Garam Masala Seared Salmon with Coconut Curry Butter

OK, with a freezer full of Salmon, i am trying to come up with 100 different ways to cook salmon. So far I am on a roll of DELICIOUS recipes. A few days ago, I added a FAVORITE to my cookbook! And when I say delicious I mean WOW! All three of my boys gobbled up this salmon and Kaden asked for me to make it the next day because it was "sooooo good". Keith said there was only one problem with it.... I didn't double the recipe!  It is super easy and fast. I loved the salmon by itself and with the curry too. These would make awesome tacos without the curry....just a thought. I didn't mix the curry with the salmon, I let people do that on their own, that way the salmon didn't get soggy. plus there was some curry butter left so the next day I seared up some chicken and added used it with the curry and it was delicious too! I served it with white rice.

Garam Masala Seared Salmon with Coconut Curry Butter
3/4 cup dry white wine (I didn't have this I used Apple juice)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 TBSP curry powder
1 cup COLD unsalted butter( I only had salted butter) cut into pieces
Kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 fillets of Salmon
2 TBSP garam Masala
Kosher salt to taste

Pour wine, cream, and coconut milk into saucepan. season with curry powder. Bring to a light boil over Medium heat. Then reduce to medium low and simmer till reduced to about 1 cup. About 10 minutes. When reduced turn to low and add butter. whisk in till all butter is melted and mixed well. DO NOT let it boil or it will separate.  Season to taste with salt and set aside. Keep warm.

For Salmon, (I had to fillet the skin off and since I am NOT good at filleting fish, they ended up in chunks but I liked it that way better for the curry and Rice. So you can either use fillets or chunks.

Heat oil in saute pan over medium high heat. while oil is heating, season fish with garam masala and salt.  Place in oil. sear for 3-4 minutes on each side till done. Drain on paper towel. Serve with curry butter and rice. Enjoy!

A True Alaskan

There are so many milestones that you reach to become a true Alaskan.
-Your first hunt
- your first moose encounter
- your first winter
- your first PFD check
- your first trip to the dump and bringing back a treasured find
- your first pair of Mukluks or beaver hat.
 All of these are important to making us true Alaskans, Keith and I have accomplished many of these but I can (NOT) so proudly tell you I have reached a FIRST in the Milestone division BEFORE Keith. I was not happy about reaching this milestone when it happened because for 3 years I have been against the whole thing because I felt it was wee bit tacky. Let me explain.... IN Alaska there is one fact that EVERYONE knows. DUCT TAPE FIXES EVERYTHING!!! EVERYTHING!!! Even clothes. It is very common to see people put duct tape on the coats, pants or any other article of clothing to patch the holes. It is a very ALASKAN thing to do. Some towns in Alaska even have duct tape balls, where people make their best duct tape clothes and have a dance and a competition. As I said before, I found it a bit tacky, at least for the first 3 years here in Alaska. Then it happened....While in Fairbanks, my parka decided to pick a fight with our truck and sadly it LOST!  A BIG tear tore across my sleeve and feathers started to fly everywhere!  I quickly tried to cover the hole and garb the feathers as they floated to the snow. Of course our supply of duct tape was depleted and so I asked the front desk for any and all they had was masking tape.....Point of Fact: Masking tape doesn't fix anything!!  It fell off after about a minute. Eventually we had to wrap the making tape around my whole sleeve till we could get some duct tape to do the job. Friends said I was a true Alaskan now, so I wear my duct tape with pride! The day we got back from Fairbanks my parka got in a fight with something else on the other sleeve so at least now I have a matching set of sleeves. On my way to a True Alaskan and can mark the Duct tape on your jacket off my Milestone list! =)

Right out of a Hallmark Christmas Card...Almost!

"I'm Dreaming of a white Christmas,

 Just like the ones I used to know. 

Where the tree tops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow."

Growing up in the Tropics, Christmas time was ALWAYS hot, rainy and green and NOTHING lite the Classic Christmas song. But it's those kind of Christmases that I knew and LOVED but for some reason in my head Christmas was always suppose to be white with snow and one of those scenes right out of a Hallmark Christmas Card. 

