Tag Archives: recipes

Salmon with a Mustard Glaze

Posted on June 5, 2024 | Leave a comment

Here is another delicious Salmon recipe and so super easy. This is a light easy to make dinner perfect Spring Time Meal.  I made this for dinner last night and it was ready in no time and tasted truly delicious.It is light and easy, it doesn’t get much easier than this. The whole recipe took less than 1/2 hour to prep and cook! Depending on how thick your salmon is it could take no more than 10 minutes to fully cook right in the oven. Very few ingredients and a perfect dinner casual enough for just you and your family and can be bumped up to serve to guests. This is a winner.  Almost any side dish will do alongside this.

Roasted Brussels on another night were also perfect.

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Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 heaping Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (app. 1 average size lemon)

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper ( about 1/4 tsp. of each)

4 pieces Salmon fillets ( app. 6 oz. each) with skin on

*sprinkle a little fresh thyme if you’d like!!!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray to facilitate removal of fish not to mention clean-up.

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. I used a mini whisk and it came together beautifully.

Place Salmon, skin side down in a baking dish , and spoon mustard glaze over each piece of fish. Bake until salmon is just cooked through and no longer red, 6 – 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet. I added a sprinkle of some fresh thyme right before I cooked and it added some more delicious flavor, this is totally optional.

*also now that I am an air fryer convert I would use that for this recipe as well. Probably 7-8 minutes as well –check on it after 7 depending on your air fryer and depending on thickness of salmon.

Voila! done and enjoy. I served this time with a delicious lentil side dish.

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Shrimp with Tomatoes and Corn

Posted on May 31, 2024 | Leave a comment

I saw this recipe on the New York Times cooking site by Ali Slagle. One of my most favorite cooking sites. I made a few changes to recipe and would highly recommend checking out this recipe. Sometimes I serve with rice but this recipe stands on its own as a meal. You can use pasta or bread as well. If you love shrimp and corn and tomatoes this one’s for you.

Perfect in the summer months with all that sweet fresh corn out there. Grab some fresh corn and use it in this wonderful dish.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined — I used under 12 ( meaning 12 to a pound) Mexican White Shrimp– this is the shrimp I prefer but use what you can get and like

Kosher Salt and Pepper 

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes — there are so many variations out there now– I used these tiny little grape tomatoes but would use different colors as well ( heirloom grape / cherry tomatoes)

2 cups fresh or frozen corn– app. 4 ears fresh corn

5 garlic cloves–minced

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes — we like the heat use at your own discretion– this was not spicy

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

*extra lemon wedges and cut up fresh basil for serving–totally optional

Directions:

Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and lightly golden in spots, app. 1 – 2 minutes on each side. Remove with slotted spoon to a plate and set aside. You will finish cooking through at the end and you don’t want shrimp to over-cook.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, you can season with a little salt and pepper if you’d like and cook stirring a few times just till the tomatoes to start to blister, 3-4 minutes. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring a few times to incorporate. Tomatoes will start to burst and the corn is golden , another 3- 4 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook stirring another few minutes. 

Reduce heat to medium and add the wine and lemon juice, stirring any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until nearly evaporated, then add the butter and stir until melted . Add back the shrimp and stir until warmed through and shrimp is fully cooked , another 2 minutes or so. Stove was on medium-low.

Taste for Salt and Pepper . Add some fresh Basil if you’d like and you can serve with some extra lemon wedges .

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Air Fryer Salmon in 15 Minutes

Posted on May 29, 2024 | Leave a comment

Last night I made this salmon and I have to say it was so delicious — served it up with a side salad and Trader Joe’s vegetable fried rice — easy peasy and delicious — all you need is an air fryer and some very basic spices. Perfect and quick and delicious! This is a very loose recipe so use as much or as little of the spices as you like. You can use whatever spices you like as well– the paprika gives it a nice color though.

Not much more to say so here’s what I did.

Ingredients:

I used 3 Salmon Fillets because I like to have a piece left over for the next day so as many filets as you like

Dijon Mustard or you prefer a different mustard use what you like I love Dijon and I slather it on

Paprika

Garlic Powder

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper — I prefer freshly ground but use what you have

Olive Oil Spray

Directions:

Pat salmon filets dry – this is important so that toppings stick to the salmon

I place salmon on a small cookie sheet and slather the salmon tops with dijon mustard use a flat knife or brush — see photo

I then sprinkle each of the spices over the salmon — eyeball it and don’t go too crazy with any one spice but be generous with garlic powder and paprika. Easy on the kosher salt just sprinkle and a few grinds of the black pepper. I then finish with a quick spray of olive oil on top to keep the salmon moist .

