A Little This...A Little That

One of the things I find about the post-holiday season is that hidden in the depths of the fridge there are remnants of meals gone by. It was hard to keep up with all the goodies, especially when well-meaning helpers put them away after a meal and then arranged them, say, behind the large container of grated Parmesan cheese, where they were hard to spot. A few days ago I hunted out quite a few small containers of this and that and put together a nice lunch for two with some of them.

The first find was a good sized amount of cooked rice. I had added some lemon when it cooked, so that was a great place to start. There was a small head of broccoli, so I cut that up into florets and steamed them. I mixed the rice with some pesto I found on the door and heated that up. The last addition was the best; I cut up the last of the smoked salmon into squares, put it on top of the heated rice, and heated that in the microwave for just one minute. With the broccoli placed around the sides of the bowl, it was a lovely looking dish. There was just enough for two lunch sized plates of the mixture and Sweetie as delighted to enjoy it with me while he took a break from installing the new sink in the studio.

Did you find nice ways to use up leftovers after the holidays?

Smoked Salmon with Pesto Rice and Broccoli
Serves 2

1 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (or use more if you desire)
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed (small stems can be used, too)
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz. smoked salmon, cut into bite sized pieces

In a medium bowl mix the cooked rice and the pesto. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, until hot throughout. You may want to stir the mixture after one minute.
Steam the broccoli florets with a small amount of water until bright green and just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain and keep hot.
Place the pieces of salmon on top of the hot rice and microwave for one more minute. Arrange the hot broccoli around the sides of the bowl and serve at once.

Spring When It Sizzles

Unseasonable heat wave hit today and is supposed to continue for the next few days. The 'normal' temperature for mid-May around here is a high of 75 - 80. Today it was well over 90 degrees during the hottest part of the day, so that qualifys as hot. Tomorrow is slated to be at least a few degrees over 100.

That meant getting out early to water the garden and do a bit of weeding, then lots of time indoors where it was cooler, thanks to our concrete floor which retains the cool from the night before. There is an art show coming up for the watercolor class I attend, so I was matting and framing my piece (we have to choose just one). I was honored to have my piece chosen as one of four from our class on the postcard advertising the show. Careful viewers of this blog have already seen it almost finished in this post. I had to give it a title, so I chose 'Juicy' 'cuz the oranges look pretty juicy to me.

One of the dilemmas when the weather is hot is what to make for dinner. I tossed together a salad of cold leftover grilled chicken chunks, cucumber, avocado, carrots, fresh mandarin orange segments, golden raisins, sliced almonds and blue cheese bits mixed with mesclun salad mix. Sweetie enjoyed his favorite lime dressing and I opted for walnut raspberry since my favorite Organic Raspberry dressing is gone and I don't remember where I bought it. Sucks having an older brain sometimes.

If you have a toaster oven you don't have to heat up the kitchen to prepare a great appetizer for hot weather:

Smoked Salmon and Brie Toasts

serves 2-4

1/2 baguette, sliced in 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices, then lightly toasted in the toaster oven

2-4 oz ripe brie cheese

2 oz. smoked salmon (or more if you really love smoked salmon)

mizuna or herb leaf for garnish

Take the toasted baguette slices and spread about a tablespoon of brie on each slice. Place on a small cookie sheet that will fit in the toaster oven and broil in the toaster oven until brie melts.

Remove from toaster oven and immediately layer on some of the smoked salmon. Garnish with a leaf and serve at once while the cheese is melty.

Remember to share...although these are so good it's easy to eat them all yourself.