Salmon with Spring Salsa

It's official.  Salmon is mmmm-mmmm good.  Baked, poached, broiled, grilled, in sushi, you name it.  And it's got all those tasty omega-3 what-nots that makes it so darn good for you.  We eat it regularly.

We had it tonight - roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. 

I found a yummy recipe for "Spring Salsa" from Southern Living that I modified a bit by adding some canned black beans - and it was perfect alongside/on top of the salmon.  So fresh, so easy to make. . . and it would be divine with just tortilla chips.  Oooh, you could add a bit of diced avocado to it, as well. I am already dreaming of variations.

Toss a little arugula with some vinaigrette and blue cheese and added a dinner roll and - voila!  The perfect May meal.

Try this!  You won't be sorry.

Spring Salsa   (adapted from Southern Living, May 2011)
1-1/2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped (cherry work well here)
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
1/2 - 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients, cover, and chill until ready to serve.

So what's with all this Royal Wedding hype?

Cynics and smart alecks (and lots of manly types, too) were muttering this on Friday.

I'll admit that I only DVRd the wedding and watched it a day later (horrors!) and that, unlike many of my friends, I was far from interested back in 1981 when Charles and Diana married.

But something hit me this weekend, as I was tearing up watching the pomp and pageantry of the wedding of the (now) Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

I wondered. . . Why do billions of people respond the way they do to this event?   It may be because we love traditions, or because Kate and William seemed to happy and hopeful, or because we secretly harbor desires to "be British." 

I think it's something more.

As the Bishop of London delivered the sermon, he spoke of the marriage of a man and a woman being a reflection of the marriage of Christ and His church.   The husband and wife are to love and respect each other, and are to fulfill certain God-ordained roles within marriage - this is an earthly symbol of how our Savior loves us and gave Himself up for us and how we, the church, submit to and love Him.  It is also a picture of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.

 Ephesians 5 ²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
 ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

What hit me was this:  If a wedding is a reflection of these relationships, then THIS particular wedding is pretty much the best dog-gone attempt we will ever see on Earth to mirror this "mystery" as the Bible calls it.  We humans cannot put on a showier show than this - the royal wedding is our best, most beautiful effort at illustrating the covenant relationship between God Almighty and His people. . . our best effort at demonstrating, at least symbolically, and with earthly trappings, the true "Royal Wedding" of Jesus and us, His bride.  Whew.

I had another "a-ha" moment.  We emotionally respond to the Royal Wedding because there is something in us (namely the Spirit Himself, because we are made in His image) that responds to TRUTH, BEAUTY, and GOODNESS.  It's the same reason why we are moved when we hear a symphony, or read a classic work of literature, or see a child's innocent smile.  Now, we may not be able to verbalize (or even actually recognize) why were are moved, but these things are true, beautiful, and good, and they stir our hearts. 

And you may be a pessimist or a postmodernist or just simply a sourpuss and believe that nothing is beautiful - but somewhere deep down, it stirs you. 

Christian weddings are the same.

A few of my current favorite things

Go ahead, cue the song from The Sound of Music. 

7.  blooming Confederate Jasmine

I'm pretty confident that this wouldn't smell so intoxicating if it were named "Yankee Jasmine."  Just sayin'. . .


6.  The Steve Harvey Morning Show

Apparently, Steve has found Jesus and cleaned up his act.  I wouldn't know because I was never a fan of his stand-up or movies.  But I faithfully listen to his morning radio program - and am usually laughing so hard that I am literally running off the road.  He calls it like it is.  I like people like that. 

5.  Mar Y Sol handbags
Does it get ANY cuter?  http://www.shopmarysol.com/  

4.  Masterpiece Theatre 

If loving Masterpiece is wrong, I don't wanna be right.  It's the final bastion of civility on television.

3.  Ipod shuffle
It has NO bells and whistles and is so-very-last-decade.  It doesn't stream video or send emails or commune with extra-terrestrials. But my shuffle takes me through my afternoon walks, loaded up with Jamiroquai and Stevie Wonder and AC/DC.  I love you, little shuffy.


