This post is sponsored by La Crema Wines. All opinions here are my own. You can find the companion recipes over on the La Crema blog. 

Apologies for the quiet here this past month. Things have been busy, and cooking, writing, and reflecting have fallen by the wayside a bit. We’ve got 24 days to go until our wedding, which is both insane and kind of a relief. I’m feeling rock solid about marrying Trevor, which is 99.9% of the battle, but there’s still a lot of miscellaneous stress associated with hosting a party for 50 with all kinds of societal and emotional strings attached. I’ve got a lot of thoughts on weddings at this point, but I’ll save those for a later date.

Today, what I’m here to talk about is this Scandinavian dinner menu – my latest collaboration with La Crema wines. It’s inspired by my recent trip to Iceland: in July I finally took advantage of Boston’s relative proximity to Scandinavia and spent a long weekend there. Iceland has been at the top of my travel wishlist for years and I was so excited to finally be in the land of moss-covered lava and epic waterfalls. I have to do a real travelogue at some point, but suffice it to say that the Icelandic landscape is incredible (and here’s a few teaser shots!). One moment we were driving through an alien landscape of hardened lava boulders tumbling into the sea, the next there were pockets of geyser steam rising up all around us, and then, suddenly, we were in the midst of fields of lupine in front of massive glaciers.

Iceland is known for being pretty expensive. I certainly found this to be true, particularly when it came to food. The silver lining to this was that the price differential between cheap food and fancy food was much smaller than it is here in the US. While a gas station hamburger could set you back $20, a three-course meal with wine at a top restaurant only cost $60. So despite the expense, we managed to have some very good meals. Our most memorable culinary experience was a 3 course dinner at Forettabarinn in Reykjavik. It was our final night as a group (and a semi-bachelorette celebration) after a long weekend of adventuring in South Iceland. The food was creative and well-executed, the wine was abundant, and the company was unbeatable. That lovely dinner served as the inspiration for this one.

There are three courses to this menu. First, a super-simple Smoked Salmon and Rye Crackers appetizer. Everyone should have a few minimal-effort, but still fancy-feeling appetizers in their repertoire. This should be one of them. The only “cooking” is to whip up a little cream with capers, slice a cucumber, and assemble. It’s also very portable, so guests can easily grab one of these and a glass of wine while mingling. On that note, the wine to open for this course is La Crema’s Monterey Chardonnay. Its bright acidity and smooth texture stands up nicely to the fatty, smoky salmon and rich caper cream.

The main event consists of two parts – Mashed Potato Waffles with Horseradish Sauce and Mustard-Thyme Pulled Leg of Lamb. I don’t think I’ve ever had lamb served BBQ style before my dinner at Forettabarinn, but it’s so wonderful. Ideally, I would have liked to use a slightly more economical and fattier lamb shoulder for this recipe, but I couldn’t find one at my butcher. The result was still good – tender, falling apart lamb, completely imbued with the flavors of mustard and wine and paprika. It was delicious on top of the potato waffles with a bit of horseradish sauce and grainy mustard. For this course, I opened a bottle of La Crema’s Monterey Pinot Noir and it was so good together! Just tangy and juicy and yum.

For dessert, I whipped up a light Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberry Sauce and Gingerbread Crumbs. If you’re not familiar with it, skyr is Iceland’s answer to yogurt, only it’s thicker and tangier. Similar to Greek yogurt, it’s rich in protein and very trendy here in the US. To turn it into mousse, I incorporated whipped cream and a hint of sugar. It was such a treat – light and airy with a distinct tang from the skyr. It was also so simple to put together. The only other recipes I saw for skyr mousse involved a fussy gelatin method, but I opted for a much simpler treatment here – whip cream, whip skyr, fold together, serve. With the maple-blueberry sauce and a sprinkling of gingerbead cookie crumbs it’s a more-than-the-sum-of-it’s-parts dessert.

You can find the recipes for the first two courses on the La Crema blog: Smoked Salmon Rye Crackers with Caper Cream; Mashed Potato Waffles with Horseradish Sauce; and Mustard-Thyme Pulled Leg of Lamb. The Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberries recipe is below!

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Skyr Mousse with Wild Blueberries and Sweet Gingerbread Crumbs

A simple skyr-based mousse made from whipped cream and thick, yogurt-like Icelandic skyr. Served with wild-blueberry sauce and gingerbread crumbs.

