V-Day Dinner

I love to use our Japanese dinnerware on occasions like this.  Valentine’s Day was great, and since my husband and I have been together for quite a while we just decided to cook a great dinner together and spend some quality time.  Here’s what resulted:
Baked salmon in a basil and lemon marinade, israeli style cous cous, and roasted asparagus.  It was perfect!

I marinated the salmon in the following:
~3 T olive oil
1 t dried basil
1 t dill
1/2 t salt
1/4-1/2 t pepper
pinch of dried parsley
lemon juice (about 2 wedges)
I marinated two fillets for about 45 minutes and then wrapped them in foil and baked it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes.  Turned out great!

The couscous was actually the star of this meal and even though it looks a little boring on the plate, it was packed with flavor.  Here’s how I did it:
You need 3-4 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 cups Israeli style cous cous
2 bay leaves
1 t Balti seasoning (wow, so good!)
pinch or two of cinnamon (maybe about 1/4 t, it depends how you like it)
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken, or whatever you prefer)
Add the butter to a pot on the stove set at about medium heat.  Let that melt, then add the garlic, and the onion (peppers are good too if you have them).  Let the onion cook a couple of minutes and then add the couscous and stir.  Allow the couscous to toast, stirring occasionally for a few minutes.  Add spices.  Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Once boiling reduce heat and let it simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
This was so good, and the Balti seasoning was genius.  Once I added it, the two of us could not stop smelling the dish and we couldn’t wait to eat it!
For dessert:
Vanilla pound cake with homemade strawberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
To make the strawberry sauce you need:
1 pint fresh strawberries rinsed and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
Put 2/3 of the strawberries, the sugar and the vanilla into a pot on medium heat.  Stir with a whisk crushing the strawberries as they soften to form a saucy texture.  Then add the rest of the strawberries and serve!  MMM….I will definitely be making this for waffles and pancakes.
I want to know what you did for Valentine’s Day!! Did you go out to dinner? Where? or What did you make at home?  Let me know

Sausage Cassoulet

I made this for dinner on Tuesday night.  I've been trying to use more recipes when I cook, but its really hard when I don't have a lot of time for cooking or shopping.  Since I've been back in school I've really stuck to basic dinners that don't require a lot of ingredients, but are still tasty.  I've made this dish once before, but haven't had it in a while so I thought I would try it again.
Growing up we ate Kielbasa on many occasions.  Usually it was a quick dinner for us as a family and being a Sconnie girl, I loved it.  Simple sausage dinner; yummy with just the basic ketchup and mustard.  This recipe called Cassoulet in a Flash (which is actually a take on franks and beans, but I hate saying franks and beans) from the Family Circle Cookbook I own, gave me a way to use the kielbasa I love in a new way that's a little more "grown up."  The recipe is simple and it cooks fast -- good for me since I don't have a lot of time to cook.
Here are my ingredients

1lb kielbasa cut into 1/2 inch pieces ( I would actually cut them into smaller more bite-size pieces)
1 medium red onion cut into thin wedges
1 can white kidney/canelli beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can pork and beans in tomato sauce
1 clove garlic - chopped (I used 2)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme (Yum!)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 
Cook the kielbasa on medium heat for about 4 minutes

Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 3 more minutes

Add the beans and the rest of the seasonings.
 
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 5-7 minutes until heated through.
Great German dish that reminds me of my childhood, but pleases my grown up palate. Yum!