I hadn’t made this dish in years, until just the other night.  Having my left over dill from the Veal Paprika, I was determined not to let it go to waste (as so often my bunches of dill do).  I remember liking the recipe very much, but for some reason, it fell out of my regular repertoire years ago.  What a shame that was!  I forgot how wonderfully light and flavorful this dish is (and healthy and quick too!).  The salmon is grilled with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and lots of fresh dill.  The fish is then beautifully presented over “pickled” cucumbers, which marinate while the salmon is cooking.  All in all, this could easily be a 15 minute meal.   With a short ingredient list, easy preparation, a low calorie count, and refined taste, this meal is certainly a winner.  I vow to keep it in the rotation from now on.

Recipe: Dill Encrusted Salmon with Pickled Cucumbers

Have left-over dill?  Try:

Recipe: Veal Paprika

This Spring I will be teaching cooking classes to kids through a community food organization here in Hartford.  In preparation, I am testing some “kid friendly” recipes, trying to amass a curriculum.  (Needless to say, anticipate plenty of “cooking with kids” recipes in the future.)  Here is my first try…

What child (or adult for that matter) doesn’t love the classic campfire combination of chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers?  These s’more cupcakes are very simple and a great recipe for young chefs.  With very few ingredients and just two simple “mixing” steps, kids can help from start to finish.  Before the cupcakes are baked, each is adored with one kiss and four marshmallows – the perfect place to enlist tiny fingers!  (And get in some counting while you’re at it).  I also like these cupcakes for kids because they are baked in mini muffin tins, so the cupcakes are the perfect size – no extreme sugar rushes here.

Enjoy these little nostalgic treats!

A quick note about the recipe: Don’t be worried when you don’t see flour in the ingredient list.  These “cupcakes” use graham cracker crumbs in place of flour.  I admit that I was skeptical myself, but the added baking soda helps to leaven and lighten the “cake” and you don’t notice a difference.

Recipe: S’more Cupcakes

As some of you know, my husband and I have found a new activity for our Monday evenings (well one Monday a month, that is).  Our local wine store offers monthly wine tastings at a nearby restaurant.  February’s tasting focused on inexpensive wines from Bordeaux.  Read about January’s tasting of Ports.  Knowing very little of the region before the lecture, I was excited to not only learn more about a different type of wine, but hopefully find some new bargains.

Let’s start from the top, shall we?  The Bordeaux region of France is located in the southwest corner of the country.  It is a coastal growing region, and is marked by three rivers that define the region.   The rivers converge in a fork shape, creating the left bank, right bank, and the remaining land in between, the Entre-Deux Mers (the large yellow region on the map).  Translated, the region is literally “Between Two Rivers.”  Both the left and right bank have always been considered the premiere land, and therefore are home to the oldest and most prestigious Bordeaux wineries.  In recent years, however, wineries have begun to reinvent in the Entre-Deux Mers and are producing some decent wines.  Because this  “newer” wine growing region (Bordeaux has been producing wine since Roman times) is less known, you can get some spectacular deals on wine – this is where the inexpensive part comes in.  Most of the wines we tasted were from the Entre-Deux-Mers region. (more…)