Inspired by dinner at Forettabarinn

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup wild Maine blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 4 TBS sugar
• 1 cup plain or maple flavored skyr (Icelandic yogurt), chilled
• 1.5 oz. gingerbread cookies, preferably Anna’s Swedish Thins
• 1 TBS brown sugar

Instructions

1. Place the blueberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and stir to mix. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer the berries until they have burst and released their juices and the sauce is slightly syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to be sure they don’t burn. Remove from the heat, transfer the blueberry sauce to a storage container, and chill thoroughly.
2. To make the mousse, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks have formed. Add the sugar and beat for a few seconds longer, just to incorporate the sugar into the cream. In a separate bowl, beat the skyr for 30 seconds until it is lightened slightly. Add half of the whipped cream to the skyr and use a spatula to gently fold together. Repeat with the remaining half of the whipped cream, folding just enough to mix the two together. Don’t overfold or your mousse may deflate. Chill the mousse until ready to serve.
3. Place the gingerbread cookies and the brown sugar in a small food processor and pulse several times to make crumbs. Set crumbs aside.
4. To serve the mousse, drizzle the chilled blueberry sauce on top of the mousse. Sprinkle with the gingerbread crumbs. Serve immediately

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March is a hard month for cooking. It feels like it should be spring – we’re so ready for the sunshine and for green to return to the trees! And, perhaps more pressing, we are ready for winter to be over. Even though I escaped Boston for 5 weeks in January and early February, I’m still ready for it to be over. We’ve had a handful of sunny days this month, but here in Massachusetts, it’s still very much winter. As evidenced by the windchill of -6°F this weekend and the Nor’easter bearing down on us today.

By extension, March is a hard month for food blogging. There’s no local produce to inspire, no major food holidays. Just a craving for summer mixed with the reality of winter. In past years, I’ve posted everything from Butternut Squash Carbonara to Apple Cider Doughnuts to Strawberry Balsamic Salad – no seasonal cohesion to speak of.

It’s a transitional eating period, but instead of the abundance of September and October, we’re left with the dregs of the root cellar. We’re still at least a month away from the first tender greens and peas. We’re no longer excited about brussels sprouts and squash. All we want is the first cocktail-on-the-porch Saturday afternoon.

So this year, I’m making a concerted effort to come up with and share recipes that are appropriate for March. Recipes that are warm and nourishing without being heavy and rich. Recipes that shift towards spring without leaving you unsatisfied. They all have an element of brightness. I hope they will help inspire you in the kitchen this month while we wait patiently for spring.

This Salmon en Papillote with Potatoes and Dill Butter is an easy weeknight meal that perfectly fits the bill. Salmon is a richer fish, still fatty and satisfying, but not heavy like a roast or stew. The dill butter adds a bright, herbal note and makes it feel a little fancy. As a bonus, it’s one of the simplest recipes on this blog and its pretty healthy. The trifecta for dinner recipes: tasty, healthy, easy.

Tell me, is there anything that’s a staple in your kitchen while you wait for spring?

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Salmon en Papillote with Dill Butter

Recipe adapted from Simple by Diana Henry. Serves 2.

• 4 TBS salted butter
• 3 TBS finely chopped fresh dill
• pinch sea salt
• 6 small red or white potatoes
• Two 6 oz. salmon fillets
• 2 TBS dry white vermouth

1. Mix the softened butter and chopped dill together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Thinly slice the potatoes and add to a medium pot. Cover with cold water. Season lightly with salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil just until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut out four squares of parchment paper that are about 1 foot long/wide. Double up the squares so there are two in a stack. Place a knob of dill butter in the middle of each stack, then layer potato slices over the butter. Place a piece of salmon on top of the potatoes, then top with a few dots of dill butter and a little sea salt. Pour 1 TBS of vermouth over each piece of fish. Bring two edges of the packets together over the fish and fold down a few times, then twist the open ends to seal the packets. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through. Unwrap carefully at the table and serve.

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Wheat ales are hands down my favorite beers, and I particularly love Belgian ones. I love the hints of sweetness and citrus, the light body and easy drinkability. I know you all see a lot of wine around here, but there are days when a beer is so much more refreshing and casual and somehow just better. And on those days, nine times out of ten I am reaching for a Belgian wheat ale, and I’m never disappointed with my choice. So partnering with Hoegaarden (pronounced “who-gar-den”!), a brewery that has been brewing wheat ales in Belgium for almost 600 years, was an excellent chance to spend time working with a beer made by true experts of my favorite brewing style.

