Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Icing

This recipe came by way of a recommendation from a Facebook friend.  The original recipe is from none other than Ina Garten a.k.a., The Barefoot Contessa of the Food Network.   Very yummy, quick and easy to make.  The rum-soaked raisins really make this cupcake!  Click on the link below to get the recipe.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Icing

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Icing (-1 that Jim ate)

Breakfast Enchiladas with Tomatillo Lime Sauce

Making these takes a bit of preparation but is well worth it for a Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.  I was pleasantly surprised, but those of you who do not really care for cilantro may not enjoy this dish as the herb is ever present in every bite.

Breakfast Enchiladas with Tomatillo Lime Sauce

Breakfast meat (choose): sausage, chorizo, or ham, I used bacon
6 eggs
2 cups green chile sauce (in AK try and find canned Herdez)
1 jalapeno, diced
12 corn tortillas, softened in oil
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese grated
1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled on top of final bake

Tomatillo Lime Sauce (Can make ahead to save time):

1 lb. tomatillos

Lime juice (1 lime)

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup chicken stock

Peel and 1/2 the tomatillos.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and broil in the oven until the skins begin to brown/blacken.  Allow to cool.  Place in a food processor and process all sauce ingredients until blended.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Soften the corn tortillas in oil and drain on paper towels.  Cook breakfast meat and drain.  Whip eggs, jalapeno and green chile sauce together, cook in non-stick skillet until scrambled and add meat.


Place egg mixture on corn tortillas with Monterey Jack cheese and roll up enchilada style.  Place in the bottom of an oiled casserole dish and layer as you would regular enchiladas.  Top with the tomatillo lime sauce and more Monterey Jack cheese.  Place in oven for about 10-15 minutes (just until cheese is melted).  


Crumble cojita cheese and serve with refried beans, hashbrowns or both.

Bird Bread (Oatmeal Sunflower Millet Bread)

I am calling this "Bird Bread" because the seeds are all seeds found in bird seed.  I love the millet.  It provides a really unique, nutty flavor and a little crunch.  I changed the original recipe up slightly from the original because I thought the heavy whole wheat flour would be too dense..  It came out light, yummy and just like I had hoped.  It not like Carol's bread that is still more spectacular than this, but is worth making again and again and was simple!  This recipe is a keeper and I can see switching out the seeds if you want.

Step 1

2 1/4 c. warm water
vegetable oil (little more than 3/4 c.
1/2 c. honey
2 1/2 TBSP yeast

Step 2

3 1/4 c. whole wheat flour


1 c. spelt flour
2 c. whole wheat bread flour
1 TBSP salt
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. millet
1/4 c. sunflower seds

Combine water, oil, honey.  Stir in yeast and let rise to surface.  Add 3 1/4 c. whole wheat flour and mix.  Let this rest for 20 minutes (1st picture).  Mix together salt, oats, millet and seeds.  Stir this into the batter.  Add remaining flour and knead for 10 minutes.  Dough will be slightly sticky but not sticking on your fingers.  (Step 2) Return dough to an oiled bowl, turn dough over to coat all sides with oil.  Cover and let rise until double.  Cut dough in 1/2 and shape into 2 loaves.  Placed in greased pans and allow to rise to double again.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.  Allow to sit in pans for about 5 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.

Steak with Nopalitos

I want to give credit to the source that created this great recipe, but it is no longer available.  MnJs Blogspot........
My friends who like it a little hot....you will love this and it is also moose-friendly.

2 lbs. steak cut into 2" cubes
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 or 2 jalapeno chilies, seeded and diced.
1 15 oz can nopalitos (cactus pieces), rinsed and drained)
1 small can of green salsa
1/2 cup cilantro
1 C beeef stock
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and saute beef until brown, remove to a dish.  Saute onion, garlic and jalapeno for 5-10 minutes.  Add cactus, salsa, beef stock and cilantro.  Add enough broth to cover beef.  Lower heat to simmer and cook for 2 1/2 hours or until beef is very tender.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

You NEED this recipe after consuming your Thanksgiving turkey. I have used it for over 15 years and never fail to appreciate it and neither will you.....It only asks for 2 cups of your left over chopped turkey..that is NOTHING compared to the big bird you decided to cook.

