Salmon Chowder

This chowder is one of those happy accidents that came together entirely without planning or even a recipe. It was cold, I felt like soup, I looked in the freezer and found this package of frozen salmon fillets that I'd been meaning to use...et voila!

When I cook like this, I'm terrible about measuring (meaning I don't measure). I just throw stuff together. But here's my best approximation of what went into this dish:

1 T each olive oil and butter
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 t. salt (possibly more)
1/4 t. black pepper
1 t. dill weed
1 bay leaf
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth
A couple good-sized salmon fillets
1 cup corn
1-2 cups whole milk or half-and-half

Put the olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add celery and carrots and cook for a few minutes. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf and dill and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Sprinkle flour over everything and stir for a minute. Then add broth and stir to mix. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about ten minutes.

At this point, I dumped everything from the pan into the crock pot, added the salmon fillets(uncooked, but defrosted) and the corn, and turned it on high for a couple hours. When that time was up, I broke up the salmon with a spoon into chunks, added the milk, and turned the heat off. And that's it!

This was really yummy, very easy, and didn't taste as "fishy" as I was worried it would. I didn't have potatoes, but I think a couple potatoes diced would be good in this, too.

The results:
Jana: Delish!
Jeff: Ditto!
Charlotte: Took a bite of Jeff's, then asked for her own bowl.

Verdict:
Make it again!

Chicken Rice Casserole

There are a thousand manifestations and variations of this recipe out there, but I've been looking for one for awhile that seems to match the one I remember from my childhood. When I was a kid, this is the dish I would request my Grandma Deur make every year for my birthday dinner. The chicken part is good, but it's the flavor of the rice that I remember particularly. I love the bits around the edge of the dish that get a little bit more done. Mmm.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups minute rice
1 package onion soup mix
1 cup water or chicken broth
Four chicken breasts (split) or eight chicken thighs or mixture (boneless skinless is okay, but bone-in skin-on is more flavorful)
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1 additional cup water or chicken broth

Place uncooked rice in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle soup mix over top, then pour 1 cup of water or broth on top of that. Place chicken on top of rice. In a bowl, mix the soup and the water/broth, then pour over everything.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours (check chicken for doneness at 1 hour; add additional time if necessary).

One of my friends on facebook described this recipe as "Dutch yummy," which I think is particularly apt. Another term might be "midwestern comfort food." These days I tend to shy away from most casseroles, and particularly those that include cream of whatever soup, velveeta cheese, and/or a topping of those fried onions that come in a can. However, many of my favorite recipes from my childhood could be described as "Dutch yummy," featuring one or all of those ingredients. Green bean casserole? Stove top stuffing? I mean, who can begrudge me my memories?

Results:
Jana: Tasted just like I remembered, and that was good.
Jeff: I didn't think he'd like this one, but he went back for seconds.
Charlotte: Ate all of the chicken I gave her, avoiding the rice. I encouraged her to try the rice, and when she did she said "Mmmmm!" loudly, and finished most of that.

The verdict:
Make it again!

My Favorite Salad

I have a couple of other recipes I want to review on here soon, but I'm putting this one up first because it really deserves a place of honor on this site. I am obsessed with this salad. I never tire of it, and I eat it frequently--sometimes more than once a week. It's really simple and is, ultimately, just a boring salad but something about the mingling of flavors is perfect in my book. It's composed of: romaine lettuce, shredded swiss cheese, dried cherries, mandarin oranges, chopped pecans (although I sometimes use those roasted flavored almond slices in the bag instead), and poppyseed dressing. That's it. To make it an entree salad, I add sliced chicken breast.

I'm eating this salad right now.

My favorite dressing for this salad is the Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Fat Free Poppyseed. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's fat-free; that's just a happy coincidence. It's the perfect balance of tangy and sweet and doesn't overpower the rest of the ingredients.

I am such an evangelist for this salad that I encourage each and every one of you (all four of you who read this blog) to make this salad this very week and report back to me how much you love it. DO IT!