is as I made it. I served the chicken with sweet potatoes and nibblet corn, both from the freezer.

Grilled Chicken with Herbs de Provence

3 tbsp Herbs De Provence blend
100 ml Riesling
50 ml olive oil
2 lb fresh chicken breasts, skin and bone attached*

Place the chicken in a zipper style bag or vacuum canister. Mix the marinade then pour over the chicken. Seal the bag or vacuum seal the canister. If using the bag method, let marinate for 6 hours. Timing can be reduced if using a vacuum canister to about two hours. Remove from marinade and grill until juices are clear.

*Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be substituted but be careful to not over grill

Strawberry Delight

We had a send off dinner for one of our kids and his fiance other who are getting married in late July. This is a big move as the wedding will take place is Wisconsin where they will reside. I wanted a nice meal while keeping to my plan of using foods from my current stock. We grilled sirloin strip steaks (video, pictures and method) cut from a sirloin strip roast from the freezer. Sides included nibblet corn (freezer), steamed carrots (fresh) and foil wrapped seasoned potatoes (fresh).

Strawberry Delight

Strawberry Delight (my term) is a desert that appears at pot luck dinners or church socials. One reason for its popularity at these types of events is how simple this desert is to put together. It has a nice creamy, mousse-like texture. I think the recipe originally appeared in women's magazines or on the back of the CoolWhip label.

Any flavour of gelatin can be used so that gives a greater flexibility. Garnish with fruit of the same flavour and perhaps a sprig of mint for a nice presentation. Another way to present this is in wine glasses filled half-way then set in a manner so the gelatin solidifies on an angle. Then top with gelatin/CoolWhip mixture, allow to set and garnish with fruit and sprig of mint. Have fun with this!

Strawberry Delight

2 packages JELL-O Light
2 c boiling water
2 c cold water
2 - 3 c CoolWhip
garnish: fruit of your choice, sprig of mint

Prepare JELL-O per package. Allow to set to almost firm. Spoon into a mixing bowl. Spoon in CoolWhip. Whip until nicely blended. Pour into serving bowl and refrigerate until firm. Garnish and serve.