Cilantro Salmon and Mediterranean Couscous

I've been waiting for a while to post this recipe because it's a family favorite and really simple, flavorful and healthy.  It's easy for me to get carried away with butter, cream and all those sinful things, but sometimes having a meal that is so healthy and earthy really cleanses your mind and refreshes your soul. Refreshes your SOUL?! Well it does for me. I love seafood and it's really hard to get seafood here that speaks to me.  I have had the blessing of travelling a lot and eating at different places, which means I want more out of food than before my taste buds experienced true flavor.  If you are the same way, then I think you'll like this recipe. I also like to serve it up family style on one big platter and relax.

There's also a story about this meal. It's my parents' favorite meal. I try to make it for them every chance I get because it's such a special feeling to know something I make, makes them happy. I didn't say it was a long story. So there you have it. A good recipe that's good FOR you! (I served it up along side some roasted broccoli which is super easy to make and I'll post the recipe for that below as well).

CILANTRO LEMON SALMON & MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS

Ingredients: (For Salmon)

1 fillet of Salmon
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2 small cloves garlic
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 lemon (Juice and zest)
2 tsp cumin powder or seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
4 Tbs olive oil for sauteing

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients EXCEPT the salmon and the oil for cooking (I had to write this because of a question I got when I gave this recipe to someone else previously)

2. Spread the cilantro mixture all over the salmon.  Make sure you have a cute kitchen assistant to help you.

3.  Add 2 Tbs of the olive oil for cooking to a pan and heat on medium high until oil is hot.  Add salmon, marinade side down and cook for approx 2 minutes until browned, then flip over, turn heat to medium and cook skin side down for 5-7 minutes.  keep coating both sides as you flip, with the remaining marinade.

4. Keep checking the fish, to make sure it doesn't burn. Cooking times will vary depending on the size and thickness of the fish. I really wish i could tell you to cook for 'X' amount of minutes, but you honestly have to watch it and make sure not to overcook it.  For fish, the best rule is, if in doubt, under cook. Why? a) because there is residual cooking heat even after taking off the stove; and, b) you can always cook a little more, but can never uncook. Capeesh?

Ingredients: (For Couscous)

1 cup couscous
2 cups broth either chicken or vegetable (I use vegetable)
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 of lemon (zest and juice)

Directions:

1.  Heat a large pot or sauce pan with the olive oil, add red onion and saute until a golden and translucent.

2. Add garlic and cook for barely a minute. Add dry couscous and stir to make sure it is well mixed with oil, onions and garlic.

3. Add broth and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cover with lid for at least 5 minutes.  The couscous will continue to cook with the steam in the pot.  After 5 minutes, remove the lid, add tomatoes, lemon juice, zest, cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil.  Stir well to combine and cover again until ready for use.

EASY OVEN ROASTED BROCCOLI

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients and make sure broccoli is well coated.
2. Bake at 375 for approx 15 minutes. Voila! Easy roasted broccoli. you can also add fresh shaved Parmesan on the top.
* This really works well for ANY vegetable.  You can also experiment by adding fresh chopped herbs such as thyme and rosemary for example.

Chewy Fudge Brownies

Most people I talk to about a favorite cookie/bar always proclaim the brownie to be their favorite. However whenever I ask them how they make their all time favorite brownie, I almost ALWAYS get the same two answers; 1. "I buy them from a bakery", or 2. "I make a box mix".  Seriously?!

Brownies are NOT super difficult to make so it must be personal preference that is stopping people from making brownies from scratch.  Well in case you're on the fence about these brownies, let me just describe them to help you decide whether these brownies are the ones for you and if they are worth the effort.

These are fudgy, chewy, deep, dark, rich and extra chocolatey brownies. The kind that you need a tall glass of cold milk with in order to fall into a chocolatey stupor. Sold yet? No? How about if I tell you that they're thick and have a shiny crust and stick to your fingers just a little because they're extra fudgy? What about now? No? Ok, leave this blog at once!!! Go, I say! Ok, I'm joking, but you may really want to re-evaluate why you even like brownies.

