Salmon Salad

I have to say that Salmon is one of my favorite dishes. I was telling my boyfriend how I wanted to make some recipes that would be perfect for tailgating for Football (American Football) Season. This recipe is by Barefoot Contessa. I will have to say that the recipe takes a long time if you  cook the salmon yourself, which is what I did (you're looking at about 3 and a half hours because you have to cook, cool, and chill the salmon).  However, it is completely worth the wait. The best part is there is no mayo in this recipe, so it's really healthy.  You can eat it either on top of a salad or make it more of a gourmet sandwich using baguette bread or a nice roll.

How to cook the Salmon: 

I baked the salmon, which I coated in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and topped with sea salt and ground black pepper, in the oven at 400 °F  for 35 mins. I let it cool for 30 minutes before I cut it up into chunks (removing any skin and bones) and placed it into a large mixing bowl, which I refrigerated for an hour. 

Ingredients:

2 pounds of salmon, chilled

1 cup small- diced celery (3 stalks)

1/2 cup small- diced red onion (1 small red onion)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Materials:

Large mixing Bowl

Tablespoons/teaspoons

Measuring Cup

Large Wooden spoon to mix everything together

Cutting board

Serrated knife

Sharp Knife

Break the salmon into very large flakes, removing any skin and bones, and place the salmon in a bowl. Add the celery, red onion, dill, capers, raspberry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Season, to taste.  Mix well and serve cold or at room temperature. 

Apple & Brie Melt

Sick of eating a regular, boring, grilled cheese on white or wheat bread with either American or cheddar cheese? Well, I have a better grilled cheese that's more appealing to the palette-- an Apple & Brie Melt... or as I like to say, "Gourmet Grilled Cheese." The only thing I felt was missing to my meal was a white wine tasting. The secret is to slice the apple into very thin slices. I used french baguette bread because it complements the cheese and granny smith apple better than regular bread.

*Slice the apple thinner than I did in the picture. The picture below was the first time I made this delicious gourmet grilled cheese. I forgot to take a picture the last time I made it with thin slices of apple. Sorry y'all!

Ingredients:

1 large Granny Smith apple, sliced into very thin slices

4-6 oz of Brie

1 loaf of French baguette bread (Ciabatta would work well too)

Butter, for pan

Yields: 2-3 sandwiches

Materials:

Cutting board

Small sharp knife (I call mine a fruit knife)

Butter knife or cheese knife to cut brie with

Frying Pan 

Spatula

Serrated knife

Slice Granny Smith Apple and brie into thin slices.

Slice a piece of baguette open on one slide and place brie and apple slices on bread. Make sure there is enough to cover the sandwich. 

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in pan on low heat. 

Place sandwich in pan and continue cooking on low. Flip every now and then until grilled, and cheese is melted. (I push the bread down with my spatula a few times so the cheese will melt and the sandwich won't be as hard to eat)