I like to pre-heat my air fryer so I set it to 400 and pre-heated for 5 minutes ( optional)

I can only get two filets into my air fryer at a time — I cooked the first two skin side down at 400 for 8-10 minutes depending on how you like your salmon, 9 minutes should be perfect but every air fryer is a little different. Then repeat with the rest of the salmon. Salmon doesn’t have to be served piping hot so you can wait another 9 minutes to serve. The salmon skin gets crispy when you pre-heat the air fryer which I find perfect. Pre-heating is really optional and you can remove the skin after cooking if you prefer — I don’t. The salmon gets a beautiful crust and the mustard gives it delicious flavor.

*obviously the size and thickness of your salmon will impact cooking time so always best to undercook the salmon and add time rather than over cook the salmon.

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My Version of the famous La Scala Salad

Posted on May 21, 2024 | Leave a comment

La Scala is a restaurant in Beverly Hills, Ca. that is famous for their chopped salad. The ingredients are yummy and so so easy to make. It’s like eating an Italian Hero in salad form and what’s wrong with that?

It is full of delicious ingredients — lettuce, garbanzo beans/chick peas , cheese and salami and the vinaigrette is savory and perfect. It’s an old school recipe from the 50’s that still holds up by today’s standards. The best part of this salad is you can substitute and add whatever you like I always add tomatoes, if you don’t like salami or pepperoni use turkey or chicken, cucumbers would be good, pickles or artichokes instead of garbanzo beans, some banana peppers or olives and of course romaine instead of iceberg or combine the two. I love a good chopped salad and love iceberg as the base just be sure and chop up good so there are pieces in every bite. I like the salad as is but feel free to experiment. It’s basic and very simple and rumor has it that it’s Kim Kardashian’s fav salad but honestly this salad has been around for around 60 years.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Salad:

this is what I used

1 head iceberg lettuce finely chopped

1/4 lb. Italian salami , thinly sliced — julienned or just chop it

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can chick peas/garbanzo beans ,rinsed and well drained

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil – EVVO extra virgin olive oil always

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ( around 1/4 tsp.) a few good grinds of the pepper mill

1/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano

Directions:

I used a glass measuring cup to make salad dressing because I wasn’t dressing whole salad for the two of us. I have 1/2 the salad left over for tomorrow and was storing dressing and salad . If salad is dressed it will wilt and I don’t like it like that. So I dressed our salad separately . This salad will serve 4 nicely.

Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard , salt and pepper with a small whisk if you have one . Add in the cheese and continue to whisk. If no whisk a fork will do.

Dressing will last a few days in fridge and I will eat the salad again for lunch tomorrow so that’s just perfect!

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Cauliflower, Orzo and Feta Salad

Posted on May 10, 2024 | Leave a comment

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Completed Salad

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Before I added the spinach

This is one of my most favorite salads of all time. The flavors meld together beautifully to make a most delicious salad. I highly recommend this salad if you’re just looking for something new to make for brunch, lunch or even dinner! Perfect for dinner, brunch or lunch anytime of the year.

I made cauliflower and orzo in the morning and put together ingredients as they cooled down. The cooling off of orzo and cauliflower was the only time-consuming event in making this recipe. You can refrigerate salad once cooled down, but I would bring it to room temperature prior to serving.

If you want to add a protein like chicken this would make a most perfect dinner salad. Or just eat it veggie style! Nothing bad here!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower and Orzo Prep

1 head cauliflower broken into small florets, any color cauliflower will do and purple would be beautiful if you can find it

4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 minced cloves of fresh garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup orzo pasta

Dressing and the rest of the salad

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2/3 cup dried cherries

4 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl toss the cauliflower with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the fresh garlic, the salt and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until softened and the edges of cauliflower start to brown up. ( not burned) I did it for 25 minutes. Set cauliflower aside and let it completely cool down.

Cook orzo according to box directions, I cooked for a minute less so it would be more al dente ( just a bit undercooked ) Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, drain well and while draining toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil right in the colander.

In a big bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.

I allowed about an hour for complete cool down of cauliflower and orzo and added to bowl with dressing along with onion , feta, and cherries . Toss well until completely coated with dressing. Throw in the spinach and toss again till spinach is incorporated. Taste for Salt and Pepper and adjust seasonings to your liking. I added a sprinkle of black  pepper but no more salt.

Enjoy — this was totally delicious.