Light, citrusy wheat ales are a great match for seafood dishes, and since I’ve been building my seafood recipe repertoire after a lifetime of avoiding eating it at all costs (you can read more about that particular piece of my history here and here if you’re curious…), coming up with a few new recipes to pair with Hoegaarden was a fun challenge. When I think of seafood and beer, my thoughts immediately skew to summertime – images of seafood shacks lining long sandy beaches, the scent of just-greasy-enough fish sandwiches and French fries wafting over the dunes, frosty brown bottles brought to your lips while you survey the ocean through sunglasses, everything sparkling and blown out in tones of blue and blonde. But it’s October, and October in New England is all coziness and sweaters and crunching through leaves. How could I take that easy breezy summer beach feeling and make it appropriate for fall?

The answer: take a bunch of summer seafood classics – fish sandwiches, fried seafood, and steamed mussels – and make the flavors just a little bit heartier, a little bit more warming. Start with a platter of just-fried popcorn shrimp, dipped in an addictive lemon-garlic aioli. When you’ve had your fill of the crunchy-creamy bite-sized shrimp, bring out a steaming bowl of mussels, simmered in a mixture of Hoegaarden and garlic-butter and crème fraiche and finished with a shower of fresh parsley. If you’re really feeling the Belgian vibe, serve the mussels with a basket of French fries (frozen ones are fine, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t) for a take on the classic dish Moules Frites. Alternatively, a fresh baguette for sopping up the creamy sauce will work. Last, bring out Salmon B.L.A.T.s, where each piece of salmon is glazed in an orange-mustard sauce before being sandwiched between a soft brioche bun, two crispy pieces of bacon, a thick slice of summer’s last heirloom tomato, and a few slices of creamy avocado. Enjoy everything outside on a beautiful fall afternoon, with a six pack or two of chilled Hoegaarden and some good company. Relax and savor the fact that it’s the weekend, that it’s still warm enough to be outside, that you’re surrounded by good friends and good food and good beer.

In the mood for a Hoegaarden or two but don’t feel like schlepping out to the store? If you’re in Drizly’s delivery area (most major US cities!), head to Drizly.com and you can have it delivered to your door in an hour. Even better, readers can use the code “WHO141” at checkout for a special offer when purchasing Hoegaarden. Once you’ve cracked your beer (and hopefully cooked up at least one of these recipes to go with it) snap a pic and share it with #itsWHOgaarden… I’d love to see what you’re cooking up! 

This post was sponsored by Drizly and Hoegaarden. As usual, all opinions are my own.

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Paprika-Dusted Popcorn Shrimp with Lemon-Garlic Aioli

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

• 1 lb. uncooked Key West shrimp (51-60 count), thawed according to package directions
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. panko
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 TBS finely minced fresh parsley
• Canola oil for frying

For the Lemon-Garlic Aioli:

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ½ c. canola oil
• ¼ c. olive oil
• 2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. In a small bowl, whik the eggs until smooth. Put the flour in a second small bowl. In a third bowl, whisk together the panko, salt, smoked paprika, and minced parsley. Working a few at a time, dip the thawed shrimp first into the egg, then in the flour, then back in the egg. Let the shrimp drip for a moment or two to rid excess moisture, then dip in the panko mixture and set on a plate.
2. Once you have breaded all of the shrimp, heat a frying pan filled with about half an inch of canola oil over medium high heat. Working in batches of 5-6 at a time, place the shrimp in the frying pan – they should sizzle immediately upon contact with the oil if the oil is hot enough. Fry for 20-30 seconds on one side, flip, fry for another 20 seconds, and then use tongs to remove the shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate. The shrimp should be just cooked through.
3. To make the aioli, place the minced garlic, the egg and egg yolk, the sea salt, and the canola oil in a wide-mouth mason jar. Place an immersion blender that just barely fits inside the mason jar straight up and down in the jar. With the immersion blender fit snugly into the jar, start blending the mixture, moving the blender very slowly straight up as the mixture emulsifies. After blending for about 60 seconds you should have a smooth, creamy aioli. Whisk the olive oil into the mixture a tablespoon at a time, blending completely before adding the next tablespoon. Whisk the lemon juice into the aioli. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve the hot shrimp with the aioli on the side.

