My Baking Friend!

Brett and I both went to Kettering University, but didn't run into each other there.

We then ran into each other when we were both member of a local marketing interest group in Ann Arbor, LA2M - Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing. We were both heading in the Marketing & Business direction. Then we discovered that we both had a passion for food. Although Brett enjoys (and is good at) baking. I am not much of a baker, but definitely a cook!

Thought I would share his photo stream of some of his creations - FoodMadeFoodEaten

You can also follow him on Twitter @borsvold

He's worth following, he's studying in France for the time being. Always an adventure.

Cook/Bake On!

Oh, and you can follow me on Twitter @kristenk

Something Satisfying About A Dirty Kitchen Gettin' Clean

Tonight was one busy night in the kitchen! The end result was two yummy meals (including left overs) and one big MESS!

I made two meals tonight; salmon with mashed potatoes and fried zucchini for tonight and mexican stew for lunches and meals while I'm at the gym instead of the kitchen.

Meal #1:

Mashed potatoes with 1/3 stick of unsalted butter and about a 1/4 cup-ish of butter milk. Dirty dishes 2 (including the kitchen aide).

Salomon with a brown sugar, paprika & cinnamon rub and orange marinade. Dirty dishes 3.

Fried zucchini with a panko and Parmesan breading. Dirty dishes 4.

Meal #2:

Mexican stew (greatly modified measurements, just based on what I had). Plus a small bag of corn was added. Dirty dishes 2.

Soup is sitting in the fridge sharing flavors overnight, but smelled great!

And for some reason the stove top was a disaster, but now the whole kitchen is sparkling clean, I feel like I accomplished lots in the kitchen, and our tummies will be full all week!

P.S. I have an amazing husband who just fetched me a glass of Trader Joe's 2-buck chuck wine and it wasn't an easy task with the cork-screw misplaced! Ops! :)

Good night all!

Christmas Morning Breakfast

I had my parents and siblings over for an early Christmas celebration and it was the first time I was hosting them at our home. Our family loves breakfast so I made a big brunch for us.


I started with a fruit salad. It was the first time I used pomegranate seeds and I just picked a few fruits for color. I started with Pomegranate seeds and Strawberries for some red color and Kiwi and Honeydew Melon for some green. The colors were bright and festive and the flavors paired very well. It was refreshing and delicious!

We love eggs so I whipped about 8-12 eggs with a splash of milk to get it fluffy with whatever I had in the fridge which may have been: baby spinach, green onion, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, mushrooms and some cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and Tony Chachere's Creole 'It's Spicy' allspice . Topped with cheese and in the oven at 400 for about an hour and it was a nice dish for our breakfast.

I also tried for the first time some banana stuffed french toast from Food Network's "Down Home with the Neeley's". It was a fun way to make french toast and was very filling. I didn't change too much and I would make it again for a special occasion breakfast.

Of course we also had a side of bacon from the local corner store/deli. If you try anything - try the fruit salad, it has my mouth watering again! Happy Holidays!

I've been cooking I promise!

Sorry all! I've been busy and have not had a chance to post any latest kitchen experiments - where has the time gone!

I'll be posting my Garbage Taco Soup soon. Just finishing up the left overs from that simple, filling and inexpensive meal.

Looking forward to some Thanksgiving creations! We'll be celebrating a week early with one family and the week of with the other - so lots of good food will be coming around these next few weeks!!

Eat Healthy, Live Well!

Soy Salmon with Rum Pineapple

This I take full credit for creating this. I made this a few months ago on a beautiful evening, so we fired up the grill.

Ingredients used:

• Salmon Fillets
• Soy Sauce (low sodium)
  
• Lemon Juice
  
• --
• Pineapple
• Rum
• Water
• Cinnamon
  
• --
• Zucchini & Squash
  
• Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper
  

Salmon fillets were marinaded for 30 minutes(could go longer if desired, I was short on time) in soy sauce and lemon juice. Use enough of each liquid for salmon to be soaking in the marinade, probably about a 4:1 ratio of soy sauce to lemon juice.

When salmon is done marinading place on grill or in pan and cook. Time and temp will vary with the size of the fillet. From grill or pan move to plate.

While the salmon is marinading cut pineapple into rings, about 1/4 inch thick (like in the picture). Marinade the pineapple in a bowl of water and rum (again, about 4:1 - 2:1 ratio depending on how strong you want the rum favor). Soak pineapple rings for 15-20 minutes, sprinkle with cinnamon, then grill for 5-10. Sync this step with the salmon on the grill to serve hot on the plate.

If you'd like to add grilled zucchini/squash; slice as desired. I like to coat in olive oil and season with salt and pepper then grill until cooked, but still crunchy.

I served rice with this meal, but it was the last thing that was eaten on everyone's plate.

It was a tropical tasting meal for a nice summer evening.

Trader Joes Stir Fry Combo

I trust and love Trader Joe's.

Tonight I went easy for dinner and picked up some Trader Joe's Mandarin Chicken and Trader Joe's Stir Fry Vegetables (pea pods, carrots, mushrooms, edamame, onion...) both of which were in the frozen food isle . Added organic brown rice to the mix and it ended up a tasty dinner that hit the spot and I didn't feel like I just ate that horrible Chinese take out.

I used much less oil than was called for but other than that I followed the simple instructions. Basically, you need a two skillets or a skillet (for chicken) and wok (for veggies). Prepare separate because the chicken needs 10 minutes and a bit more oil, and the vegetables only need 4-6 minutes in the second skillet or wok.

Salmon Burger Goodness

We love salmon, especially in burger form. This recipe with a few alterations will probably be a regular request over here. This dinner filled us up and we felt great after wards.

I served with sweet potato fries (sorry, not homemade this time, from a grocery store but all sweet potato, no PHO or HFC).

Here are the ingredients:

• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup panko Substituted with Honey Nut Cheerios
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds salmon fillets, skinned and finely chopped
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• Sesame Mayonnaise, recipe follows See Substituted recipe below
  
• 8 buttered and toasted sandwich buns I love using Arnold Sandwich Thins
  
• 8 lettuce leaves Substituted with spinach
• 8 slices tomato

Here is the full recipe from Food Network's Paula Dean.

The Mayo substitute I used was from another Food Network recipe:

• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (plain low fat)
• 1/4 cup chopped capers
• 1 chopped shallot
• Mix all together (also can use this as a dip for grilled shrimp)
  

So, what do you think?