Once a week, an "EMFH" night shows up on our dinner board. "Every Man For Himself" is a necessary night off from cooking for me, and the best way for us to clear out the fridge of this week's leftovers.
Last week, I decided to spice up EMFH night with a fun dessert. I found a recipe for chocolate crepes, and made my own orange sauce to go with them. I had never made crepes before so I had some anxiety about this because they are very delicate, but they tasted great... I almost didn't share them with anyone. (Flash to my fantasy world... a totally spotless and quiet home, with beautiful white furniture, and me eating chocolate crepes all by myself on my gorgeous couch that does not have crayon on it....sigh.) But seriously, I love my family.
I may make this a habit around here. A fun and easy dessert on EMFH night is great motivation to eat leftovers! Or maybe I'll just skip dinner and go straight to dessert...
Chocolate Crepes with Orange Sauce (Adapted from cooks.com)
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 c. skim milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vegetable oil
For Orange Sauce
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Preparation
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well blended.
- Lightly coat small non-stick skillet with oil and heat to medium high. Reduce heat to medium low. Drop 1/8 batter into skillet and cook 30-40 seconds on each side until the top of crepe has dull surface and the edges begin to curl.
- In a small saucepan, combine Orange Sauce ingredients and whisk together until well blended. Heat to boiling, and then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for a few minutes, and remove from heat to cool slightly. Sauce should be consistency of pancake syrup.
- Serve crepes on a dessert plate, with sauce drizzled on top, and sprinkled with sifted powdered sugar.
I had a rare "kid-free" day yesterday and almost didn't know what to with myself. Except for the fact that I had a million errands to run, which actually was pretty painless without an antsy, grabby, two- year- old in tow. And in the afternoon I got to spend time with friends, and amidst our gabbing, time got away from me. Before I knew it, it was 5:45 and I got a text from the hubby along the lines of, "What's for dinner, AJ's hungry." Eh. So I raced home, put a bunch of stuff in the food processor, and dinner was served. (That's the abbreviated version, but truly, it was that easy.) My point being, this is another super quick and easy meal to put together.
More backgound info... in my attempt to incorporate more fresh fish into our diet, I've been doing a little experimenting. We're not usually big salmon lovers in my house, mainly because it has a stronger fish flavor than we like, but I really wanted to find a way to make it because it's generally pretty easy to cook with, and it has so many health benefits. Our grocery store had some beautiful Alaskan wild salmon priced decently this week ( a little over $4 for 1/2 pound) so I bought a pound and decided to try to make salmon burgers.
I browsed the internet for the best recipe for salmon burgers, and adapated my own from what I found. I based it off of one I liked the best, from Serious Eats Recipes, which originally came from Bitten.
I realized as I was getting all the ingredients out that I had run out of breadcrumbs and forgotten to pick more up at the store. In my typical fashion, I scourged the pantry for a substitute and found a sleeve of Carr's Water Crackers, Herb flavor. I tossed them in the food processor, et voila... perfect breadcrumbs!
After all was said and done, I loved these burgers and found the flavor not to be too strong. The lemon/parsley/mayo is a must, so do make it. It adds a great tangyness. I also am hooked on the Punalu'u sweetbread hamburger buns (mainlanders, it's like King's Hawaiian rolls, hamburger bun style!) and these add a nice balance of sweetness. I served the burgers with baked sweet potatoes.
Enjoy!
Salmon Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless salmon fillets
- 2 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1/2 white or yellow onion
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbs olive oil
For Mayo
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 bunch of chopped parsley
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Preparation
- Cut the salmon into large peices and place in food processor, along with dijon mustard and onion. Process until the mixture becomes pasty, scraping down the sides as necessary. (Think of ground beef consistency)
- Turn out the mixture into a bowl and mix with breadcrumbs by hand. Season with salt and pepper and shape into four patties.
- Heat oil in skillet on medium high. Once the skillet is hot, place patties inside and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until patties feel firm in the middle.
- Stir together the mayo, lemon juice and parsley and serve burgers on a bun.
If it seems like the blog has been on hiatus lately, it's because life has been crazy and I've been cooking in auto-pilot mode. It's been just Aubrey and me for dinner a lot of nights lately because of the hubby's busy work schedule.
But, I couldn't stay away for too long! I wanted to share this recipe because it's so easy, and has an amazing freshness to it, which I often miss in pasta dishes. I'm not much of a carb person (desserts excluded) so I don't do pasta all that frequently because it just feels so heavy. For those of you back home, this is a great spaghetti alternative going into the warmer months.
I do cut back the amount of garlic it calls for, because it would be overpowering with 4 cloves, as the recipe calls for, and I don't think we have a vampire problem here on the Big Island. Otherwise, put it all in the food processor and you're done! You'll notice this a pesto sans pine nuts... you totally won't miss them!
Spaghetti with Mint and Parsley Pesto (adapted from Dave's Dinners)
Ingredients
2 large bunches mint
2 large bunches parsley
3/4 cup EVOO
Juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves (or 1 large)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- Blend ingredients together in a food processor.
- In a large pot, cook the spaghetti, drain, and toss with the pesto.
(Seriously... two steps. Fresh dinner in a flash, mamma likes!)
Last weekend I was having a craving for homemade cinnamon rolls. I didn't have dry yeast in my pantry, so I was looking for recipes that didn't call for it. I came across this one at the Gastronomy Blog, and let me tell you, these rolls were amazing! The recipe calls for buttermilk, but I used sour cream instead, which is an acceptable substitution. The hubs almost keeled over with sheer happiness when he ate one. I'm not saying these are the healthiest, but sometimes we like to forget the rules on the weekends. And I'm sure they're at least better for you than the canned cinnamon buns, which have all kinds of extra preservatives and fat in them.
Rather than copying all of the recipe here, link over to it and check it out: http://gastronomyblog.com/2009/03/03/cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-icing/
Snack time for me, because this post just made me hungry!
This recipe has spread like wildfire among my friends, because it is so darn good, kid-friendly, and is a one-dish meal. I started making this several years ago for our family, and then made it on a beach trip with our dear friends, the Bolings. It was a hit with even the pickiest of eaters, and I have since made it for other friends, all who have incorporated it into their dinner rotation. It's also gluten-free! The hubby always says he doesn't understand having the carrot in it, but to me, any chance to sneak in some more veggies is a good thing!
Bottom line, majority rules, you MUST try this one!
Baked Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Casserole (Southern Living)
Ingredients
1 (10-oz.) package yellow rice mix
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 cups (8 oz.) grated Monterey Jack cheese
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare rice according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, sauté onion, bell pepper, and carrot in hot oil in a medium skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until tender.
- Combine hot cooked rice, onion mixture, chicken, beans, diced tomatoes and chiles, and 1 1/2 cups cheese in a large bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 3-qt. or 13- x 9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
- Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
