Foil Packet Salmon

June 3, 2013: After our fabulous getaway to San Diego, our friends, Keri and Bradley, had invited us to join them at a benefit for Lena Pope Home's charter school, Chapel Hill Academy. I actually had interned at Chapel Hill for my Practicum I class in graduate school at TCU, so I was extra exceed about the event.  The benefit, Rock the Fort, had many sponsors, one of which was Keri's childhood neighbors and Texas Jet owners, the Pigmans. The Pigmans had offered Keri and Bradley a handful of seats at their table, and we were graciously asked to join. 

Bradley, Keri, Andy, and me at Rock the Fort

The benefit was at the Heart of Texas Ranch in the new Edwards Ranch area in Fort Worth. There were four food trucks and Charlie Robison headlined. Our tickets got us drinks, and yummy food from trucks boasting barbecue, tacos, loaded fries, and ice cream. We knew a lot of people in attendance, and the benefit was a huge success with over 700 attendees! We spent the evening chowing down and jamming out "in my hometown."

Andy and me at Rock the Fort

The morning after we rocked the Fort, I was going to the store. When I asked if Andy had any requests, he said, "Fish!" Andy and I were in full-blown fish mode from our getaway to San Diego.  Poor guy, I think he gets tired of my fixing chicken breasts every which way every week. So off to Kroger it was, and they happen to have salmon on sale. I had seen on The Today Show just how easy grilling in foil packets can be, so I found this recipe for Foil Packet Salmon. The fish turned out perfectly- moist, full of flavor, and clean up was a breeze!

Charlie Robison performing at Rock the Fort

Foil Packet Salmon

Servings: 2; Wight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 7

Foil Packet Salmon with Grilled Red Potatoes and salad

• 4 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Foil Packet Salmon with Grilled Red Potatoes

1. Lay out 4 pieces of foil, large enough to wrap up and form a packet around each fillet
2. Place each fillet in the foil, skin side down
3. Sprinkle the garlic powder, lemon-pepper seasoning, curry powder, and salt atop the fillets, distributing evenly
4. Fold foil into a packet around each fillet
5. Grill on medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side (longer for thicker fillets)

Foil Packet Salmon

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Blackened Salmon

Well, file this one under mishaps.  First off, we have been out of propane for a few weeks, and neither Andy nor I have had a spare minute to take in the empty tank to have it replaced.  Therefore, my attempt to make Barbeque Grilled Asparagus tonight was an epic fail.  Going into my meal-making tonight, I knew full well that we did not have any propane, but I completely forgot about the "grilling" end of this recipe.  This yielded some icy cold (although Andy still found it yummy) asparagus for a side.

Next, as I was moving my half of the salmon onto a plate to take a pretty picture for you blog-readers, the salmon awkwardly stuck in the pan, and my plate somehow caught the backlash of my efforts to release the salmon- sending the ceramic plate crashing to the tile floor below.  Sorry, Andy.  Nonetheless, despite my two mishaps, Blackened Salmon turned out pretty awesome.  I used the same blackening rub that I use on my Blackened Chicken, but on the fish instead.  The flavor was spicy and zingy, and definitely tasty enough to make me forgive myself for my blonde-moments of the night!

Blackened Salmon

Servings: 2; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 8

All Recipes

Blackened Salmon & (not-so-barbeque-grilled, but still blanched) Asparagus

• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1 salmon fillet- cut in half

1. Heat oven on broil
2. Mix all spices together (sometimes I multiple the spice recipe by 10 and put it all together to store for later)
3. Sprinkle spice over skinless side of salmon fillet
4. Place fillet in a pan, bake on broil for 5 min
5. Turn oven down to 350°
6. Bake salmon for additional 8 minutes (more or less, depending on thickness- my fillet was appr. 1 in thick)

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Soy Sauce Marinated Pork Chops

Andy and Me in Maui, Hawaii- July 11, 2012

Andy's and my first official "pick the girl up from her house" date was to Sushi Axiom on West 7th Street.  I preface it that way because our real first date was a night we met up at Yucatan Taco Stand in between two of my night graduate school classes.  We'd met through our friend, Michael, and hit it off at a Wade Bowen concert you can read about here.  Our quick bite to eat at Yucatan had gone well and soonafter he asked me on a real ("pick the girl up from her house") date.  So he picked me up on May 6, 2010, met my yippy little pup, Abbie, and off we went.