This recipe is soooooooo old I don 't remember where I got it. You will never cook a bird again without reserving turkey for this soup......GUARANTEED!

1 tsp. Olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
6 cups of chicken broth or bouillon
2 cups of diced cooked turkey

1 tub of frozen green chili....for my Alaska friends....4 cans, diced
1 can (16 oz) tomatoes
1 10 oz. pkg.frozen corn
1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

Tortilla chips (like Tostitos) to top

In a 5 qt. saucepan, over medium heat, saute onion in oil 3-4 min. or until soft. Stir in chile, cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, stir in turkey and broth. Add corn and reduce heat to simmer about 5 minutes. Add cilantro. To serve, spoon 1 1/3 cups soup to a bowl, top with tortilla chips and grated cheese.

Turkey Enchiladas

Hate to get on the soap box....but I am going to now. Would real Alaskans be satisfied with eating pinks? I think not!!! Do you know that many in the lower 48 don't know the difference? The same is true for chile (red or green, hot or mild it makes no difference). This is a plug for you to advocate for real chile be sent to Fairbanks. If we can acquire Thai ingredients, we should be able to get great Southwestern ingredients as well.

Turkey Enchiladas

As with any great recipe, start with the best ingredients you can get. Unfortunately in Alaska we are limited. I bring home the frozen Bueno and keep it like gold. Next best substitute is to make your own red chile sauce from dried powdered. Your last, and most undesirable option is buying the canned. Please do email Bueno Foods and request REAL chile products be sent to Safeway and Fred Meyer!

Make Red Chile Enchilada sauce:
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 TBSP flour
1 3/4 cup water
14 oz. red chile puree
1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. salt

Brown garlic and flour in oil under medium heat.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Let this come to a boil, cover and simmer on low 30 minutes.

Enchiladas:
24 corn tortillas

5 cups Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup finely diced onions
3 cups finely diced cooked turkey

Place a layer of red chile sauce in bottom of deep dish baking pan. Dip corn tortillas in hot oil until soft and drain on paper towels. Place scant amount of turkey, cheese and onion on tortilla and roll up. Place on top of chile sauce continue this process forming a casserole type dish. Top with red chile sauce and cheese. Bake at 370 for 40 minutes. Uncover for the last 10 minutes of baking time. Serve with Spanish rice and/or sour cream. A good Mexican beer like Dos Equis or Pacifico doesn't hurt!

Cajun Style Pork n Beans and Cajun Spice Mix

Cajun Style Pork n Beans and Cajun Spice Mix

5 med. cans Van Camps Pork and Beans
2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce
2 onions, diced
1 package hot link sausage, diced
1/4 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce (or use your own favorite)

Add remaining seasonings to taste:
Worcestershire sauce
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Cajun seasoning (I make my own, see below)
Liquid smoke
Mustard (I use Moosetard if you can get it, if not try a spicy brown or Dijon)
Brown sugar

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot and allow to simmer all day.

*HINT: I buy crock pot liners. It makes clean up so easy! Just throw away the bag, no more soaking and scrubbing.

Cajun Style Spice Mix
from Cooking Light Magazine

This rub is Excellent on any type of fish (especially catfish and Ahi tuna steaks) squirted with a bit of lime juice and grilled.

3 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP ground red pepper
2 TBSP dried thyme
2 TBSP dried oregano
2 TBSP onion powder
2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP sugar

Combine all ingredients and store in a dry container. I use a mason jar.

Rice Bread - Stepped up with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzerella

What to do with the left over rice? I love rice and remembered a fabulous bread I made with left over rice in the bread machine years ago. At the same time, I reminisced about the sun-dried tomato-mozzarella bread I used to buy at the General Store in Cloudcroft, NM. Why not marry the two?

This bread has a crunchy outer crust and a yummy gooey inside.

I do this in my bread machine on the manual cycle...you can do the same by hand.'