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Springtime in a Bowl – Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Pastaa

Posted on May 7, 2024 | Leave a comment

Since it’s truly Springtime here in NY I think about lightening up the menu. Asparagus is so very beautiful this time of year and shrimp is always my go-to. This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl!  There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me  and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish and if you leave the pasta out you have a super light dish!   I also used linguine in this recipe because it just seems to hold on to the flavors nicely. Happy Spring and Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. box linguine ( I used Fini Linguine , it was lighter than regular linguine and was just perfect) but any spaghetti will work here.

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 pint size containers of little grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato ( app. 16-20 oz. of tomatoes)  I cut tomatoes in 1/2.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

* crushed red pepper ( we like the heat) use your own discretion depending on how you like it, totally optional

3 large cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use whatever I have open)

1 lb. Asparagus , trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into app. 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

fresh basil chopped ( app. 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to box directions.( Fini Linguine cooks in 6 minutes perfectly) scoop out a little pasta water after cooking about 1/2 cup to 1 cup and keep it handy if pasta is too dry, you can add water to it a little bit at a time.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, app.  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft , it takes at least 5 minutes . You want the tomatoes to start to burst so they make a delicious sauce.  Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook for another few minutes ( don’t burn the garlic)keep on low heat and stir around. Add the wine and the asparagus. Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes . Taste for Salt and Pepper, if it needs more this is when I would add it, and I did. I added a bit more salt here, pepper was fine. You need to use your own discretion about the salt .

Sprinkle shrimp in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shrimp needs to be firm to the touch, and opaque if cut into. Stir in the chopped basil and the oregano.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well to combine.  You can always add more crushed red pepper when finished.

This was really delicious and light. Joel of course picked out every piece of asparagus, and put them in my bowl. That was fine with me because I love asparagus.

*this dish will easily serve 4, if you like you can always add another 1/2 lb. of shrimp for 4 people.

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Chicken Meatballs

Posted on May 3, 2024 | Leave a comment

I made these delicious meatballs last Sunday night and they are from my Italian Wedding Soup recipe. I served with my Sunday Night Sauce ( Marinara) and Spaghetti. These are delicious, moist meatballs that I bake in the oven. I don’t fry these . I highly recommend these for pasta and of course in soup!

Perfect Meatballs and Spaghetti but made with Chicken and Sausage . If you can find Chicken Sausage use it and if you can find ground chicken made with dark meat I would recommend using that. I couldn’t find dark meat ground chicken so used what I could find and I used Hot Spicy Pork Sausage because I couldn’t find Chicken Sausage here in Colorado.

This is how I make my Chicken Meatballs. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground chicken — I prefer ground chicken to ground turkey but you can use it as well. Again if you can get ground dark meat chicken use that.

1/2 lb. Chicken Sausage, or Pork Sausage and you can use Sweet or Hot

3 slices Bread for Bread Crumbs — using the food processor I remove crusts and using steel blade make crumbs — app. 1 cup you can use whole wheat bread or white bread — whatever you have in the house — of course you can use regular Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs but I find the bread crumbs that you buy are a little dryer than the fresh bread crumbs. I also would substitute Panko bread crumbs which work out well.

2 -3 Garlic Cloves – minced app. 2 teaspoons

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

3 Tablespoons Milk — I have 2% and it’s fine so whatever you have in the house

1 Egg – lightly beaten

1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( coarse black pepper)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

I use Silicone liners for baking sheet but if you don’t own these absolutely fantastic Silpat liners use parchment paper or just use cooking spray, or parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Place all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl and mix till just mixed with a fork or your “clean” hands. I use a teaspoon as a guide and made 1- 11/2″ balls. Don’t over mix and when you make the balls don’t pack super tight. Just loosely roll balls with wet hands. Place onto cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside and add to your Sunday Night Sauce or whatever sauce you’re making and place in sauce before you’re ready to eat and heat through.

That’s it! Enjoy!

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Easy Israeli Salad

Posted on April 30, 2024 | Leave a comment

This salad is so delicious and fresh and works so well with grilled chicken, fish or really any protein.

I just love it for lunch or dinner and it’s so easy that anyone can do it. Add in feta cheese, olives, or canned chick peas to add to this wonderful deliciousness.

Whatever and whenever you decide to serve this it will be most wonderful.

Just a word about making ahead… I chopped and diced all the vegetables and put in a bowl and put in the fridge. I juiced my lemon and had it set aside. Right before serving I added olive oil and lemon juice stirred it up well and tasted for salt and pepper.

If you add oil and lemon juice too soon it will be very soggy and I don’t like it that way at all. So just have it all ready to serve and add dressing right before.