Andy & Me at Ryan & Ashley McCollum's Wedding- April 14, 2012

 Unbeknownst to Andy, I didn't touch sushi until the summer of 2008.  In college, when girls would go to sushi restaurants for dinner or sake bombing, I was willing to go, but I stuck with the chicken teryaki plates.  (Which still went great with the sake bombs).  When I returned home from college, a friend of my parents asked me to meet her at Sushi Axiom on Hulen Street to talk to her goddaughter about rush.  Great, here I was suppose to be telling her how great Delta Gamma is and all I could think about was "What in the world am I going to eat?!"  I called up a friend who is an avid sushi lover, and he told me a few things on the menu I could try that he assured me I wouldn't try to spit into my napkin.  Sure enough, I tried them that night, and I loved them!  A few rolls have an acquired taste, that's for certain, but who doesn't love something that's fried on the outside with cream cheese in the middle and jalapenos on top?

Andy & Me at the lake in April, 2012

My sushi pallet has refined itself now.  I also now eat sashimi (just the raw fish by itself- no rice or fixings) and am always up to try any roll on any menu.  I don't eat the cream cheese rolls or the fried rolls anymore because I've realized that, while also quite unhealthy, all of that takes away considerably from the taste of the fish.

Andy & Me at the Santa Pub Crawl, December 2011

So anyway, back to May of 2010 when Andy and I are on our date.  Trying not to be a scaredy cat (but also only having eaten sushi for 2 years), I told Andy I was game to try anything on the menu that he wanted to order.  I love edamame so we quickly agreed on that, and then it was time to put my money where my mouth was.  Or my mouth where my words were.  Or something like that.

Andy, me, and Abbie at my 4th Annual Holiday Cocktail Party, December 2011

I don't remember what rolls we got or what bottle of sake we ordered, but I do remember trying to figure out the difference in the two soy sauces.  The waitress informed us that the one with the green lid was low-sodium, and that solved that.  To this day, at sushi restaurants, Andy still asks me which soy sauce is what and I giggle because I think of how nervous we both were on that first night.  Obviously our nervousness wasn't too awkward, because here we are, two and a half years later, still eating sushi and, sometimes, trying new soy sauce recipes like the one below.

Soy Sauce Marinated Pork Chops

All Recipes

Servings: 2

Soy Sauce Marinated Porkchops and Baked Potato

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 3/8 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (1 inch thick) pork chops

1. Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container
2. Add pork and turn to coat
3. Seal bag or cover container
4. Refrigerate overnight
5. Drain and discard marinade
6. Grill, covered, over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine

Firecracker Salmon

My mom and me at my 4th Annual Holiday Cocktail Party, December 2011

Andy and I spent the entirety of last Mother's Day at the lake with my mom (read about Mother's Day 2011, Andy and my's first date, and Strawberry Shortcake here).  Since we had spent last year's with my mom, we decide to try to get up to Wichita Falls to spend some time with Andy's mom.  We ate lunch at Pelican's with both of Andy's parents, his sister, Carly, Carly's husband, Slate, and their two year old son, Greyson.

Carly & Mrs. Jennings serving Greyson his 2nd Birthday cake

The highlight of our meal was a slight confusion with the manager- see, when the manager came around to our table to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day.  She gave both Carly and Andy's mom a card with a gift certificate inside, and then she awkwardly looked at me.  Hesitantly, she looked from Carly to Mrs. Jennings to me- back to Mrs. Jennings, back to Carly... and then quickly said, "Happy Mother's Day to you, too," handed me a gift card and scuffled off.  I simply said, "Thanks." Hey, I'll claim little Grey if it means I get free food out of it!