2 1/2 tsp yeast
3 Cups Bread Flour
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 TBSP butter or margarine
1 cup warm water
1 cup cooked rice

Mix well and knead. Let sit until double in size. While bread is rising, soak sun-dried tomatoes in warm water, drain and chop fine. Roll out half the bread crust on a floured board. Top with sun-dried tomatoes and grated mozzarella chees and a dash of oregano or basil. Roll up in JellyRoll fashion, let it sit and be happy for 30 minutes, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes....take out and gorge yourself....great with a marinara dipping sauce...or alone!

Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden broun.

Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Strata at it's BEST!!!

So even though I have had this recipe since 1979, and do not make it very often. Why you ask I post this on my forum? Simply put, it is a sin to eat this. I acquired the original recipe from my friend Linda Garlington eons ago but have modified it to meet my own tastes and it no longer resembles the original recipe. There is too much butter, bread and cheese to be healthy. So, I classify it under the category of comfort food and only make it when I feel the need to be comforted. If you love mushrooms, cheese, casseroles and simple hot, mostly vegetarian dishes...this is for you.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter lightly melted on the stove
1 lb. of a mix of 3 types of mushrooms (this time I used Portabello, Crimini and White) but feel free to use any mixture, oyster works well too.
1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup of tri-colored bell peppers (I like the sweet pepper mix sold at Sams), diced
1 loaf of French bread
dash of ground pepper (I love pepper so I use a little more)
salt to taste
1 lb. cubed Swiss cheese (Dice into small cubes)
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1 large can Cream of Mushroom Soup

Mix and warm the chopped mushrooms (3 varieties of your choice) in melted butter. Add onions, peppers, salt and pepper. Heat to warm and bubbly.

Butter both sides of of bread, dice and toss into sprayed or oiled casserole dish. Top with mushroom mixture. Add 3 more slices of buttered and diced bread to the top of the mushrooms.

Add cubed Swiss cheese to the top of the bread. Mix eggs and milk and pour over the casserole dish. Add a dash of thyme over the dish. Butter and cube three more bread slices to the top of the cheese. Wrap the dish in plastic wrap and let sit for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

After 24 hours, Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and then add 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup and bake for 30 more minutes.

Enjoy this....and even better...bring me a taste.

Love,

Sherry

Roasted Vegetables

Thanks to my beautiful sister-in-law Linda....This recipe is fabulous and I have made it too many times to count. It is always a hit at potlucks and makes great left-over veggie fajitas. She gave this to me from the Sugar Less for Life Cookbook, ISBN: 0-9663519-1-6 and page 269. Tonight I am making it with a Apple Stuffing Cornish Game Hen.

1 lb. small button mushrooms (I combined white and crimini)
1 pint pearl onions
1 yellow, red and orange bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large eggplant cut into 1 1/2" size cubes
1 bunch asparagus, 1 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup olive oil
2 TBSP minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Toss veggies in butter/oil/garlic mix. Roast in oven tossing every 20 minutes. Use the leftovers in veggie fajitas.

Culture Day-Week at Midnight Sun Mama's Place

We are eclectic people! I love and celebrate diversity at every opportunity. Today I am making Pico de Gallo, a Four-Cheese Moose Baked Penne, and Guay Teaw Kag. No....they will not be consumed at the same time! :)

Lets talk about Pico de Gallo first. In color coordinating with countries we think about everything but I feel that Mexico sometimes gets the shaft? Yes, it is a poor country, but how rich it is in history and culture. Red/White and Green.....Pico de Gallo is a perfect representation of this fabulous and interesting part of the world that we do not explore as we should. Get to know it! I used to use The House of the Scorpion to teach this but was informed that this is a 9th grade reading book....sorry kiddos.

Pico de Gallo
1 small white onion
3 jalapenos (seeded and chopped very fine)
3 Roma tomatoes...(take out the pulp
1 TBSP lime juice
salt, pepper and cilantro to taste

I won't take credit for this recipe. The recipe comes from my mom....Billie Blair. All the colors in the flag of Mexico are represented here and hopefully with every bite one will realize that there are others out there who are different-yet the same. We are all male/female, mothers and daughters, sons and fathers, Uncles and Aunties, cousins and beyond....we ARE connected and we love our family.

