Mom's Hushpuppies + Sriracha Dipping Sauce

I'm finally back in Denver. After a month of what ended up being a pretty dreamy visit with friends and family I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. My garden is huge so expect lots of zucchini/cucumber/chard/tomato/herby posts. For now, check out my most recent post on Whole Home News. These are hushpuppies (my mom's recipe) with Sriracha dipping sauce. Pretty killer. Click here for the full post/recipe.

Bouquet of Lettuce

I'm excited to update you all on what I've been up to the past few weeks and to give you a brand new recipe on Wednesday!

Cocktail Friday: Cucumber Basil Gimlet

There has never been a time when leaving my family behind in Minnesota as I fly (or sometimes drive) to wherever I happen to be living at the time is easy. It's just not an easy thing to do. Saying "good bye" or "see you later" or any other form of that sentiment is my least favorite thing to do. I had a happy childhood growing up where I did. My parents, sister and I got along wonderfully 99% of the time and still do. I love Minnesota with it's many lakes, green summers and snowy white, bitterly cold winters. I love it all.

Cucumber Basil Gimlet Recipe :: Set the Table

Yes, leaving is difficult. It used to seem like a bad thing until I realized something: the fact that I have a family that I love to spend time with and a beautiful place to visit and relive childhood memories makes me one of the luckiest people ever. I'm glad that I'm sad to leave instead of itching to go. And when I am back in Minnesota, I get to enjoy views like this one from the comfort of my parents' backyard:

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So, for my last Cocktail Friday post from Minnesota (until next time) I'm sharing a drink made with fresh ingredients from my parents' garden. My mom picked the basil, I think Riley may have picked the cucumber (whenever he doesn't pick a green tomato we have a mini celebration), and the flavors work wonderfully with some Minnesota vodka and fresh lime juice.

Cucumber Basil Gimlet :: Set the Table

I never know for sure when I'll be back, but I always know that when I'm with my family we will laugh til we cry, eat good food, and generally love one another as we always have.

Cheers to that.

Colorado, I'll see you soon!

Cucumber Basil Vodka Gimlet :: Set the Table

Cucumber Basil Gimlet

Ingredients

• 4 cucumber slices (plus extra for garnish)
• 5 or 6 basil leaves
• 1 oz lime juice
• 3 ounces vodka (I prefer Prairie vodka)

Instructions

1. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber slices and basil leaves with the lime juice. Add the rest of the ingredients, fill the shaker with ice, and shake for about 30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.

Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwiches

I'm enjoying my last few days in Minnesota. My parents and sister have been spoiling me by helping out with Riley so I can spend some time on my own. What a gift. I feel like I'll be returning to Denver feeling refreshed and ready to get back to the day-to-day business of being a stay-at-home mom, blogger and wife. It may have taken nearly 3 weeks, but vacation mode finally set in and allowed me to relax.

During my first week in Minnesota, my mom and I went to Stillwater. We enjoyed lunch outside on a sunny rooftop patio, walked around and browsed shops, and treated ourselves to a delicious ice cream sandwich. (Ice cream sandwiches conjure memories of elementary school softball games on hot August nights and anticipation of summer's end and a new school year.) The café that made the ice cream sandwiches had a DIY approach, so you could pick any ice cream and any cookie combination. We went with cream cheese ice cream sandwiched between snickerdoodle cookies. After the first bite, I knew I had to recreate the creamy, slightly tangy ice cream.

I followed through on my vow to recreate the ice cream (and of course added my own twist to it) during Riley's nap time the other day. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I used store-bought cookies rather than making my own. I'm on vacation, people!

My cream cheese ice cream is luxurious, with a slight tang similar to cheesecake and some warmth from a little cinnamon. The cookies were good, but next time I would make my own so I could have more control over the thickness and overall size. These, as you can see in the photo above, were very large and didn't showcase the ice cream the way I wanted. The good news? We have more ice cream. And 3 more days of vacation. So I can experiment with other combinations.

Homemade (mostly) ice cream sandwiches are the perfect way to celebrate these last sweet days of summer.   What ice cream/cookie combination would you like to try?

Cream Cheese Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 11 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the heavy cream and whole milk until steam begins to rise and small bubbles form around the edges (approximately 175 degrees F). Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add it to the saucepan and stir until dissolved. Take a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of the hot liquid and whisk it into the eggs. Add the egg mixture to the pan, lower the heat and stir constantly for a minute or two.
2. Over low heat, cook the milk and egg mixture until it reaches about 160 degrees F. It should coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours (you can speed up the process by first placing it in the freezer for about 30 minutes then moving it to the fridge).
3. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
4. Place two cookies upside down on a work surface. Place one scoop of slightly softened ice cream in the center of one cookie. Top with the second cookie and press carefully until you have an easy to handle sandwich. Smooth the edges with an offset spatula or butter knife if you wish. Return to the freezer for half an hour before serving.

Cocktail Friday: St. Germain Cocktail + Smoked Salmon

I spent last weekend in Duluth, Minnesota with my parents. If you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw a barrage of Lake Superior photos, pictures of the tall ships that were visiting, and a few shots of food and drinks. It was a wonderful, albeit short, getaway that gave Riley and me some quality time with my parents. My dad and Riley spent some time throwing rocks into the chilly waters of Lake Superior. Riley and my mom held hands walking up and down the board walk. We made some wonderful memories.

One of my favorite traditions from past trips to Duluth is buying smoked fish at one of the local shops. For this trip, I decided on pepper-crusted smoked salmon. It's full of flavor and goes perfectly with a luxurious triple cream cheese (from France), an aged white cheddar (from Iowa), and a $1 sleeve of saltine crackers. We enjoyed these tasty snacks with an elegant, floral cocktail: St. Germain with Prosecco. It's a lovely aperitif to serve for happy hour at home, or to mix together for a summer gathering.

St. Germain Cocktail

There are more involved ways to make this cocktail, but I decided to keep it simple. Dry, bubbly Prosecco (or Champagne) is perked up with some elderflower liqueur and a thin slice of lemon. There is really no reason to write a recipe, but in case you need help with quantities I've put a recipe below.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Cheers!

St. Germain Cocktail

Makes 2 cocktails

• 2 oz. St. Germain
• Prosecco or Champagne, chilled
• lemon slices

Put one ounce of St. Germain in each Champagne glass. Fill the glass with the chilled bubbly. Add a lemon slice. Serve.

Comfort Food Friday at Whole Home News

My newest Comfort Food Friday post is up at Whole Home News! Click here for the recipe for Cheesy Polenta with Pesto and a Fried Egg. So. Delicious.

Simple Poached Salmon Recipe

The past 2 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. Brad, Riley, Decorah-the-dog and I got in the car at 5:30am on July 13th and drove until about 10:00pm. Riley slept a total of 20 minutes the whole day. Decorah-the-dog bolted out of the car at a gas station and got hit by a car (she's fine, thankfully) and we all felt a little bit of "what on earth were we thinking?" as we drove through Nebraska and into Iowa. But that night, we stayed with some dear friends from our Luther College days. That was all we needed to remind us that this trip was going to be worth it in so many ways. The next morning, we lingered at our friends house after enjoying some scrambled eggs, avocado, and toast (my favorite breakfast combo!), and headed further east. We spent the next night in Indiana with some family that we rarely get to see. The next day, we drove north to Saugatuck, Michigan to stay with friends we met in Tokyo. They have a summer home there and are very close to the lake. We spent time chatting about our days in Japan, wondering what the coming years will hold for us all, and feeling determined to make this trip a yearly event.

For the most part, the majority of the trip went smoothly. We had a few bumps in the road but we all made it from Michigan to Minnesota in one piece, even after getting lost on the Upper Penninsula in Michigan at 1:00am. It's scary-dark there at night. There are no street lights, very few buildings, and when there is a bridge closed things get very complicated, as we found out.

Family Portrait @ Lake Michigan

In spite of all the bumps in the road, we have made some wonderful memories on this trip. I got to meet up with some blogger buddies, which was SO great. Living in Japan, I found myself wishing that I could meet more people from the blogging community in person. (It's a little difficult when you live on the other side of the globe.) So this was a great thing to be present for. We enjoyed a little lunch, some cocktails, and got to know each other a little better. Thanks to Kristen from Dine & Dish, Liz from The Lemon Bowl, and Sheila from Eat 2 Gather for being so nice and welcoming!

Torch Lake

Decorah Swimming in Michigan

Now, Riley and I are in Minnesota with my parents, Brad and Decorah-the-dog have gone back to Colorado, and we are soaking in what little is left of summer. We just got back from Duluth yesterday, which was magical as always. I'll write more about that later. For now, I want to share one of my new favorite ways to prepare salmon: poached. It's light, simple, and healthy with lots of fresh flavor using seasonal ingredients. I have always loved salmon. It was one of my favorite foods in Japan, too. We would have it at least once a week at our house and it was always the first type of sushi we would order. You can't go wrong with a classic, right? Riley loves salmon too, which is great because it has so many good things in it to help him grow. That makes everyone happy!

Salmon Monster!

He's huge, isn't he? He'll be 2 years old in 4 months. FOUR MONTHS. Just sayin'.

Salmon for Poaching

This salmon is poached in white wine, a tiny bit of butter, and lots of fresh herbs. I use whatever is available, but I've written my favorite combination in the recipe below. From start to finish, this takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and dirties very few dishes (always a plus at my house).

All you need is a skillet with a lid and you're all set!

Herbs for Poaching Liquid

Poached Salmon Recipe

How to Poach Salmon

I used salmon without the skin, which worked well in my nonstick skillet. Skin-on is the more traditional way to go, but either way will work beautifully. If you have salmon that has an especially low amount of fat in it, I would suggest adding a touch more butter to the poaching liquid but that is totally optional.

Incidentally, this meal is the perfect light solution to dinner after a long road trip. Perfect with a salad of mixed greens, blueberries, and Gorgonzola cheese.

Simple Poached Salmon

Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

• 1 lb salmon fillets or large piece of salmon
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 bunch fresh chives
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
• salt and black pepper

Season the salmon with salt and black pepper.

In a large, nonstick skillet, combine the wine, water, butter and herbs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the salmon, skin side down if it has skin, and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the salmon and how done you'd like it.

Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.