Oven Steamed Salmon

I took a cooking class from Linda Steidel (love her, I've taken so many of her classes over the years and have learned a lot - she has cookbooks too, check her out!) at Williams Sonoma and learned a new technique that I've never heard of - oven steaming salmon. I don't love salmon generally - although I do have a couple recipes that I enjoy and will share in the future; but this technique is so cool I wanted to share it with you.  It's moist, flavorful, and super easy - you should totally try this method the next time you make salmon!

Position one oven rack in the lower third of your oven, and a second rack in the upper third. Preheat the oven to 225' (yes, super low temperature).
Bring an oven proof skillet of water to a boil and place it on the lower rack. Moving the skillet from the stovetop to the oven scares me a little - I'm kinda clumsy - so boiling the water in a roasting pan or a pan that is easier for me to move is probably a good idea. She used a large skillet and had it probably half full of water.
Arrange salmon on a lightly oiled non-stick baking pan (I would line it with foil to help with clean up), season with salt and pepper (or whatever seasonings you normally like on salmon), and place it on the upper rack. Bake for 10 minutes or so until done to your liking (I prefer baking this longer - I like salmon well done but that isn't the "normal" way to eat it!).

That's it! She served it over mashed potatoes, drizzled with flavored olive oil, with a side of asparagus and garnished with a lemon slice. What a pretty meal.

Strawberry Refrigerator Jam and Lazy Ice Cream Cake

I needed a quick dessert for Sunday Supper and decided I'd try this recipe after reading that it works for spreading on toast or as ice cream topping. I doubled it because it says it yields 1.5 cups and I didn't think that would be enough for 8 people - of course it ended up making way more than I needed...oh well, extra strawberry sauce is not going to go to waste!

This turned out very runny which made it perfect to serve over ice cream - I'm not sure where they came up with naming this "jam" but it worked for me. If you actually want to make refrigerator jam to spread on toast this is not the recipe I would recommend you follow. However, if you want delicious ice cream topping this is a winner.

I made a lazy version of ice cream cake to serve the topping over. I have made much "fancier" ice cream cakes and I'm feeling a little guilty that this one is so easy - my original dessert idea was just vanilla ice cream in a bowl with strawberry sauce but I thought I'd put in just a little more effort and make it more interesting. This isn't much of a "recipe" but it turned out really good so I'll share with you what I did:

Line a loaf pan with non stick foil. Preheat oven to 350'.
Put 1 cup of chocolate teddy grahams in the food processor with a pinch of salt. Grind to fine crumbs. Mix in a couple tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.

Press into the bottom of the loaf pan, bake for 10 minutes.

After the crust cools, spread 1/2 of a half gallon (I guess I could have said 1/4 gallon haha) of chocolate ice cream thats been softened (I just leave it on the counter for about 1/2 hour) on top of the crust and smooth the top. Put the loaf pan in the freezer until the ice cream hardens. Then do the same with vanilla ice cream (spread 1/4 gallon of softened vanilla ice cream over the chocolate ice cream and freeze until hard).
When you are ready to serve, remove the "cake" from the pan by pulling up the foil. Remove the foil and then slice the ice cream into whatever size portions you want - I started with small slices and got lots of complaints so had to make them bigger! This served 8 of us with no leftovers.
Spoon strawberry sauce over the ice cream.



Obviously you can use whatever flavors of ice cream you want, I kept it simple this time.

Message from Brooke

Miss Brooke is on vacation over spring break this week and can't give us one of her awesome videos, boo. So I'm passing on that she says "hi" and will be back to crafting asap. Oh, and her tip for today is to wear sunscreen. Always. Even on cloudy days or if you are playing in the water and think you don't need it.  Don't ask her how she knows.

Her being on spring break reminds me of one of my all time favorite pictures - sun, shore, swinging, and her look of pure joy makes me smile every time I see it! 

Repairing A Wall Clock

I have this little arrangement of removable wall stickers in my office and in the middle of it hangs a cheap little nothing clock. Unfortunately the cheap little nothing clock has stopped working but I like my wall so much I wanted to give fixing the clock a shot...I've seen clock kits at the craft store, of course I couldn't find exactly what I needed to make my clock work and still look just the same - but I bought the closest they had and took a chance.






Clock kits come in different sizes and depths - I chose the smallest one with the shortest shaft (thats the part that sticks thru the clock face and the hands attach to). I was hoping to reuse the black hands that were already on my clock but the shaft size is different on this new clock movement, so even though the new ones are too long and gold I decided to use them and I actually think it looks just fine.

the finished clock hanging on my cute sticker wall

If I don't point out the flaw to anyone (well, anyone other than all you guys!) I don't think anyone will notice. And if they do...oh well :). At least my clock works again!



The clock kit cost $8.99 and I had a 40% off coupon - figured I wasn't out much if it didn't work.

the parts I removed off the clock that didn't work

PS: our friend Steve repairs real clocks and I'm sure is gonna be super impressed at this, haha!

Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Sheryl brought mini stuffed peppers over for an appetizer the other day - I've seen the bags of mini sweet peppers at the grocery store but didn't know what to do with them and now I'm obsessed. Right after I had Sheryl's version, which was stuffed with goat cheese (I think goat cheese, I didn't get her recipe), I saw this recipe on The Italian Dish site and figured it was a sign that I needed to try making some. These are SO good, fairly easy to make, hold well and are good either hot or at room temperature. If you like these and want to also try Sheryl's recipe I will get it from her and post later!



I've made these twice in a couple weeks - there are a lot of little peppers in that bag, plenty to make this 2 different times. And both times they were a hit with no leftovers - always a good sign!


