Friday, May 31, 2013

Bourbon Glazed Salmon

I have taken full advantage of having my mother's kitchen nearby.  "Full advantage" meaning that I've cooked four meals there in the past three weeks, but that's only because we've been lucky enough to go out to restaurants, head down to Florida for a couple of days, and have some suppers that my mama fixed.  I think I've justified my behavior enough now, right?

This morning (because that's when I have free time over at my parent's home) I baked a beautiful wild caught sockeye copper river salmon filet. This (superior) type of salmon can be hard to find, so when I saw the huge fillets at Costco of all places, I got super excited.

Here is an approximated version of my marinade/glaze (makes enough for 2 large salmon fillets):

-2 Tbs grated fresh ginger (or you can buy this wonderful product that comes in a tube and makes life easy)
-8 Cloves fresh garlic, minced
-1 Tbs vegetable oil
-2 Tbs honey
-2 Tbs hosin sauce
-2/3 Cup low-sodium soy sauce
-1/3 Cup water
-1 Cup bourbon (I usually use Jim Beam)
-1/2 Cup of brown sugar, packed
-Sriracha to taste (I use about 2 tsp)
-1 Tbs lime juice
-2 Tbs sesame oil
-8 Green onions finely chopped

Saute the ginger and garlic in the vegetable oil over medium heat in a sauce pot for a minute or so.  Then add all ingredients except for the sesame oil and the green onions. Turn up the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a bubble for at least 5 minutes or until it begins to thicken.  Taste to make sure its to your liking (sweetness, saltiness, etc), and adjust as necessary.  Turn off the heat and add the onions and sesame oil. Pour the glaze into a bowl to cool.

After the glaze has cooled-1) Place salmon fillets in a large plastic zipper bag and pour the glaze over them to marinate for a few hours... this is a delicious idea if you have the time, but ultimately, not necessary. 2) Place the fillets on a foil lined baking sheet with raised sides, pour the glaze over them, and bake at 420 degrees for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes (this is dependent on how thick your fillets are). 3) Remove from oven and allow to rest for a minimum of five minutes... as you wait, you can baste the fillets with the glaze that has pooled in the pan.

This is the final product:


*Note* you can use whichever type of salmon you prefer in this dish, but just remember there really is a big difference between the varieties (Sockeye vs. Atlantic, farmed vs. wild caught). Find something you like!


Thursday, May 30, 2013

Furniture

A couple of things in my life collided during the past few weeks:

1) My affinity for pretty coordinating furniture.

2) My parent's beaten-by-who-knows-how-many-moves furniture.

3) My desire to try new things/tackle new projects.

For those who haven't guessed yet, all of this adds up to me refinishing my first piece of furniture! It will definitely not be my last piece because (for the most part) I really enjoyed the process.

Here are some before and after photos (because that is all anyone really cares about when reading about a project such as this one), and then I'll get to a few tips that I learned along the way.


These are not the greatest before shots, I realize, but you can see the big chip on the bottom left, general scratches and malaise, and the scarring left behind by some truly heinous hardware.

 Close up of the brass hardware... I think I thought it was pretty when I was a toddler. Maybe.
No more scratches, a little darker (to coordinate with my parent's other furniture), and much more contemporary hardware.


 No more chip!


Ok, so this was obviously more akin to a face lift than an extreme make-over (although much more than a couple of Botox injections, if I really need to take this metaphor any further), however, there was a bit of a learning curve to get here.

Products needed:

Citristrip (I liked this product because of the lack of fumes)
Metal Bowl
Plastic Drop Cloth
Odorless Mineral Spirits 
Plastic Scraper
Coarse Stripping Sponges
Fine and Coarse Sandpaper
Paper Towels
Paint Brush (and/or foam brush)
Stain and Polyurethane (or a combination product such as Minwax Polyshades)
Stainable Wood Filler
Putty Knife
Gloves
Mask/Eye Protection for sanding

Things I learned:

-Stripping furniture is messy: have plenty of plastic grocery bags and paper towels available.
-Odorless Mineral Spirits will clean pretty much anything if the mess gets out of hand.
-Minwax Polyshades is a finicky product, and next time I think I'll stick to separate stain and polyurethane products.
-If you must use a combination stain/polyurethane product, foam brushes produce a better result than bristle brushes.
-Hand sanding takes a lot of muscle power... become ambidextrous if at all possible (or get an electric sander... but where is the workout in that!?)
-Cooler weather is better when you are refinishing furniture in a garage

If I remember any other gems, I'll be sure to pass them along!





Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Little Things

We have stayed at a wide array of hotels so far this year.  They have ranged, in my opinion, from mediocre to downright sad.  I have never had a propensity for motels, despite my mother's warnings that being a "hotel snob" was not an endearing quality. However, my standards have yet to be lowered (and perhaps may be reinforced) by the exterior hallways and poor temperature controls that plague the Army, Air Force and Navy lodging.

My expectations, which were realistically low in January, have now become non-existent.  This jaded mentality has been one of the best additions to my repertoire of military-medical-student's-wife tricks to get through anything with a smile on my face.  Now, the little things that would normally make my day a little better seem downright magical.