 


2.  U-pick strawberries

Bliss.  http://www.cottlefarms.com/strawberries.htm

1.  my Darling, my Man

This won't be a "current" fave, but a lifetime one.  None of the usual cliches apply to him - he never leaves his socks on the floor, he does just as much housework as I do, and he always does what he says he will do. I still get giddy when I hear him mention my name.  How did I get so lucky?

The Squeal Heard 'Round the Neighborhood

Ahhhh, orchids. They require little care (just a bit of weekly watering) and their gorgeous flowers last for months.

I've bought them, already blooming. Then, when the prettiness disappears, I've tried to get them to re-bloom, but to no avail, usually because I'm too childish and impatient to continue feeding them for months on end while they "regather steam" to re-bloom.

But y'all, I stuck it out.  And last week, when I saw these three little green buds (and new little leaf) on my kitchen windowsill orchid, I SQUEALED!!!! 

My "green thumb" is more of a chartreuse shade, so you can understand how excited I was.  To me, this feat was akin to completing a 10K or baking a souffle. 

Please pardon the dirty dishes in the sink.  This is real life, people.

A precious thought ocurred to me.

We are like these little buds on the orchid.

If we are in Christ, we re-bud. Our blooms don't become spent and then we wither away.  We re-bud because He re-budded.  He was resurrected! The same mighty power that lifted Our Savior from the grave lives in me and you - the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:11) Try wrapping your brain around that one. 

Oh, how lovely are Easter and orchids.

Hopefully, I'll have a fabulous post in a few weeks with photos of stunning blooms.  Keep your fingers crossed.  It'll be a first for me.

Vines

I just love everything about spring. 

I love that the outdoors begins to sing with color.  In the Wiregrass, camelias, azaleas, dogwoods, and wisteria are in full bloom.  I love to bring some of that cheer inside, pop it in a glass of water, and enjoy.

I love old-fashioned Easter "decor, " too.

But what I love MOST is that spring is a celebration of the rejuvenation we experience, not just in nature, but in Jesus Christ.

Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever lives in me and I in Him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me, you cannot do a thing. - John 15:5

Don't 'ya love the vine analogy? Especially in spring?

Confessions of a Casserole-Maker

I have something to admit.

I bake and serve casseroles to my family. 

And not just any old casserole.  We're talkin' THROW BACK kinds.  Like the Tuna Macaroni Casserole pictured above. Oh yes. 

Above you will see the usual suspects of a throw-back casserole.  The ubiquitous cream-of-something soup, canned tuna, elbow macaroni (I could have at least used penne or something remotely 21st century - alas), and some string cheese.

Wait - did she say "string cheese?" 

Yes, in the Downey household, if you don't have an ingredient, you don't just make a mad dash out to the local grocer to retrieve it.  Ridiculous.  You just "make do" (love that phrase) with what you have.  So, we didn't have enough cheddar.  The string mozarella is fine.

Please notice this adorable recipe, taken from the Cotton Country cookbook.  Mrs. Charles W. Belt, I salute you. 

The dish is purported to be "a creamy and colorful" one. I can speak for the creamy part, but as for the "colorful," I'm not so sure.  This recipe pretty much falls into the category of "beige food," a culinary genre that my sister christened one family Thanksgiving.  We noticed that, like on many Southern tables, the majority of items offered in the repast set before us were "beige" - green bean casserole (beige on top), dressing (beige), turkey (beige), some other indistinguishable casserole with crushed Ritz crackers on top (beige), and, well, you get the drift.

That is indeed my scribbled note at the top of the recipe - I deemed this "delicious" and left a reminder to use cheddar and crushed crackers.  My progeny will thank me.

I am completely aware that casseroles are unhip.   After all, the Food Network is one of only two TV channels I watch, and the chefs are usually whipping up something fashionable like "Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Chili Butter". . . which sounds pretty good to me.  They're not making much with things that come in a can, ya know. . . except for Paula Deen.  She never met a stick of butter or can of cream-o'-mushroom she didn't like.

So, in a nod to modernity, I added some minced garlic and chopped mushrooms to the onions and peppers when I sauted them, and I mixed in the cheese, too.  I topped it all off with some Asiago Wheat Bread crumbs (I had made some of this bread and had some of the loaf in the freezer) and a bit of butter.  Crunchy, yummy, goodness.

