But this one is a winner, I promise.  I went out looking for a baked broccoli side dish that didn’t require canned cream of mushroom soup (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and here’s what I found for us.  It’s delish!  Make it sometime soon.  Your children need to grow up knowing that not all casseroles are evil.

CHEESY BROCCOLI & RICE CASSEROLE
SERVES:  6-8 as a side dish
SOURCE:  The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated

2 slices good quality sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (Parmesan cuts are on sale if you’d like to grate it yourself)
4 T. butter, melted plus an additional 2 T. chilled (Two brands: Organic Valley and Shurfresh)
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 large bunch ( 2lbs.) fresh broccoli, cut into florets and stalks trimmed and chopped (Broccoli Crowns)
1 onion, minced (1 c.) (Yellow Onions)
1 1/4 c. long grain white rice (Riceland Brand)
4 c. chicken broth (Swanson Brand)
1 1/4 c. half and half (Two brands:  Golden Guernsey and Organic Valley)
1 t. salt
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, grated (2 c.) (Sendik’s 5 Year Cheddar)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the bread, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the melted butter, and garlic until coarsely ground.

Place broccoli florets in a microwaveable bowl and cover tightly.  Cook 3 minutes or until tender and bright green.  Do not over cook.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven and saute onion and broccoli stalks; cook 8-10 minutes or until softened.  Add rice and cook, stirring constantly until rice is translucent.  Add chicken broth, half and half, and salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook, stirring often until rice is tender.  Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar, cayenne, remaining Parmesan, and broccoli florets.

Pour into prepared dish and top with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbly around the edges and top is golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  When I’m getting to the end of a loaf of bread, I toss the heels into a bag in the freezer.  Every now and then I get them out and make a big batch of these breadcrumbs, just to have on hand.  I store the crumbs in a big bag in the freezer.  They’re great for topping homemade macaroni and cheese, chicken and rice, or other baked pasta dishes.   :-)

I’ve made it from scratch before, using real wild rice – but my kids can’t stand it (“this tastes like sticks are we eating bird seed it’s too hard and chewy what is this stuff?!  blah, blah, blah).  Whatever with them.  When I get an idea stuck in my head, I’ve gotta run with it.  I wanted this soup, I was going to find a way to have it, and hopefully get them to eat it too.

So, here we have a cheaters version of Chicken & Wild Rice, a soup that reminds me of growing up in Minnesooooooota.  It’s thick and creamy and rich and the perfect thing for a cold and rainy night.  Even No Thank You Boy liked it, although he remained true to type by making his famous barf-me-out-the-door facial expression and poking at it with his spoon.

After the theatrics, he licked his bowl clean and went back for seconds.

The whole FamDam pronounced this soup to be “blogworthy”, which around here is the highest compliment that can be bestowed upon a recipe.  My work here is done. 

Sale ingredients are in GREEN for your shopping enjoyment!!
CREAMY CHICKEN & WILD RICE SOUP
Serves:  6 – 8
ADAPTED FROM allrecipes.com

4 c. chicken broth (plus extra to thin; I bought a 48 oz. box)
2 c. water
1 (4.5 oz.) package long grain and wild rice, seasoning packet reserved (Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice)

5 T. butter
4 oz. sliced mushrooms (optional) (Sliced white mushrooms)
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced (Pascal celery)
2 medium carrots, medium dice
1/4 c. plus 1 T. flour
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (Sendik’s Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts)

2 c. half & half (CF Burger Half and Half)

Combine chicken broth and water in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  When broth begins to boil, add rice (not packet)and stir.  Cover pan, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, place butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Melt butter; when foaming subsides, add mushrooms, celery, and carrot and saute until tender, about six minutes.  Sprinkle flour, reserved seasoning packet, and salt and pepper over vegetables, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring for three minutes.  Do not brown flour.  Gradually add in half and half, whisking to blend.  Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until mixture thickens.  Gradually whisk broth and rice mixture into the larger pot, stirring to combine.  Stir in shredded chicken, cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.   Add additional broth if soup gets to thick (which is definitely will if you make it ahead of time!)  Serve.

