Annie’s Eats

Here is yet another dinner success from this past week.  I would actually call this a huge success because it had Ben (the former self-proclaimed seafood hater) singing its praises all evening.  I knew this would be good.  I mean, layers of delicate buttered dough with salmon and goat cheese - what’s not to love?  This is a brilliant creation.  I did find this to be incredibly filling and I barely finished mine, so serve it with some light sides.  If you happen to only have plain goat cheese on hand, just chop up some garlic and herbs and sprinkle them on top of the cheese for the same effect.

This is my entry for the July installment of Tasty Tools hosted by Joelen, featuring the pastry brush.  Using a pastry or basting brush to brush butter onto phyllo is one of my favorite uses for this kitchen tool, though I use mine for many things.  I must admit I prefer a brush with regular bristles when working with phyllo, but this silicone one made for a prettier picture :-) 

Phyllo Wrapped Salmon with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

2 salmon fillets

1-2 oz. herbed goat cheese

12 sheets phyllo dough

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. 

On a work surface, lay down one piece of phyllo dough.  Brush lightly with melted butter.  Repeat until 6 sheets of phyllo are layered on top of each other.  Place one salmon fillet at an angle near a corner of the phyllo stack.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread half of the goat cheese on top of the salmon.  Fold corner and then sides of the phyllo stack over the salmon, and then roll up, burrito-style, keeping all sides of phyllo folded in.  Trim off any excess.  Place seam side down on a baking sheet and brush top with more melted butter.  Repeat the process with the second salmon fillet.  Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown. 

Source: Bella Lately

our little man has finally arrived!  Our son Andrew David was born on June 18 at 8:05 am.  The labor and delivery went very well and we are both happy and healthy.  We’ve been home for two days now and are adjusting to life with a newborn.  Everything is so wonderful, it’s difficult to articulate - it’s just amazing!  I must admit that I wasn’t even home 24 hours before I was back in the kitchen baking cookies.  What can I say, it’s an addiction!  I’ll be catching up on blog updates in the next couple of days as I had a few pre-baby updates ready to share.  I don’t think my blog will be too very neglected in the coming month.  Thanks to a lot of wonderful friends and family, and the fact that I froze a lot of meals as well, our dinners are covered for quite some time leaving me plenty of time for frivolous baking!  Here are some pictures of my beautiful little guy for your enjoyment

I feel very honored to have been granted the “You Make My Day” award by three blogs that I love - Chelle of Sugar & Spice, Tara of Smells Like Home, and Nikki of Pennies on a Platter.  You all definitely made my day by passing this honor on to me!  In general, it just really makes my day to know how many people enjoy my blog and the effort I put into it.  Thanks to all my faithful readers.  I appreciate you so much!

I would like to return the favor and give the award right back to all three who gave it to me.  In addition, I will pass it along to some other food bloggers who make my day for two reasons.  One, their deliciously entertaining blogs and two, their sincere and thoughtful comments on my blog.  You make my day!  (And, if you have already received this award, don’t feel the need to find more blogs to pass it on to - just enjoy it!)

1. Chelle of Sugar & Spice
2. Tara of Smells Like Home
3. Nikki of Pennies on a Platter
4. Bellini Valli of More Than Burnt Toast
5. Amber of Amber’s Delectable Delights
6. Renea of Sweet Savory Southern
7. Elly of Elly Says Opa!
8. Katie of Good Things Catered
9. Kayte of Kayte’s Kitchen
10. Bakingblonde of Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen

A huge thanks to Chelle of Sugar & Spice for awarding my blog with this honor!  This is especially meaningful to me coming from her, as her blog is one of my favorites.  If she hadn’t just received it herself, I would certainly be bestowing it upon her :)  My blog is a hobby that I started just for fun, but it has become more fun and important to me than I expected it would be.  I am always trying to improve it and I am happy to know that my efforts have been recognized.

I would like to rate the following blogs as Excellent in my opinion:

1. Confections of a Foodie Bride - Wow.  This is what I think practically every time I see a new blog post from Shawnda.  Her creative talents in the kitchen continue to amaze me, and her photography is enviable.  Practically every post makes me want to pack up and go live at her house so she can cook for me.  She is an inspiration!

2. Amber’s Delectable Delights - I love Amber’s blog for many reasons.  First, the fact that she makes food I would actually want to try with ingredients I can actually find in my grocery store.  Also, she shares my love of bread baking and is always challenging herself with (and then sharing) wonderful new bread recipes.  I also love her ability to put her own spin on a recipe, or to start out with one recipe and come up with something all her own using it as an inspiration.

3. Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen - Who doesn’t love a blog full of delicious baked treats?  No one, that’s who!  I love that this blog is nearly devoted to sweet things.  Not only that, but bakingblonde continues tweaking recipes until she gets exactly what she is going for.  That requires patience that I do not have and I admire and appreciate her efforts!

4. Good Things Catered - Katie’s blog is great because of the wide variety of recipes she posts.  Also, she clearly shares a love of Williams Sonoma recipes with yours truly :)  She has made some very impressive things and I always look forward to her posts.

Welcome to my new food blog!  Same name, same yummy recipes, just on a different domain with (hopefully) far less annoying formatting issues.  Now that things are up and running again after a little transitioning, I should be back to regular posting.  Enjoy!

After frequenting various cooking websites and message boards, I have been inspired to start my own cooking blog. Cooking and baking are two of my favorite things to do, and the kitchen is a great place for me to relax. I love trying new recipes and making old favorites. And of course, my wonderful husband Ben is thrilled about this. We are a match made in heaven - a girl who loves to cook and a boy with an amazing appetite

Hopefully this blog will serve as an inspiration both to myself and others who enjoy cooking. Bon appetit!