Links!

I've been cooking a lot lately, some weeks trying out multiple new recipes. To remind myself, I'm just going to start listing them here...

To start a few things:

Grilled Lamb and Fig Skewers with Mint-Pepper Glaze- outrageous!

Fresh Corn Pancakes- best breakfast for dinner with bacon of course!

Chilled Zucchini Soup with Lemon-Cumin Shrimp and Cilantro Cream- this is just lovely, be sure to add a little shrimp marinade into the soup as well.

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Lemon Glaze and Crushed-Blueberry Sauce- blueberry sauce is quite nice, and the cornmeal gives the cake such a lovely texture. A delicious breakfast!

Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Icing- I didn't make the icing, but I loved the denseness of these cupcakes, they traveled well on our fishing/ camping trip and I frosted them with the lemon cream from the cookies below.

Ginger-Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream- yum. A spice sandwich cookie with lemon cream cheese icing inside. What's not to love? These also traveled well, and softened up nicely.

Brined Grilled Chicken Breasts with Red Chile Oil- simple and lovely

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Black Beans and Chili Dressing- amazing, so much more than it's parts. I served for a weeknight dinner party and it was such a hit. Next night I warmed it and had it on a taco salad.

Seasons Change

So my last post was in the spring, and now, here we are, in fall. I love fall- the colors, the smells, the new way the sun passes through the sky. There is something so distinctive about the color of the sky in the evenings that make it feel like fall. The crispness and clearness of the air is dreamy. It makes me want soup, all day every day.

Yesterday's soup was salmon chowder. I am very fussy about chowder. I like creamy but not too creamy, thick but not floury, briny with good sized chunks of vegetables. Well, I found the perfect salmon chowder for me.

Adapted from Gourmet 2004, original recipe here.

Salmon Chowder with Dill

• 3 turkey bacon slices chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup clam broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 pound skinless salmon fillet, trimmed of dark flesh, then cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 
  
• Cook bacon with a bit of olive oil in a saucepan until crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from saucepan, then add onion, celery, potatoes, cayenne, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water and clam juice and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add milk and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. Stir in salmon and dill and simmer gently until salmon is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt as needed. Serve sprinkled with bacon.

I adapted the recipe a bit- used turkey bacon, less salmon, only half the milk and substituted in clam broth, which made it nice and briny. Oh, and I skipped butter at the end, it just didn't seem necessary to me. In the end this was light but thick and hearty and delicious. The perfect way to enjoy the new tilt to the sky and crispness in the air.