For the record, I DID make a brand new recipe last night and it was awesome.  It involves ravioli and a sundried tomato cream sauce.  And it’s LIGHT!  But I’m not sharing that here today.  Tune in next time ravioli go on sale, LOL.

Take advantage of both the great price on boneless pork chops ($2.49 per pound!)  and the gorgeous grilling weather and try these chops sometime this week! 

SOUTHEAST ASIAN PORK CHOPS
Serves:  5
Source:  Adapted from foodandwine.com

2 T. vegetable oil
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. Asian fish sauce (find this on the top shelf in the Asian aisle)
4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
¼ c. minced yellow onion (the original recipe called for shallots, but I forgot them – and yellow onions are on sale!)
2 t. ground black pepper
6 boneless pork chops (on sale), pounded to about ¼ to ½” thick

Jasmine Rice and Carrot Relish, recipe follows

In a large glass measuring cup, combine the oil, honey, fish sauce, garlic, onion, and pepper.  Place the pounded pork chops in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade into the bag.  Press out the air and refrigerate overnight (I only had 7 hours and they still turned out great).

Fire up your grill.  Brush the grill with oil and cook the pork chops over high heat until nicely charred and just cooked through, about three minutes on the first side and two on the second.  Serve immediately with the rice and the carrot slaw.

JASMINE RICE AND CARROT SLAW

1 1/3 c. jasmine rice
2 1/3 c. water
2 T. lime juice (please use fresh lime juice and pass on the green bottle, blech)
1 T. vegetable oil
1 ½ t. honey
1 T. chopped fresh mint, plus additional for garnish if desired
1 clove garlic, minced
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

In a saucepan, combine the rice and water and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes.  Quickly remove the lid and wipe off any water that clings to it.  Immediately recover the rice and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes.  Fluff the rice with a fork and cover.

In a bowl, combine the lime juice with the vegetable oil, fish sauce, mint, garlic, and chili.  Add the carrots and toss to coat with the sauce.  Serve the carrot slaw over the rice.

And this has absolutely nothing to do with dinner, but I just ate the best apple ever.  It was a cold and crunchy Honeycrisp, as big as my head.  I piled about a dozen in my fruitbowl, but I’m considering not sharing…some people hoard chocolate, I’m hoarding Honeycrisps.  The apple people didn’t pay me to say that.

Back to dinner:  add a handful of cooked shrimp (Sendik’s Cleaned & Cooked Shrimp are on sale) and use a spicier sausage (andouille) if you like - both would make this jambalaya a little more authentic.  Not everyone here is crazy about shrimp OR spicy stuff, so I decided to keep ours simple – I’ll serve tabasco on the side for an added kick.  This is fabulous with a simple green salad and hot corn bread muffins – or crusty French bread if you’re not in the mood to bake.  Enjoy!

EASY JAMBALAYA
Serves: 4-6
Source: epicurious.com

3 T. olive oil (Colavita is on sale if you’re running low)
2 large yellow onions, diced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced (on sale)
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced (on sale)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes with juices
2 c. diced kielbasa (Sendik’s Loop Sausage is on sale)
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 t. each dried thyme, dried basil, and smoked paprika
1/2 t. cayenne
3/4 c. long grain rice

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Saute onions, peppers, and garlic for ten minutes over medium heat.  Add in tomatoes with juices, sausage, wine, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  Add in rice, stir to combine.  Cover pan.  Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.  Garnish pan with chopped parsley and serve in shallow bowls.

Whatever you serve it with, you’ll be thanking your heavenly stars that sweet corn, tomatoes, and fresh basil ever found their way to planet Earth.  And that you can find them quite readily in the produce department at Sendik’s.

And that it’s still summer.     

