BBQ'd Wild Salmon

Hi all:

I made this recipe for dinner last night and wanted to share it with you.  It is super easy and so very delectable. I came up with this because I was bored with other BBQ salmon recipes and wanted something creamy and shrimpy.  Here it is:

Rosie's BBQ'd Wild Salmon

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Wild salmon fillets - I used wild sockeye salmon

1-2 Tablespoons spreadable cream cheese - I used Philadelphia Herb and Garlic

Cooked shrimp

Salt and pepper

Fresh dill weed

Lemon slices

Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Rinse and pat dry, the fish fillets and lay on the foil. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper and torn pieces of fresh dill. ( I once made this with dried dill and it was very good,  but fresh is so much better).

In a small bowl, combine the soft cream cheese (if using a brick of cream cheese, you can soften it in the microwave for a few seconds) with the cooked shrimp. Spread this shrimp mixture onto the fish fillets and top with more torn pieces of dill. No need to chop the dill; just tear off the tender dill ends.

Place another piece of foil on top of the fish and make a foil packet, enclosing the fish and folding the edges to seal in the juices. Place this foil packet onto the BBQ and cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of fish fillets. Check to make sure fish is cooked all the way through before serving. Squeeze some lemon onto the fish before serving. Incredible!

Ok, I am not a photographer and this looks pretty messy, but I guarantee it is really good.

Of course I served it with my broccoli coleslaw I love so much.

I paired the salmon with Siver Sage Pinot Blanc, a really nice white wine with a hint of Granny Smith apple flavour. It is so crisp and light and very refreshing. Even though there are many wineries up here, I  like the wines from Silver Sage the best so far. I actually love every single wine that they make. They are very unique and very flavourful. I am on a constant quest though, to seek out the best wines in this region. I will keep you posted of my discoveries.

Enjoy,

Rosie

Super easy, home-made ice cream

I just had to share this recipe with you all. It isn't my recipe, rather a  daily recipe I received by email from Sarah Carey of Everday Food, with Martha Stewart.  It is so easy and wonderfully decadent, your guests will think you are a dessert genius!

I have made 2 batches up here at the cottage so far and everyone has loved it. My first batch was the original vanilla recipe; fabulous on its own, but I then made a chocolate version. Let's just say    

"buckle up" ; your life will never be the same. I encourage everyone to sign up for daily emails from Sarah Carey. (No, I am not being paid by their website). Her recipes are fabulous and very easy. I have tried a few others and have never been disappointed!

Here is the recipe for No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream ( search for this name on her website: Sarah Carey, Everyday Food).

No-Churn Vanilla Ice cream

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I can sweetened condensed milk (to make a chocolate version, use the new chocolate sweetened condensed milk)

1/8 tsp. salt

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups (heavy) whipping cream

In a medium bowl, mix the condensed milk, salt and vanilla. Mix well, to incorporate all flavours.

In a large chilled bowl, beat the heavy (whipping cream) with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

Fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture, making sure you fold gently and being sure to incorporate all of the heavy milk at the bottom. (If you don't incorporate all of the heavy condensed milk, it will settle down to the bottom and won't have the same consistency, as the rest of your ice cream).

Pour this mixture into a metal loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours. It is OK at 5 hours; I just couldn't wait!!!

It is a divine treat so rich and creamy, you really only need 1 scoop ( but if you have more, I won't tell!)

Of course, since I scooped out this ice cream, I had to eat it. Yum.

Enjoy!

Rosie

Best Salsa Ever!!

Hi all:

I can't take credit for this one. My sister Monika gave me this recipe and I have now gotten many people hooked on it, up here at the cottage.  I can't even count, how many times I make this over the summer. It is also good mixed in with your leftover cooked quinoa and guess what, makes a great salad!! Do I sound like a broken record yet?

Monika's Salsa

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1 can corn - drained (I usually use peaches and cream)

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

1 small red onion - finely diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro - finely chopped

1-2 large ripe tomatoes - finely chopped

1-2 jalapeño peppers - green (diced and de-seeded; do not touch your eyes after doing this)

1 avacado - diced

Juice of 2-3 whole limes

1 sweet red pepper - finely diced

Salt if desired

Mix all together in a container with a lid and store in the fridge.  It tastes even better the next day.

Doesn't this look divine?

Ole!

Rosie

If you are sick of my salads, don't read this post!

Hi all:

I made another delicious salad again today. I love these meals; no cooking, no measuring - just throw in the ingredients.

