Ellie's Lemon Vinaigrette:

This is my mom's everyday, easy salad dressing. It is really fresh and bright, lemony and clean. We had it at dinner on Saturday with the salmon and coconut-cashew rice. This dressing is one of the best dressings and serve it with radicchio and escarole, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  This very simple salad, with its lemony goodness is  nice fresh and a good balance with a heavy, richer  main dish.

Ellie's Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon tarragon, optional

1.2 teaspoon sage, optional

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend until, smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Yum!

Coconut-Cashew Basmati Rice Salad

Coconut-Cashew Basmati Rice Salad

Wow, this salad is so good. It is flavorful, rich, soft and very textured. I love the cashews and the soft, rich coconut milk. Everyone at dinner loved the rice and lucky me, I got the leftovers!  This rice would be great for a BBQ or a Hawaiian dinner. Enjoy this rice salad, I know it will be a favorite in your home. 

Coconut-Cashew Basmati Rice Salad:

3 tablespoons peanut oil, plus 1 tablespoon for the cashews

1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 cups basmati rice, rinse several times in cold water and drained well

salt and fresh pepper

1/4 cup cashews, halved

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups water

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion

1/4 cup grated fresh coconut

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook until soft. Add the drained rice, salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and cook until lightly golden brown. Drain on paper towels.    Place coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the hot liquid to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. When the rice is cooked, remove from the oven and fold in the green onion and coconut. Spoon the rice onto a platter and garnish with the toasted cashews.

Make sure you salt this well, otherwise it can be on the bland side. Yum!

Grilled Salmon with Crunchy, Sweet Mustard Vinaigrette

I went for dinner at my parents house tonight. They just love Bobby Flay's cookbook, Boy Gets Grill. Almost every page is tagged to be made and all of the recipes look good. This salmon was one of the first recipes my parents have made from Boy Gets Grill. It little spicy for me, but very, very good. According to Bobby Flay, this salmon should be served with a coconut-cashew basmati rice.  This rice was awesome, what a soft, but rich flavor and interesting textures. It was perfect.

From Bobby Flay's  Boy gets Grill.

For the Vinaigrette:

3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons coarse- or whole-grain Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salmon:

4 (6- to 8- ounce) salmon fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, with the skin

olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and shallot together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the honey, then the oil, until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The vinaigrette can be made a few hours in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and whisk or shake well before serving.

Salmon:

Heat your grill to high. Brush the fish on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon, skin side down until the skin is lightly charred and crisp. 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the fillets over, reduce heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill and cook until just cooked though, but not falling apart, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the fish to serving plates or a platter and spoon a few tablespoons of vinaigrette over each fillet. Serve immediately.  

Spring?

Where is spring? Where are the flowers and fresh new leaves on the tree. It is almost April! Lafayette is expecting snow in a few days. Don't get me wrong, I love winter. Snow is fresh and quiet, magical and refreshing, it gives you an excuse to curl up with a cup of tea and just watch!  But here in Indiana, we are ready for spring.  So as I look forward to spring, summer even, I will leave you with a few pictures from Nantucket. Enjoy!

Two Cookin' Sisters

Two Cookin' Sister, this place is the coolest! I walked into the adjoining store, The Prairie Street Market. I was told they carried cheese from Fair Oaks Dairy. I had never been there before, it was small and very homey. They had fresh eggs, Brookston chilli and mushroom burgers to name a few. I bought munster and sweet swiss cheese; grilled cheese on challah tonight!  I left to drop the cheese in the car, (I always carry a cooler) and walked into Twin Sisters. 

Wow, I loved this shop at first glance. I saw rows and rows and shelves of beautiful jam jars, art, and trinkets.  This is topping the list for my new favorite place. I bought chocolate raspberry jam, BBQ sauce, and scone mix. Did I mention that everything sold here is made in Indiana! This cool store carries  jams, chutneys, mustard, apple-butter, pickles, salsa, popcorn, pumpkin butter and cake jam to name a few. Everything looked good! Along with local art, they carry hand-blown glass ornaments, pottery, gifts, candles, jewelry and stained glass. It is full of nooks and crannies and everywhere you look,  you see antiques, great gifts and yummy food. I will be back. In true Indiana style this place rocks!

Two Cookin' Sisters Pictures

Heavenly Tropical Ice Tea

Cynthia's Ice Tea

Adapted from Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader

5 family sized tea bags

5 sprigs of fresh mint

1 cup sugar

1 6 oz can frozen lemonade- thawed

2 (11 1/2 oz) cans peach nectar

1/2 tea almond extract

hot and cold water

1 orange, juiced

1 lemon sliced for garnish

ice

Place the tea bags and 3 sprigs of fresh mint into a pottery or glass pitcher and pour in 2 cups cold water. Bring a kettle with 3 cups water to a rolling boil. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags and mint, cover the pitcher with a plate and a towel and let the tea steep 15 to 25 minutes. Remove the tea bags, mint and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Stir in the almond extract, lemonade and nectar. Mix well and pour in 3 more cups of cold water. Serve over ice and garnish with a slice of mint and lemon.  Makes 6 cups.

Balsamic Strawberries

This is really very good over ice cream or cake. You can also substitute red wine for the balsamic vinegar.

1-2 quarts fresh strawberries

1/2 cup good balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon, juiced 

1 orange, juiced

zest from 1 orange

zest from 1 lemon

zest from 1 lime

2 Tbs sugar

Slice the strawberries and mix with the sugar and zest. Stir together well and let sit 1/2 hour.  Mix the strawberries with the fruit juices and balsamic vinegar. Let the strawberries sit out for 1 1/2 hours at room temp, covered with a towel.  Stir and serve. Yum!

Klein Brot Haus

Today I decided to get out of Lafayette. I love living in Indiana, but Lafayette can get on my last nerve.  It is so ugly!  So I grabbed the camera and a cooler and hopped into my car. Destination...Brookston, Indiana. True small town and  main street is not more than 3 or 4 blocks long. My favorite place in Brookston, Klein Brot Haus Bakery. With sweets, treats, homemade soup and bread it is my favorite place to get lunch and pick up homemade bread and sweets. Today I picked up 2 loafs of challah and beef with vegetable soup. I also got a Texas brownie, a buttery croissant, and a pecan bar with coconut that didn't make it to the car. The soup and 1 loaf of challah have now taken up residence in my packed freezer.  Tonight I will make a challah grilled cheese and tomorrow, my favorite cinnamon, vanilla, french toast made with challah. Yum!

2 3/4" slices of challah

1 egg

1 tea cinnamon

1 pinch of salt

3 tea powdered sugar

1 tab unsalted butter

3 tea sugar

1 tea vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk

Mix together the cinnamon, egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Heat skillet at medium-high heat and melt butter.  Soak the 2 slices of challah, both sides, in the milk mixture and put into the hot skillet. The french toast needs around 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Place on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Yum!