RISOTTO WITH CORN, TOMATOES AND BASIL
Serves: 6 as a side dish
Source:  finecooking.com

4 c. chicken broth
2 ears corn, shucked and cleaned of any silk
2 T. butter or olive oil
1 shallot or small yellow onion, minced
1 c. arborio rice
1/3 c. dry white wine
1 c. chopped plum tomatoes (Roma tomatoes are on sale)
2 t. olive oil
3 T. torn fresh basil leaves, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c. good quality grated Parmesan

Heat the broth in a pot or saucepan large enough to fit the corn over medium-low heat to just below a simmer.  Simmer the corn in the broth for 4 minutes and transfer to a plate; reserve the broth and keep it hot.  Using a chef’s knife, slice the corn kernels off the cob into a large bowl (you should have about a cup).

In a heavy based deep skillet or wide saucepan, melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) over medium heat.  Add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated with butter or oil.  Pour in the wine, stir, and cook until the wine is absorbed, about 1 minute.

Ladle in about 1 1/2 cups of the hot broth, and cook stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 3-5 minutes.  Continue adding broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring and simmering until it’s absorbed each time, at intervals of about 3 – 5 minutes.

While the rice is simmering, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the basil in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the rice is just barely tender, after about 16 minutes, stir in the corn.  Continue adding more stock and stirring until the rice is creamy but still firm to the tooth, 20 – 25 minutes total.  Remove from the heat, fold in the Parmesan and then the tomato-basil mixture.  Top each serving wtih the remaining basil and serve immediately.

Here’s what it wasn’t:  it wasn’t a fancy pocketbook or sports car or a timeshare in Hawaii or botox or a boob lift (sorry) or eyelash extensions.  That’s not to say that any of those things won’t eventually land on a shopping list at some point in my future….after all, a girl’s gotta dream right?

A hint:  the splurge happened at Sendiks (where else do I ever go) and it was an ingredient - but it wasn’t morels from the deep dark woods, or vanilla beans from Madagascar.

Give up?  All you cooks out there think very hard … but I’m sure if you’ve glanced at the photo, you’ve guessed by now.

Saffron.  At almost 15.00 for the teensy weensiest little package you’ve ever seen – smaller than a teaspoon of rice, it’s definitely the most expensive spice you can possibly buy.  I bit the bullet and threw it in my cart.  And I passed up a bottle of wine to make up for the cost.

It was worth it.  But I totally understand if you don’t feel like dropping that kind of coin to make this dish.  So I did a little research, and while there is no replacement for the actual flavor of saffron (I would describe it as a little earthy and slightly bitter?), you could swap in a pinch of turmeric to help achieve a yellow similar to the photo above.

Enjoy!

SCALLOP RISOTTO
SERVES: 2
SOURCE:  cookinglight.com

2 c. fat free chicken broth
1 – 8 oz. bottle clam juice
2 t. butter
1/4 c. chopped shallots
1/2 c. uncooked Arborio rice
1/8 t. saffron threads, crushed
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved (Organic grape tomatoes are on sale)
8 oz. bay scallops (Wild Caught Natural Bay Scallops are on sale; *see note*)
2 T. whipping cream
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional

Bring broth and clam juice to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil).  Keep warm over low heat.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.  Add rice and saffron to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add lemon juice to pan; cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/2 cup hot broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.  Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next, about 18 minutes total.

Stir in tomatoes; cook 1 minute.  Stir in scallops; cook for 4 minutes or until they are opaque, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; stir in cream.  Sprinkle with parsley if desired; serve in shallow pasta bowls.

**NOTE** The original recipe called for 4 ounces each of both peeled and deveined medium shrimp AND scallops.  There aren’t any shrimp on sale this week, so I decided to toss in all scallops.

Speaking of vino … in light of my current healthy eating kick and all, I’ve been trying to keep my nightly wine consumption to just one glass instead of one whole BOTTLE (progress!).  But that’s a whole different issue we won’t go in to today.

“Hello, my name is Leah and I have issues.”

Speaking of issues, does this ever happen to you?  When I decide to go on a ‘diet’, something bizarre happens in my brain, and things tend to go really badly for me.  I get all resentful, crabby, and stressed out if I think something is being taken away from me, like foods and cocktails I love (see what I mean?  ISSUES.).    That’s why I’m trying to fool myself by simply ‘eating healthy’ and not attempting to follow a dreaded ‘D word’.  I call this the Jedi Mind Trick.

“Help me Obi Wan, you’re my only hope!”

Gosh, I’m so glad I have you all as my sounding board bored!    Thanks for reading.  You guys are like therapy for me.  And now that I’ve annoyed you to itty bitty pieces, let’s talk about the salmon, shall we?

I absolutely LOVED this dinner.  I can’t say enough about it, in fact.  The glaze is sweet, salty, and tangy, and the sear-roasting process gives the salmon the most delightful crust.  We enjoyed it over plain jasmati rice, with a simple side of wilted spinach.  It would be lovely over wild rice too; I might try that next time.

Company worthy?  Check.  Healthy at the same time?  Check that too.  I can’t wait to make it again!  ENJOY!

HONEY & SOY GLAZED SALMON

Serves: 4

Source:  epicurious.com

• 4 T. honey
• 4 T. soy (La Choy is on sale if you’re running low!)
• 3 T. fresh lime juice (yes, I said FRESH!), plus additional lime wedges for garnish if you’re in to presentation!
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 2 T. water
• 1 ½ t. cornstarch mixed with 2 t. water (optional; I like a thicker glaze)
• 1 T. neutral cooking oil
• 4 – 6oz. salmon fillets, skinned (Premium Alaskan Coho fillets are on sale this week)

• Your favorite cooked rice, for serving (I like Jasmati or a wild rice blend)

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, lime juice, mustard, and water.  If you like a thicker glaze, give the cornstarch and water a little stir and add it in to the honey mixture.  Whisk well to blend.  Set aside.

In a large oven proof skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.  Cook the salmon, skinned side up, for three minutes.  During this three minutes do not poke, fiddle with, or scoot the salmon around in any way.  Just let it form a lovely golden brown crust.  After three minutes, flip the salmon and transfer it to the oven.  Continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and is just cooked through.  Transfer the salmon to a plate.  Place the pan over medium heat, reminding yourself that the handle of the pan is still extremely hot.  Give the glaze one last whisk and add it to the pan.  Simmer, stirring, for about a minute.  Place a scoop of rice in the middle of each serving plate.  Place a salmon fillet atop the rice, and drizzle with the glaze.  Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

What I mean to say is, YOU WILL LIKE IT!  Even No-Thank-You-Boy digs right in, and he doesn’t usually eat anything that doesn’t say JIMMY JOHNS somewhere on the label.  This stuff is good, baby.  Really good.

Now before I get you all excited, a slight confession:  I am fully aware that this dish is going against my ‘let’s lighten up’ rule but I had to make an exception.  I’m delivering dinner to a good friend who just had a baby (Hi, Baby Chloe!), and this is my standard “I’m-taking-dinner-to-a-sick-or-newly-unpregnant-friend” dish, so it is what it is.  It’s not light, and if you over-indulge it will definitely add to your, uh – bottom line, shall we say.  But let’s don’t worry about that today.  Bikini season is a long way off.  If you’re having calorie angst, add a few minutes to the old treadmill when you’re at the gym tomorrow.

Chicken and Rice.  It’s what’s right with the world!

Note:  Here’s the fine print.  This isn’t the kind of dinner you can throw together in a skinny minute; it’s a little time consuming to make.  I recommend it for Sunday dinner when you’ve got a little extra time on your hands!  On the bright side:  this freezes beautifully!  If you freeze it, be sure to thaw it completely before baking.  Enjoy!

CREAMY CHICKEN & RICE WITH PEAS, CARROTS, & CHEDDAR

Serves:  8

Source:  The Best Make Ahead Recipe, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated. Pp. 248-249

• 4 T. butter
• 1 medium onion, minced
• Salt
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• ¼ c. flour
• 6 c. chicken broth (Imagine broths are on sale)
• 1 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5; Value Packs are on sale)
• 1 ½ c. long grain white rice
• 1 – 1lb. bag frozen peas and carrots medley (about 3 cups)
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• Ground black pepper
• 1 recipe (2 ¼ cups) Toasted Bread Crumb Topping (see below)
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400.  Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the broth and the cream.

Add the chicken breasts, partially cover, and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low, cover completely, and cook until the thickest part of the chicken breast registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 10-15 minutes.

Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.  Stir the rice into the pot, cover, and continue to cook over low heat, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed much of the liquid and is just tender, 20-25 minutes.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded chicken, peas and carrots, and cheddar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 13” pan and sprinkle with the crumb topping.  Cover tightly with foil (freeze at this point).  Bake until the casserole is bubbling and hot throughout, about 1 hour.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crumbs are crisp, 15 minutes longer.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Note:  I love to keep an extra batch of this in my freezer.  I try to make a batch whenever I have on-the-verge-of-stale bread hanging around my pantry.  These crumbs are great to have on hand!

TOASTED BREAD CRUMB TOPPING

Makes enough for 1 9 x 13” casserole

Source:  The Best Make Ahead Recipe, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated. P. 242

• 4 slices good quality white sandwich bread, quartered
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 2 T. minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325.  Pulse the bread and butter in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 6 pulses.  Spread the crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and dry, 20-30 minutes.  Let the crumbs cool, then toss with the parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yesterday was one of those days… I just. Couldn’t. Do it.

Fried rice is my standard fall-back dinner on days like yesterday. The whole DamFam LOVES fried rice! If you keep a few staples hangin’ around your pantry, fridge, and freezer, you’ll be able to throw together a huge batch of fried rice any day of the week — without having to waste good lipstick and hairspray so that you look presentable at the store!

Now, brace yourselves for a bit of life changing information. I’m about to give you a few tips for perfect fried rice. Here we go!

First of all, it is highly important (and this really can’t be stressed enough) to start out with cooked rice that is both cold and dry. You can’t make good fried rice out of a batch freshly cooked, steaming hot rice. It just won’t work; trust me, I know these things. Hot rice will stick together in a big, yucky, starchy glob and will only lead to dinnertime disappointment and untold sorrow.

Luckily, a wee bit forethought will help you avoid such dreadful issues. I like to make my rice in the morning. Immediately after it’s finished cooking, I spread it on a cookie sheet to let the steam escape and cool it down quickly, then I put the cookie sheet in the fridge (uncovered) for the whole day.

My favorite types of rice are basmati or jasmati, although sometimes I use jasmine if I have it on hand. Definitely do not use converted rice (like Uncle Ben’s), and absolutely, positively do not use Minute Rice.

Repeat after me: Minute Rice is from the devil. It’s true.

Ideally you’ll need a wok, or at the very least a giant sauté pan. Have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking, because once you start the stir-fry process, things will happen very quickly — you won’t have time to stop and finish slicing and dicing! I like to have all of my ingredients organized in separate bowls on a cookie sheet. I’ve used this system for years. Makes me feel quite organized and efficient.

Lastly, maintain a screamingly hot pan throughout the entire cooking process. You might have to wait a minute in between cooking the various ingredients so that the pan comes back up to temperature before continuing. That’s okay.

And there you have it. Economical, delicious, and a great way to avoid driving to the store!

If I don’t have shrimp on hand, I also love to make this with diced ham steak. Actually, my kids prefer it with ham over the shrimp! If you choose to use ham, skip the cornstarch/salt step.

SHRIMP FRIED RICE

Serves: 5 Hungry Damrons, plus a little leftover for lunch the next day.

Source: ??

• 8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into small pieces
• ½ t. cornstarch
• ¼ t. salt

• Neutral cooking oil

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 can diced water chestnuts, drained

• 3 eggs, beaten with a splash of dry sherry (about a teaspoon)

• 4 c. cold cooked rice

• 1 c. frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• Fresh bean sprouts, big handful (optional)
• 1 T. soy sauce (or more to taste)

Toss the shrimp with the cornstarch and salt and set aside for 10 minutes.