Hoegaarden-Steamed Mussels with Crème Fraiche

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

• 2 TBS salted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
• ¼ tsp red pepper falkes
• 2 lb. mussels, debearded and thorough rinsed (discard any mussels with broken or cracked shells)
• Fresh juice and zest from ½ of a navel orange
• One 12-oz bottle of Hoegaarden
• ¼ c. crème fraiche
• 2 TBS minced fresh parsley
• French fries or baguette, for serving

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and thyme to the melted butter and saute just until fragrant, about 60-90 seconds. Add the diced shallot and the red pepper flakes and saute, stirring frequently, until the shallot is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the cleaned mussels to the pan along with the orange juice, orange zest, and Hoegaarden. Bring to a simmer and then cover the pan. Steam the mussels for 5-8 minutes, or just until they have all opened. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large bowl. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
3. Continue simmering the cooking liquid for the mussels until it has reduced by half. Remove from the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and parsley before pouring the sauce back over the mussels. Serve mussels with french fries or baguette.

Orange-Glazed Salmon B.L.A.T.s

Serves 4. Bacon cooking instructions from The Kitchn.

• 8 strips bacon
• ½ cup fresh orange juice from 2 navel oranges
• 1 TBS brown sugar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBS mustard
• 2 lbs. fresh salmon filets, deboned and cut into 4 equally sized pieces
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 4 brioche buns, sliced in half horizontally
• 1 large, ripe heirloom tomato, sliced horizontally
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 4 large leaves of butter lettuce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. To cook the bacon, line a large baking sheet with tinfoil. Place the bacon strips on the lined baking sheet in a single layer so that they aren’t touching each other. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and pour the hot fat out of the pan and into a can (to discard or reuse once cooled). Return the bacon to the oven for another 3-5 minutes, until crispy and browned. Set bacon aside.
2. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, and mustard to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer until the sauce is reduce by half and makes a runny glaze, about 7-9 minutes. Set glaze aside.
3. Preheat the oven to broil on high. Line a large baking sheet with tinfoil. Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Season the salmon lightly with sea salt, then add 1 piece of salmon to the pan skin-side down. Salmon skin should crackle immediately when you place it in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the skin is crispy, and then use a spatula to remove the salmon and place on the foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filets. Note that if the pan is not hot enough before adding the fish the salmon skin will stick to the pan.
4. Spoon the glaze evenly over the tops of the crisped salmon filets. Broil until the salmon is just cooked through. This will vary with the thickness of the salmon, but should take 8-10 minutes for a piece of salmon that is one inch thick. Remove salmon and set aside.
5. To assemble the sandwiches, place one large piece of lettuce and one piece of salmon on the bottom half of each of the four brioche buns. Top each piece of salmon with two strips of bacon, one or two large slices of tomato, and slices from half or an avocado. Place the second half of the bun on top of the sandwich and serve immediately.

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For the first 25 years of my life, I abhorred seafood. All of it. Yes, including lobster. Yes, including shrimp. I’ve written about it before so I won’t rehash it again. Suffice it to say, that through travel and the necessity of eating what’s available/local/good, I got over it. And in the past few months, the amount – and variety – of seafood that I eat has grown exponentially. I just got home from a week in Portugal where, not only did I eat some form of seafood every day, I ate, and loved, octopus, squid, and scallops. My mother wouldn’t recognize the girl who used to cry through meals when a “no thank you portion” of baked cod sat sadly on her plate.

This summer, I’ve been cooking lots of seafood at home, too – perhaps to make up for lost time, or perhaps because it just goes so well with a chilled glass of white wine. To celebrate my newfound love of seafood, I put together a little Italian seafood dinner paired with three La Crema wines. It’s the sort of meal that demands to be eaten outside at the end of a hot, sunny day, when the sun is just beginning to slip behind the trees and the breeze picks up again. It’s also the sort of meal that should be lingered over, with plenty of conversation and several bottles of wine on ice, within arm’s reach. It’s slow food.

The first course is a take on Mussels Bruschetta – sauté fennel and garlic until tender and fragrant, then steam the mussels just until they open. Add a splash of Chardonnay, a handful of tomatoes, and fresh basil and parsley, then serve on top of freshly-toasted bread. Set the toasts out on a tray and open a bottle of La Crema Monterey Chardonnay to kick off the evening. Next, a Salmon Carpaccio served on a salad of spicy greens, a light, refreshing, and elegant summer dish. The carpaccio – like an Italian-style ceviche – relies on juicy lemons and herbs like parsley and thyme to both flavor and “cook” the raw fish. Pair it with a crisp, bright La Crema Pinot Gris.

