I'm fortunate. Last weekend, David and Melissa had us over for an awesome home cooked meal, and this weekend, Kim and Mike had us over for dinner. It is an amazing thing to have friends cook for you, to be invited into their homes, to laugh and to share stories. And of course, I always manage to bring home a new recipe from these nights.
It was a sweltering 97 degree day outside and the fiance and I had already stuffed ourselves with BBQ sandwiches for lunch. I wasn't even hungry when we arrived (but that didn't stop me from nibbling on crostinis!). Luckily, our hosts greeted us with an amazingly refreshing concoction of lemonade and gingerale. This is a heavenly drink that you must try (use Simply Lemonade and some Canada Dry; serve over ice). It was a perfect way to cool down.
Unlike when I host dinners, Kim had everything pre-prepped and ready to go, so she just had to put everything in the oven when we arrived. This meant that she got to hang out with us, and since that was the mean reason we were there, it made me happy. Why can't I have dinner ready when guests arrive? I guess I have more of a frantic, harried style of cooking that my guests just have to bear witness to when they come over...le sigh.
I was a little worried when Kim said she made salmon, because the mister-to-be is from Seattle, and therefore a bit of a salmon snob. Turns out that I had nothing to fear. The salmon was delicious and Blake-approved. And the asparagus was cooked perfectly (something I can never manage to do). And since it's Kim, there was rice, which was perfectly molded into a circular mound. Kim is really good at plating...le sigh!
I would never have thought of this recipe, and if you gave it to me I would be skeptical. But, having tasted the delicious result, I'm a convert. And, it's super easy.
Baked Salmon with Toasted Onions (Serves 1) | Recipe by Kim Jao
- 1 filet salmon
- 1 packet Lipton's Onion Soup powder
- 1 tsp dried minced onions
- approx 1 tsp mayonnaise
- Pam cooking spray
Cover a baking sheet in foil and coat with thin layer of Pam. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the salmon filet on the baking sheet and spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise on top of it (should not be opaque). Sift a layer of onion powder from the Lipton packet over the filet, and then sprinkle some of the onion flakes from the packet. Sprinkle dried minced onions on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until salmon is opaque and juicy. Serve with white rice and asparagus or any veggie of your choice.