 You all have probably received one of those Christmas cards like the ones below. You know the ones with cabin or house all aglow right beside the pond that has been cleared off and made into a ice skating rink. There is always snow on the ground and on the trees, that in some cards are decorated for Christmas with lights and bright balls. There is always people skating, some grown ups are always in pairs and the kids appear to be racing. The women are always wearing beautiful long dresses with a hand muff that looks cozy and warm. While some people sit on the bank by a small warm fire with a mug of Hot Chocolate in their hands.It is a lovely scene that always shows up in movies like Little Women and songs like White Christmas. Which by the way is one of my FAVORITES!! I live near the Arctic and I still love the idea of snow falling on Christmas. It is a scene we have all put in our mind as the classic Christmas scene. We all sing the song White Christmas that says "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas just like the Christmas cards I write, may your day be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white." I am actually singing that as I write. hehehe  Here is one card I found to show what I am talking about.

 You see isn't that beautiful? I feel like I should be there! Thankfully I do live where this is possible. Our neighbors and good friends Tim, Karin and Ida have helped achieve my own Christmas card.  I love having neighbors like them! They have the piece of land that is next to our house. They call it the pasture. No it doesn't have cows or horses on it...yet, but the pasture actually has theirs and our green house on the open lot. But the lot also has a very uneven surface. which during the summer becomes the "pond" where the kids float boats or wade in the water. I have blogged about that before. This summer it was quite full and I thought "this would be the perfect ice skating rink in the winter" I mentioned it to Keith but then I kind of forgot about that idea because there is all this grass that would be in the way. Last year we got dumped with snow before it really got cold so the ice didn't form thick enough to actually go ice skating and shoveling a few feet of snow on ice can not be very fun I assume. But this year the weather has been great.  Very cold with very little snow. Which allows the ice to get REALLY thick and allows for some time of ice skating before the ponds are buried in snow. The other day Karin went out to the Pasture with a shovel and cleared a small area to skate in with Ida.  When I saw it I was EXCITED!!! This is what I have wanted to do since I saw the pond!  So the other day our family joined them in a afternoon on the pond.  I was a bit worried because I was afraid time would slip away with out me getting dinner on the table at the normal time, my kids needed a bath and it was a school night and bed time needed to be observed. But as Karin and I talked we decided that those issues were not the important things at the moment. Ice skating with our kids and family were! I sometimes forget that and feel I need to be the "on schedule" and "get stuff done" kind of mom. I am realizing that those schedules are adjustable and you can always throw the book out the window. My First Priority as a mom is to my kids! It was nice to just relax and enjoy the nice weather, the kids, and the fun! I think that is why those Christmas cards always draw me in. It is the simpleness of the picture that is so lovely. It's the beauty and wonder that you see and know that everyone is having a good time. I love that!

  

Every night since we have been out enjoying the ice pond. We don't have skates...yet. They are in the mail and I hope they arrive before the snow does. But we enjoy just sliding with boots on. I am finally able to feel like I am really in a Christmas card. Though I am not elegantly dressed and the pictures we took are not vintage. It really is fun to be able to let my boys grow up with the simple pleasures of living in the north. Check out the fun we have had!

Keith decided to help make the little  rink into a full pond rink and now it is actually a good size ice rink.

 Karin with the kids

Ida and Kaden

Isaiah was having more fun trying to balance on the wood bridge

 Kaden sliding

and falling

 Karin~ About to preform a triple loop double toe.... but we didn't get it on camera =)

Karin let me borrow her skates for a little while.

I'm FREEEEEEEEE!!!

 Glad my middle name isn't Grace!

 It was so much fun!

 Such grace! Such poise! Observe I am doing that NOT in ice skates and in my boots.

And since I have decorated my house for Christmas already and the holiday season is upon us I will wish you a fun Holiday season and hope you soak up and enjoy the simple pleasures in life and not get carried away with the hustle and bustle of the season. I guarantee dinner will get put on the table even if it is NOT at the usual time, the kids can get a bath tomorrow, and family time together is WAY better then all the other stuff that try to occupy our time! 

Who needs a Starbucks when you have a kitchen?

We just got back from a weeks trip into town(Fairbanks). And since there is a coffee shop on about every corner and winter is upon us they all have those fancy Holiday drinks. You know the Pumpkin Spiced Latte, Pumpkin Chai tea and all those delicious Hots Chocolates with all the different flavors that make feel like you are drinking Christmas in a cup. I LOVE THEM but I hate to spend $4+ for them. And those yummy looking desserts that call your name just makes you want to drop $10 for a cookie and a Hot chocolate. Well I did buy one while I was there and sadly I was disappointed because while I did enjoy them, I kept thinking I can make this at home. So today I am posting 3 fallish recipes. I say fallish because here in Alaska we are in the -4 degrees so I think Fall is LONG gone and winter is here to stay, but the recipes are delicious!