Ok, moving on! This is one of my favorite recipes because they're a breeze to whip up and they turn out every single time. I remember one evening when I was studying for a final in law school. I had this insane craving for brownies while studying for a Natural Resources Law class and I was really only allowing myself short 10 minute breaks to recoup when I decided that my next 10 minute break would be dedicated to baking brownies.

The preparation is insanely quick and you are done before you know it! The clean up is minimum and the results are to die for! So are you ready to give them a try? I think you should. Also, I apologize that I don't have step by step pictures, because, as I stated, I was taking a 10 minute break in order to make these, so the end result is all you get a picture of! Honestly, the steps need no pictures; the process is that easy!

CHEWY FUDGE BROWNIES:

Ingredients:


-1 cup butter, melted
-3 cups white sugar
-1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-4 eggs
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 teaspoon salt

Directions:


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2.  Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
3.  Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4.  Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

* You can add nuts, chocolate chips or even chocolate chunks to the batter. Shhhhhh...secret note: awesome with crushed oreoes in the mix!!!!!!!

Tranquility and a Meal Plan

I'm sitting here in my living room today after a FULL day of cleaning yesterday and just knowing that everything is clean and EACH piece of laundry is back in its place, I'm definitely feeling tranquil.  The windows are open, it smells like Downy exploded in here, the birds are chirping and i'm sipping on a cup of tea. These are sadly, and happily, the moments I wait for in my life. Just to be with my thoughts and not have any interruptions for a while. No one screaming, "Mumma!! Amila took my Mr. Potato Head!!" or "Mumma!! I need juice!!" or "Mumma!!! Mumma!!! Mumma!! Where ARE you?" When i'm simply in the next room. So if you're a parent, I KNOW for a fact you can relate to this!

I think like most parents, I really took my pre-kids life for granted. Not to say I should have partied like crazy or been reckless. But more along the lines of doing more for myself and enjoying silence because little did I know NickJr and DisneyJr would be taking over my life shortly.

So days like today, I'm "living it up" in honor of those parents who have to be at work or school or anywhere except where they want to be and doing what they want.  So, know that this mommy is indulging in every moment of "doing whatever the hell I please" today!

On that note, I took out a close friend to lunch for her birthday yesterday and we started talking about food, because that's all I dream about, think about, etc, etc. and we discussed how hard it is to figure out what to cook, thus having time to cook, when you're already so busy with children, jobs, life and when you have to plan out showers. Don't judge. So I thought it would be a good idea to share a method to create a good meal plan along with an example of one I have at the house. I will also post some resources in generating meal ideas and other helpful stuff!

Steps to creating a good meal plan:

1. Know your family's likes and dislikes. You don't want to copy a standard meal plan and then realize none of that works for you or your family. So if there are things that you guys prefer and dislike, write them down at the top of your list.

2. Generate ideas. I know that this is the hard one because if you could generate ideas for meals then why the heck would you need a meal PLAN!? The point is that generating ideas on the spot is extremely difficult. You end up having to juggle so much so quickly that Take-Out sounds like the perfect plan. But fear not, it can be done!! Have a book handy or a piece of paper on your fridge and just start jotting down ideas you see on blogs, magazines, food network, cookbooks or whatever. It can be a million ideas, that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is to have a list from which you can choose.

3. Count your cooking nights. This is going to be different for every family. If you cook EVERY SINGLE NIGHT come zombies or not, then you'll need 7 ideas from your working list.  If you're like me and you make enough for leftovers the next night or your husband works late and doesn't need dinner every night, then a meal idea for every other day should be sufficient.

4. Find your meals. Once you've figured out how many meals you're going to make for the week, go to your list and find things you want to make. I try to include fish at least once a week and I personally stay away from processed foods. But that may not be your thing and Velveeta may turn you on like a man cleaning house and so be it. I won't preach.