The main event is a Seafood Pasta with Squid, Clams, and Tomatoes – because in my mind, no Italian meal is complete without pasta. Wide rough-cut noodles of eggy pappardelle tossed with flash-fried squid, steamed clams, and fresh tomatoes make a simple and delicious main. If you have the time to make the fresh pasta yourself, do it. The ritual of making pasta at home – cracking the eggs into a well of flour; drawing the tines of a fork through the mixture until it is no longer eggs and flour but a dough; slowly kneading the dough until it’s soft and pliable; rolling the dough into thinner and thinner sheets; folding and pressing and re-rolling; cutting the sheets into thick noodles; hanging them to dry on wooden dowels – takes time and love but it’s so worth it. With the pasta, serve your last bottle of wine, a chilled, buttery La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

You can find recipes for all three dishes on the La Crema blog – Mussels and Fennel Bruschetta, Salmon Carpaccio and Spicy Greens Salad, and Seafood Pasta with Squid, Clams, and Tomatoes.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by La Crema. All opinions are honest and my own.

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While Trevor works on his Comp-Sci masters, he’s started working part time, primarily hosting at a local restaurant. Unfortunately for me, he works nights, which means I suddenly have an abundance of evenings to myself. I’d much rather have him to hang out with, but I’ve been trying to make the most of it by alternatively being productive and indulging in things I wouldn’t otherwise. One night last week, one of the indulgent nights, I was flicking through Amazon Prime looking for something to watch, and Out of Africa popped up, with a little footnote saying it was leaving Prime at the end of the month. I knew nothing about the movie, other than that it was old, and that it had Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, so I figured I’d watch it and write at the same time. Needless, to say, the writing didn’t happen – I was not prepared for how sexy an eighties movie about Africa could be! All this to say, if you have any recommendations for more movies I can watch on my solo nights in, preferably accompanied by a big salad and a glass of chardonnay, send them my way. I’m planning on enjoying my nights for one as much as possible.

Solo dinners at home have proved to be mostly positive for my diet – I’m much less likely to cook something major when it’s just me (although I will admit that I also feel less guilty ordering take-out). This salad is inspired by the spring offerings at Sweetgreen, an establishment I have a love-hate relationship with. How do they continually get me to pay $12 for a salad? Why do people wait in line for over an hour when you can order online 15 minutes ahead of time and walk in front of those poor suckers waiting in line, glaring at you? Why is it that their salads are so much better than any other salad offering within walking distance of my office? Whatever the answers, I love the new combination of salmon, new potatoes, and asparagus that they offer. I took it a step further at home, adding a pesto dressing, feta cheese and a soft-boiled egg. It’s not the world’s lightest salad – I wanted the potatoes almost poached in olive oil – but it’s got lots of good nutrients, it’s seasonal, and it makes a very satisfying meal. And it goes really nicely with Meryl Streep movies.

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Salmon, Asparagus, and Roasted Potato Bowl with Pesto Dressing

Inspired by Sweetgreen. Serves 4.

• 4 small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut into 1/4 inch round slices
• 1/4 c. plus 1 TBS olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. salmon fillet, deboned
• 4 large eggs
• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 4 oz. feta cheese
• 8 oz. fresh spinach or arugula
• pesto salad dressing, such as this, or store-bought pesto thinned with olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the sliced potato rounds with the 1/4 c. of olive oil and spread in a single layer on a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, and roast until tender, about 20-25 minutes, flipping potatoes once halfway through cooking. Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside.
2. Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Line a small roasting pan with tin foil. Drizzle half of the 1 TBS of olive oil on the tin foil, then place salmon fillet skin side down on foil. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top of fillet and season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Reduce heat so water is at a rapid simmer, and gently add eggs. Set timer for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs precisely at 6 minutes with a slotted spoon and run under cold water. Once eggs have reached room temperature, peel eggs and set aside.
4. Add the asparagus to the simmering water that you cooked the eggs in. Simmer the asparagus until bright green, about 2-3 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat, drain the asparagus, and rinse with cold water. Set asparagus aside.
5. To assemble the salads, divide spinach or arugula between plates. Top with a generous piece of roasted salmon, a few potatoes, the blanched asparagus, and a sprinkling of feta cheese. Drizzle with pesto dressing and serve immediately.

