Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce

This is one of my favorite recipes for salmon. I believe that I originally found it on Martha Stewart's website. It is nice to serve at a dinner party because it is quick to fix leaving you plenty of time to spend with your guests. Find a nice white wine to serve with it. Personally, I like a Riesling. Hope you enjoy it!

Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce

1 large skinless salmon fillet (1 1/2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Roast until opaque throughout, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add wine, and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in chives; season with salt and pepper. With a fork, gently break salmon into large chunks, and serve topped with white-wine sauce.

Sauteed Spinach with Feta Cheese and Pine Nuts

This is one of my favorite ways to serve spinach. The main thing to remember when cooking fresh spinach is that it wilts down to almost nothing. Make sure that you buy plenty of spinach! It makes up fast so it's a good side dish for a busy day.

Sauteed Spinach with Feta Cheese and Pine Nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bags (5 ounces each) baby spinach
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup feta, crumbled (2 ounces)
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic. Add as much spinach as will fit in pan; season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, until spinach is tender, tossing spinach and adding more to skillet as space becomes available. Remove from heat; drain off excess liquid. Stir in feta, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Serves 4.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

This week I have been sorting through old pictures and old recipes. I came across this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Wings that the family greatly enjoyed in the past. I'm not sure when or how it fell out of favor, but it's time that recipe move to the front of the book again.

Hope your enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Wings

16 chicken wings
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups blue cheese
1 cup Hellmans mayonnaise
¾ cup sour cream
2 Tbsp milk
¾ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ tsp black pepper

Cut the chicken wings in thirds, cutting between the bones. Discard the wing tips. Melt the butter and add the cayenne, Tabasco, and salt. Put the wing on a sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter. Broil them about 3 inches below the heat for 8 minutes. Turn the wings, brush them again with the butter, and broil for 4 more minutes or until cooked.

For the sauce, place the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until almost smooth.

Serve the chicken wings hot or at room temperature with the blue cheese dip.

Frozen Beer Margaritas

In south Texas, October means that one can venture outdoors again without sweltering. That means we can eat outdoors on the patio again. This week I will be pulling up all the plants that burned to a crisp in the heat this summer and planting a few things that reflect the fall color. As soon as that is done, we will be ready for family gatherings on the patio. While we wait for the steaks to grill we enjoy a south Texas style cocktail. This recipe for frozen beer margaritas is easy to make and delicious to drink. Hope you enjoy dining outdoors this fall as much as I do!

Frozen Beer Margaritas

1 – 6 ounce can frozen limeade
¾ limeade can of tequila
½ to 2/3 limeade can of beer (do not use dark beer)

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth adding ice as needed.

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Sandwiches

These sandwiches are SO good! If you are looking for a quick meal to fix on a week night, then this is the one. Stove top to dinner table is about 30 minutes. Add a fruit salad and some french fries and dinner is complete. Those of you who love seafood po'boys will love this sandwich for sure!

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Sandwiches

3 T. yellow cornmeal
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
4 tilapia fillets
1 T. canola oil
2 avocados
2 T. diced red onion
juice of 1/2 lime
1 T. chopped fresh cilantro
sliced tomatoes
leaf lettuce
4 french bread sandwich rolls

Peel and seed the avocados. In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Stir in the diced onion, lime juice and cilantro. Set aside. Heat a large skillet and 1 T. canola oil over medium heat. Mix the cornmeal and spices together in a container large enough to be able to lay the fish. Dry the fish with paper towels, then dredge the tilapia in the cornmeal mixture. Shake off excess. Lay fish in the hot skillet and cook about 3 minutes, and then turn over. Cook about 3 more minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fish from skillet to a platter. Toast the sandwich rolls under the broiler if desired.
To assemble the sandwiches;
Spread the avocado mixture over each roll half. On the bottom half, lay the fish fillet, then a couple of tomato slices and the leaf lettuce. Top with other half of roll. Open mouth and insert sandwich! Enjoy!