5. Get recipes. After pinpointing the meals you want to make, start gathering the recipes. You may already have the recipes close at hand like in a magazine or cookbook, you may have to search it out on the internet, or you may just have to write it down if it's from memory. Either way, you need a list in front of you so that you can shop accordingly.

6. Pantry check. How many times have you gone to the grocery store only to realize you in fact did NOT have butter like you thought or have returned with yet another pound of powdered sugar because you never thought to check the pantry? Well for me, that was always happening because I was just being too friggin lazy to check stuff out and just going from memory. A pantry and fridge check is essential in saving money and being as efficient as possible. It's better to do the legwork ahead of time than to regret it later.

7. Grocery List. Have your grocery list set up according to meals. For example, if you're making pot roast one night, then write out all the ingredients next to that category and that way you can cross reference with other recipe ingredients if one recipe already calls for that particular ingredient and you won't have to buy extra.

8. Shop. Shop on a day when you usually shop and when you are not as rushed. I know you may chuckle at this thinking "when am I NOT rushed?" But be that as it may, you must shop when you don't have screaming kids in the cart or a husband asking you for your opinion on the Final Four (trust me, it happens). If you're focused, you'll waste less money and time and get out with only the things you need. For your shopping trip, you can certainly buy everything for the entire week all at once and freeze what you need to, but I usually always save the veggies for the day of or as close to the cooking day as possible for obvious reasons. I don't need spinach wilting on me! So if you find you have a lot of fresh veggies on your list (which rocks by the way) then you can easily split your trip up into two smaller trips (which is actually what I do). But, again, do what works for you!

9. Cook away. Cook on either the nights you've planned to cook that particular meal OR the night before, as I sometimes do, when I know I won't have as much time the next day. It's up to you. Enjoy and be sure to let me know if I have either left something out or not put something into consideration!

Now here is an example of a meal plan I have done, as well as a list of some meal ideas along with sources of where you can go for meal inspirations! Also, this is just an example, so alter to your needs. Don't feel like you have to do something every week, etc. I usually make dessert twice a week depending on my hubby's sweet tooth. Or, upon his instruction, I cut out dessert for the week entirely. XO

EXAMPLE OF A MEAL PLAN:

Sunday: Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Green Beans, Dessert 1: Apple Pie
Monday: Leftovers; either take as is or make pulled beef sandwiches with remaining pot roast and BBQ sauce (Add: buns, BBQ sauce, coleslaw)
Tuesday: Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Ratatouille
Wednesday:  Leftovers; either take as is or make chicken and veggie pizza (ADD: Pizza dough, sauce, cheese), Chewy Fudge Brownies
Thursday: Baked Enchiladas, Black Beans, Spanish Rice
Friday:  Leftovers; We usually eat the enchiladas as is because they're even better the second day! Yum!
Saturday:  Herb Grilled Salmon, Mediterranean Couscous, Roasted Broccoli

HELP IN LOCATING MEAL IDEAS:

Cookbooks/Magazines:
-Anything by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa); I love her!
-Cooks Illustrated (I swear by many of those recipes b/c they're really tested over and over again)
-Food & Wine Magazine
-Gourmet Magazine
-Food Network Magazine (They have their own now too)
-Cooking Light

Websites/Blogs: (These are just a few links or else I could go on and on!!)
-www.Allrecipes.com
-www.smittenkitchen.com
-www.joythebaker.com
-www.pioneerwoman.com
-www.sixsisterstuff.com
-www.chef-in-training.com
-www.foodnetwork.com
-www.bhg.com
-www.marthastewart.com

SAMPLE MEAL PLAN/GROCERY LIST:
FYI this is a horrible picture because I truly couldn't be bothered to print out the chart, take a picture of it and THEN post it or figure out how to create a table on blogger since the table just was not posting on my blog. So this, unfortunately, is what you get for the time being.