Example: The Keurig

Anyone that was around when we began receiving wedding gifts last year knows that I raved about a little coffee-making appliance called the Keurig. I was so enchanted (read: caffeinated) that I convinced nearly everyone in my vicinity to buy one.

Mine was this dainty little model...

Then, when it came time for the storage unit to steal all of our belongings for the year, the Keurig (along with my caffeine habit) and I parted ways... until we moved into the Navy Gateway Inns and Suites in Portsmouth, VA, two weeks ago! I saw this little beauty when we walked in:




As an added bonus, housekeeping leaves the tray to the right of the Keurig stocked with k-cups at all times. I don't want to lose ground in my fight against caffeine, so I've stuck to the decaf and black tea options for now... but I have the feeling that another 5 AM morning in the near future might cause me to relapse. It's a slippery slope...

But for now, I'm keeping it positive and enjoying being reunited with one of my favorite appliances. Enjoy the little things everyone!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Juicing

While I was in Jacksonville, Florida, resting and recuperating at the home of my fabulous in-laws, my mother-in-law and I decided to break in her juicer.  She had been saving it in her cabinet for over a year... just waiting for the right time to give it a whirl ;)


As complete novices, her juicer (the Jack LaLanne something or another) is perfect.  There were a few learning curves to it, but overall it's really easy to use and easy to clean. Anyone that says they don't use their juicer because it is too hard to clean has obviously never had to use their bathtub as a sink and their toilet as a disposal. 

However, I would never attempt to use a juicer in a hotel room (blender, yes; juicer, no way).  As tempting as the fresh veggie and juice blends are (and they REALLY are addicting!), 1) I would not have the fridge space for all of the veggies, fruits, or juices; 2) I could not efficiently clean the darn thing using the aforementioned bathtub/toilet method; 3) I don't have an adequate work surface; 4) It produces some pretty aggressive sounds and I'd rather not deal with noise complaints.

So, for now, I will juice with my mother-in-law in Florida and dream about having an apartment that can accommodate such activities.

Enough of the back-story... here are a few pictures of the beautiful juices we made:





You might notice the Tervis mugs we use.  Basically anything with a lid that fits under the spout of the juicer will work, and I recently found a good deal on these 21oz Luminarc glasses that I will use once I am able to set up my own juicing mecca.


And here are just SOME of the fruits and veggies that go into them:


Writing this is making me hungry... you wouldn't believe how filling/satisfying one of these juice concoctions is until you try one! 

So there you have it... Go out and buy a juicer!! I know they can be expensive (upwards of $400 if you look at the high-end versions), but you can find the Jack LaLanne or something similar for $70 or less! My MIL got hers for $10 at a yard sale! The results from juicing are really remarkable.  When I was drinking 2-3 juices every day, I noticed positive changes in my sleep, skin, energy level and mood.  Must be all those yummy vitamins :)

I'll post individual recipes for my favorite juices soon, so if you see a post with a color for a title (i.e. orange, green, or red), get excited!



 
 

The End of a Long Hiatus

Hey y'all! I am terribly sorry for the extended pause in my posts while I dealt with some health issues (all is well thanks to the marvelous Dr. Lipari).  I know this blog is probably the most important and exciting part of your day, so never fear, I'm back :)

The last time I wrote we were in Fort Bragg, NC.  Needless to say, we are not there any longer (however, we did discover the moniker of that Army base- "All the Way"... I think its an airborne thing, but Michael and I really did get a kick out of it when they would shout it at us when we drove on base).  Because I was dealing with some health issues and Michael was handling a pretty hectic schedule, we did not enjoy Fort Bragg as much as we may have otherwise.  Here is one instance of getting out and enjoying Fayetteville a bit:

We went to Joe's Crab Shack once, right after Michael finished with work for the day.  The food was nothing spectacular, but my margarita that came in a mason jar was AWESOME!  My mom and sister have had the mason jar margarita on separate occasions and rave about it, too... we know a good marg :)

Since leaving Fort Bragg at the end of March, we have spent time in Bethesda, MD, Jacksonville, FL, Biloxi, MS, New Orleans, LA, and the Bahamas.  Some of those were dictated by the Army, and others were dictated by some time off and vacation... you can guess which is which :) There are so many things that I want to blog about from that time period, so I'm going to attempt some catch-up.  Here are a few topics for which you can keep an eye open:

Juicing
Home Decorating (Homegoods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls centric)
The Commanders Palace/Cafe du Monde/The French Quarter
Indian Recipes
Other Recipes
Lazy Magnolia Brewing
Royal Caribbean Cruise
My 24th Birthday
Furniture Refinishing
The Beau Rivage
The Shed BBQ
The Still
Weddings

One thing y'all won't be hearing about anytime soon is crock-pot cooking.  I haven't (completely) given up on the appliance yet, but it was banned at our last location (Biloxi, MS) and our current one also.  Right now, luckily, I have access to a kitchen at my parent's home, which is 15 minutes away.

We are now in Portsmouth, VA, where we will be located for the next 4 weeks. I'm really enjoying being close to my parents, who live in Norfolk, despite the lack of AC in our Navy Gateway Inns and Suites room, and my husband is thoroughly enjoying having a light schedule while he rotates through General Internal Medicine and Sub-specialties outpatient.

I promise it won't be another two months before I post again!!