A Simple Supper of Panko-coated Salmon, Yams and Creamed Corn

We’re back from our Maryland vacation, and it’s so good to be in my own kitchen again where I know what everyday items I have and exactly where each is located.

My son’s kitchen is lovely and ultra-modern. But, you know those all-important items we always have on hand in our kitchens? His supply is so-o limited that I couldn’t build up the enthusiasm to do much cooking.

In a way that was fun, because we got to eat out so much. You know all about that if you read my post a few days ago: Vacation Time! Eating Out! Nando’s Peri-Peri, Wegmans, Roundz!

So, one of the first things I did when I got back Sunday night (after prepping for the possible effects of Hurricane Sandy) was to take a six ounce salmon fillet out of the freezer to thaw for Monday dinner.

I always have salmon fillets in the freezer. We do need our fish, after all, at least once or twice a week. Salmon is my favorite and so simple to prepare.

When Monday evening rolled around, the salmon was thawed. On the counter was one lonely yam and several small cans of vegetables (also in case of H. Sandy!). I opted for the creamed corn which I love but rarely eat.

Salmon, yams and corn. That has to be healthy, right? Basically it is, I guess, but my way of prepping this time probably greatly altered the healthy vs. unhealthy ratio.

The Yam ~ Wash and peel the yam. Cut extra thin slices with a sharp knife OR cut slices with a vegetable peeler. (I tried both ways and the vegetable peeler definitely produces the thinnest slices.) Heat several tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add yam slices and cook quickly. Adjust heat as needed. These should only take a few minutes; test with a fork. Remove to plate lined with several paper towels to drain off the excess oil.

The Salmon ~ Pat the fillet dry with paper towels and cut it into smaller pieces. Mix Panko crumbs with Kosher salt and lemon pepper. Coat the salmon pieces with the crumb mixture. (If you prepare the salmon before cooking the yams, you can cook it in the same pan immediately after you finished cooking the yams.) Cook over medium high heat, turning once or twice until just slightly pink inside. The salmon will retain some heat and finish cooking after you remove it from the pan.

The Creamed Corn ~ Heat on stove or in microwave. Dish up and sprinkle with fresh or dried parsley. (Creamed corn is very salty, so no need to add more.)


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Thanksgiving Pies

Vacation Time! Eating Out! Nando’s Peri-Peri, Wegmans, Roundz!

Maryland in October and it was time to step out of the kitchen. It was a three-plus weeks visit with my son and we often ate out. Among our favorite spots are Nando's Peri-Peri in an Annapolis mall, Wegmans in Columbia, Red Hot and Blue (in Laurel, I think) and Roundz in Crofton.

An even newer Wegmans just opened Sunday in Crofton, within walking distance of my son's house. Hurricane Sandy was due to open up Sunday too, so I got up before anyone else in the house (my son, my daughter, and my two grands) and headed out to breakfast at Wegmans. Felt like home. All Wegmans do. Even saw and spoke with Dave Orlovsky, Manager of our local Wegmans. Well, he was. He's on his way to Massachusetts to help set up stores there.

After breakfast, I wandered around and except for the size, things are pretty much the same.

Look, it's a Wegmans train! You can even buy them for Christmas gifts. OMG, do I sound like an advertisement for Wegmans. Can't help myself. It's one of my favorite place to shop.

It was a "light" opening. People were hunkering in for Hurricane Sandy and many had done their shopping for water, generators, canned foods when the warnings came out Thursday and Friday.

Fruit, vegetable, salad bars -- there are two of them.

I noticed that Columbia Wegmans and the new Crofton store have "trail mix bars". Wish we had one in Corning. Oh, wait, we do now that the Corning store is being rearranged and updated. Look what I found when I got back from vacation...

Another favorite of mine is Roundz Gourmet Market. It's a comfortable place where the food is delicious, the staff is welcoming and you can sit at the counter and watch them cooking.

I forgot to take a photo before I took a bite! Half a smoked turkey sandwich with cranberry spread left. Those chips were amazing! Homemade from butternut squash.

Can I have dessert with lunch? Of course... loved this bread pudding.


Chef Zachary at Roundz even recommended a couple of excellent books which he had and brought over for me to browse through: Barron's Food Lover's Companion and Food Rules: an Eater's Manual.

Rules 2 of Food Rules ~ "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."

One more mention for Roundz. They're celebrating their first anniversary on November 17. Congratulations to Zach and all the staff at Roundz in Crofton MD.

Nando's Peri-Peri. We have to go there at least once a trip. Son loves the hot sauces!

Not only does Nando's have delicious food, but also they have beautiful decor.

Again I forgot to take a photo before I began eating. What you see here is a grilled chicken sandwich. That's not the chicken on top -- that's Haloumi cheese. Love Haloumi!

