For 2: Ritz Salmon

Please don't go thinking this is some fancy dish that I knocked off from the Ritz Carlton...haha - no way Jose.  This is a fantastically easy, quick, healthy, tasty dish made with 3 easy ingredients!  Here's the deal: preheat the oven to 400, put 2 salmon filets (skin or no skin, your choice, if skin, skin side down) on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, sprinkle each with salt and pepper, spread about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard on them, crunch up about 6 Ritz Crackers and sprinkle the crumbs over them, pressing the crumbs down into the mustard so they stick and bake for about 20 minutes.  TADA serve with some roasted broccoli and there's your dinner!  And since you foil lined both of your baking sheets you have minimal dishes for your husband to wash.  I think next time I might mix up some rosemary or dill with the mustard, or use a coarse ground mustard, or use Triscuits instead of Ritz, or ...the possibilities are endless!  I am so glad to have this simple recipe in our go-to dinner rotation! 

What is your favorite way to make Salmon?  Would you make any changes to this recipe or are you going to try it the simple way, or both?
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

The let down...

I don't know about you, but I always feel this "let down" after a holiday.  Not that anything is wrong, but the excitement is gone and so is that jovial feeling that I had just a few days before.  Well not this year, I am not falling for that Thanksgiving let down.  How did I avoid it you ask....well I got a puppy and he is ADORABLE!  Please meet Ralph!

This week we will be training and cleaning up messes, hooray ;)  It may not be all fun and games, but it is for sure a way to beat the holiday let down.  I mean how can you frown looking at that little face?

Since we will be playing with this little guy so much I am keeping my menus simple this week.  Tonight I am trying a quick salmon recipe (if successful I hope to share with you), and then we will do some take out and this crock pot chicken and dumplings.   Which if you like chicken and dumplings (or even if you don't), you have to give this a whirl.  Last time when I made it I stirred in some peas and a handful of fresh spinach at the end: so delicious, so easy, so comforting.  Try it I dare you!

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Happy Thanksgiving! Green Bean Casserole - the way it should be

Hi there and Happy Thanksgiving!  I am happy to rejoin the world of blogging.  Honestly, I just needed a break for a little while and now I am feeling refreshed and ready to share ideas again! 

This idea isn't original and may not be well received, but I am going with it because I am passionate about it.  What the he## is up with all of these people "redoing" Green Bean Casserole?  Sorry, I don't get it.  I understand that canned soup isn't the best thing for you nutritionally, ok fine, but seriously people are talking about the "dreaded cream of mushroom soup" as if it is battery acid.  My Momma Sylvia makes Green Bean Casserole with cream of mushroom soup and soy sauce just the way the back of the Campbell's can tells us to.  It is my favorite thing on the Thanksgiving Table.  I love it and I start and finish my meal with a big helping of it.  Sorry I just don't get why a re-do is necessary, but I saw 4 different shows on food network this weekend with a "new take on green bean casserole"  If you want to re-do something, re-do something that needs it, like candied yams.  Seriously you don't want a can of mushroom soup on your Thanksgiving table, but you are ok with a side dish with the word "candied" in the title?  To me this makes no sense.  I understand that homemade is important, and I treasure homemade things like cornbread dressing and gravy and creamed corn and a ton of other things.  But the Green Bean Casserole, I think it is best just the way it is.  Please leave me and my canned cream of mushroom soup alone; we will be just fine, very happy actually...

How was that for a soap box?  What do you think of Green Bean Casserole?  What are you most looking forward to on Thursday? 

Happy to be back and Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey