My Very Own 30 Minute Meal

Sometimes when you are really lucky, you can make a delicious meal without a whole lot of planning. Such was the case last night for me. I stopped on my way home from the gym and bought a piece of salmon, not knowing exactly what I would do with it.

I had bought some brussel sprouts on a previous trip to the grocery store, so I decided to cook those up. I know, I know, who cooks brussel sprouts? But my Gramma really likes them and she inspired me to give them a try. When preparing a meal for her last spring, I cooked brussel sprouts this way and she loved them, as did I. I promise—they're really good.

When picking out the brussel sprouts at the store, go for the little ones. Wash the sprouts and trim off just the very end. Heat oil in a skillet (one you have a lid for) and add the brussel spouts. Shake or turn the pan often to brown the sprouts on all sides. Remove brussel sprouts from pan, add a little butter to the pan and once melted, add a minced shallot. Saute shallot for a couple minutes and return sprouts to pan. Salt & pepper to taste and add about 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken stock. Cover, and cook for about 30 minutes. The finished product is tender and flavorful.

Once the brussel sprouts were going, I threw on a pot of Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf. One bowl of this stuff has a full day's worth of whole grains! You make it like rice, and as with rice, you can season it however you choose. It cooks for about 25 minutes.

Onto the salmon. I decided to make a glaze and cook the fish in the oven. I whisked together the juice of 1 lime, some dijon mustard, a bit of Worchestire sauce and salt & pepper and ouila! a tasty glaze. I spooned the glaze over the salmon and baked it for about 15 minutes. When out of the oven, I drizzled more glaze on the fish. I also drizzled some on the pilaf for flavor. I dished up and felt pleased with myself. The dinner was easy, healthy, hearty and delicious.

And for dessert—and let me say that this food item is so good it could merit its own blog posting—Rick and I enjoyed Wood's caramel apples. I am taking it upon myself to inform you of this seasonal treasure. If you like caramel apples, these are simple the best. The apple is green, crisp, tart and most importantly, enrobed in a thick layer of Wood's caramel. Rick likes to chill the apples in the fridge and then cut the slices off the core/stick, a method I favor as well, as it is much easier than eating the apple off the stick. You should go to Byerly's today and buy a few (notice I did not say "buy one," as you will definitely want more than one)! They are perfection, pure and simple.

Chicken Cacciatore

Our good friends John & Courtney were in town over the Labor Day weekend and they came over for dinner on Sunday night. I don't get to see them very often, so I wanted to make a nice meal for them. I decided on Chicken Cacciatore, using a Giada De Laurentiis recipe as a starting point.

First season 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with salt & pepper, dredge them in flour and then brown them on both sides in a large skillet using a bit of EVOO. Transfer chicken to a plate, and to same skilet add 1 chopped onion, 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1 chopped small zucchini, 1 chopped small yellow squash and some chopped mushrooms (carrots or peppers would work great, too). Saute veggies over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper and add 3/4 cup white wine; simmer until wine is reduced by half. Add 1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes with juice, 3/4 cup chicken broth, a few tablespoons of capers and some dried oregano. Return the chicken to the skillet and turn them to coat in the sauce. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

To go alongside, I made roasted broccoli and Parmesan Smashed Potatoes. Wash and halve a good amount of baby red potatoes (about 3 lbs). Boil for about 15 minutes, drain, and mash with EVOO, parmesan cheese and salt & pepper (I didn't use measurements). Serve the Chicken Cacciatore over the potatoes and top with freshly chopped basil.

For dessert, I made Molten Chocolate Cakes, using a Martha Stewart recipe. These are not difficult to make, but they are fancy and perfect for special occasions. All you do is mix together butter, sugar, eggs, flour and salt; then add melted bittersweet chocolate. Divide batter between 4 buttered & sugared ramekins, bake for 10 minutes, let sit for 10 minutes and invert cakes onto individual serving plates. I served the cake with a scoop of real vanilla ice cream.

The Chicken Cacciatore was healthy, delicious and full of flavor. Courtney went back for seconds, something she said she never does! The Molten Chocolate Cakes were positively delectable and sinfully rich. After dinner, we went over to Chris & Rachel's new place for their housewarming party (My friends John and Rachel are brother & sister, for those of you who didn't know that already). Old friends, a wonderful meal and a fun party, what a perfect night!

Today, September 7, is Courtney's birthday. A very Happy Birthday to you!

The State Fair

On Friday I took a half day at work so that I could go to The State Fair with Mom and Liz. We picked Liz up at her house in St. Paul and then went to the free park & ride at Snelling & 94. After arriving at the Fair, our first stop was to see Meggie. She is working on Peter Hutchinson's campaign (for governor) and at the Fair, she helped man the various Independent candidate booths. After visiting Meggie, we walked across the street to get corn dogs. If you don't know the difference between corn dogs and pronto pups, I will take the liberty of explaining it to you. Corn dogs have corn meal in the batter and pronto pups do not. Both Mom and I prefer the actual corn dog.

Along the way we came across the Kashi wellness area. Liz and I took a mini yoga class, we taste-tasted cereal, granola bars and a tasty mediterranean pilaf and got lots of coupons. We also learned that you can visit www.kashi.com and sign up to get a free granola bar in the mail. After our downward dogs and deep breathing, we went into the Agricultural Building for some fresh apple cider and apples. We also viewed some really interesting crop art; portraits, jewelry, etc all made out of seeds. Liz and I were amazed that such an art form existed. We were then off in search of the Nitro ice cream (at Meggie's suggestion), which turned out to be very tasty. It was an extra creamy, almost soft serve-like, yet hard vanilla ice cream. I had mine in a crispy pretzel cone!

Next we stopped off to get a beer for Mom and Liz. As they sipped, we walked in search of the big German soft pretzels, which we located outside the horse building. We split one big pretzel, and I think each of us was left wanting more. We dipped into both a spicy brown and a honey mustard, both of which were delicious. This was my favorite food item at the Fair this year, it was sooooo good!

Anticipation had been building all afternoon, it was finally time for our favorite part of the Fair, the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Booth! We each handed over $1 and received our bottomless cup of milk, what a bargain. Mom and Liz opted for a half and half mix of plain and chocolate, while I preferred the plain all on its own. We are a milk-loving family and this is as good as milk gets—perfectly smooth and icy cold. On the way out, we stopped at Miracle of Birth center. We saw some little piglets that were two days old, a one-day old calf and a tiny lamb that had been born that very day. It was a beautiful afternoon and we had a great time at the MN State Fair.