Easy Fried Chicken

 I love fried chicken. So much so that my bank probably started thinking that I was an investor in local fried chicken restaurants. The reason fried chicken is everywhere is because its down right delicious, especially when it's done right. There are obviously tons of different ways to make fried chicken but I think this is one of the easiest ways because of the minimum amount of ingredients, steps and time required. I'll discuss some of the other ways to make fried because they're all valid and I've tried many of them. The first way is to brine your chicken pieces in a brine mixture overnight (salt, water, sugar and spices), then dredge in flour and fry. Another way is to marinate chicken pieces in buttermilk for a few hours to overnight, dredge in flour and then fry. Dipping chicken pieces in a batter and then frying is yet another way. And, you could also just season the chicken without flour or batter and shallow fry.

Anyways, as you can see there are many ways to make fried chicken and I'm certain that's not an extensive list that I just mentioned. However, there are a few inconveniences in the methods I just listed. 1. both, brining and marinating in buttermilk take a long time and when you're desperate for fried chicken, waiting is not acceptable! Even though I brine my turkey at Thanksgiving time and brine any chicken I roast, I usually don't have the patience to do it for fried chicken. 2. The batter method just doesn't do it for me, because it has too much liquid and thus it takes a while to get the 'crust' on the chicken to get it crispy like I like it. and, 3. The method of just seasoning the chicken and frying it, doesn't do it for me either because there's simply not enough crispy fried chicken skin!! (Are you starting to see a theme here? I NEED good crispy chicken skin!!)

So, this is the easiest way to make fabulous fried chicken. No waiting overnight, no 'tempura' style fried chicken and it's certainly not bland. Let's cut to the chase; here's the recipe. If you try this and have made fried chicken in other manners, then I'd love to hear your opinion on whether you liked this recipe and what improvements, if any, you'd make!

EASY FRIED CHICKEN:

Ingredients:

-1 cup all purpose flour

-3 Tbs Lawry's Seasoning Salt

-3 Tbs Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

-2 eggs beaten

-2 tsp milk

-6 to 8 chicken pieces (skin on)

-Oil for frying

Directions:

1. In a large ziplock bag, add flour, Lawry's seasoning and Cavendars. AND TASTE IT!! I know it sounds weird to taste your flour, but seriously, just take a pinch and put it in your mouth and taste it. I promise it won't kill you. Just think of all the raw cookie dough you've ever eaten. You'll be fine. If the flour mixture tastes like flour to you, then add more seasonings. If it's waaaay too salty/seasoned for you, then add more flour.  It needs to be to YOUR liking unless you're bringing some over to me for dinner. But do remember, it should be a tad more seasoned than you'd like since you need to compensate for the chicken.

2. Add oil to a frying or cast iron pan and heat on medium high heat until you see small ripples in the oil.

3. In a medium dish, add eggs and milk and beat together. In another medium dish, take out approx 6 Tbs of the flour/seasoning mixture. Line up the chicken, egg mixture and flour in this order with the chicken being the furthest from the frying pan, like in the picture below:

4. Now time to start getting the chicken ready. Add the chicken to the egg mixture and make sure it's well coated. After it is well coated with egg, dredge in the flour making sure to tap off any excess flour. Then add the chicken pieces to the oil in small batches and turn the heat to medium low. Each side should take anywhere from 8-10 minutes per side. If you think the coating is burning or getting too dark too fast, remove the pan from the heat and turn the heat down lower. Then put the pan back on the heat and allow to cook until golden brown and the chicken registers at 175 degrees (the chicken will continue to cook even after removed from pan).

5. Remove cooked chicken and either drain on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath to catch the oil, OR you can put it on a paper towel lined plate (though this way could keep it greasy and make it soggy if left there for a while) Serve with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach (recipes forthcoming) or a host of other yummy sides. Or just eat it while you stand over the counter top. Not that I did that. :/

So, about this world peace...

