A Pic of me

Here is a fun pic of me while I prepared for Lanay's baby shower. The food was amazing!!!

Crab, Mango, and Avocado Salad

LOVE this simple salad! Great for these hot summer days. Grab a bottle of white wine, and you have a fabulously decadent meal! Nothing celebrates the summertime more......

Crab Mango and Avocado Salad

INGREDIENTS

* 3 tablespoons orange juice
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
* 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, separated into chunks
* 1 large (15- to 16-ounce) mango, peeled, pitted, sliced
* 1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced
* 12 large Boston lettuce leaves

PREPARATION



Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. I used Australian pink salt. Love the delicate flavor with the crab! Mix in onion; let marinate 15 minutes.

Combine crabmeat, mango, and avocado in large bowl. Gently mix in dressing. Overlap ends of 3 lettuce leaves in center of each plate, forming bowl. Mound salad in lettuce bowls and serve.

Yes, it really is this easy! And SO good! Drink your wine with your pinky finger stuck straight out. With a foo-foo salad like this, it is a MUST! LOL!

Summer Melon Salsa

This is so good and so refreshing I just had to share it. I served it at my party last weekend and it was a HUGE hit! Plus, it's easy!

Summer Melon Salsa


* 1 cup cucumber (peeled, seeds out, cut small)
* 3 cups melon ( watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew)
* 1 cup grapes sliced in half
* ½ cup onion (chopped fine - try red or purple varieties)
* ¼ cup lime juice
* 3 T cilantro (fresh is best)
* 2 T chopped hot pepper (like jalapeno)
* 1 tsp salt (sea salt is good here but plain is fine)
* ¼ tsp pepper (fresh ground pops out the taste better)


Mix together and chill for one hour. Serve with delicious chips or as a side to fish and seafood dishes.

Poached King Salmon with Cucumber Beurre Blanc

I love salmon. Pure and simple. This is salmon season, and it is SO available right now. You don't have to pawn your diamonds and get Copper River, either. The King salmon is delicious, as well as the Columbia River. I love salmon that is a bit fatty, as it will yield a moister fish. The reason so many do not like salmon is because they cook it to death. Here is a recipe that will be delicious, and SO impressive. And it's easy, too!

Poached King Salmon with Cucumber Beurre Blanc


This recipe will yield 6 servings, but if you are serving more it is easy to just add a few more fillets. Ideally you will use a whole fish, but if that is too much the fillets will be ok. Try to get the fishmonger to give you the head and tail. You'll need them. If purchasing a whole fish get him too remove the pin bones with tweezers or needle nosed pliers.

6 6-8 oz salmon fillets
4 cups water
1 1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. white peppercorns
1 bunch parsley stems
1 small onion coarsely chopped
1/2 head fennel thickly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 tspn. salt
Cucumber Beurre Blanc * recipe to follow
peeled chopped cucumber

Place head and tail into a stock pot and cover with 4-5 cups of water. Add the wine and the next 6 ingredients. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Return to a pot and stir in the salt. Pour this liquid into a fish poacher. If you don't have a poacher, don't worry about it. Use a 13 X 9 baking pan with a cake rack inside of it.

Bring the liquid to a boil, and add the fish. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Remove the salmon and place on serving plates. Top with Cucumber Beurre Blanc and chopped cucumber. Serve with steamed summer vegetables.

Cucumber Beurre Blanc

4 cups peeled chopped cucumber
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tbspns fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/4 tspn salt
1/8 tspn ground white pepper

Process the cucumber in a food processor until liquefied. Strain and measure 1 cup of liquid. Combine this liquid, cream, and lemon juice in a saucepan, and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until it reduces to about 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. DO NOT OVERHEAT OR IT WILL SEPARATE! Stir in salt and pepper.

Get ready for your guests to kiss your ass. Really. ;)