Sleep, Scones, and Salmon

Yesterday was the day of S’s. We are in sleep training mode and my precious butterball Drake, took not one, but 2 naps in his crib! Huge accomplishment! For all of you parents who ever thought co-sleeping was a sweet and cuddly way for you and yours to bond with your baby…BEWARE…do not do it! It is precious and sweet and all that jazz, but there comes a point when you want YOUR bed back. And although you love that little angel sleeping peacefully between you and your husband, enough is enough! Let me get down and dirty for a minute, the ‘ we will just roll him to the side’ technique works less and less the older he gets; yes I did just throw caution into the wind and put that out there for the world to read. It’s the cold hard truth.




Rosemary Strawberry Scones…hello heaven. They are amazing. I just discovered the recipe last week and have already made 3 batches, not recommended if you are counting calories. The recipe is below, they are from Giada De Laurentiis, one of my muses I might add. Don’t be afraid of the lemon glaze. I used it sparingly with the first batch, thought it made the scones less attractive. It dries almost clear and adds so much flavor…the words ‘too much of a good thing’ are not in my vocabulary, douse them in it!

Rosemary Strawberry Scones

Scones:

* 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
* 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/3 cup strawberry jam

Glaze:

* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 to 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Special equipment: a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter

For the scones: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, salt, and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch thick, 10-inch circle. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out heart-shaped pieces of dough and put on the prepared baking sheet. Gently knead together any leftover pieces of dough and roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into more heart shapes and add to the baking sheet. Using an index finger or a small, round measuring spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each pastry heart. Spoon a heaped 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer the cooked scones onto a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.


For the glaze: In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add the water until the mixture is thin enough to spread. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes. Serve or store in an airtight plastic container for 2 days.


Cook's Note: The dough can also be made by hand by stirring together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.



And to end the day, we had salmon. A new recipe I tried from the October 2009 issue of Bon Appetit, one of my fav magazines. It is an easy, delicious, one pot meal. Scott are you reading, you would like this recipe. Perfect for a hardworking man like yourself; little prep time and no frilly stuff required.

Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon

Calories: 473 Fat: 14 g Fiber: 5 g….and it’s healthy! Thank you Bon Appetit for putting that in the recipe.

· ¼ C fresh lime juice, about 2-3 limes

· 2 T finely grated lime peel

· 2 T honey

· 2 T chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for seasoning

· 4 t soy sauce

· 1 T olive oil

· ¾ C sliced shallots (about 3 shallots)…you can also use red onion, which I did and I used a lot more than ¾ C probably more like 2 C, added lots of flavor

· 1 ½ C basmati rice

· 3 ¼ C chicken broth

· skinless salmon filet…I used a whole piece of salmon. The recipe calls for 4 5-to-6 ounce filets

· 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed….good luck finding that in my neck of the woods, I used plain old broccoli crowns

Preheat oven to 450 degress. Whisk lime juice, lime peel, honey, cilantro, and soy sauce in small bowl; set aside.

Heat oil in a large deep ovenproof skillet with lid (I used a Le Creuset dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add shallots (or onion) and begin sauté until they begin to soften and brown. Stir in rice, then chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cover tightly with lid; place in oven and bake 10 minutes (rice will be almost cooked through and most of broth will be absorbed, mix in more broth by ¼ cupfuls if dry).

Remove skillet from oven. Sprinkle rice lightly with salt. Salt and pepper salmon and arrange on rice, pressing in lightly. Tuck broccolini in around fish with stems anchored in rice. Spoon 1 T lime mixture over salmon. Cover skillet tightly and return to oven; bake until salmon is just opaque in center and broccolini is crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle remaining lime mixture over the fish and rice, sprinkle with additional cilantro and serve from skillet.



Bon Appetit mon petite Teacup!:)