I followed her recipe pretty closely; I used dried basil instead of fresh, substituted her suggested Montreal Steak Seasoning for pepper, and added a handful of shredded monterey jack cheese to the bread crumb mixture.

I've only made these for appetizers but they would also make a good side dish to roasted meat or chicken, I'd maybe round out with a salad.

Binder Clip Key Holder

My boss gave me my own key to the office - makes me feel good that she trusts me :). Dave says my getting the key reminds him of when you're dating someone and eventually they give you your own drawer at their house - that made me laugh. So now I just have to not lose it...

I don't need the key on my house keychain and I'm afraid if I put it in a secret place in my purse I will lose or misplace it; but if I have to remember to bring it to work every day I'm bound to forget it... so I put it on a binder clip and clipped it to the inside of my work tote. That way I have it just when I'm going to work, and won't risk mixing it up with my other keys.

Of course I had to label the key, and any day I get to use my label maker is a good day.

This is super simple, just slide one end of the wire arm out, put the key on it, and put the wire end back into the clip.

Refrigerator Pickles

2 lbs cucumbers, thinly sliced - put in a large bowl. 

In a saucepan combine:

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups sugar,

1/4 cup dried minced onion

2 Tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons pickling spices

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Bring to a boil, turn down to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Ladle the hot mixture over cucumbers in a big bowl, store in fridge up to 2 months.

boil the seasonings on the stovetop with
vinegar and sugar

put the thinly sliced cucumbers in a big bowl 

put a plate on top of the cucumbers in the liquid until they cool down,
then cover and refrigerate

Notes: before putting in the fridge I let the cucumbers cool on the counter with a plate on top of them to weigh them down,  making sure all of the cucumbers are in the vinegar mixture. After it cools cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge. I doubled this recipe so I could give some as gifts (pack the pickles into jars and top off with liquid)-  it made 3 small jars, 1 big bowl, and the remaining juice I put in a large jar to keep on hand. Keep the pickles submerged in liquid until they are gone - then put more fresh cucumber slices in the liquid and make more pickles...don't discard the liquid just cuz the pickles are gone!

Chicken Soup

My friend Janis is sick,  and even though she turned down my offer for chicken soup I'm making it for her anyway :). I shouldn't have asked, of course she'd tell me to not bother! I'll drop it off on her doorstep - ding dong ditch - then text her it's out there.

I think the part of chicken soup that actually helps make sickies feel better is the broth (not the noodles), so instead of making traditional chicken noodle soup I found a recipe that includes lots of vegetables and finishes with adding condensed cream of chicken soup - sounded interesting to me and it's got broth so it should still count as comforting chicken soup!

I based my version on the recipe I found here, with a few changes...I had some frozen fajita marinated chicken strips in the freezer, thought the little bit of spice would be a good addition, and then added some chopped rotisserie chicken to get enough chicken in the soup. I also added about 1/2 cup chopped celery (including the leaves), used 4 cups of chicken broth instead of water/bouillon cubes, and added a spoonful of "better than bouillon" that I always have on hand.

The recipe says to add the raw veggies to the broth, I sautéed them first in a couple tablespoons of oil and a tablespoon of butter until they softened. Then add the broth, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are almost done before adding the peas and corn. Let that simmer for a few minutes and then add the chicken and one can of cream of chicken soup and heat until it's thick and bubbly. I omitted the cheese altogether and figured the fajita spices on the chicken were enough so also skipped adding tabasco.

Sorry Janis isn't feeling well, but I'm enjoying the benefit of having the house smell like chicken soup and of course since I have to taste the soup to make sure it's good I also get lunch out of the deal - you don't have to be under the weather to enjoy this delicious easy soup! 

*2024 UPDATE: I clicked on the link for the recipe but it is no longer on Campbell's website! Based on my notes this is what I would do to make it - it appears to just be traditional chicken soup with the addition of a can of cream of chicken soup to thicken it. I also have a recipe for 'creamy chicken soup' that doesn't use condensed soup to make it creamy if you'd prefer that version.

• 1-2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. butter
• 1 1/2 cup diced potatoes
• 1 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn 
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 T. 'better than bouillon' chicken
• 2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken 
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• your choice of herbs or herb blend if desired
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• tabasco for serving, if desired

Heat the olive oil and butter in a stockpot/saucepan/dutch oven, add all of the vegetables and sauté for a couple minutes until the onion is softened. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, cook until the potatoes are almost done; add peas and corn, continue cooking until they are heated through. Add the chicken and cream of chicken soup, turn down the temperature and heat until thick and bubbly.

Ring Around the Glassware

I have no idea why this is happening to my glasses but they all have a ring around the edge that makes them look dirty - yet they're clean! Driving me crazy, I can't even remove it by wiping with a damp towel so I've just been apologizing to people when I hand them a glass that looks so bad.  I'm assuming it has to do with my water and the dishwasher?
This morning I decided to try soaking them in water mixed with vinegar and sure enough, that did the trick! Yay!

Put about an inch of cold water in a dish and pour in a big glug of white vinegar - do you like how exact my measurements are? -  then put the glasses upside down in the water and let them stand for a few minutes. Wipe with a sponge and rinse in fresh water. No more ugly ring.


 I can't even tell you how happy this makes me...!

before :(

after! ;)

Brooke's Makeup Tutorial

Watch Brooke's makeup tutorial - it's her first video for the blog that she has totally edited herself, I didn't do anything to it. She also figured out how to do a voiceover for the video which I'm very impressed with and am going to try to do myself one of these days. Check her out!

Whether you actually learn anything about applying makeup or not is beside the point - guys, she's 12 (ok, ok Brooke - sorry, she's 12 1/2)! How cute is this?

I do like her tip to wash your hands before starting because of the oils and stuff on them, good thinking.