Lacquered Salmon

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp Jack Daniels or other whiskey
olive oil
6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the soy sauce and sugar into a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Add the ginger, garlic, and whiskey. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove half the sauce to a container or drizzle over the fish after it is cooked. Set aside. The sauce can be made in advance and rewarmed to make it pourable.

Brush a broiling pan with olive oil. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place them on the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of crushed pineapple over each fillet. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the soy sauce over the top of each fillet. Bake, uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes, until the salmon is pink and slightly firm to the touch. Drizzle with the reserved sauce before serving.

Quick Meatballs and Spaghetti

I just made this one up for supper tonight. Its similar to my hamburger recipe. It's a quick, throw-together meatballs and spaghetti recipe that doesn't take too long to make but tastes really good!

Ingredients:
About 1 lb ( a little more) ground beef
About 1 lb ( a little more) ground turkey
your favorite teriyaki bbq sauce
onion powder
garlic powder
1 egg
Jason's seasoned breadcrumbs
olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
about 1/4 of the empty can filled with water
jar of your favorite marinara sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Angle hair pasta or spaghetti ( I use Barilla Plus whole wheat pasta)

Put the ground beef and turkey in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the teriyaki bbq sauce (about 1/3 cup), egg, breadcrumbs, onion powder and garlic powder (you have to eye ball it, no exact measurements, just sprinkle over meat generously). Form medium size balls.

Coat a large pot with olive oil. Add onions and garlic and saute till soft but not brown. Pour in crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce and enough water to thin out the sauce a little. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs. Cover and simmer until meatballs are cooked, about 30 minutes. Serve over angel hair pasta or spaghetti.

Fresh Corn Salad

It is a bit of work to make this from fresh corn but it is ten times better! Its really worth it. You can substitute canned corn but I'm not sure what the measurement would be.

8 ears fresh corn on the cob
¾ cup diced red onion
5 T cider vinegar
5 T olive oil
¾ tsp kosher salt
black pepper
¾ cup thinly sliced basil leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)
1 avocado, diced (optional)

Cook corn 3 minutes in boiling water. Immerse in ice water. Cut off kernels. Toss with rest of the ingredients and add basil and avocado when ready to serve.

Mojito Limeade

I'm putting this recipe up by request, this is not a usual at dinner time for us, but this is such a good mojito recipe.

Ingredients:
½ cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
2 limes, cut into wedges, plus more for garnish
2 cups crushed ice, plus more for serving
1 cup Lime-Mint Syrup, recipe follows
1 liter white rum
½ cup fresh lime juice
Club soda

Muddle the mint leaves and lime wedges with 2 cups crushed ice in the bottom of a large pitcher. Add Lime-Mint Syrup, rum, lime juice, and more ice. Top off with club soda, to taste. Pour into glasses over ice and serve. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge and mint sprigs, if desired.
with 2 cups crushed ice in the bottom of a large pitcher. Add Lime-Mint Syrup, rum, lime juice, and more ice. Top off with club soda, to taste. Pour into glasses over ice and serve. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge and mint sprigs, if desired.

Lime-Mint Syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 limes, zested
½ cup fresh mint leaves

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime zest and mint, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to infuse the syrup with the flavor of lime and mint. Strain out the mint and zest and refrigerate the syrup, covered, until cold.

Chicken Pineapple Skewers

This can be made outside on the grill or inside on a grill pan. Serve with hot white or brown rice.

Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1.4 cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
1 T mustard
¼ cup brown sugar
2 whole garlic cloves
1 lemon, juiced
8 boneless chicken thighs/breasts, cut into chunks
1 fresh pineapple/canned pineapple chunks
16 skewers, soaked 30 minutes
olive oil
salt and pepper

In saucepan simmer first 7 ingredients and cook until thickened. Thread chunks of chicken and pineapple. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove garlic from sauce and split sauce in half. Brush chicken with sauce and grill, basting regularly. Use reserved sauce for dipping.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is such a yummy soup, its my daughter's favorite! She eats it all up and asks for seconds!

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 large onion, chopped
2 lbs butternut squash, cut up
1½ quarts (6 c) vegetable stock
1 cup half-and-half/soy milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat 4 Tbsp butter small pan over low heat until melted. Add flour and whisk till smooth. Cook 1 minute whisking and remove from heat. Bring stock to a boil and keep warm. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp butter in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 3-5 minutes. Add squash and saute 3-5 minutes more. Stir hot vegetable stock into vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Stir in roux, simmer 30 minutes covered.

Transfer soup in batches to blender, process until smooth. Reheat in pot, stir in half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.