I rarely cook any type of fish at home, unless I’m entertaining, because my kids don’t like any of it. But I spied this super simple recipe for teriyaki salmon recently and decided to make it anyway, haters be damned. It seriously took less than fifteen minutes to make and was delicious served over steamed rice. Swipe left for the recipe - I made it as written but subbed Japanese cooking wine for the sake because I googled for a substitute while standing in the Asian grocery store because I was too cheap to buy sake for one recipe that I may or may not love. The cooking wine was listed as an acceptable substitute and it seemed to do the trick! Oh! And I also removed the skin. If you like salmon, save this recipe when you want a simple and healthy way to make it.
“If you can’t control your woman, you’ve fou “If you can’t control your woman, you’ve found a good one.” I told someone last week that I feel pretty much like a plant … needs plenty of sunshine and fresh air, occasional watering and feeding, and a steady stream of kind words. It’s not really that complicated. 💛
Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

A Little Bit of Havana

April 19, 2005 · Narrative

The Husband is Cuban and every once in awhile, I do a Cuban-themed dinner for him. Tonight I made Pasta de Queso Crema Bocaditos (Cream Cheese and Olive Filling Tea Sandwiches) and Picadillo. He makes Picadillo himself upon occasion, but tonight, I was trying out a new recipe.

I’ve made the Bocaditos before — a yummy, simple starter to a meal that you can fill all sorts of different ways. The olive one is popular, as is Ham Filling, Chicken Filling and even Chicken and Asparagus Filling. The recipe for them comes from The Husband’s favorite cuban cookbook, Memories of a Cuban Kitchen. The cookbook is completely devoid of pictures (I hate that!), but we’ve been pretty successful with her recipes.

Tonight’s version of Picadillo comes from A Taste of Cuba (another underutilized cookbook – I’m getting better at this!). Served over rice, it was delicious! Only thing I would do is add some chopped green olives to it. Our usual recipe for Picadillo calls for them, and we like the slight saltiness it brings to the dish.

I’ll leave you with the Top 10 Ways to Serve Balsamic Vinegar, as dictated by Simple Perfect Italian magazine (2005).

1. Splash over fresh berries. (Cate: Mmm, Michael Chiarello has a delicious recipe for Straberries Pazzo … strawberries marinated with balsamic vinegar and black pepper, served with mascarpone and biscotti. Simply divine. You can get the recipe here.)

2. Stir into a sweet sauce served with pork.

3. Pour over Brie (Cate: never done that before, but sounds intriguing!).

4. Mix with fresh spinach.

5. Toss with tomatoes, onions and mozzarella chunks.

6. Sizzle in scallops.

7. Make into a marinade for chicken or duck.

8. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream.

9. Blend with pasta al dente.

10. Sprinkle atop crisp grilled vegetables (Cate: tastes great over roasted asparagus!).

Pasta de Queso Crema Bocaditos
Cream Cheese and Olive Filling Tea Sandwiches
One 8-oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped, drained dimientos
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly by hand. Cover and refrigerate until ready to spread. When ready to serve, making sandwiches by spreading on firm white bread (I use Pepperidge Farm’s firm sandwich bread), top with another slice and cut into triangles.

Picadillo
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minces
2 pounds lean ground beef
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons capers
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes until the onions are softened, then add the beef. Break up the meat into small pieces while you stir the ingredients. Cook 8-10 minutes, until the meat is lightly browned and cooked through. Add the tomatoes and cumin, cover and reduce heat toe medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the capers and simmer 5 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain some of the juice and serve hot over rice.

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    April 19, 2005 at 6:36 pm

    Yum…Cuban food!
    Granted, I didn’t even know about Cuban dishes before I met Matt (smalltown, USA, thank you very much…fish fries on Fridays, sauerkraut on New Year’s day…nothing too exciting), but once I learned about it, I was intrigued.

    There’s an awful lot of pork or other meat flavoring, but I try to work around it. And Matt’s more than willing to try my experiments…thanks for the book recommendations; I’m never sure how good a book really is when I look at it. If you’re hubby’s satisfied, I’ll take that as a positive review!

    And I had The Best baslamic vinegar at Dromoland Castle, served with a simple but fabulous salad of greens, avocado and fresh buffalo mozzarella…it was thick and sweet and syrupy. Oh, man…

    Reply

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I rarely cook any type of fish at home, unless I’m entertaining, because my kids don’t like any of it. But I spied this super simple recipe for teriyaki salmon recently and decided to make it anyway, haters be damned. It seriously took less than fifteen minutes to make and was delicious served over steamed rice. Swipe left for the recipe - I made it as written but subbed Japanese cooking wine for the sake because I googled for a substitute while standing in the Asian grocery store because I was too cheap to buy sake for one recipe that I may or may not love. The cooking wine was listed as an acceptable substitute and it seemed to do the trick! Oh! And I also removed the skin. If you like salmon, save this recipe when you want a simple and healthy way to make it.
“If you can’t control your woman, you’ve fou “If you can’t control your woman, you’ve found a good one.” I told someone last week that I feel pretty much like a plant … needs plenty of sunshine and fresh air, occasional watering and feeding, and a steady stream of kind words. It’s not really that complicated. 💛
Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?

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I rarely cook any type of fish at home, unless I’m entertaining, because my kids don’t like any of it. But I spied this super simple recipe for teriyaki salmon recently and decided to make it anyway, haters be damned. It seriously took less than fifteen minutes to make and was delicious served over steamed rice. Swipe left for the recipe - I made it as written but subbed Japanese cooking wine for the sake because I googled for a substitute while standing in the Asian grocery store because I was too cheap to buy sake for one recipe that I may or may not love. The cooking wine was listed as an acceptable substitute and it seemed to do the trick! Oh! And I also removed the skin. If you like salmon, save this recipe when you want a simple and healthy way to make it.
“If you can’t control your woman, you’ve fou “If you can’t control your woman, you’ve found a good one.” I told someone last week that I feel pretty much like a plant … needs plenty of sunshine and fresh air, occasional watering and feeding, and a steady stream of kind words. It’s not really that complicated. 💛
Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!

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