We have learned to love Thai food. Maybe our Southwestern roots and the love of "heat" in our food allows us to appreciate curry. I think I've said it before, but if you like Thai get this book, Thai Cuisine: Lemon Grass Cookbook ISBN-13: 978-4-88996-094-5

I changed this recipe up in that I used chicken breasts instead of beef and I added beet greens instead of spinach (I just couldn't trash my beet greens!) and broccoli from my garden because I needed to use it.

Guay Teaw Kag (Curry Noodle)

1 lb. rice or wheat noodles (I used Japanese wheat noodles)
1 lb chicken cut into cubes (recipe calls for beef)
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 cup fish sauce (get the good stuff from the Asian Market)
3 T sugar
1 c water
2 TBSP curry powder (I made my own, but you can use store-bought)
1/2 cup bean sprouts, blanched
1/2 cup greens (I used beet greens, the recipe calls for spinach or cabbage)
1/2 cup Chinese broccoli (what is that? I used my own broccoli instead)
1/4 cup ground peanuts (I ran them through the bullet)
3 TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP sugar
1/4 c oil
1/4 cup minced onions
2 TBSP minced garlic

Garnish: Cilantro (fresh from my garden), green onions, and red bell peppers diced

Cut chicken into 1" cubes. Simmer in 1 can of coconut milk about 40 minutes. Add second can of coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, water, and curry. Cook 5 minutes. Bring a pot of water to boil and add noodles and all other ingredients. Remove to a serving dish and top with your chicken/coconut milk mixture. Garnish and serve. This is a pretty dish and presents itself well to your guests..the peanuts are a little overpowering so if you are not a big fan of peanuts, cut the amount down. I recommend serving this with a chilled Pinot grigio and nothing else.

Sherry's Sinful Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls and Throwing Out the Old

So in my quest to rid the freezer of old foods and cleanse the fridge of unnecessary items, I am throwing out almost everything. I come across the sourdough starter which has been sitting, patiently waiting for someone to pay attention and something to happen for 3 months (maybe 2...I did make sourdough waffles in May for the teachers at school). I speak of my starter as a living thing---AND IT IS! Sourdough starter is a living organism. It needs tending like all living things do. All it does is give off gas (in the form of alcohol) and wants to be fed and reproduce! Ha! Not unlike humans at all. I had full intentions of flushing it down the drain, but before doing so, I put out an all-call to my friends and hubby's workplace buds to "Save the Starter". No takers. My starter sat on the counter for two days before I decided to pitch it. When I opened the lid, it begged to be stirred and I saw the life still left in it. Over four years of taking care of this silly thing! Dad gum it! I took out an old cookbook and looked for something I could use with one last dance. Going on a trip....fishing....something new...different than the typical breakfast burritos...how about Cinnamon Rolls?

To make a long story short which I have already made long....the dough was wonderful. The starter was so eager to be fed that I had to keep adding flour until I got the right consistency and "it" was happy. The smell was to die for...this is going to be Heaven at 6:00 a.m. with a cup of North Pole coffee. Conclusion: I simply can't throw out the baby I have nourished for over 4 years. I'll share with people who ask for it, and there are a few, my fridge will just have to again make room. Anyone want some starter? It's old but it's tried and true and good.

Please know that I found it necessary to adapt the recipe for Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls from the original version of Alaskan Sourdough Cooking: Recipes From The Last Frontier ISBN 1-56944-201-0

Sherry's Sinful Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls:

1 TBSP dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP. sugar
1 TBSP. butter
3 1/2 cups + flour
1 TBSP. cinnamon
1 C. sugar
1/2 lb. butter- softened
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. walnuts
1/2 C. raisins

Topping:
1 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 TBSP. milk
3 drops vanilla extract

Combine yeast and warm water and allow to sit together for 5 minutes. Combine yeast, starter, milk, vanilla, 2 TBSP. sugar, salt and 1 TBSP. butter. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead 8 to 10 minutes. *My starter was so starved for attention it took the whole 10 minutes and a lot more flour than recommended Place in a greased bowl, coating all sides, cover and allow to sit for 2 hours or doubled.