You know what I like? Posititvity. I don't care about differences in opinion, cultures, religion and politics. But negativity is something that will always hold the person carrying it down. The world is such a beautiful place that we should be helping others see beauty in things, seeing ourselves in others and seeing others in us. But many times people just don't realize that time is short and life would be much more invigorating and gratifying if we would just listen and care.

If all this sounds like a bunch of hippy mojo, then so be it. But that's where I stand in life and am proud to do so. I like to know that I genuinely care for others and genuinely care to understand them.. There are many times things irritate me like the next person, but a deep breath and patience is what seperates my happiness from that thin line of being negative and not solving anything by it.

So why this post about peace today? Because I find myself frustrated by people, famous and not, such as Rush Limbaugh, who promote negativity and closed-mindedness instead of simply stating their objections to certain things. Objections are certainly warranted in such a complex matter such as healthcare but the berratement of others is not acceptable. 

Ok ok so, I think I have vented enough. But the main point of this post is to LISTEN! There is nothing wrong or harmful in listening to others and trying to understand where they come from and what their complaints are. Because we can never live a billion lifetimes, the closest way we will ever come to understanding each other and thus a closer step to world peace, is seriously by listening. So many people all want to be heard at the same time that we create a loud hum of nothingness. So the best advice I have for me and my children is to listen and to connect and to never ever personally attack others. Listening can change the world.

The Most Perfect Midnight Snack

There is just something wonderful about baking up this Blueberry Buckle. It's great when it's fresh out of the oven and knowing that there is breakfast ready for the next day, makes it even more gratifying.  I searched out this specific recipe because of my baby brother.  Well he's not really a baby since he's going to be 24!! But, he's MY baby brother and that's all that really matters now isn't it.

He is always on a quest for the most perfect midnight snack. Sometimes cakes are too sweet, chips won't cut it and veggies are almost always out. We sat and thought about what would be the most perfect food for him. We always have very random conversations and this was no different. "Something like a muffin", he said, "but with the texture of a scone". "and not too sweet like a cake". So the hunt was on to find this perfect food for him.

I came across a recipe for a blueberry muffin and decided it seemed too ordinary. Then flipped through scone recipes and honestly, I was just too tired to put forth the effort for a scone. Then I thought maybe a Buckle would do the trick! I searched for a recipe and thanks to Pinterest, did not have to search for long. I came across a Buttermilk Blueberry Cake recipe. I made it and it was seriously inhaled by my brother in seconds. The rest barely lasted into the wee morning hours.  Needless to say, it's a winner especially considering that when he went back to his house, he had already apprised our mother of this most perfect midnight snack and kept on and on about how he MUST have some more.

So, if you have a younger, strange, picky sibling who's after the most perfect midnight snack, you might want to give this recipe a try!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake:

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
-3 to 4 tsp. lemon zest
-1 cup sugar (minus 1 tablespoon set aside)
-1 egg, room temperature
-1 tsp. vanilla
-2 cups flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp. salt
-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
-1/2 buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cream together butter, lemon zest and all sugar except the 1 tablespoon that's been set aside. Mix until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter and sugar and beat until well combined.  Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of the flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Then fold in the blueberries gently.

4. Grease a 9-inch square pan (or something similar) with butter.  Spread batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Bake for 35 minutes or until fully cooked. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. ENJOY!!

In Pakistan

So I'm sitting here with my cousins in Pakistan and truly enjoying every second. The 15 hour plane ride was less than to be desired with two kids under the age of three but getting here was totally worth it.  I have already had incredible food and company and I can't believe I still have a week and a half left to enjoy these precious moments!! Tomorrow we'll head to the markets to shop shop shop!!! I'll post pics and hopefully a recipe of a great and simple recipe of a mushroom soup I had tonight.
XO