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I’ve somehow let over three weeks go by since the last time I wrote. Before our trip, I prepped and photographed six recipes to share with you while I was away, approximately one per week. It was good planning on my part, but I arrived home a few days ago and I seem to have only managed to post three of them. Whoops. In reality, I decided that this trip wasn’t the time to be fretting over my blog schedule and unanswered email inquiries – and I’m glad I did. It was nice to let go of some of it for a few weeks, to focus my energy each day on where we were and what we were doing. That’s not to say I traveled anxiety-free or without letting thoughts of home occasionally slip into my mind, but I let go of a lot more than I usually do, especially during our time in Japan, and I enjoyed the trip so much more for it.

I had originally intended this recipe for my February fitness goal post, but fitness goals are another thing I’ve let slide. I’m not too concerned about it – we spent 6 weeks walking 10+ miles a day, not sitting on a couch. Still, this is the kind of food I am very much looking forward to eating now that I am home – simple, light, and nourishing. We had fairly few “Western” meals during our 6 weeks in Asia – a few hamburgers in Hong Kong, a pizza one night. Both Hong Kong and Japan have such incredible food cultures, we were never bored with or tired of the local offerings. I wasn’t particularly anxious to get home, but walking through the door Monday night I was surprisingly happy to be here. And there are things that I’m looking forward to now that I’m back – yogurt and berries, real avocado toast, affordable wine and brie, giant grain salads. Planning for our garden this spring and getting back into decorating the house. Probably most of all, seeing my friends and family. And it’s almost spring! I might skip winter every year.

Now that I’m home, I’m also excited to be back in the kitchen (or at least I will be once we’ve managed to get some groceries). I’m full of inspiration for soups, noodles, dumplings, and street food – don’t be surprised if this blog takes a decidedly Asian slant for the next few months. But before we get to all that, I have this Nordic-inspired, healthy salmon and rice bowl for you, with pickled beets and dilled sour cream. It is super quick and easy to put together, and satisfying without being heavy. It’s also seasonally appropriate, beets being one of the few vegetables we New Englanders can get locally in the middle of winter. In fact, revisiting it now, I’m thinking this might be a good one to go on my grocery list this week. Enjoy!

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Scandi Salmon Bowl with Pickled Beets and Dilled Sour Cream

Pickled beets adapted from Gourmet. Serves 4.

• 2 beets, boiled until tender, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp dill seed
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 2 TBS minced fresh dill
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely minced
• sea salt, to taste
• 3 c. prepared brown rice, farro, or other nutty whole grain
• 8 oz. hot-smoked salmon, flaked into bite-size pieces

1. Place thinly sliced beets in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, water, cider vinegar, mustard seed, and dill seed, and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour over the sliced beets. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
2. To prepare the dilled sour cream, mix sour cream, lemon juice, dill and minced shallot together in a bowl until evenly combined. Season to taste with sea salt.
3. To serve, fill 4 bowls with a few scoops of cooked rice or farro. Top the rice with the flaked salmon, a few pickled beets, and a dollop of sour cream. Best served when rice is still slightly warm.

The post Scandi Salmon Bowl with Pickled Beets and Dilled Sour Cream appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I’m quite excited to be collaborating with Stonewall Kitchen on this post. Stonewall is a well-loved New England brand, based out of York, Maine. They are probably best known for their jams and jellies, but they also carry a broad range of other specialty food products, from Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce (yum) to Butternut Squash Risotto Mix (yum) to Maple Bacon Aioli (double yum!). Having Stonewall products in my pantry always feels like a bit of a special treat – the kind of treat that inspires such scenarios as “oh, yes, I have raspberry hot fudge sauce in the fridge! I should definitely have some ice cream tonight.” And for other New Englanders, I can attest that visiting their store/production facility/cooking school in York is a worthwhile detour on any trip from Boston up north (or honestly, as a destination in and of itself).

But I don’t want to gush too much lest you think I’m going to forget about sharing this delicious-looking brunch dish you see here. Right now everything seems like it’s fall, fall, fall. That’s true all over the U.S., I’m sure, but I have to imagine that the everything-fall-craze is especially prevalent here in New England, land of apples and brilliant foliage and quaint Vermont towns. Fall is by far my favorite season, and I’m so happy that I’m actually home for it – the first season of the year that I’m truly here for, in fact. Fall cooking is no small part of the reason that fall is my favorite, what with the abundance of squash and apples and cruciferous vegetables to roast and braise and stew. When the team over at Stonewall sent a list of fall products that I might be able to put to good use in a new Katie at the Kitchen Door recipe, the list read like a celebration of all the delicious autumnal flavors you could ever hope to pack into one kitchen: Apple Cranberry Chutney, Caramel Apple Butter, Maple Bacon Onion Jam, Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, and so on. It was a hard list to choose from, but ultimately I couldn’t resist the Apple Cider Jam, which I knew would be absolutely delicious in a savory-sweet application.