Combine cinnamon, 1 C. sugar and 1 1/2 C. brown sugar. Next, grease two 8" baking pans.

After 2 hours of rise, punch down dough. Turn onto a floured surface and roll out dough to a 24x10" rectangle. Spread softened butter over the dough, leaving 1" strip along the long sides. Sprinkle the buttered dough with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and raisins. Beginning with the length side, roll up in jelly-roll fashion. Pinch the edges to seal. Cut roll into 24 slices. Place slices in a buttered baking pan with the sides touching. Cover the pan and allow to rise again for 1 1/2 hours or until double. Bake in preheated 375 F oven for 20 minutes or until brown. Cool for 5 minutes and then top with topping:

Combine ingredients for topping and whisk until smooth. Turn rolls out onto serving plate and drizzle with topping while warm. Serve with love and a hot cup of coffee.

Trick on the Traditional Pot Pie - It's all about MOOSE!

Some of my favorite childhood memories are about silly chicken or turkey pot pies mom let us have when we would have a babysitter come watch us. We thought tv dinners were takeout and a special opportunity to pick whatever we wanted and enjoy it as if we were ordering off a menu. I think the Banquet pot pies were about .25 cents in the late 60's or early 70's...But we thought it was a treat! No microwaves then folks...you had to put them in the oven and WAIT...20 minutes or so later...there was nothing better than hearing that crunch as your spoon plunged into that crispy crust. Maybe everyone has their special way of eating things, like Oreos, my personal favorite way to eat this pot pie was to eat the inside and save the crust for desert. 40 years later, it still is. :)

Many years later I learned that the special taste to those pot pies was in the celery flavor crust. Anyone can turn a leftover soup or stew into a wonderful pot pie with ready-made pie crust dough (no.....I cannot make a pie crust to save my soul so don't ask me for a recipe). The results are the same....a delicious, crispy crunchy crust full of flavor you want to save for the end.

Steps are simple:

1) Thaw out your dough and have a cutting board dusted with flour ready to roll out the crinkles.
2) Sprinkle a dash of celery seed onto your crust and gently roll the crust just a smidge bigger (maybe 1/4").
3) Spray your dish with a little non-stick seasoning, it will make your life easier in the end.
4) Place the crust on the bottom of the dish as evenly as possible and remember to leave about 1/2" overhang to nip-n-tuck....dang sounds like plastic surgery eh?
5) Assuming the soup/stew has already been heated, gravied with cornstarch and Kitchen Bouquet or a gravy mix to make it slightly thicker than soup or stew, only put on your bottom crust about 1/2" up the way of your dough so you have room to seal top and bottom crusts.
6) Shake some of the celery seed onto your crust and gently roll in. Place this top crust on top of your mixture.
7) Slide the edge of the top crust under the bottom crust and pinch just a little to seal.
8) Cut slits in the top crust to vent steam.
9) Bake at 400 for 50 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

* If you want to freeze to save for later....Bake completely and reheat in a 350 oven for 35 minutes (thawed). Do not store pastry crust that has been thawed and re-frozen again.

Home Canning and Leftovers

It's relatively easy to can your leftover soups and stews, even cabbage rolls and other yummies can be preserved as long as they don't contain pasta. Potatoes will sometimes go to mush, but carrots and celery usually hold up very well. I have a problem with zip sealing everything and throwing leftovers in the freezer. Then a year or so later I find all this food and need room to put in more fish or moose. The solution: Home canning. You must have a pressure cooker with a gauge. Get this at a hardware store or other department store. You will need canning jars (appropriate sizes, lids and bands), a metal jar lifter and bubble remover and a magnetic lid thingamabop (these items can usually be found in a canning kit). The county Extension Office is a huge help and will even check your seals every year and provide tips, tricks and recipes. I can everything from vegetables from our garden, blueberry and raspberry syrups and jellies to dog food made of salmon scraps for our four-legged beauties in the winter when they need more protein in their diet. First and foremost it is imperative that all equipment be sanitized with boiling water.

