Pan seared "smoked" sweet salmon

This is an easy weeknight fish dish. Try it next time salmon is on sale!

Pan Seared "Smoked" Sweet Salmon
a joyful foodie original

Ingredients:
Salmon filets
smoked brown sugar (can substitute regular brown sugar if you must, but SO GOOD with the smoked one*)
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium hight heat. Season the fish (scale side down) with brown sugar (at least a tsp, more depending on your fish, up to about a tbsp should be fine).

Place salmon in the pan skin side down and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low.

Either;
a) cover with a lid and cook for 7-10 minutes depending on the size of the fish, watching for a pale pink cooked color or
b) cook for 4-5 minutes until you see color creeping up the sides and then flip it to cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes.

My salmon was thick, so I flipped it.

Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with lots of yummy sides. I recommend cucumber and mango salad, sauteed bok choy and broccoli, and rice.

This sugar is also available at Amazon, but its cheaper at Sur la Table, especially if you order enough to get free shipping (orders of $59 or more). And no, Sur la Table is not paying me to say any of this, I just love them. They have such great customer service. :)
If you don't have smoked brown sugar, you could substitute another smoked seasoning, I suspect. Maybe smoked salt, smoked pepper, or even applewood smoked salt? Actually they have a ton of smoked salts, click around a little. :)

Your turn!
So dish! What's your favorite fish recipe? I'm looking for more recipes right now, since Lent starts next week. I just love doing fish Fridays!

This week's menu

I've been feeling the squeeze in the pants department recently, so this week's menu reflects a return to veggies and simple fare. I'm still doing some richer (re: cheese and pasta) dishes, but trying to do ones that use veggies in them.

February 23 - March 1, 2014

We'll just pretend that I didn't mark February 29 and 30 on the menu page....
I thought March was closer than that...

Sunday: rotisserie chicken, asparagus, mushroom and onion cous cous.
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Butternut squash mac and cheese
Wednesday: date night! grilled chicken, balsamic glazed carrots, kale
Thursday: pan seared fish (depending on what's on sale), sautéed bok choy and broccoli, mango and cucumber salad, rice
Friday: happy hour with some friends from out of town
Saturday: another rotisserie chicken, ginger green beans, cornbread
Sunday: chicken enchilada pasta

I don't usually plan the next weekend out early, but I've been craving the chicken enchilada pasta for a while now. I would have made it tonight, but this weekend's plans just didn't leave time. My throat is a smidge scratchy tonight though, so spicy is probably better saved anyways.

Your turn!
What have you been craving recently?

This week's menu

In the last couple of years the distribution of cooking labor has been a little lopsided, with my darling husband doing the lion's share of the cooking. I've been planning menus and making shopping lists, which helps take the stress off him, but it is still a lot of work to do all of the actual preparation of food. So, this semester we've revamped our menu planning a little. Brian's class schedule keeps him busy in the afternoon now, where before he was home and able to cook. Since I get off earlier, I'm taking more of a lead. Yay!! Now we plan our meals to (roughly) follow this schedule:

Sunday: Large meal that makes left overs (cooked together)
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Kristen cooks
Wednesday: date night - cook together or eat out
Thursday: crock pot/slow cooker or pre-prepped throw in the oven casserole (Brian takes lead, I finish)
Friday: Brian cooks
Saturday: play it by ear, usually cook together whatever strikes the fancy.

That means we do most menu planning on Saturdays or Sundays and grocery shop the same day. I take leftovers for lunch when I'm able, so we're trying to do a fair bit of extra cooking, when its not something more expensive (not making extra steaks or fish usually, for example).

I'm pretty excited about our menu this week. It is a little fancier than some weeks, mostly because of Valentine's day on Friday. ♥

February 9 - 14, 2014

Sunday: Chicken pot pie with biscuit crust
Monday: leftover pot pie
Tuesday: Tropical sea scallops with cucumber mango salad and rice
Wednesday: Mozzarella stuffed caprese burgers with balsamic glaze drizzle and grilled squash
Thursday: Baked ziti
Friday: TBD Valentine's day celebration

I'll likely go to our favorite grocery store Friday and pick up something awesome to make together. They have fantastic steak, stuffed fish, mostly prepped shellfish... so something will come together easily and deliciously. Plus I'm keeping a dessert trick up my sleeve. ;) Not that I can spring much on him... he'll be home all day! No Friday classes this semester, lucky duck.

Your turn! 
How do you share the load? Who does most of the cooking at your house?
What are your Valentine's day plans this year? Any favorite traditions?

Olympics drinks

Just a quick post to share my opening ceremony celebratory drinks! This will absolutely work for any Olympics party you may have planned. The trick? Rimming sugar. Aka, colored sprinkles. ;)

Blue drink ideas:

Blue Hawaiian 

Blueberry vodka, blue curaçao, seltzer

Really, blue curaçao and anything XD 

Black drink ideas: 

Black Russian

Rum and Coke

Rum and Coke and chocolate (add godiva liquor or chocolate extract)

Red drink ideas:

Cape Codder

Cosmopolitan

Bloody Mary

Malibu Bay Breeze

Yellow drink ideas:

Jameson and Ginger ale 

Vodka and pineapple juice

Frozen Mango Daiquiri

Harvey Wallbanger

Green drink ideas:

Midori Sour

Green Apple Martini

Midori Mojito

To serve: Rim a glass of your choice (champagne for smaller sips, or white wine glasses or martini glasses for larger servings, assuming your glasses are anything like mine!) with colored sugar. I used cheap crystals for the green, red, and blue. The gold sprinkles are fancier here, but you could use simple yellow too. 

Pour a little bit of sprinkles in a shallow dish. Just wet the rim of the glass with a slight ring of water. Drip it in the sprinkles and spin to coat. 

For the chocolate rim; melt some semi-sweet or dark chocolate chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 20 second bursts. Mix in a drizzle of oil (canola is fine, or something fancier like coconut) to make it smoother. Dip the glass in and spin to get an even coat. 

My pick for the night? A modified green apple martini; vodka, apple martini mixer, ginger ale. 

My darling husband chose the Jameson and Ginger. Isn't it an epic gold? 

Your turn! What would be your pick? Please share if I missed a favorite. Also, what sport are you most excited to watch? I am all about some figure skating and ski jumping.