Salmon with Browned Butter and Mashed Broccoli Potatoes

Seriously, does this not look delicious? Because it was. I'm always on the hunt for a good salmon recipe and when I saw it was paired with Broccoli Potatoes? Heaven! Here's the recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine:

Salmon with Browned Butter and Mashed Broccoli Potatoes

Ingredient:
2 yellow-fleshed potatoes (about 1 pound), such as yukon gold, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, cut into small pieces
Salt and pepper
4 6 ounces skin-on salmon fillets
1/2 bunch scallions (3 to 4), green and white portions thinly sliced separately
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees . In a medium saucepan, combine the potatoes and enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until just tender, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the broccoli and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain, then mash the broccoli and potatoes with 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper; cover to keep warm.
2. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper, then arrange skin side up, in a single layer, in a greased, foil-lined large baking dish. Roast until cooked through, about 10 minutes for medium. Discard the skin.
3. In a small skillet, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the scallion whites and cook, swirling the pan, until the butter is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the scallion greens and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve with the mashed broccoli potatoes.

Rustic Crusty Bread

Yeast, salt,water, and flour is all you need to make bread? YEP! This rustic crusty bread from Mel's Kitchen Cafe was just as described. Crusty, chewy, and delicious! Click on the link for her simple how-to.

Rustic Crusty Bread

*Makes 2-4 loaves of bread
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting dough
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel but don’t seal the bowl airtight. Let the dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered in an airtight container, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife (I have only ever made two loaves out of the batch of dough so I just divide the dough in half to form my first loaf). Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put the dough on a piece of parchment paper set on a pizza peel or a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes for room temperature dough; if you have used the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Place a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat the stone at that temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
After the dough has rested and is ready to bake, dust the dough lightly with flour, slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide the dough (with the parchment paper) onto the baking stone. Pour one cup of hot water into the broiler pan and shut the oven quickly to trap the steam. Bake the bread until well browned, about 24-28 minutes. Cool completely.
If you don’t have a baking stone, try turning a rimmed baking sheet upside down and heating it in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes prior to baking. When ready to bake, slide the parchment paper with the dough on it directly onto the overturned baking sheet and bake according to the recipe. You can also stretch the rounded dough into an oval and place in a greased loaf pan. Let it rise for 40 minutes if fresh (add an extra hour if the dough has been refrigerated). Bake in the loaf pan in the 450 degree oven, watching the time carefully – check after 20-22 minutes.

Delicious Greek Pastitsio Casserole

I have no idea what Pastitsio is, but I took a leap of faith and tried this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. So glad I did because my whole family loved it! Keep up the good work Mel!

Delicious Green Pastitsio Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces penne pasta
1 pound ground turkey or ground sirloin
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (from about 1 large onion)
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces light cream cheese
2 cups milk, 1% of skim work great
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Coat a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the broiler.
In a large pot of lightly salted, boiling water, cook the penne pasta according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add beef or turkey to the pan with the diced onions and 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring to break up the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through. Drain excess grease from the meat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture, stirring to combine, and cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add the cream cheese in pieces, scattering it over the meat. Let it melt into the meat and stir to combine. Whisk or stir in the milk, nutmeg and tomatoes. Stir to combine well and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook 5-6 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened and is thoroughly heated through.
Stir in the pasta and spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pasta and broil for about 3-5 minutes (watching carefully so it doesn’t burn!). Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. Let it stand fora bout 5 minutes before serving.

Turkey Burger Drumsticks

I admit, I'm obsessed with turkey. It always seems like I'm making things with ground turkey. I saw this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine and knew I would love it! Ground turkey stuffed with cheese and coated with crusty cornflakes? Yes, Please. The only thing I did differently is to cook the nuggets first and THEN put them on a skewer. I don't know HOW in the heck you would be able to maneuver them in the pan with the stick??? Sooooo good!

Turkey Burger Drumsticks

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 5 ounce can  evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes
• 2 ounces medium-hard cheese

Directions

• In a bowl, mix the turkey, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, the onion and 2/3 cup cornflakes; season with salt and pepper. Divide into 12 portions. Cut the cheese into 12 small sticks and thread onto each of 12 skewers. Wet your hands with evaporated milk, then mold some meat around each cheese piece, shaping into 3-inch ovals. Pour the remaining milk into a bowl. Add the remaining cornflakes to a plate. Dip each "drumstick" into the milk, then coat with the cornflakes. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry each drumstick until browned, about 12 minutes.

No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Another WINNER from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I LOVE Nutella and like cheesecake so this was an awesome dessert. It did take some time (45 minutes) to put together but it was very simple and the results were amazing!

No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
18 Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Garnish:
Extra sweetened whipped cream, optional
Crushed oreos or chocolate curls, optional

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together the Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter. Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving dishes and press into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer. Glass dessert cups work well for this, as well as mini-trifle dishes; you could also use a mini-cheesecake pan or simply small glass bowls.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and smooth. Add the nutella and mix until combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. In another medium/large bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar together until medium to stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese/nutella mixture until well blended and no streaks remain.

Spoon the filling into individual serving dishes on top of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

If desired, garnish with additional whipped topping, chocolate shavings, and/or toasted, chopped hazelnuts.