1. First bring your pressure cooker filled 3/4 full of water up to a boil or just under a boil.
2. Bring your leftover soup up to a boil on the stove then turn down to simmer.
3. In a separate pot, bring more water to boil (this will be a hot bath for your lids and rings.
4. Fill hot sterilized jars with hot soup.
5. Make sure the rim of the jar is wiped clean and is free of food or debris.
6. Place a sanitized lid on top and screw down the ring (not overly tight).
7. Carefully place jars one at a time in the pressure canner and secure the lid.
8. Wait for the pressure relief valve to pop up and allow steam to escape for 5 minutes.
9. Put on the pepcock and immediately turn the heat down to about 2 or 3 (low).
10. When the gauge reads 11 psi set the timer for the following:
Pints = 1 hr. and 15 minutes Quarts = 1 hr. and 30 minutes.

Keep practicing and soon you will have leftovers that can be taken off the shelf, reheated and enjoyed without taking up valuable freezer space.

Green Curry Fish with Roasted Peppers

Jim and I have learned to love curry. Since we can't get real chile in Alaska, we have learned to make due with curry. I was not sure about straining out the garlic and onions in this recipe....but it totally made sense in the end. I guess you just have to trust. Here we go with a list of what you need to complete this dish.

Your curry sauce:
1 can of coconut milk
1 TBSP of fish sauce
1/2 cup clam juice
1/4 cup Vermouth or white wine
1 TBSP chopped garlic
2 shallots diced fine
1 TBSP ginger paste or freshly grated
2 TBSP green curry paste

later on you will add
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lime juice

Cook this down about 1/3 and set aside.

Your rice is this (taken directly from the link)...I had leftover rice and adjusted the recipe for my own needs.
* 1/4 cup carrot, small dice
* 1/4 cup celery, small dice
* 1/4 cup yellow onion, small dice
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
* 1 cup basmati rice
* 3 cups water
* 1/2 tablespoon turmeric
Sweat the carrots, celery, yellow onion and fresh ginger in a medium sauce pot. Add Basmati rice and toast. Add water and turmeric, and bring to a boil then cover. Finish in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes.


Veggies!
Saute your peppers and zuchinni and whatever else you truly love in a saucepan until crisp-tender.

Serve like this...rice, veggies and curry sauce. Happy eating!\

Salmon Burgers

This was truly GROSS! what other vivid adjective can I use to describe this absolutely terrible recipe? I wouldn't feed this to my cat! (If I had one--and they probably wouldn't eat it either!). I generally love tarragon, but it does NOT mix well with salmon. In my opinion. A salmon burger is probably better spent by grilling in it's true form with a lemon and basil butter and served plain and simple on a bun. This was a pretentious recipe and came through with the first bite. Shame on you Cooking Light for offering it up in your magazine.
Salmon! It's so good for you! Full of Omega 3's you can't get enough. I read recently that people should eat meats high in Omega 3 two times a week to be heart-healthy. In Alaska, we do not have a shortage of this wonderful resource. Who knew salmon could be turned into ground meat? How silly am I? After 7 years of living in AK, one would have thought that I would have figured out how to do this....NOPE! Not until today. Now salmon puts a whole new dimension on my way of thinking about ground meat and what to do with it. The idea of salmon burgers is not mine. I got the recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, July 2010 and I tweaked it for myself. I didn't pay attention to the "don't do the tail section" part because the tail is my favorite piece. Freddies didn't have arugula so I will use my own homegrown lettuce instead. It will be better anyway. BTW....I divided the recipe in 1/2....it's just Jim and I and I only wanted 2 burgers! So, if you need more than 2 burgers you should double the recipe.