The Apple Cider Jam is thick and sweet and heavily spiced with holiday spices (I’m not sure precisely what’s in it – trade secret? – but think along the lines of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.). Having a spoonful is like eating apple pie filling but concentrated down into one delicious bite. That said, it needs a little bit of tempering for use in a savory context, so for this recipe I mixed it with apple cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper for a sweet-and-tangy glaze. We brushed the glaze on wild salmon, which we then broiled until just cooked through, and served on top of potato-apple latkes with a poached egg and hollandaise for a fancy-pants version of eggs benedict. It was incredible – crunchy fried potato latkes, rich sweet-and-tangy salmon, soft and runny eggs (although I’ll admit I overcooked them slightly – it was my first time poaching an egg, if you can believe that!), and of course, buttery hollandaise sauce. So much flavor and texture and deliciousness in every bite.

Now, I want to take a minute here to say that I get that making cider-jam-glazed salmon and latkes and poached eggs and hollandaise sauce is a time commitment. This is definitely a weekend luxury meal. But the salmon by itself is incredibly quick to prepare – it probably takes 10 minutes from start to finish – and would be a great weeknight dinner with any number of side dishes. So keep that in mind before you write this recipe off as too complicated! And when you do have an hour on a lazy Sunday morning, make the whole thing. I promise you, it will not be a wasted hour.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Stonewall Kitchen, but all opinions are honest and my own as usual.

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Cider-Jam-Glazed Salmon and Potato Latke Eggs Benedict

Serves 4. Latke-making guidance from Serious Eats. Hollandaise and poached egg recipes from linked sources.

For the latkes:

• 2 large russet potatoes
• 1 large apple
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten.
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 c. canola oil, for frying

For the salmon:

• 4 TBS Stonewall Kitchen Apple Cider Jam
• 1 TBS plus 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 TBS olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb. wild-caught salmon fillets with skin-on, cut into individual portions
• 1 TBS canola oil

To assemble:

• 4 poached eggs
• 1 c. hollandaise sauce
• fresh parsley leaves for garnish

1. To make the latkes: Peel the potatoes. Using a food processor with a grating disk attached, or the large holes on a hand-held box grater, evenly shred the potatoes. Place in a large bowl and squeeze the potatoes to remove excess liquid, pouring the liquid off into another bowl as you work. You should try to squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the potatoes – it may help to set the potatoes aside for 2-3 minutes in between rounds of squeezing them dry. Let the separate potato liquid sit for a few minutes, then pour off the water on top, leaving the thick white potato starch on the bottom of the bowl. Add the potato starch back to the shredded potatoes and stir to mix.
2. Shred the apple and the onion in the food processor or on the box grater. Squeeze to remove excess liquid, discarding the liquid, and add the shredded onion and apple to the potato. Stir in the beaten egg, salt, and pepper. Heat the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until a piece of potato sizzles when dropped into the oil. Form the potato mixture into palm-sized patties and place gently in the oil. Fry the latkes in batches, for 3-4 minutes per side, draining the finished latkes on a paper-towel lined plate. If you are making the latkes in advance, you can re-heat the latkes in a low-temperature oven immediately before serving.
3. To make the salmon: Preheat the broiler on the high setting. In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider jam, apple cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. Grease a foil-lined baking sheet with a little bit of olive oil. Brush the salmon fillets with the jam mixture, spreading it on thickly. Heat the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and place the glazed salmon fillets skin-side down in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just to crisp the salmon skin and cook the bottom of the fillets. Do not flip the fillets. Transfer directly from the frying pan to the prepared baking sheet, skin-side still down. Put the salmon under the broiler and broil until salmon is just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. To assemble: Place a warm latke on each place, and top with one of the salmon fillets. Gently place a poached egg on top of the salmon, and drizzle with the hollandaise sauce. Garnish with parsley leaves and serve immediately.

