Salvaged Salmon

1. Leave salmon too long in the fridge.
2. Place in freezer and leave until freezer burn starts to set in.
3. Thaw at your own risk.
4. Rinse well.
5. Liberally apply salt and lemon pepper.
6. Marinate a couple of days.
7. When broiling, top with heaps of brown sugar.
8. Serve, pretend nothing is wrong.

Broiled Salmon
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Lightly oil broiling pan. Place salmon pan and discard marinade. Top with brown sugar. Broil salmon about 6 inches away from heat for 10 to 15 minutes until sugar is melted and starting to bubble and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Do not overcook. You can always put it back in the broiler if it isn't done.

Used Food Containers

These are great for starting seeds. Make sure they are completely clean and punch enough holes in the bottom for good drainage. The lid makes a perfect bottom dish. Egg cartons work well, too. Punch holes in each cup. Cut off the lid and use it for the bottom dish. Alternatively, seeds can be sprouted in egg shells. Break off just the tops, rinse out well and poke a hole in the bottom. Place in egg carton for drainage. The shell must be removed for planting. Even used food cans can be a pot. Using a nail, hammer holes in the bottom. Place a dish of some kind under it to catch the water that drains. Consider using milk and cream cartons. Just about any food container will work.

Little Baby Tomato Plants

Happy St. Patrick's Day

And I Quote

I think this stuff tastes funny.

You think so?

I do. It tastes like plastic and bad oil. It doesn't taste like raspberry hazelnut dressing that's for sure.

Easy Marinated Chicken
Adapted from Wish-Bone
Serves 6

3/4 cup any vinaigrette style dressing 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lbs.)

1. Pour 1/2 cup dressing over chicken in large, shallow non-aluminum baking dish or plastic bag. Cover, or close bag, and marinate in refrigerator, turning occasionally, 30 minutes to 3 hours.
2. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill or broil chicken, turning once and brushing frequently with remaining 1/4 cup Dressing, 12 to 18 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

*Variations: 2-1/2 to 3 lbs. chicken pieces OR 2-1/2 lbs. pork chops (about 1-in. thick).

Approximate Nutrition Information per serving
Calories 220, Calories From Fat 90, Saturated Fat 2g, Total Fat 10g, Cholesterol 75mg, Sodium 530mg, Total Carbohydrates 3g, Sugars 2g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Protein 27g

Christmas Gingerbread Men

I found a tin of gingerbread men from last Christmas. I pulverized them and topped them with dark chocolate. Then I ate them. They didn't stand a chance.

Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust
From Bon Appetit
Serves 10

Crust:

• 8 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies), coarsely broken
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling:

• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

For crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Finely grind gingersnap cookies in processor (yielding 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups). Add melted butter and salt; process until moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.

For filling:
Combine finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and heavy whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, ground black pepper, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Very gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended. Pour chocolate filling into crust.

Bake chocolate tart until filling puffs slightly at edges and center is softly set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack. Sprinkle chopped crystallized ginger over top. Cool tart in pan 20 minutes. Gently remove tart pan sides and cool tart completely. DO AHEAD: Chocolate tart can be made 1 day ahead. Cover tart and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cut tart into thin wedges and serve. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Crummy Tortilla Chips

Don't throw out those crumbs from the bottom of the tortilla chip bag. Make something yummy. Of course we excel at crummy around here. The 14-month old sees to it that the chip bag gets flung around enough to make a boatload of crumbs. Thanks to J for the idea and saving the bag of chips. Would it be cheesy to say yummy crummy?

Nacho Bowl

Tortilla chips, broken up
Shredded cheese
Fresh salsa
Guacamole
Sour cream

Place broken chips in a bowl. Top with cheese and microwave until cheese is melted. Top with desired remaining ingredients. Eat with a spoon.