Andy and Mrs. Jennings at the Jimmy Buffett Concert in June of 2011

After lunch, Andy and I picked up a Midwestern State University diploma frame to match both my TCU and UT frames in our future sports room (ok, yes, it's a "man-cave").  After lunch, we laid around Andy's parents' house for a bit before heading to the lake to see my mom.

I finally finished the last wall in the sports room-
Andy's & my diplomas and licenses are all framed!

My mom had made me a deal that if she bought the groceries for dinner, Andy and I would have to cook. Fair enough.  My mom loves salmon, so I thought I'd try a new salmon recipe from one of my iPhone apps.  I'm pretty sure Firecracker Salmon is my new favorite salmon dish- it was spicy and fresh, and absolutely mouth-watering with just enough zip and zap.  For sides, we had Garlic Lime Asparagus and Grilled Corn- how healthy we all were!  We ate dinner on the front porch of our little cabana while we watched the sunset, thinking of our Granny Coleman and Granny Poirot, and being thankful we have such amazing moms!

Firecracker Salmon

All Recipes

Servings: 2

Grilled Corn, Garlic Lime Asparagus, and Firecracker Salmon

• 4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Garlic Lime Asparagus and Firecracker Salmon

1. Place salmon filets in a medium glass dish. 
2. In a separate medium bowl, combine the peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt. 
3. Whisk together well, and pour over the fish. 
4. Cover and marinate the fish in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
5. Prepare an outdoor grill with coals about 5 inches from the grate (or on medium heat), and lightly oil the grate.
6. Grill the fillets for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part, or until fish just flakes with a fork. Turn over halfway through cooking.

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Pecan Crunch Salmon Bake

Andy "Vampire Bill Compton" and me "Waitress Fairy Sookie Stackhouse"

Halloween has long-since been my dad's favorite holiday.  Every year for the past 25 (except for last year), we have decorated my parents' gigantic front porch with skeletons, ghosts, Frankenstein, spider webs, a fog machine, a fire flaming pot, goblins, coffins, gravestones, severed limbs, and pumpkins.  I said every year except for last because my dad called me on October 29, 2010, sounding absolutely heartbroken.  "Kate, I'm so sorry," (My first thought was, 'Oh no, who died?!')  "We aren't going to be able to do Halloween this year.  We have World Series tickets with your Uncle Tom and Aunt Nancy."  Oh, no, you poor pitiful things! Whatever are you going to do? You are being forced to go to the Rangers' first ever World Series appearance?  Whoa is you!  "It's okay, I have to work on Halloween, anyway.  There's always next year," I said.  And "next year" was suddenly was this year, and what a year it was.


Me and Hogan "Sam Merlotte"

I saw most of my friends' Facebook status updates complaining of how they had bought so much candy and only had two measly trick-or-treaters.  Well maybe you should have sent some of that candy our way because Halloween in Berkley is cuh. ray. zy.  Yes, it's true we have people come from across town to open up their bags and have a piece of candy dropped inside.  My pharmacist from Walgreens 20 minutes away was even spotted on my parents' front porch.  Yes, we blast music up and down the streets.  Yes, it's true that we have been known to pass out cotton candy and popcorn on our street.  Yes, it's true that once the sun goes down, you can not drive up and down the street.  Yes, it's true that most houses run out of candy.  It's nuts.