Can anything made from "Cotton Country Cooking" (the 25th anniversary edition, mind you) turn out badly?

Some may think "Why doesn't she just open a box of Tuna Helper?"  To you I say - How dare you?  In her wildest dreams, boxed Tuna Helper is only half as good as this. 

The Bandwagon of My Own Uncertainty - and teaching 10th graders

So I showed the above video clip to my students today.

Teaching English to high schoolers is never a dull experience.  On some days, the class clown makes an observation that is so on-target that I want to hug him.  On other days, my spirit is buoyed by comments like "I really didn't think Shakespeare could be funny, Mrs. Downey, but this is pretty good."  

Last week, one student (who isn't normally interested in things literary) was awe-struck that we were using "dirty words" - Bottom's head is, after all, transformed into that of an ass in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Then there are the days when, grading essays, I find them neglecting to capitalize people's names. And apostrophes have completely disappeared.  Makes me want to jump from something tall.  Maddening.

Many of my students are well-spoken, well-read, and excellent writers.  But we have to fight against the culture which glorifies vague mediocrity. When I showed this clip, some snickered, some laughed. . . some didn't "get it."

Perhaps Puck has mistaken me for Bottom.

Kid-Approved Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders

So, I never really buy chicken tenders from the grocery store.  You know, the frozen, pre-battered kind.

I know, I know. . .

Actually, we try not to eat a lot of processed foods in the Downey house.  No, I'm no one of THOSE people.  You know, the crazy ones.  But I do believe that if you can make it yourself, then you are usually going to (a) save money and (b) make something healthier and tastier. 

The first time I made these, my stepson said "These taste just like Chick-fil-a."  I was speechless with joy. 

The popularity of these tenders may mitigate (on some small level) the displeasure of having to eat steamed broccoli, so throw a green veggie in there.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Tenders
(adapted from Southern Living)
1 1/2 pounds chicken (I use three large chicken breasts and slice them into tenders instead of buying actual tenders - more economical with minimal effort)
16 saltine crackers, finely crushed (I do this in the food processor)
1/4 pecans, ground (again, food processor makes this a snap)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 egg whites, beaten until foamy

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix crushed crackers and next 4 ingredients. 
2.  Place a wire rack coated with cooking spray in a foil-lined jelly-roll pan.
3.  Drege chicken in flour, shaking off excess.  Dip in egg white, then dredge in saltine mixture.  Lightly coat
    chicken on both sides with cooking spray; arrange chicken on wire rack.
4. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown, turning once after 12 minutes.  Serve up with ketchup and
    honey mustard. Watch them DISAPPEAR before your EYES.

Scallops Provencal and Herbed Jasmine Rice

This is an Ina Garten recipe - I idolize her on multiple levels, but that's another post. 

The link to the recipes is here -  http://www.foodnetwork.com/barefoot-contessa/shore-thing/index.html - under "Recipes in this Episode."

I used jasmine instead of basmati rice, and you can use whatever herbs you have on hand.  I threw in some steamed carrots.  The Husband-ator cleaned his plate.  Yummers.

The prep work (chopping parsley, garlic, shallots, scallions, etc.) is minimal but it helps to do it in advance and have it in its place, ready to go, before you saute the scallops.  The French call this "mise en place."  How awesome is that?  Wish I could "mise en place" everything in my life.  But you can't make a phrase a verb, so never mind.

My thoughts on this process. . .

The husband-ator (my action-hero man of a spouse) has been pushing me to start a blog for a while. 
And finally it's off the ground.  But still I am beset by the nagging feeling that "blogging" is one of the
ultimate acts of self-aggrandizing - that is, that we market and trumpet and package ourselves to the
world in a blog and that it's banal at best and grandiose at worst.

Sigh.

Maybe I am wrong.  It can be quite fun to visit a friend's blog and "peek" into their life.  Is this what
we are offering through our posts - glimpses into who we are? 

Perhaps I'll just brew a cup of herbal tea and go for a walk.  This philosophical posturing will pass. :)