Grilled

So before I ate to live but these days I live to eat. I'm really not eating anymore than I normally would but I do throw in snacks which is something I didn't do before. So these days I find that what I eat for my next meal is something that weighs heavily on my mind.

My grilled cheese from last week:
homemade wheat bread
garlic hummus
fresh tomato
cheddar cheese


Last we also grilled for the first time since moving to NH. It was above 35 degrees so it seemed like a good reason to pull out the charcoal and lighter fluid. Grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes and dilly beans.

Valentines Dinner

We typically don't go out for Valentines day. I've always used it as an excuse to cook something we haven't tried yet. This year we tried a haddock recipe from my cookbook "In the Kitchen with Michael Salmon". He is the chef at the bed and breakfast that we went to for our honeymoon in Maine. Like everything from his book it was amazing.


Almond-Crusted Haddock with a Lemon-Chive Butter Sauce



4 five-ounce portions fresh haddock fillets
kosher salt and ground white pepper
all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup sliced almonds
canola oil for fry
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and soft
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped chives

1. Place haddock on a plate and sprinkle with salt and white pepper; gently coat with flour. Crack the egg in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. In another bowl, combine the Panko bread crumbs with the slice almonds. Dip the floured fish into the beaten egg and then into the almond crumb mixture, turning the fish and pressing the crumb mixture into the fish.
2. Preheat he oven to 350 degrees.
3. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cover the bottom with a thin layer of canola oil and heat. Gently lay the breaded fish int the oil and brown. Cook on the first side for about 1 minute or until the almonds and crumbs start to turn light brown. Flip over and continue on the other side. Remove the fish to a cookie sheet and finish cooking in the over for about 5 minutes.
4. Remove the crumbs from the saute pan with paper towels and return it to medium-high heat. Ad the canola oil and minced shallot and stir for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce until it is almost dry. add the cream and reduce by half, until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the soft butter. add the lemon zest and lemon juice, season with a pinch of white pepper and salt to taste and finish with the chopped chives.
5. To serve, arrange the haddock on a serving plate or platter and top with the sauce.

Whole Wheat Bread and Peabody, MA

So I've started making bread and granola again. Last week I tried the whole wheat recipe in my Cheese Board cookbook and it turned out to be the easiest and best one I've done yet.

I served our Greek burgers on it and it was delicious.

Plain Whole Wheat Bread

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup honey

In a small bowl, whisk the yeast into the warm water until dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the flour and salt

If using a stand mixer, add the yeast mixture, lukewarm water, and honey to the bowl. Using the paddle attachment on low speed, mix until the ingredients are combined, about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook, increase the mixer speed to medium, and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes, until the dough is soft but still holds its shape.

If making by hand, add the yeast mixture, lukewarm water, and honey to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 12 minutes, or until the dough is soft but still holds its shape.
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a large oiled bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Lightly spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 pieces. Gently form each piece into a loose round and cover with floured kitchen town. Let rest for 10 minutes. Shape each piece into a loaf and place in the prepared pan. Sprinkle four over the tops of the loaves and spread it out evenly. Cover with a floured kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough has risen 1 inch above the rim of the pan and a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression.
Fifteen minutes before the loaves have finished rising, slash the tops. Remove all but the middle rack from the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400F and bake 20 minutes longer. Turn the loaf pans around front to back and switch sides left to right. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, for a total baking time of 40 to 45 minutes, or until loaves are a deep brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Unmold the loaves onto a wire rack to cool.

Peabody, Massachusetts is the home to two great things Trader Joe's and...

...Chick-fil-a. We drove the 45 minutes last Saturday and went to both. I wish we had a Chick-fil-a closer but at least it's only 45 minutes away not hours.

12 Weeks & Onesie Love

Ok so I'm going to start the pregnancy posts. I probably wouldn't do post but Brandy insisted that I send her belly pictures and I figured this was the best way to do it. My sad camera phone isn't too amazing.

So this is 12 weeks...not much to see. Looks like I just ate too much for dinner.
(excuse my naked dress form)


So I came across these screen printed onesies on Etsy. Adorable!

And, yes, I will have no problem putting this Triumph motorcycle onesie on a girl.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

One of my favorite soups is Roasted Red Pepper. I rarely make this at home because the cost of red peppers is usually not very cheap and using all of my peppers for soup is a big sacrifice. Last week the grocery store had a whole bag for less than $3.50 so I finally made soup.

First start out with about 5-7 peppers. Cut the peppers lengthwise into sections, remove seeds, and lay skin side up on a foil lined pan.
Next peel a yellow onion and cut crosswise into 4 equal sections. Lay the onion on the tray with the peppers and brush with olive oil.


Roast under the broiler in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the peppers are charred and the onions start to turn black on the edges.

Once they come out of the oven fold up the sides of the foil to form a little pocket. Let everything rest for about 10 minutes.


Peel off the skin of the peppers using a paring knife and discard.


In a pot, stir together about 2-3 cups of chicken stock, peppers and onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp. tomato paste, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until slightly thickened.

Puree the soup in the blender.



Add about 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream and heat through.

Garnish with fresh basil and serve. I made homemade rye rolls to go along with our soup. Perfect for a chilly winter night!

The Drive To NH

Here are few pictures of the long drive from GA to NH. It was around 1200 miles over 2 days and totaling 24 hours of driving time. We made it though and hopefully I will have apartment and town pictures up soon.