lemon butter saucy

Everything I read nowadays says to eat more fish. Omega 3 fatty acids, lower fat than red meat, yada yada yada. Also, once I stopped eating chicken I needed something else to fill that protein hole. Initially I started eating a lot of shrimp, which is yummy, but sometimes a bit of work. Also I needed to shake it up a bit. So I purchased some salmon, which I hadn't had in a while (it's pricey around here and I eat a lot of it in sushi, so sometimes I just don't think about cooking salmon). And once I bought it I didn't know what to do with it. But I'd picked up a lemon just in case. After some internet searching I found a Lime Butter Sauce recipe which seemed fine but nothing really special. Mostly I just had all the ingredients, since you could sub in lemon, and all of the reviews were positive so I figured I'd throw it together. When I thought about what the recipe would do once it was all finished I thought it would turn out to be kind of watery. Was I surprised then when the emulsification turned the melted butter back into creamy, whipped, lemon garlic flavored butter. Fab! In addition to scooping a bit of it over the fish, I added it, along with some lemon zest to plain white rice, which was the perfect complement to the salmon, which I pan-fried in butter with salt, pepper and dill. The only change I will make next time is to make the whole recipe since the rice could have used a bit more (I only made about a quarter of the recipe). And of course I have to try out the lime version, which should be spectacular over shrimp.

Lime Butter Sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt (I used coarse sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Cooks' Note:
Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.
Yield: Makes about 3/4 cup
Active Time: 5 min
Total Time: 5 min

Courtesy: epicurious.com

fast food awesomeness at home

No, not that kind of fast food. I'm talking about the kind of home cooking that can be on the table in 20 minutes. Now I don't mind "slow food," but there are nights when I just need to Eat. Right. Now. This isn't so much a recipe as the right combo of delicious fastness. Lots of flavor and everything is ready at essentially the same time.

Ham steak
Frozen corn
Potatoes

Throw the ham on the stovetop in a little butter. Microwave the potatoes. Microwave the corn. Plate!

Lookythere, a post as quick as the meal!

new year's collard greens and black eyed peas

Southerners traditionally start each year eating black eyed peas and collard greens for good luck and riches. I don't think I've ever actually partaken in this particular tradition, even all the years I lived in the south, but this year I thought I'd give it a try. Mostly I think I was just looking for something new to eat. And boy was I happily surprised. Of course, as is always the case, adding bacon to anything can make it delicous. These collard greens and black eyed peas were no exception. And it's a recipe I came up with mostly on my own, taking a little bit here and there from a couple different recipes.

1 package of collard greens
6 pieces of bacon
half an onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black eyed peas

Remove woody stem from collard greens. Cut leaves into 1 inch squares. Boil in salted water for 20-25 minutes (though I might try less time next time). Drain. Fry bacon slices as usual. Remove and drain once crispy. Fry onion and garlic in bacon fat until just about browned. Add collard greens and black eyed peas, adding a bit of the liquid from the peas to the pan. Cook about 15 minutes or until liquid is gone. Crumble bacon strips in and stir to heat them up a bit. Add salt and pepper to taste - be careful, the bacon can make it extra salty.

The only thing I would do differently the next time is to also make some cornbread.

I hope this good luck and riches thing works!