Place a wok or a very large sauté pan over high heat. The wok will be ready when a drop of water sizzles and evaporates almost immediately upon contact with the pan. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the wok and swirl around to coat. Add the shrimp in one layer. Allow them to cook undisturbed for a minute or so. Flip them over (I like to use a pair of tongs) and allow them to cook undisturbed for another minute or so on the second side. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Pour an additional tablespoon of oil into the wok and swirl to coat. Pour in the beaten eggs, and scramble them very quickly until nearly done. Slide eggs out onto the plate with the shrimp. Cut the eggs into small pieces.

Pour another tablespoon of oil into the wok, and swirl to coat. Add the onion, scallions, and water chestnuts. Stir fry for three to four minutes, or until onion is softened. Remove vegetables to the plate with the eggs and the shrimp.

Add one more tablespoon of oil to the wok and swirl to coat (hey, I never said this was a low fat recipe). Add the rice to the wok. Spread it out so that as much rice as possible is touching the surface of the pan. Cook the rice undisturbed for two minutes or so (it should definitely be sizzling). Using a wooden paddle or spatula, flip the rice over and continue to cook on the other side for another minute or so. Add to the pan the shrimp, eggs, onions, peas and carrots, bean sprouts, and soy sauce. Toss everything together; cook for a few minutes so that everything is warmed through. Scoop in to bowls and serve, passing additional soy sauce at the table.

We’ve been eating a lot more fish at our house since I started writing this blog.  It’s been good for our family, too.  Not only does fish feel much lighter than meat, it’s given me a great chance to experiment with different preparations, and my kids have decided that salmon (“yay, pink fish!”) is all right — except for No Thank-You Boy, of course … but if you’ve been following along, you know that we’ve determined there’s not much in the way of food that he enjoys these days.  Teenagers.  Let’s not talk about him please.

Let’s talk about dinner!  This meal comes together in a skinny minute; there’s minimal prep work followed by a short cook time.  The sauce of red onion, lemon juice, and capers is light and bright at the same time.  If you’re not crazy about those flavors, you could easily pass on the sauce.  Truth be told (and keepin’ it real), my husband wasn’t nuts about the sauce.  I liked it though, and thought it was a nice compliment to the fish.

You could also punt and whip up a box of rice pilaf if you weren’t feelin’ it for the risotto, but as far as risotto goes, this one is a cinch, and a perfect recipe to get the hang of the technique if you’ve never made risotto before.  Give it a try!

Enjoy your Monday, everyone!

ROASTED SALMON & ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Serves:  4

Source:  epicurious.com

• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. minced red onion
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. capers, chopped
• pinch dried thyme
• ½ t. grated lemon zest

• 1 ½ lb. skinless salmon fillet (on sale)
• 1 lb. asparagus (also on sale)
• 1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.  Whisk first six ingredients in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Cut three ½” deep slits crosswise in top of salmon (as if dividing into 4 equal pieces but don’t cut all the way through).  Arrange asparagus in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and turn to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place salmon atop asparagus; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 20 minutes.

Transfer asparagus and salmon to platter.  Spoon sauce over salmon.  Cut into 4 pieces along slits and serve.

RISOTTO WITH PARMESAN

Serves: 6 as a side dish

Source:  epicurious.com

• 5 c. chicken broth
• 4 T. butter (I cut this to 2 T. with no trouble)
• 1 ½ c. finely chopped onion
• 1 ½ c. Arborio rice
• 1 c. grated Parmesan (if you opt for the green can, I’m afraid we can’t be friends anymore.)
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• Shaved Parmesan cheese (on sale)

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Add onion, sauté until very tender but not brown, about 15 minutes.  Increase heat to medium.  Add rice and stir 1 minute.  Add 1 ½ cups of broth.  Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently.  Add another cup of broth; stir until broth is absorbed.  Add remaining 2 ½ cups of broth, ½ cup at a time, patiently allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes.  Patience, people.  Stir in 1 cup of grated cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with parsley and shaved Parmesan.