And now I'm home again. Time to return to cooking my own foods. Also, need to come up with a cookie recipe for The Great Cookie Swap 2012. I'll be baking and mailing a dozen cookies each to three other food bloggers and blogging about it in November. Stay tuned.

Coming up soon, I'm thinking of Tofu Foo Yung with pasta and mushroom gravy. Also, quiches--one with a rice crust and the other with a mashed potato crust.


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A bit of a follow-up on the Crofton MD Wegman’s opening Sunday... My son emailed me Monday evening -- one day after the Hurricane Sandy craziness -- “Packed full tonight!”

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Jackpot! Corn on the Cob, Ginger Peach Slaw, Two Smoothies and a Sandwich

I’m back from vacation and back to cooking. So much stockpiled on Pinterest and dying to be tested and tried.


CORN ON THE COB

Although all five recipes are super and the results are guaranteed to show up in my house again, I’ve got to start out by spotlighting the Corn on the Cob from Instructables.

I’m not talking about the taste. You can minimize with butter, salt and butter. You can doctor up the cooked corn with whatever fancy toppings your heart so desires.

Instead, m’dears, it’s about the ease of preparing the corn. That's right ~ Instructables is giving you step by step directions for the easiest way in the world to remove the husk and corn silk. Here’s how...

Needed:
Corn on the cob, husk and silk still attached
Oven mitts
Large sharp knife
Cutting Board

Place the corn in your microwave, just as it is ~ just as you brought it home from the supermarket or the farmers’ market or, better yet, your garden. Nuke it for 4 - 5 minutes. Remove it from the microwave, wearing oven mitts. Immediately lay it on a cutting board and cut off one-inch from the thick end of the cob.

Now hold it up in the air by the narrow end (still wearing oven mitts ‘cause it’s hot!). With your other mitted hand, squeeze the cob down and out of the husks. When I did this, I found two -- can you believe that, only two -- pieces of corn silk on my corn on the cob.

Time to eat and absolutely no mess to clean up! Oh my, where was this genius idea all those years when I was fighting with corn silks??




PEACH GINGER SLAW

The grands (ages 5 & 9) came over for dinner soon after I returned. They eat most anything I cook and although the bigger one wanted to make pancakes (we’ll save that for a future date!), I forced them to be my official testers for several ideas, including this Peach Ginger Slaw from Beth at eat. drink. smile.

Pecans, Pepper Jelly, Rice Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Fresh Ginger, Canola Oil, Coleslaw Mix, Salt & Pepper, Fresh Peaches. Aren’t you drooling just reading those ingredients?!

Here are two simple changes I made to Peach Ginger Slaw...

1. Super hot weather these past few weeks made me hesitant to turn on the oven to bake the pecans. Instead, I toasted them in a dry, non-stick pan over a low heat. Watch them carefully and shake the pan often. (After you chop them, carefully separate them from any powdery crumbs as those will burn in the pan. OR, toast them before chopping.)

2. With no rice vinegar in the house, I checked the Internet and found that I could substitute champagne vinegar (which I had) for the mild rice vinegar.

How much did the boys like the Peach Ginger Slaw? The little one doesn’t eat a lot of anything, but the older one took home a container of it, plus a paper cupful that he was eating as he went out the door.

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Although I forgot to take photos, I did prepare other foods for the boys, including Asparagus Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches from the grilled cheese guru, Kevin at Closet Cooking.

Prepare the simple Asparagus Pesto, then assemble and grill the sandwich which includes a whole grain bread, butter, Wisconsin Gruyere (I used Swiss) and some of the pesto.

Delizioso!

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PICK ME UP PINA COLADA

Cory at Zesty Cook has come out with a brand new e-book full of healthy, tasty smoothies and I tried out the Pick Me Up Pina Colada. Absolutely yummy and refreshing.

Ingredients: Coconut Milk, Baby Spinach, Banana, Fresh Mint, Pineapple Chunks, Ice Cubes, Flax Seed

The slightly raggedy looking mint at the top of the picture is from my garden!




PINEAPPLE GINGER SMOOTHIE

Last but not least, I decided to make a simple smoothie using fresh pineapple leftover from the Pina Colada and fresh ginger leftover from preparing the Ginger Peach Slaw.

I pinned this recipe from gimme some oven on my Pinterest account and was anxious to try it out. Another simple one, using ingredients I often have on hand:

Fresh Pineapple, Banana, Greek Yogurt, Fresh Ginger, Ice, Pineapple Juice or Water.


One small change I'll probably make in the future is to cut the fresh ginger quantity from 1 Tablespoon down to 1 teaspoon. For me, a tablespoon seemed too much when I read the quantity and it was too gingery for me in taste.

All in all, a very tasty smoothie!


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Now that the weather is finally cooling (really, anything is cooler than 90+ and 100+ degrees Fahrenheit), I can’t wait to get back to baking. On my agenda--Brown Butter Hazelnutella Chip Cookies from my friend Chocolate Chip Uru at Go Bake Yourself.