Sunday, April 30, 2017

April, 2017 complete and May waiting in the wings in my never-ending calendar


My April calendar is finished a bit early.

In case you want to read the minutia, even with a very busy month, it is still quite boring compared to others who are globe trotters (you know who you are ladies).

My reason for completing my April calendar early was so I can create a few new projects I hope to start in May.  Different for me, and will hopefully turn out favorable.  I'm also hoping I'll have time to figure out why things on my right sidebar, like the clocks and weather, are no longer showing, even though I've added their codes again and again.

Now I'd like to switch gears to get my mind off the continued meltdown blogger is doing to my blog.  Before the cost of salmon went through the roof,

I used to buy fillets about this size and smoke them at Christmas.  They made great gifts and were always appreciated by my friends. 

Everything you need to know is on this label.   It tells how to safely prepare the salmon.  It shows it is sockeye, the second most expensive breed after king (sometimes called chinook) salmon.  Sockeye is an oilier fish with deep red flesh.  It is high in omega-3s but has a strong flavor.

When buying fresh or fresh after flash frozen, be sure it's wild caught.  In the U.S., that means it was caught in Alaska where fish farms have been outlawed due to disease.

I learned I could cook the salmon in parchment paper, and since I was entertaining, I wanted to make certain clean-up would be easy.  I can't believe I actually sacrificed some of this hoarded craft supply for a cooking project!

I laid the parchment paper in the bottom of the aluminum pan, then cut onions and laid them on the parchment paper.   I cut butter and laid it on top of the onions.  Then I squeezed some lemon juice over the top of both.

Next it was time to lay the salmon, skin side down, on  top of the onions and butter.

I love dill.  In fact, I love it on just about any and everything.  I'm not sure everyone feels the same way, though.

That's why I decided to add rosemary to a portion of the fillet.

This was my feeble attempt to make the dish pretty.

Then it was time to wrap the fish tightly in the parchment paper and cook it for 25 minutes in a 300 degree F (150 degrees C, Gas Mark 2) oven.

When I removed the photos from my camera, I didn't find a single one that showed the finished salmon.  It was really lovely, though, and still had the red tint to it.  It was completely cooked and got rave reviews from some pretty picky people!

And finally, I broke down and bought another hibiscus.  Overnight the blooms drooped and are no longer upright.  Only one bloom left to stand straight and tall!  I must get it in the ground, soon, so I don't lose it.

EDIT: Yes, this is a hyacinth, not a hibiscus.  Sleep deprivation and worrying about my blog caused the faux pas (or serious lapse in proper spelling).

Thanks for joining me today.  I am thrilled you stopped by because this is the only place you will see my monthly calendar and my fishy fish tale.

21 thoughtful remarks:

froebelsternchen said...

You are organized so well and wow.. looks great with the salmon. Clever made! Happy Sunday!
Susi

chrissie said...

I can see lots of clocks and the weather Elizabeth all on your right side bar.

I hope the salmon tasted as good as it looked.

What a busy calendar as always and such a great idea to keep one though I have never managed to even keep a diary for over one week :(

Love Chrissie xx

Helen said...

I'm not a big fish fan... hope you get your plant planted and save it! things on my sidebar stop working for a while too sometimes... then they're back. I just leave them till it's sorted...

Valerie-Jael said...

Your salmon looks wonderful one of my very fave foods. The calendars both looks good, I am always impressed that you get each day filled in. Those flowers are hyacinths, not hibiscus, ans just need a stick and some twine to support their heavy heads (I could do with a stick for my head sometimes!). Hugs, Valerie

Pen Sunshinepen said...

Hi there you are making me feel hungry and it is mid day here. The salmon looks lovely = I do love smoked salmon but is it so expensive here in the UK for good quality.

The flowers I know as hyacinths just need a bit of a wee drink and a prop for the flower heads. Do not throw away the bulbs, just let the flowers and follage die down and plant again in the spring.

Boy you have a full diary - I just plod on from one day to the next. :(

Enjoy your weekend. We have a Bank Holiday tomorrow here in the UK

thank you for your visits over on my blog too


x

My name is Erika. said...

Wow-that is expensive salmon. I knew about farmed salmon, but we can get wild caught ones here in the northeast. Not as good as those northwest ones for certain though. My hyacinths are popping out oft he ground now. I will have flowers in a day or two. Too bad spring flowers don't last for longer times. :) I would love to see my dafs and irises bloom for several weeks rather than a week at most. Happy almost May. hugs-Erika

Jeanie said...

