Salmon roasted in butter with herbs

I have always loved sea food. Growing up in the mid-Atlantic meant lots of blue crabs, and summers at the beach with a father who loves to fish meant lots of fresh fillets.  I love clams, shrimp, scallops, and even squid.

But I always hated salmon. Yes, salmon, the fish that fish-haters love. And yet I, a fish-lover, hated it. To me it tasted too fishy and the color weirded me out and I just thought is was...icky.

Unfortunately, salmon is kind of a difficult thing to hate. I've been invited to dinner at friends' houses (or worse--friends' parents' houses) many times only to sit down to a fancy salmon entree. Hard to not eat it when someone's prepared it for you. And of course, there are all the health benefits that I read about every time I open a cooking or health magazine.

So about a year ago I decided that I was going to start liking salmon. I started small: I talked a lot about liking salmon. Yes, I needed to take that baby step to get mentally prepared. Then I ate a few bites from a buffet at a work event. Then I tried my aunt's famous whipped salmon mousse at Christmas. When my uncle seared some salmon and I actually really liked it, I decided it was time to try cooking it myself.

So I bought some salmon. Then, as I always do in times of uncertainty, I turned to Mark Bittman.  And Mark, as he always does, led me to an amazing recipe. It's simple--just salmon roasted in butter with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs sprinkled on top. I added slices of lemon because I love lemon with fish and also because the yellow lemon, green herbs, and pink salmon were pretty. I served it with brown rice and kale sauteed with garlic. It was delicious--and now I can truthfully say that I like salmon!

I could eat kale every day!

Salmon Roasted in Butter

Adapted from How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Some butter (Mark calls for 4 Tbs, I think I used 2)

One 2-3 lb salmon filet (I used a few smaller fillets)

Salt and pepper

Chopped fresh herbs (I used fresh parsley and some dried basil.  Mark says you could use tarragon, chervil, basil, dill, thyme, or a combination.)

Lemon, sliced into rounds

1. Heat oven to 475. Melt butter, either in a saucepan, in the oven as it heats, or (my favorite) the microwave. Pour butter into baking pan.

2. Place salmon in baking pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs. Lay lemon slices on top.

3. Mark says to roast about five minutes, flip, and roast for three to six minutes longer until fish flakes easily. I didn't flip mine, and it cooked a little faster since I used small fillets. Enjoy!

Chicken and Lentils--or, how I discovered coriander

Remember when I gave you updates on my not new years resolutions and said that I had made a new recipe, but hadn't posted about it?  Well, here it is!

It's not beautiful, but it's delicious

This post is an ode to Mark Bittman.

I could write many odes to Mark Bittman, but today's ode to Mark Bittman (we call him Marky-Mark) is to thank him for introducing me to the delightful sensory experience that is coriander.

One evening I was flipping through Marky-Mark's How to Cook Everything looking for ways to feed my obsession with my (sort of) new Dutch oven.  I ran across a simple-sounding recipe called Chicken with Lentils.  I had all the ingredients on hand--except for coriander.

I had never cooked with coriander before--I've always just substituted curry powder, figuring it was mostly the same.  But I had just listened to an episode of The Splendid Table in which Lynn discussed a dish made with coriander, and it had caught my interest.  So I made a quick run to the store and got some.

Well, let me tell you, folks, coriander might be my new favorite spice.  Oh my, it is amazing.  It's rich and a little sweet and fills the house with a cozy, slightly cinnamon-y smell (yes, I think a smell can be cozy).  And it's not the same as curry powder.

And aside from the coriander, this dish was amazing!  It's super hearty since it has chicken and lentils, and the parsley adds a really fresh flavor.

Chicken and Lentils

Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 tbs chopped garlic

1 tbs chopped or graded fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger

1 cup chopped tomato (canned is fine)

1 tsp ground coriander

3-4 lbs chicken (I used breasts because I had them in my freezer)

1 large bunch fresh parsley sprigs, tied together

2 3-inch cinnamon sticks

1 cup dried lentils

salt and pepper

In a Dutch oven (or any large skillet with a lid), saute the onions, garlic, ginger, tomato, coriander, and some salt in the oil for just a few minutes.

Add 4 cups of water, the parsley bundle, cinnamon sticks, and lentils.  Cover the Dutch oven and let simmer for about 30 minutes until the lentils are almost done.

Take out the parsley and add the chicken.  Cook covered until the chicken is cooked through (155-165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh), about 15-25 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Not new year's resolutions updates

I can't believe we're two weeks into March.  That means I'm half-way through the semester (yay!), spring is coming (yay!), and I've been at my job almost a year (longest job I've ever had...).  Also, my birthday is in two months--which sounds great, but my 26th birthday is also the day I get kicked off my parents' awesome health plan and I'm all on my own in the scary world of health insurance.

But that's a different post.

The point of today's post is a progress update on my not new year's resolutions.  Back in February I made a list of 10 goals for February, March, and April, and I thought this would be a good time to revisit that list and see what I've accomplished, what's in progress, and what I've completely forgotten about.

10 goals for February, March, and April

1. Make two new recipes a month out of cookbooks I already own

Well, in February I made one new recipe out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.  I even have photos and the beginning of a blog post about it.  So, mini-goal for March is to do two more recipes and to actually post about the February recipe.

2. Start an embroidery project

Started!  And neglected for a few weeks, but started!  This is another thing I meant to post about....

3. Go to class and do my homework

Success!  I've missed a few classes (who hasn't?), and studying for midterms was a bit overwhelming.  But my papers are in and I think the exams went well, so yay me!

4. Do something active 3x/week (gym or something else!)

For motivation, I signed up for a 5k!  And since I signed up three weeks ago I've actually gone to the gym (almost) every other day.  Feeling good!

5. Follow my new chore chart (a post on this coming up)

So far complete fail, but we're working on it.  Starting this week, I swear!

6. Write and mail three letters

I've written one.  And then it turned into a care package.  That I haven't finished yet.  So it hasn't been sent.  This is a good reminder.

7. Bake a loaf of bread

Okay, this one should be checked off.  I tried--twice.  It turns out that my apartment is too cold at the moment for bread to rise, so this goal is going on hold for a few months.  I was going to post photographic evidence, but Linn cleaned out the bowl, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  I'm going to give myself an honorary check mark.

8. Hang art on walls (I have the art, it needs to go on the walls)

Well, we've figured out where we're hanging the art, it's just not quite up yet.

9. Create an "official" budget with Linn

Linn wanted to take the first step on creating this, and he has started to put some numbers together.  Next step is to have a real chat about it.  Any budgeting advice is appreciated!

10. Plan a vacation!

So far there's only been dreaming....  I think I need to complete #9 first.

http://mcmanuslab.ucsf.edu/SF

http://www.costaricatrees.com/

http://montrealads.net/why-montreal-is-a-great-place-to-visit/

I think I'm doing pretty well!  Almost everything has been started, or at least contemplated.  I'll check-in a few weeks from now with an update.

Have you been following your (not) new year's resolutions?

Not new year's resolutions

I've never made new year's resolutions.  I have a hard time imagining what I'll be doing over the course of an entire year.  Also, I feel like no one really expects to follow through on their new year's resolutions, and that doesn't seem like a good way to start.

I have been thinking, though, that setting some goals would be a good exercise for me.  I think goals would help me structure my time a little better, and possibly help me stay off Hulu.  Since this is my first real goal-setting experience, I'm going to start small, and set ten goals to accomplish in the next three months.

Sneak peek of my new embroidery project!

Some are fun things that I want to do, some are less fun things that I want to want to do, but don't really.  Some are things I'm already working on and some are things that I've been talking about doing for ages.

10 goals for February, March, and April

1. Make two new recipes a month out of cookbooks I already own

2. Start an embroidery project

3. Go to class and do my homework

4. Do something active 3x/week (gym or something else!)

5. Follow my new chore chart (a post on this coming up)

6. Write and mail three letters

7. Bake a loaf of bread

8. Hang art on walls (I have the art, it needs to go on the walls)

9. Create an "official" budget with Linn

10. Plan a vacation!

Do you have goals or new year's resolutions?