Michael "A penguin" and me

I called Andy on Face Time on our iPhones to try to show him just a smidgen of Berkley Halloween, but people don't understand it until they've experienced it.  I went to help my mom decorate around 1:00 pm, and we didn't stop until my dad got home about 3:00pm.  (Yes, my dad and I both took off work for Halloween and our annual pumpkin carving party together).  My dad and I carved a huge spider into a pumpkin and put the finishing touches on the porch right around 6:00.  Luckily, we have a few styrofoam pumpkins into which we have carved our favorite designs, so while we only carved one real one, we still had five glowing that night.
My mom went to pick up pizza at Mama's Pizza at 6:20, and she promptly called me from the car.  "Um, hi," she said, "There are about 150 trick-or-treaters headed y'all's way- you may want to get out on the porch."  And sure enough, for the next two and a half hours, I greeted Marios, Luigis, skeletons, fairies, cheerleaders, Disney princesses, Transformers, and (my personal favorite and my babysitting charge, Claire) a dirty clothes basket.  Although Andy and I had dressed as (Waitress/Fairy) Sookie and (Vampire) Bill from True Blood for our friend, Katie's, Halloween party on Saturday night, I decided to pass out candy as a regular, plain fairy.


My dad, Abbie "A Penguin" and me "A Fairy" at my parents' house

We passed out 17.33 pounds of candy, and I swear I only took one box of Nerds and two packages of Sour Patch Kids for myself.  At 8:45pm, we still had mermaids and zombies walking up our sidewalk, but I had to turn them down because we had run out of candy- all five gigantic Costco-sized bags that we had bought.  I'm going to post more about my dad and my pumpkin carving tradition, but that will come with the Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe (coming soon!)  While many of my friends were baffled at my crazy statistics from Halloween night, it was nothing out of the ordinary for the neighborhood in which I grew up!

Mondays are often when Andy and I try to catch up on the TV shows we have DVRed.  Right now in our que, you will find this season's episodes of American Horror Story, Dexter, The Walking Dead, and Boardwalk Empire.  Since Halloween fell on a Monday this year, we didn't have any DVR catch up time, so we plopped on the couch on Tuesday night instead.  I made this Pecan Crunch Salmon Bake for our DVR catch up, and it made for a perfect and much needed relaxing night after a crazy Halloween weekend.



Pecan Crunch Salmon Bake
Kate Strickland
Servings: 2; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 14

Pecan Crunch Salmon Bake with lemon wedges 

• 1.5 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1.5 tbsp light butter, melted
• 2.5 tsp honey
• 1/4 c bread crumbs
• 1/4 c chopped parsley
• 1 lb fillet salmon, halved
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 lemon wedges

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey- split in half
3. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley- split in half
4. Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet
6. Brush with first 1/2 of the honey-mustard mixture
7. Let sit for 15-30 mins to marinate
8. Combine second 1/2 of the honey-mustard mixture with first 1/2 of the bread crumb mixture
9. After salmon has marinated, spoon on the second 1/2 of honey-mustard that you've mixed with the first 1/2 of bread crumb mixture
10. Top with second 1/2 of the remaining bread crumb mixture
11. Bake for 10 mins per inch of thickness, measured at the thickest part of the fillet (or until salmon flakes when touched with a fork)
12. Serve garnished with lemon wedges

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Barbeque Grilled Asparagus

My Second Birthday- June 10, 1988

Remember when you were little, and your parents would ask you, "What do you want for your birthday this year?"   A Barbie Corvette, an Easy Bake Oven, Beanie Babies, Cupcake Dolls, a mountain bike, Nike Roller Blades... oh, the possibilities!  Well, you know you're growing up when, instead of Gak or a Super Soaker, your mind goes straight to things like a clothes dryer, hardwood floors, or a grill.


My 2nd Birthday, "Big Bird" Themed- June 10, 1988
Thanks to my big bro, Geoff, for dressing up like Big Bird, even though it scared me to death!

For my 2nd birthday, I got baby doll clothes for my doll, Ashlea.... For my 22nd birthday, I bought myself a washing machine for my own clothes (but couldn't afford a dryer yet).  When my Lowe's delivery arrived, a dryer was also delivered with a note that said, "Happy Birthday! Love, Mom and Dad."  Yipee! No line drying for me. 

