A feast...

I haven't cooked like this in forever and boy do I miss it. Lately it seems we just have casseroles all the time. But tonight I was craving fish...salmon. I've made an adaption of this recipe for years now, but didn't have all the ingredients and improvised. Ben said I couldn't make it the old way anymore now since this was even better. I should make fish more often, it's not only quick and easy, but so good for you too. I served the salmon with roasted potatoes, lemon and asparagus, salad and whole wheat rolls...what a feast for a Monday night!

Apricot Sesame Glazed Salmon

2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp maple syrup
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspon chili pepper
1 lb salmon
salt
pepper

Combine first seven ingredients to make a marinade. Salt and pepper salmon and place on broiler. Top fish with marinade. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Top fish with remaining marinade and broil for 4 minutes.

Bachelorette Finger Foods

This past weekend was my friend and college roommate, Meg's, Bachelorette Party. We booked at room at The Quincey Hotel in downtown DC near DuPont Circle with a kitchenette suite. I figured we'd enjoy sitting around having appetizers for dinner with drinks rather than rushing out to dinner somewhere. So I made a spinach-artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, mini salmon burgers with a lemon cream sauce, brushetta and hummus with veggies. Believe it or not, but four girls actually finished off almost all of this food. We had a great time, but what could be better than food, friends, girl talk and drinks all night? I've added a few pictures of the spread we enjoyed as well as some of the recipes I made.

Spinach Artichoke Dip (Food Network)

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
Carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach, place in a food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce.

Process until just blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture. Place in a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips.

Mouth-Watering Stuffed Mushrooms (Allrecipes)

12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 340 F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding any touch ends of the stems.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped msuhroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn the garlic. Set aside to cool.

When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on a prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the msuhrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form until caps.

Salmon Burgers with a Lemon Cream Sauce

1 (14 ounce) can Alaskan salmon, drained and flaked
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
handfull parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3/4 cups italian breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To the flaked salmon add egg whites, parsley, the zest and juice of the lemon, garlic, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and form 4 large patties or 10 mini patties.

Preheat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Cook salmon patties 2 to 3 minutes on each side for mini patties, 4 minutes on each side for large patties.

Serve alone with lemon cream sauce or on buns as a sandwich.

Lemon Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon chipotle ground pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour to form a smooth paste. Gradually stir in milk, bring to a boil stiring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt and chipoltle pepper.

Sake Marinated Salmon with Shrimp Fried Rice and a Pineapple Reduction

While I can't say I made this myself...it's one of my husband's first culinary creations he made for our engagement anniversary. I was quite impressed with his cooking skills as it isn't too often I give him full reign of the kitchen. It was a very tasty dish, although next time he'll add less red pepper to the pineapple reduction. However, the sweetness of the pineapple really balanced out the spicy red pepper.

(10-ounce) salmon fillet
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Medium to dry sake
1 whole ripe pineapple
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoons crushed red pepper, plus 1 tablespoon

Shrimp fried rice, recipe follows

To marinate the salmon, place the salmon in a deep bowl and add the ginger, garlic, scallions, salt, and pepper. Cover with sake and let stand for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Split pineapple in 1/2 lengthwise. Cut out the woody central core from one half, then cut out and dice the sweet flesh. Set aside.

To prepare the pineapple reduction: Melt butter in small saute pan until bubbling. Add 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, pineapple dice, and 2 tablespoons of the sake marinade. Cook down until all liquid has evaporated. Turn on grill to medium, when hot, place the salmon on the grill and cook about 3 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper.

Shrimp Fried Rice:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
12 medium size shrimp
1 large egg, scrambled
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
1 cup cooked, cold, dry white rice
Lite soy sauce

Put sesame oil in a hot wok or non-stick pan, add ginger, garlic, and shrimp. Be sure to keep moving the ingredients until the shrimp turn color, then add the egg, scallions, rice and soy sauce, to taste. Keep stirring everything until the oil is all absorbed. When finished put the rice in the pineapple and top it with the salmon and a small side of the pineapple reduction.