Roasted Wild Salmon with Rice and Cauliflower

This recipe turned out to be pretty tasty. It's nice and light and summery (although a 400 degree oven on a hot day isn't always the best). It was something we found in a search on foodnetwork.com.

I was afraid the salmon would be too dry if I baked it on a baking sheet, so I baked it in a skillet, drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkled with lemon pepper.

The parmesan cauliflower tasted great... almost like you were being really bad and having it fried because of the texture! I don't have cooking spray, so it too got a light drizzling of olive oil before baking.

Instead of instant brown rice, I used Texmati whole grain Royal Blend. It's much more interesting than regular brown rice (and tastes better too).

The leftover salmon and tomato mixture, combined with fresh avocado, made a great sandwich the next day.

Enjoy!

I can't get enough of...

... vintage tea tins, like this one on my kitchen table. I love the designs, the colors, and the way they age with little rust spots. I constantly try to edit my collections, but it's so hard! I'd have at least twenty of these if I'd let myself. They frequently inspire my paintings too!

For an instant tea tin collection, you can visit Pearl River and browse their multitude of new tins filled with different flavors of tea. I discovered it through Domino Magazine.

papersnow on Etsy

Be sure to check out my site on Etsy and while you're there, look in the "my favorites" section. Etsy is bursting with amazing talent and I've picked just a few of my favs to share with you!

Interior Design Rules!

My interior design website is currently under construction. I'll publish the link here as soon as it's ready!

This chair is one of my favorite second-hand scores. I got a pair of them at an annual rummage sale in Highland Park, IL.

Substitutions for pesto!

This may seem like a small thing to you, but for a pesto lover like me, it was a fine discovery. A few nights ago I had some girlfriends over for wine and appetizers. At the last minute I decided I needed one more little dish and scavenged for something to whip up. Pesto is always a crowd pleaser, but I didn't have pine nuts or parmesan. My enormous basil plant was just begging to be pruned, so I decided to improvise with feta and pecans. The result was a hit and a less expensive way of making pesto, at that. (This photo is of the plant after I pruned it about halfway down!)

Naturally, I didn't measure anything out, but here is a rough idea:

1 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the top four ingredients with a splash of the olive oil in a blender or food processor to get them moving. As the ingredients puree, slowly add the olive oil until it has a consistency a little runnier than peanut butter.

Pesto is great with so many things.... Pita chips, veggies, tossed with pasta, as a sandwich spread, slathered over chicken before baking or broiling, as pizza sauce, etc. Plus it's loaded with fresh ingredients, healthy fats and the fresh aroma that emanates from the blender is amazing.

Enjoy!