Ingredients;

this is what I used feel free to substitute or add in whatever you’d like. ( Canned Chick Peas are also delicious in this) Olives, Scallions, Feta Cheese, whatever you feel like.

1 Large Seedless Cucumber or remove the seeds from a seeded one or just keep the seeds if you don’t care

1 box grape tomatoes halved

1 yellow pepper, diced or an orange one. I used orange and yellow about 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 cup diced red onion

2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley , chopped

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil– I used 3 but you can start with 2 add the salt and pepper and add for more flavor after

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together all the vegetables. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and chopped parsley and mix thoroughly to coat.

Season with Salt and Pepper to your liking. Serve cold or at room temperature. I like it cold but it’s delicious either way.

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Green Goddess Salad

Posted on April 27, 2024 | Leave a comment

I first came upon this recipe from Melissa Benishay on Instagram . It is simple , delicious and nutritious. I make it my way which means I pretty much follow her recipe but add chicken, chopped bacon (sometimes), feta, scallions and cucumbers. I also will add chopped up jalapeños for a spicy kick and avocado would be perfect as well. You can make this completely vegan of course but I just like to zuzh it up a bit. Add whatever you like and make it your way. Enjoy!

The ingredients are interesting and you may need to buy a few of these items. For the dressing

Lemons — which give it the fresh taste and the acid it requires

Olive Oil– for the good Fat

Rice Vinegar– a bit of sweet flavor and tang

Shallot– for the sweeter onion flavor

Garlic– because it’s garlic– need I say more

Basil–for that pesto like consistency and flavor

Spinach– for extra nutrients and a lot of green color and don’t tell my hub

Nutritional Yeast– I know I know why???? Because it adds cheesy like consistency and B12 vitamins –it’s kind of like powdered cheese and full of flavor but vegan and has now become a shelf staple in my house for vegan cheese sauces, vegan dips, soups, scrambles, stews and you get the drill.It’s super nutritious and full of protein, B Vitamins, and anti-oxidents.

Walnuts– a nutty base

Salt– to pull it all together and highlight all the layers of flavors and way to bland with no salt

*you’ll need a blender for this one

You can make the dressing ahead like I do in the morning or the day before and it will keep in the fridge for 2-3 maybe 4 days.

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

2 largish cloves of garlic

1 smallish shallot

1/3 cup chives

1/4 cup walnuts, cashews, or nut of your choice — I always have chopped walnuts so that’s my nut of choice

1 cup fresh torn Basil Leaves

1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast– I got mine at Trader Joes but you can get this in almost any supermarket

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

For the Salad:

I like 1 head ofIceberg Lettuce chopped up and finely diced or you can use a head of green cabbage

3-4 mini cucumbers finely diced–optional see above paragraph on ingredients

1/4 cup chives, finely diced — also optional I used green onions/scallions tonight — use what you have even red onion diced is fine

1 bundle green onions / scallions

Directions:

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl once they’re chopped up

Add all liquid dressing ingredients to a blender give it a whirl, and then add dry dressing ingredients and blend until smooth.

Yummmmmmmm and Thank You to Melissa Benishay or Baked by Melissa as most of you know

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Judy’s Apple Matzoh Kugel for Passover

Posted on April 16, 2024 | Leave a comment

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If you ask me, kugels are the best part of Passover. Put together in a casserole dish these sweet and savory dishes are my absolute favorite dish on the Seder table.  It was always about the kugel with me from the time I was a kid. This is an awesome recipe from a family friend which came to me via Karyn, so thanks Judy and thanks again Karyn. I used to make this recipe all the time and over the years I replaced it with something else and completely forgot about till another friend asked me for the recipe. Karyn came to the rescue. This is a delicious sweet addition to the table and if I remember correctly everyone loved it. It is easy and not too many ingredients and hardly any steps at all. Enjoy!

Plan ahead:

Kugels can be made a day or two ahead. On the day of the serving, allow the dish to come to room temperature. Then heat it, covered in a preheated 350 degree oven until warm, 30 – 40 minutes. My experience has always been that the kugels hold together better when they are pre-made.

Ingredients:

12 sheets matzoh

9 eggs beaten, use eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 large apples, peeled and sliced (any kind will do)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 Tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 cups white raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Break matzoh into colander and run warm water over it, just to soften, then drain and put in a large bowl. Add beaten eggs, add salt , sugar , apples, oil, cinnamon and raisins and pour into a pre-greased ( or cooking sprayed) baking dish . Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. Enjoy!

*first time baking it keep it uncovered, when you re-heat you will cover it so it doesn’t dry out.

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