April 6, 2018

Well hello!  It's been a really long time!  I have continued to cook, try new recipes, repeat our tried and true favorites, but so much has changed since I last wrote.  July 4, 2015 was the date of my last post.  Since the last post I have had another baby (who is now almost 2!), started a new career (I am in my 3rd year of teaching), and, well, actually, I guess that's it.  But seriously - those are two massive changes!  Do we really need anything else? Life got so busy and hectic something had to move off my plate and the only thing that seemed flexible was blogging.  I took a prolonged hiatus, but now I am back.

It is funny to post here in April.  My first post was April 7, 2011.  I started this blog over spring break years ago because I was feeling like we were in such a rut at dinner.  Tacos, spaghetti, chicken...we liked dinner but we were definitely a bit bored.  That spring break week I tried a new dinner recipe every night in an effort to see what else was out there.  I had two criteria: the recipe couldn't be too complicated and it had to get at least 3 thumbs up at the dinner table.  It was okay if not everyone liked it, but the majority of us had to love it.  Over time we have had lots of great dishes, but only the true keepers ended up here.  And while I haven't posted to this blog over the last few years, we have definitely consulted it regularly!  We still have family dinner every single night - all 6 of us sit down together.  We talk about the highs and lows of the day, we laugh, we share our time together.  It is so important to our family and often it is my highlight of the day.  Seeing how our kids interact and truly enjoy being together is such a gift and blessing.

Enough of the reminiscing already and let's get back to the recipes.  This week I only have one new keeper - Chili Lime Oven Roasted Salmon.  We love this preparation for salmon!  I am lucky to have kids that enjoy salmon, and we have it a few different ways, but found that even salmon was falling into the boring category.  But this recipe is fantastic.  Based on a recipe from a cookbook Ryan got when he graduated and moved into his own apartment this recipe is definitely a keeper!  We served it to a friend that was over for dinner not knowing he didn't like fish - and then he emailed and asked me for the recipe!  You totally have to give this one a try!

Happy cooking!

New Recipe
Chili Lime Oven Roasted Salmon

Chili Lime Oven Roasted Salmon

Ingredients
* 3 tbs butter
* 1 shallot, minced
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* dash cayenne pepper (optional)
* 1 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
* 1 lime, sliced thin
* 1 - 1.5 lbs salmon cut into serving size pieces

Directions
1. Heat oven to 450 F
2. In a small pan cook the butter, shallot, chili powder, garlic, cayenne (if using) and salt over medium high heat, about 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and mix in the cilantro.
3. Lay the salmon in a greased 9 x 11 Pyrex dish or on a foil lined baking sheet. Distribute the shallot mixture over the salmon. Lay thin slices of lime on the salmon.
4. Cook the salmon about 14 minutes in the oven. Serve!

Notes

Most of my family loves salmon, and even those who don't request it for dinner on a regular basis don't complain when it is on the weekly meal plan.  So this was easily voted a keeper, and it is a quick recipe that you can absolutely throw together on a busy weeknight. What truly solidified it's keeper status, however, was the fact that I served it to a friend who was visiting for dinner.  He enjoyed it so much that he emailed and asked for the recipe, and in the same message he admitted to not really enjoying salmon!  Now he wants to cook this recipe and introduce it to his family!  Well that sounds deserving of keeper status for sure!