The first recipe is a Hot Chocolate that I got from my friend Catherine and it is Delicious! But when I was home visiting my parents in Zambia, I had a hot chocolate there that I FEEL IN LOVE WITH! It was a Mexican Vanilla Cinnamon Hot chocolate. And her recipe was the perfect start to create that Hot Chocolate. So I will post her recipe and then I will tell you what I add. I have also found that you can make it Fallish with a little bit of pumpkin spice. Kaden asks for this after a day of playing out in the cold. It warms you up very nicely! Creamy smooth and delicious!

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate.(this really is delicious! Can I say that enough)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup water
4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
 Mix cocoa, cinnamon, salt and sugar in pan. Combine water and stir. Bring to a boil over Medium heat. Boil 2 minutes. Slowly add milk. Stir well. Heat thoroughly and add vanilla. Topping this with whipped cream is scrumptious.

To make it the Mexican Vanilla Cinnamon Hot chocolate I add a dash of Cayenne pepper. Makes it a little spicy! I love it! Add some Pumpkin Pie spice to give it that fallish flavor. Try this, It will become a favorite for those cold winter nights.... which we are already having.

If you are in the mood for a cold drink instead of the hot drink here is a easy pumpkin smoothie recipe that is yummy!
Pumpkin Smoothies
1 can pumpkin pie filling
3 cups milk
1/2 -1 cup yogurt(vanilla flavor)
cinnamon
Crushed Cinnamon Graham Crackers
Open the can of pie filling and pour into a freezer safe container.  Then freeze it. when frozen, blend milk and yogurt. Add pumpkin pie filling. Blend till pulverized. Add more milk or yogurt if needed. Sprinkle cinamon and graham crackers on top. And enjoy!=)

The other recipe I want to post is a fun delicious cookie that I like to have with the Hot Chocolate or a Chai and it is a good cookie to dip. I got it from a Better Homes and Garden Magazine and it sounded weird at first but once I tried it I loved it! Kaden my cookie taster liked it too.

Chai Spice Cookie
2 spiced chai flavored tea bags
3 cups flour
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 egg yokes (egg replacer works well in this recipe)
2 Tbsp Molasses

Remove tea bag contents (about 3 teaspoons of tea) discard bags. In a medium bowl combine tea, flour and pumpkin spice. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat till fluffy and light. Beat in egg yokes and molasses. Beat in as much flour as you can, and stir in the remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
 On lightly floured surface roll half the dough to 1/4 in thick. Cut with  whatever shape cookie cutters you want. Place on cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes till edges are lightly brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes  Transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely and decorate with powdered sugar icing.

Powder Sugar Icing
1 1/2 cup powder sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla or I like Almond flavoring
4 tsp milk
Mix all together. Stir in more milk if needed till icing is piping consistency.

Layer cookies between wax paper in covered airtight container. Store for 3 days at room temp or freeze up to 3 months.   Here is a picture from the Better Homes and Garden Magazine. Try these!

Now I am on my way to the kitchen to whip up some of these recipes to enjoy when Kaden gets home from school. We are decorating for Christmas today and we all are excited! Well may not Keith but the boys and I are!=)

Northern Lights

Pictures don't do them justice, but we can try! They danced for the WHOLE NIGHT!! This is why we LOVE Alaska! At the bottom there is a cool video to watch! This guy took some great videos of the lights check  it out!

 

 If you want to see an AWESOME video of Northern lights check this out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfR27AEXfag

The One That Got Away!

This is one Lucky bird. Being Grouse season, we are enjoying this Arctic chicken in many dishes, but there is one that hangs around our house that seems to know we like to watch him as well as eat them. Keith has had a hard time trying to teach our sons that hunting is important as well as just watching birds and appreciate wildlife. It is a hard thing to do in a place where subsistence living is a way of life. But the other day the grouse that hangs around our house was about to be in Keith's scope and Kaden yelled out "Daddy Don't shoot that one!!!" So being the bird watcher that he is he put his gun away and got out his camera. So we say this is the Lucky Grouse that got away! Look at the Beautiful shots he took though!

 Love this one

 Daisy exploring