Rosie's Coleslaw

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1 bag of coleslaw mix - I used Mann's broccoli coleslaw

Cooked chicken - store bought; diced - I used Maple Leaf brand

Craisins 

Dan-D-Pak Traveller's Mix ( has nuts, seeds and dried fruit)

poppy seed salad dressing - I used Kraft

Throw in a handful or two of each item, add 1-2 Tablespoons of dressing and mix all in a bowl.

That's it!! It is delicious, cool and crunchy and very healthy. I make my own poppyseed dressing at home, but opted to use store bought this time.

Here are some pictures.

I love this coleslaw much better than the regular type of plain cabbage coleslaw. It has broccoli, carrots and red cabbage. I think it must be healthier too?

I love the combination of sweet Craisins with the nuts and seeds. Need your vitamin C!

This  Maple Leaf brand chicken is great for salads, sandwiches etc. and there are no preservatives added. It is handy to keep some in your fridge because you can always make a meal with it, in a pinch.

I love Dan-D-Pak mixes. They are tasty and fresh and can add a lot of OOMPH to any dish. This one has dried papaya, raisins and pineapple as well as sunflower seeds, cashews and pumpkin seeds. Yum!

Enjoy,

Rosie

P.S. One would think that I am getting paid for product placement here, but sadly, I am not!

Homemade Tzatziki

Gee, I must have had a lot of coffee today. This is my third post today. I am sitting inside right now as it is too hot to go outside right now. It is 32 degrees but feels like it is almost 40. I was going to go for a bike ride among the vineyards this morning, but I couldn't get my tire pump to work so I nixed that. Fast forward to lunchtime, when I went out and found a different pump at the store. I hope I can make it work for tomorrow. Note to self..... Start your bike ride early!! At 9:30 am, I was already sweating bullets!

Since I am being a little lazy right now, I thought I should give you my easy recipe for the best tzatziki EVER! It works well as a top dressing for anything, including the quinoa salads that I love to make.

Rosie's Tzatziki

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1 English cucumber

1-2 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 tub thick Greek yogourt - plain

Salt

Wash your cucumber. No need to peel. I leave the skin on for extra flavour and vitamins.  Grate the cucumber on the large grate of a box grater. Place the cucumber in a small bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt. Toss and let the cucumber sit in the bowl for about 1/2 hour. (The salt will draw out a lot of the water from the cucumbers which can make your tzatziki too runny). Squeeze out the excess water in the cucumbers, with your hands. Transfer the cucumber to a medium bowl and add the Greek yogourt and crushed garlic. Mix all together. (You don't need a fancy garlic press to crush the garlic. Just peel the cloves of garlic by smashing them with the side of a large knife blade, sprinkle salt on the garlic (this stops the knife from slipping on the garlic)  then crush them with the side of a paring knife, until they are like a paste).

That's it.

Rosie

New jewellry designs

I wanted to share some of my new jewellry designs that I have made recently to sell.  Everything is all about "chunky" these days so I wanted to incorporate that into my designs.

Here are a few of my items.

I hope you like my designs.

Rosie

Quick meal

Hi all:

Up here at the cottage, sometimes the last thing I want to do is cook a heavy meal, especially in this heat.  I love easy, quick, salad-type meals that you can assemble instead of cook. Below is another meal I made recently that fit that bill perfectly.

Quick Salad

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1 box  quinoa - cooked ( I used Casbah brand, Ancient Grain mix)

1/2 red pepper - diced

1 handful Craisins

Cooked chicken ( I used store bought, pre-cooked chicken strips - diced)

Feta cheese

 Cook the quinoa according to package directions. I usually make the entire box at one time and keep the unused amount in the fridge for future meals.

This is a really good blend of quinoa, couscous etc. and has a great texture.

Dice the red pepper and add to some cooked quinoa on a plate. Oh, and have a glass of wine while cooking this. This is a very important step. I love this wine called Sunset, from Silver Sage Winery. It has actual fruit blended with the wine and is absolutely delicious! Does that count for my daily fruit intake in the Canada Food Guide?

Next, add the feta cheese.

Now add the chicken.

Toss in some Craisins.

You are done. Enjoy! It couldn't be simpler right? I don't usually add a dressing to this type of salad as the salty feta and the sweet Craisins are great on their own, but sometimes I add a drizzle of olive oil to add an extra layer of flavour. Add whatever vegetables you like. Cucumbers, tomato, corn and black beans work well also.

Bon apetit!