Dinner for One: Salmon Burger and Mixed Greens

Isn't it beautiful?!?!

Tonight, for dinner I decided to use a bunch of the stuff my mom gave me : )

About 1/2 hour before dinner time, I pulled a package of Trader Joe's Salmon Burgers out of the freezer. Legit, these are like the greatest things ever. Salmon in an easy to cook format= fantastic.

I sliced up some button mushrooms, and sauteed them in some melted butter. When they were almost done, I seasoned them with salt and pepper. It's important to wait so that the salt doesn't draw the moisture out of the mushrooms.

I also pulled some sliced Muenster cheese and an onion roll out of the fridge. I popped the roll into the toaster to provide some nice texture contrast.

I cooked the salmon burger on my brand-new George Forman grill. It took about 6 minutes total. Frozen to dinner in 6 minutes, I call that success.

To complete my meal, I topped some mixed greens with grape tomatoes and Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette.

Sum it up: Salmon Burger with Sauteed Mushrooms and Muenster on an Onion Roll, served with Spicy Peanut Salad

Mmmmmm. Delicious.

Oh, here's some pics of where I'm living. It's pretty fabulous.



This is the kitchen, where all the creating happens : ) Not much space, but a lot of ideas.











Here's where I dream about all the delicious things I can make...









Lynn

A 5/6 Empty Apartment + Free Time=

Baking, of course!

After the creepiest night ever in my apartment (there are so many noises!), I woke up today surprisingly energized and ready to create. But, what to make? I have a sorority meeting tonight, so I figured that some baked goods would be a welcome addition. I read ALOT of other blogs, and I mean ALOT, somewhere around 40. I skimmed through my bookmarked recipes and found a couple that sounded like crowd pleasers: Oreo Cookie Cookies and Chocolate Chip and Peanut Blondies. Both were very easy to make and should go over well.


Oreo Cookie Cookies
adapted from Nosh and Tell
Makes about 30 cookies (my batch of dough made around 45 or so)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1 cup of mini semisweet morsels instead)
20 oreos, crushed (I used Double Stuf, just because I'm a rebel)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. (or use a Silpat sheet like I did)

ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE DONE BY HAND, WITHOUT A MIXER:

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt (dorm modification: dump ingredients into a bowl and mix with a fork to aerate); set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Add in the crushed oreos. Beat on low speed for just a few seconds to break up the oreos in the dough. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

Drop cookie dough a rounded tbsp at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely (a dinner plate seems to work just fine for this. If you are like me and only have 1 baking sheet, let the sheet cool for about 5 minutes before putting more batter on it).

---------------


Chocolate Chip and Peanut Blondies
adapted from Dishing Up Delights
Makes 12-16 bars (I cut mine into 16 beautiful bars)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick)
1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar (what the heck is golden brown sugar? I used light brown)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, divided (I used chopped pecans instead)
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, divided (again, I used mini semisweet morsels)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch baking pan (I used PAM with flour instead).

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl to blend (or mix with a fork). Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat.

Remove from the heat; add sugar, and whisk until smooth (or you could mix it with a rubber spatula like I did). Cool mixture 2 minutes; whisk in eggs and vanilla (IMPORTANT: make sure you mix while putting in the eggs so that you don't make scrambled eggs). Using a flexible spatula, stir in flour mixture, then half of the peanuts (or pecans) and half of the chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the prepared pan; sprinkle with remaining peanuts and chocolate chips.

Bake blondies until golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack.

Cut blondies into 16 squares.

That's it for now.

Lynn

Welcome

I suppose that the most logical way to start this blog is by introducing myself. Hi, I'm Lynn. I am a sophomore at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Originally from Philadelphia, I now love living in the beautiful suburbs of Washington, DC. Despite being very busy with the normal college activities, I always make time to cook and bake delicious foods. After living in a standard dorm last year, I now reside in an apartment-style dorm. I arrived at school this year with 2 boxes of dry foods, 2 boxes of baking supplies, 1 box of kitchen utensils, a George Forman Grill, T-FAL pots and pans, 3 Henckels knives, and a lot of creative ideas. Warned by mother not to "spend all of my time baking and forget to go to class," we shall see how this semester goes....