That salmon looks delicious. I've heard of cooking en papilotte before but never done it. I think I might give this one a try!

Your hyacinths will come back next spring if you plant them outside. They may just be cone. You can also cut the blooms and put them in a vase. I did that this year and they lasted quite awhile inside.

Thanks for your comments on my no-reply post. What you say about email makes a lot of sense. I think bloggers like me get frustrated because we like to build relationships with our blog friends, share comment replies without replying on their blog (like I'm doing now!), especially if we don't want to comment on our own since my guess is many of us never go back to the original post once done. But your logic makes perfect sense, especially after hacking!

Cindy McMath said...

I would definitely appreciate the rosemary option as dill is one of my least favourite flavours. However your fish looks like it would have been delicious! I always enjoy seeing your completed calendar with the new page with only the tea dates marked. Those hyacinths are on a bulb so if you pop them in the garden you should be able to enjoy them next year.

CJ Kennedy said...

Blogger woes may be due to using 3rd party apps which may or may not work with new Blogger programming. I was using a countdown widget and a widget that showed visitors stopping by. Both had stopped working and were also making the blog slow to load. They weren't that important to me so I deleted them. I'm still doing the countdown to the Solstice manually when I remember to update it :-D

Your remark about having to take parchment paper from your craft stash to use in cooking made me laugh. Oh, what we sacrifice. The salmon looked delicious.

I love your cardinal figurine. Very pretty. I don't know much about gardening. I thought hyacinths were bulbs and were to be planted in the Fall.

Divers and Sundry said...

I used parsley and almonds the last time I cooked salmon. I don't care for dill at all. I cut mine before I cook it or buy it cut in serving-sized pieces. I've never tried smoking it. I may look into that :)

Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.com said...

My friend lives in Alaska and she is sick of salmon but I never get to have it any more since it has gotten so crazy expensive....but I have cooked it in parchment too. And I've roasted it on a bed of rock slat and pine needles. I miss it! And yours looked great....

Caterina Giglio said...

Oh, Dr. E, just love that salmon and adore it cooked in parchment paper.. yum but I think you mean hyacinth not hibiscus.. and I love when they swoon like that!! x

Dianne said...

well the salmon looked fabulous, but wow that price tag! I had no idea since I don't buy fresh salmon...fun calendar...love the tea cups, of course! and your flower (isn't it a hyacinth?) provides one of my favorite fragrances! happy Spring dear friend, hope your blog problems all get resolved. ♥

Rita said...

Your calendar is all set. I just got my bullet ready for May. Then I scroll down and -- honestly?--I saw that price tag on the salmon and went holy crap! I'd have been afraid to cook it for fear I would screw it up. Glad it turned out so well!

I hope you save the flowers! They look so pretty. Have a super week. :) Happy May Day!

Sandy said...

Your salmon looks absolutely delicious! You smart lady and I think you made it look really pretty. Wish I could have seen it cooked but you had other things on your mind at that point. I love salmon but my husband does not care for it so I never cook it.
Wonderful post and calendar peeks. Look for ward to all the new projects you will be up to!
Sandy xx

Sandra Cox said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sandra Cox said...

Love those calendars.
Hope your weekend was grand.
Hugs

Gibby Frogett said...

The salmon looks lovely Elizabeth.. we have it occasionally but been having more 'Basa' lately..(I think? that's a type of catfish).
The calendar looks very full :)
Sorry about the continuing blog probs.. but over on the right there seems to be one clock nearish the top and then another 3 further down and a 'Wichita weather' button a bit further below that.
Have a great May... Gill x ( and yet again I'm soo behind - sorry)

Anonymous said...

That's about what we pay here for a Scottish salmon that is marvelous too. All that cold North Atlantic water....I usually just do salt, pepper and olive oil, but love dill as well. Reminds me, now that we've got the big garden up and beginning, dill will have to be planted!

xox

Sami said...

I love salmon too, but my husband is not a fan, so I rarely cook it!
Lovely flowers, hope they regain their vigour after planting.

Dianne said...

Got your comment over on the fake blog, certainly you may post a copy on your blog. Please be sure to credit the original photographer though. Thanks!