Smoked salmon with Jack Daniel's Sauce

 

Get ready to have your socks knocked off! I try a lot of recipes and by far this has been an upscale restaurant quality one that looked fancy and tasted amazing to the point where we couldn’t stop eating it!

We smoked our salmon with a little multi seasoning and rosemary. You could grill it or broil it or cook it how ever you want. Don’t be put off by the pineapple juice and pineapple in the sauce, it’s not as overly sweet as you think it would be.

Jack Daniel's Sauce for Smoked Salmon
(Adapted from Nibbledish)

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1 clove of garlic
1 cup of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of Teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1/2 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of chopped pineapple
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of Jack Daniel or other whisky

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

For the spinach I just cooked 10 ounces of baby spinach down in a large skillet with a couple of tablespoons of red pepper olive oil. (click HERE for recipe)

Jell-O Temptations

Recently I got a coupon for a free Temptations product from Jell-O. If you’re not a member already of Kraft First Taste, I urge you to join. It’s free to join and when they have new products coming out you get a free item in addition to a discount coupon to try.

I got the Double Chocolate Pie and Strawberry Cheesecake. I thought the Double Chocolate Pie wasn’t anything special it tasted like chocolate pudding with a chocolate mouse on top. The Strawberry Cheese cake was way better. You still had that cheesecake texture with a fruit jelly like topping and it’s only 150 calories.

I have to say at $2.79 for 3 containers of Jell-O it’s a temptation that will have to be put off unless I have a coupon.

Mint Lemonade

I recently purchased Eva Longoria’s new cookbook Eva’s Kitchen. Flipping through I really like how simple the recipes are, a few are ones I have that my grandmother made or have been around a while, but I still enjoyed having them all in one place now. Since it’s summer time and my mint is starting to grow wild I thought I would try a cocktail recipe from the book. Overall I really enjoyed how fresh the drink was, I’m not a huge mojito fan so the chunks of mint threw me off. I probably will puree it more next time or maybe just release the oil of the mint in my hands and throw in the leaves instead of blending them. Either way, it’s made from scratch and I loved the recipe fore the lemonade which wasn’t overly sweet.

Hubby added booze to his and said it was good so feel free to add whisky, vodka, rum, tequila, etc.

Before I forget I want to welcome a cutie to the world!! Dakota was born Thursday, May 19th, 9 pounds 11 ounces. Congrats to our friends Tad and Angela!! The dress she’s wearing was one I made, click HERE for details of the shower.

Mint Lemonade
(Adapted from Eva’s Kitchen)

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Lemonade
(4 servings)

½ cup sugar
¼ cup hot water
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)

Place sugar and hot water in a 2 quart container.

Close tightly and shake until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and enough cold water to make 3 cups total.

Shake until well combined.

Mint Lemonade
(2 servings)

about 12 ice cubes (3 ½ cups)
1 ½ cups lemonade, plus more if needed
6 to 7 sprigs of fresh mint, plus more for garnish

Place the ice in  blender. Pour over the lemonade. Pull the leaves off the mint and add to the blender.

Puree until well blended and slushy. If too liquidy, add more ice and puree, if too slushy, add a little more lemonade and puree until well blended.

Pour into two 12 ounce glasses. Garnish each with a mint sprig and serve immediately.

Apple Muffins

I feel like the days have been flying by lately! Summer is here and I’m excited because that means it’s time to enjoy the pool and waste away the days by the grill relaxing. Of course after yard work and working all week. Until the weekend rolls around here’s a yummy muffin to get you through those weekday mornings!

This is one of my new favorite recipes. I was so addicted to making them after the first time I had to run back to the store to buy more apples before making several more batches. LOVE LOVE LOVE these muffins!

Amaretto Apple Streusel Muffins
(Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)
makes 12

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Streusel Topping:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
2 tablespoons sliced or finely chopped almonds (I just used pecans)

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (by weight:  7.5 ounces or 216 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
2 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons amaretto (almond liqueur)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup finely chopped Gala apple
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar, icing sugar)
4 teaspoons 2% reduced-fat milk

To make the streusel topping:
In a small bowl, combine ingredients together with your fingers until you have a bowl full of medium-large clumps (don't worry about breaking the almonds); refrigerate until needed.

To make muffins:
Place rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350F.

Line muffin pan with 12 paper liners - lightly grease top of muffin pan.  In a small bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside for later.

In a small bowl, combine apples and 1 tablespoon flour; set aside for later.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and milk; set aside for later.

In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, cream cheese, and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; beat until well blended. 

Add amaretto, vanilla, and egg; beat until well blended. 

Add 1/3 flour mixture and stir to combine, add 1/2 sour cream mixture and stir to combine, add 1/3 flour, remaining 1/2 sour cream, and remaining 1/3 flour mixture. 

Stir in apple mixture. Divide batter evenly among muffin liners.

Remove streusel topping from the refrigerator.  Using your fingers, break the large clumps into small ones; sprinkle evenly on top of the muffin batter. 

Bake muffins in the lower third of a 350F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean out of the center of the muffin.  Cool muffins in pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Make the glaze by whisking the confectioner's sugar and milk together; drizzle over the cooled muffins.  Decrease milk for a thicker glaze.

Maple Buttermilk Pie

I don’t make a lot of pies and I really should they are easy, but they never come out as pretty as when my mom makes them. I can’t remember the last time I had a buttermilk pie, it’s such a simple pie, but I really like them. If you have a good recipe for one I would love it if you passed it over my way. This recipe was HORRIBLE. Maybe I did something wrong I don’t know. I tried so hard to eat a slice and ended up dumping the whole thing.  :(

Maple Buttermilk Pie
(Adapted from Gourmet April 2002)

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1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2/3 cup Grade B maple syrup
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons maple sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Put pie shell (in pie plate) in a shallow baking pan.

Whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl until just combined and pour three fourths of custard into shell.

Carefully put pan in middle of oven and pour in remaining custard with a cup.

Bake until just set in center, about 55 minutes, then transfer pie to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooks' note: Pie can be made 4 to 6 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.