Watermelon Feta (Mozzarella) Bites

The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Come and Get It!
Ree Drummond

It’s no secret that I love watermelon.  I can eat it every day.  And I do mean, every. single. day.  So when I come across a recipe with watermelon, I’m totally on board.  Before I get started, let me explain the title.  The recipe is actually supposed to be with feta cheese.  But I substituted the mozzarella because, (a) I love mozzarella; and (b) not a fan of the feta.  It’s not bad, but I prefer a milder flavor.  And who doesn’t love fresh mozzarella.  🙂   The recipe also calls for skewering the fruit and cheese on a toothpick, but again, in the interest of saving time, I tossed it up in a salad.

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Ingredients:

½ small seedless watermelon
One 12-ounce block of mozzarella (or feta cheese)
3 tablespoons balsamic glaze (recipe to follow) or store bought if you can find it
12 large basil leaves, plus some smaller leaves for garnish

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Cut the watermelon in half, remove the rind, and cut into cubes.

Cut the mozzarella (or feta cheese) into cubes, as well.

To assemble the bites, set a piece of mozzarella (feta) on top of a piece of watermelon and secure it with a toothpick.  Or just toss it all into a bowl and wing it.

Drizzle the balsamic glaze all over the top of the bites.  Stack and roll up the basil leaves and cut into thin strips.  Arrange the basil over the watermelon and mozzarella cubes and serve.

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Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
One 15-ounce jar plum preserves
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

In a blender, combine the balsamic vinegar, plum preserves, and brown sugar.  Puree it until it’s totally smooth.

Pour it into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mixture has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.  It should be fairly thick and will thicken further as it cools.  When cool, put it in a jar or squeeze bottle and keep it in the fridge.

 

Lemon-Basil Potato Salad

The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Come and Get It!
Ree Drummond

While I like potato salad, I’m not a big fan of the traditional recipe for it.  So if it’s there, I might taste a little, but I won’t go back for heaping helpings. I have nothing against it, but it’s nothing that I would go looking for.  But this recipe caught my eye and since I love potatoes, and the ingredients appealed to me, I thought I’d give it a try and make it as a side dish with tonight’s dinner.

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Ingredients:

3 pounds small potatoes
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
1 large lemon
Kosher salt and black pepper
Basil leaves, for serving

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In a pot of boiling water to cover, cook the potatoes thoroughly.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a skillet over low heat, stirring often, until just lightly golden, 3-4 minutes.

Now it’s time for the dressing.
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, olive oil, and pesto.  Then zest the lemon right into the bowl for a citrusy touch.  (Leave a little zest for the garnish if you like.). Once you’ve zested, ego ahead and squeeze in the juice from the lemon, and add salt and pepper.  Stir until it’s all combined.

Cut the potatoes in half (or quarters if they’re a little larger).  Add them into the dressing bowl, along with the pine nuts.  Then stir until the potatoes are all coated and combined.

You can serve immediately (at room temperature), or refrigerate for a few hours.  You could even make this up to 48 hours ahead if you like.

Honey-Soy Salmon

The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Come and Get It!
Ree Drummond

So it’s been a minute…  🙂   But I’m finally back.  Things have been super busy around here, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  BUT…  when I need to de-stress, I cook.  And while there hasn’t been much time to try new recipes and share them, I decided to make the time today.  Besides…  got the new Pioneer Woman cookbook and I got excited browsing through the recipes and had to try a few.  So…  I’m baaaaaaack!  😁

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Now that you know where I’ve been, let’s talk about this recipe…

I love salmon.  And for the longest time, I’ve been making it poached, with lemon and seasoned with salt, pepper, etc… and it’s simple and really good.  But sometimes you just need to switch things up.  Until now, I haven’t come across a recipe that’s been interesting enough to try.  And then I came across this delightful concoction.  It is so simple to make and absolutely delicious. 😊

I know I normally take photos during the preparation, but this was a spur of the moment thing so I just took photos of the finished product.  I’ll get back on track next time.  

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Ingredients:

3 limes (2 for juice zest and juice and 1 for garnish/more juice)
2 cups cooked rice
Two 6-ounce salmon fillets (skin on/off is your choice)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving

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Zest 2 of the limes into the rice and stir to incorporate.  Set aside.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper.  In a non-stick skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat.  Place the salmon skin side down (if you left the skin on) in the pan.  Cook for 5 minutes, being careful not to burn the surface.  Carefully flip to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.  Remove the salmon to a plate while you make the sauce.

Back in the same skillet, melt the butter.  Add the honey, the soy sauce, and the juice from the two zested limes.  Cook the sauce over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until it’s bubbling and thick.  Taste and adjust the flavors, adding more soy sauce or lime juice if it needs it.  Cook for another minute or two if the sauce needs thickening.

Return the salmon to the skillet and spoon the sauce all over the top.

Pile some of the lime rice onto a dinner plate and add one of the salmon fillets on top.  Spoon on some sauce.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with a lime wedge.