Last Christmas, instead of Lion King sheets and stuffed animals to update my room, I asked Santa for hardwood floors- to update my house.  Well, Santa, I believe.  Those hardwood floors were just as exciting to me as the silver bell from the Santa's sleigh (and I didn't have to worry about them falling through the hole in my pocket!)

For my 23rd birthday, instead of a Little Tykes Kitchen set, I asked for a grill.  

Geoff, me, and my mom at my parents' house for my 3rd Birthday- June 10, 1989

Of course, being a fan of both a good product and a better bargain, my dad dragged me to Lowe's, Home Depot, Sam's, and Costco to see their grill selections.  This was a far cry from my Toys 'r' Us days.  I remember thinking, 'Well, does it heat up?  Does it cook food?  Good, then it'll do the job.' but not my dad.  Nooo way.  He was asking all kinds of questions about temperature, maintenance, electric v. propane v. charcoal, built-in v. stand-alone... all of the "important" questions.  Hey, as long as it cooked food, I didn't really care. 


My 4th Birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese, June 10, 1990

All of our birthdays are right in a row- June 9th, 10th, and 11th, so we don't just have a birthday in my family, we have birthday week.  Well, birthday week arrived, and I was opening presents to a sunset at the cabana, hoping that I would walk outside to find a grill with a bow on it.  No such luck.  I opened a bag full of grilling utensils.  "Ha, good one, Dad," I said.  "Well, since you didn't find a grill you liked ('I liked them all, I don't care about which one! Just pick one!), I thought you'd like your own set of stuff to use on this grill here at the lakehouse."  Disappointed, I threw on a fake smile and said, "Yeah, no, that's great- thanks a lot!  I appreciate it."

My 4th Birthday at my parents' house- June 10, 1990

Well, pouty me shouldn't have been so quick to disappoint.  Thirty minutes later, I pulled into my driveway and opened the garage door.  The beam of my lights hit something and reflected back, practically blinding me.  After I recovered from my temporary sight loss, I squinted and realized that the shiny thing standing in the way of my parking place was a new grill! I was ecstatic.  I actually thought to myself, "Gosh, I know I already ate dinner and all, but I could probably manage to grill up and eat a little chicken breast or something!"  My fat-kid id was quickly tackled by my rationalizing super-ego, which assured me that I did NOT need to grill at 11:00pm, so I decided to wait.

I have used this grill for the past three years, time and time again.  In fact, many of my friends who have used my Char-Broil Infrared grill have gone on to buy one for their own homes.  That Char-Broil has blessed me with chicken, steaks, burgers, pork chops, veggies, and fruit galore... until last week when the propane ran out.  I had convinced myself that I had somehow landed a-hold of a never-ending propane tank, until our attempt to heat it up one night for steaks was a failure.


At the Jimmy Buffett concert in Frisco, Texas, for our 25th, 63rd, & 68th birthdays in June 2011-
My dad's birthday is June 9th, mine is June 10th, and my  mom's is June 11th!

Last night, Andy, being the always helpful boyfriend and grill-master that he is, took my empty propane tank to Kroger and came home with a new full propane.tank- or so we thought.  I had the Honey Mustard Salmon ready to grill up and the Barbecue Grilled Asparagus ready to barbecue... but no grill.  No barbecue.  No heat.  No luck.  We weren't sure what was going on with the propane tank, but 8:30pm was not the time to try to figure it out.  Luckily, I still have my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine (seriously, that's the full name of it) from before I got my grill.  I was nervous about cooking fish and veggies on the George Foreman, but they turned out absolutely delicious.  Although it is much more difficult to clean, the George Foreman cooked our meal in under 10 minutes total, and made for one frustrating, but healthy and memorial night!

Barbeque Grilled Asparagus
Kate Strickland
Servings: 4, Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 1





Honey Mustard Salmon and Barbeque Grilled Asparagus


• 1 c water
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 c barbecue sauce
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning

1. Bring water to a boil
2. Place asparagus in water, cover, blanch for 2 minutes
3. Drain asparagus & let cool a bit
4. Sprinkle with seasoning
5. Place asparagus on grill
6. Brush on barbecue sauce
7. Grill for 3 mins

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine

Honey Mustard Salmon

When I was in high school, my dad decided that he wanted to start climbing mountains.  No, not metaphorically.  Quite literally he wanted to spend days on end with an 80-100 pound pack on his back, sleeping in sleeping bags when the windchill was -30.  Okay dad, you want to climb mountains, you go right on ahead.  I'll wait for ya at the bottom- cold beer and greasy burger in hand.

His first adventure was to Mount Baker, but that wasn't nearly cold or high enough for him, so he decided to try to summit Denali, aka Mount McKinley.  At 20, 320 feet, Denali is the highest point in North America and is located in Alaska. 
 

My dad- hook 'em from the highest peak in North America!

On his first attempt in the summer of 2006, my dad realized just how unprepared he was for The Great One.  Denali was going to be even bigger and tougher than he had first anticipated, and he could not make it to the top.  Discouraged, he returned to Fort Worth, vowing to adventure back to Alaska the next summer to challenge Denali to a re-match. 

On his second attempt in 2007, his blood pressure spiked, he had a TIA, a mini-stroke, and his guide "highly suggested" that he head back down.  Denali had won again. 
Not one to ever give up easily, in 2008 my dad thought that the third time would be a charm.  Again, he packed his bag and adventured back to The Great One.  Unfortunately for him, his guide came down with pneumonia.  I'm pretty sure by this time, his prayer went about like this, 'Dear God, I can see that you really don't want me to conquer this mountain.  Clearly, you don't know Jack.  Sincerely, Jack.  P.S. I really, really don't give up.'

Knowing how much the mountain meant to him, my mom and I encouraged him to return for one last try.  So, he did-  One.  Last. Time. (And, yes, he had said "This is the last trip," every single year.)  The climbing company he went with kept a blog, and the climbing guide would radio down every few days via satellite phone to report on the climbers' status.  We checked that blog every single day, and probably three times a day.  On July 1, 2009, the climbing company he was climbing with posted a blog entry that simply said, "From Jack to Carolyn and Kate: "I knocked the bastard off!"  He was quoting Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to summit Mount Everest.  Sir Edmund was referring to God, seeing as Mount Everest in the highest peak in the world and, undoubtedly, where God sits cross legged looking down on his work.  My dad had finally done it- he had conquered his mountain.  Both my mom and I knew that there would be other mountains (both methaphorically and literally), but this was his mountain.


They finally made it! Summitting Denali

Are you wondering where salmon comes into play yet?  On his second trip to Denali, my mom and brother and I all met my dad in Talkeetna, Alaska.  Talkeetna is at the base of Denali and has a population of about twelve.  Okay, I'm lying- it has a a population of 860, but it consists of two stopsigns and about nine shops.  I have no idea where those other 848 people were hiding, but I never saw them. 
The mayor of Talkeetna is a cat.  Yes, you read correctly- a cat, named Stubbs.  Apparently the people of Talkeetna grew weary of political b.s., and added Stubbs to the mayoral ballot.  He won, by vote, and is now the current reigning mayor.



Of course we had a Welcome Home party for him at the lake

We went to Alaska to meet my dad as he came off of Denali.  The plan was to adventure across glaciers in crampons, visit Denali National Park, and spend some quality family time together.  As it turns out, 10 days may have been a bit more than "quality time," but Alaska was the prettiest part of the country that I've ever seen.  Oh, and about it never getting dark in the summer?  It's true.  At midnight, it looked like what we Texans call "twilight," between the hours of 7-8, just after sunset.  It took Tylenol Simply Sleep and a sleep mask to get me to drift off.