1 lb. skinless, boneless salmon (yep our Copper River Red) cut into 1" pieces
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 TBSP Pike Place Fish Northwest Seafood Seasoning (use 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1 tsp. dill weed, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and black pepper if you can't get this)
1/2 TBSP honey
1 tsp. chopped fresh Tarragon leaves
1/2 tsp. chopped shallots
1 cup arugula leaves (I used Romaine)
1/4 cup thin sliced red onion
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 hamburger buns (I like the black poppy seed ones Cooking Light recommended)

Put half the salmon in a food processor with the mustard and Pikes seasoning (or your combination). Puree until it is a mushy/paste (this is the "binder" for your burger). Next, add the rest of the 1" cubed salmon and pulse for about 6 pulses....you don't want the whole mix mushed to a pulp!

Transfer to a bowl and mix in chopped Tarragon and shallot.

Shape into patties and refrigerate for a bit. Spray each side of your patties with oil and grill on medium heat carefully turning until they are done. Top each patty with honey-mustard and arugula. Serve on warmed hamburger buns with thin slices of red onion. Nothing else needed except for maybe a cold beer.

Spicy Basil Moose

I LOVE basil...if told I could only have one herb, this would be the one. Simple ingredients and BIG flavor!
2 TBSP oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp of chili (Thai if you can find it), chopped

1/2 lb. moose (beef or venison in the lower 48)

1/4 C sliced onions
1 C. basil leaves

1 TBSP. Oyster sauce (no it's really not made of oysters so don't freak out!)
2 TBSP. Fish sauce
1 TBSP. sugar
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground chili flakes

1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Saute the garlic and chile in oil. Add moose and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add onions and basil. Cook for 1/2 minute. Add oyster sauce, fish sauce sugar, white pepper and chili flakes. Top with green onions and cilantro and serve over rice.

Midnight Sun Mama: New Blog

Midnight Sun Mama: New Blog: "Because my email address was changed by the school district I can no longer get into the old Midnight Sun Mamma (notice the change in spell..."

New Blog

Because my email address was changed by the school district I can no longer get into the old Midnight Sun Mamma (notice the change in spelling of "Mamma" in the old blog and the new) blog to add more recipes and share with friends and family. So now I am creating a new and improved blog.

Today I am smoking the Garlic and Peppercorn Moose Meat Sticks (like SlimJims) that I made yesterday. They will be delish I am sure.

Gullivers' Gone Wild! and Thai Cuisine Steamed Red Curry Fish

I must stop these visits to Gulliver's Books located on College Blvd. every Saturday http://www.gullivers-books.com/. I drop $50 every Saturday morning and prance away with books for my classroom as well as feed my own literary appetite. Today I purchased two cookbooks that have been screaming from the shelves for the past month. As an early birthday present to myself I purchased Thai Cuisine ISBN: 97804-88996-094-5 $11.95. I love this book because each recipe has pictures of step by step instructions and a picture of the ingredients needed. I also purchased Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day ISBN: 978-0-312-54552-9 $27.99. I believe if I practice enough, I may eventually learn how to make bread as good as Carol Scott!

Never fear about finding those ingredients you need to complete the meal. If you live in Fairbanks, go to the Asian Market located on Aurora Blvd. behind Randy Smith Middle School. They are very helpful and will have everything you need including frog legs, brown sticky rice, kaffir, seaweed, banana leaves for poaching salmon, Thai style curry, dried mushrooms, exotic veggies and everything else under the sun.

The halibut is thawed and ready to skin. Here is the recipe from the Thai Cuisine for Steamed Curry Fish.

Steamed Curry Fish

1 lb. fish
1/2 lb. medium shrimp
1 TBSP oil
2 TBSP red curry

Sauce:
14 oz. coconut milk
3 TBSP fish sauce
2 TBSP sugar
5 kaffir lime leaves

Green and red bell pepper slices and kaffir (lime leaves) for garnish.

Clean fish and cut into pieces. Heat frying pan with oil and fry curry 1/2 minute on medium heat. Combine remaining sauce ingredients. Place fish in sauce and heat to slow boil. Cover and bring sauce to a slow boil again. Ladle the sauce over the fish during cooking. Simmer about 20 minutes and serve over jasmine rice. OMG....my mouth is burning right now and I LOVE it.