Alaska is known for salmon.  Unfortunately for me, I was not a fish eater when we went on our Alaskan adventure, but now I am.  I love fish, actually, but I rarely cook it.  I have been cooking tilapia lately, but only for my fish tacos, so the other night I decided to try cooking salmon.  Here's the recipe I used, and it turned out delicious.  As delicious as Alaskan salmon?  Well, despite being from Kroger, this salmon was called "Alaskan Salmon," so I would hope so, but I guess I, like my dad, will have to adventure back to Alaska to find out.  Ha, he kept going back for the adventure, the daring, and the triumph.  I want to go back for the food.  Figures!

Honey Mustard Salmon
Servings: 4, WeightWatchers Points Plus Value: 9 (the glaze itself is only 3 points)
 

Honey Mustard Salmon with Smashed Potatoes



• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 salmon fillets (appr. 6 oz each)
• Non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat your grill to medium heat
2. Spray the grill with cooking spray (*or your fish WILL stick!)
3. In a small bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar and microwave for 30 seconds, until the butter and sugar have melted together
4. Stir in the mustard, honey, and soy sauce
5. Brush onto the salmon
6. Grill salmon on the grill, appr. 4 minutes on each side or 7 if you leave the skin on it

We also made this honey mustard glaze again the next night at put it on chicken- it's really delicious!

Tilapia Fish Tacos

In Fort Worth, we have a restaurant called Fuzzy's.  Fuzzy's is the home of amazing white cheese queso, my favorite grilled shredded chicken salad, and Fort Worth's favorite fish tacos.  It has housed some of my favorite happy hours, deepest heart to hearts, and, of course, fun lunch dates with Miss MaryEllen Strong.  Although Fuzzy's is about as cheap as it gets, I was still bound and determined to figure out how to make fish tacos at home.  I knew my boyfriend, Andy, could master the grilling part, so I took charge and adventured through my recipes.


Tilapia Fish Tacos

Today I went to our local Central Market to get some fresh veggies, fish, and tortillas to try to throw these together tonight.  The recipe called for Mahi Mahi, but have you ever tried to buy that fish? Goodness, for the price of ONE (1) one Mahi Mahi fillet, I could buy four Tilapia fillets, so of course I took the less expensive route.  I made the garnishes in advance because I had a Junior League of Fort Worth meeting, but besides that, it was the fastest meal I have ever made! The fish literally takes 8-10 minutes to grill, and, if the garnishes are made in advance, you're golden! It's healthy, inexpensive, and very delicious- so next time, try this one out!



All of the toppings

Tilapia Fish Tacos
Kate Strickland
(4 servings, 380 calories, 11 g fat, WeightWatchers Points Plus Value: 4)

Tilapia Fish Tacos

Ingredients

• 2 large Tilapia fillets
• Chopped fresh cilantro (or fresh pico de gallo is available in the bulk area at Central Market)
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
• 1 tbsp blackening spice (available across from the fish section at Central Market)
• 8 corn tortillas
• Juice of 1 lime
• Canola oil
• 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cubed
• 2 cups finely shredded red cabbage (this will dye your hands if you hand-shred it!)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Mix the mango, avocado, onion, and the juice of 1 lime in a bowl.
2. Season with cilantro, salt, and pepper. **You can leave out the cilantro and substitute fresh pico de gallo as an additional garnish
3. Heat grill until hot. 
4. Drizzle a light coating of oil over the fish and rub on the blackening spice
5. Cook the fish, undisturbed, for 4 minutes.
6. Carefully flip with the spatula and cook for another 4 minutes.
7. Remove chicken from the grill.
8. Warm the tortillas on the grill **Or in a tortilla warmer, available at Wal-Mart or Target for 1 minute. (until warm and pliable)
9. Break the fish into chunks and divide among the tortillas.  Top with the cabbage/lettuce, mango salsa, and optional pico.

**Note: If you want to make enough for leftovers, just double the amount of fish you cook- there is plenty of garnishes left for leftovers.

Bon appetit!

Mango, Avocado, Onion Salsa Garnish!