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We are (very) slowly starting to settle in to our new house. The pile of unpacked boxes in the dining room is dwindling, and things are starting to find homes. I built a little herb garden, not exactly a priority as far as house projects go but something that I’ve been looking forward to since we decided to buy a house. Yesterday we caved and bought a mini-fridge to tide us over until our real fridge is available, and a chilled glass of lemonade in this 95° heat is already worth the cost of the fridge, in my book. Trevor ripped out some of the old cabinets and replaced them with gorgeous industrial-style pine shelves, and we now have a plan to make the kitchen usable for the next 12 months or so while we save up to truly remodel it. Things are still a little chaotic, but they’re looking up.

With a few surfaces cleared and cleaned, at least a little cold storage, and a place to store our groceries, we’re easing back into cooking.  The very first meal was a package of frozen tortellini and a jar of tomato sauce. Gourmet, I know. Last night we were more ambitious and fired up the grill for sausage, peppers, and onions, along with grilled corn on the cob. Today, I’ve managed to have all my meals at home – cereal (ice cold milk, what a delicious thing!), tomato-lentil-couscous, and now, this Smoked Salmon Soba Bowl. Because there are still a number of kitchen tools we haven’t unearthed, and because we’re just starting to build up a new pantry, I needed to keep this meal super simple, and it is. The only cooking is to boil the soba noodles and edamame, then the noodles get tossed with a 5-ingredient dressing, and topped with smoked salmon, avocado, and pickled ginger. Simple, healthy, and full of flavor. And there’s something supremely satisfying about slurping cold, nutty noodles straight from the bowl when it’s too hot to think. Enjoy, and stay cool!

Smoked Salmon Soba Bowl

A quick and easy summer dinner, delicious served at room temperature or chilled. I make this with store-bought hot-smoked salmon, making it even easier to get dinner on the table.

Dressing adapted from this Sprouted Kitchen recipe. 

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Prep Time: 15m
• Cook Time: 10m
• Total Time: 54 minute
• Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. tahini
• 2 TBS honey
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS sesame oil
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 8 oz. soba noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 1 c. shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
• 1 avocado, pitted and cut into cubes
• 8 oz. hot-smoked salmon
• 1 oz. pickled ginger slices
• sesame or poppy seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors to your liking. Set aside.
2. Toss the prepared soba noodles with the edamame and the dressing. Chill until ready to serve. To serve, divide noodles between plates and top with avocado cubes, pieces of salmon, pickled ginger, and sesame or poppy seeds.

The post Smoked Salmon Soba Bowl appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

As has sort of become a tradition for me (and so many other bloggers – I secretly love reading everyone’s year end reviews and getting a little glimpse into their highs and lows), I wanted to take a little time and a little space here to reflect on last year and look forward to the next. I’ll try to keep it relatively short and sweet, but if you’re just hear for the food (no shame in that), skip down to the end for some delicious Russian-inspired zakuski from our New Year’s Eve festivities.

2014, A Year in Review

It was a pretty big year for this blog, especially in the last few months. There were a few months where revenue from this space was actually enough to cover my rent (!), Trevor and I wrote and photographed our first in-print article (I can’t wait to share it with you when it’s published), I worked with a number of great new sponsors and brands, and I created some content I’m pretty proud of. Although sometimes it’s hard to feel progress when you’re working on something day after day, taking a minute to look back at how it has grown over time highlights all the changes.

Personally, this year felt mixed. It may be that I’m letting the stress I’ve been feeling for the past two months represent too much of the year, but like any year, 2014 definitely had its highs and lows. I actually ended up having 3 different jobs this year, all with the same company, which was exciting, but not without its transition stress. I traveled a ton – this was certainly my biggest year yet as far as travel is concerned. I made trips to 6 countries – Ecuador, Hong Kong, Canada, Italy, Malaysia and Ireland – and all of them except for Italy were places I’d never been before. I wrote detailed travelogues of my family’s trip to Ecuador (Quito, The Amazon, Baños, and Cotopaxi) and shared some pictures and memories of our over-the-top dinner at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, here. The rest of the trips were for work and were mostly documented through Instagram, but in short: Hong Kong is incredibly vibrant and alive and I would love to spend more time wandering through it’s crowded streets; a long-weekend spent solo in Rome in May is just about the loveliest thing there is, for the unhurried bowls of fresh cacio e pepe eaten al fresco, long runs through the Villa Borghese, and afternoons spent poolside; the best part of Malaysia was undoubtedly the food, which was abundant at every meal and convinced me that I would be perfectly happy eating sweet and creamy curries for breakfast for the rest of my life; if someone asked me to move to Dublin I would be happy to go, for the friendly people, the twisty streets, the lively pubs, and unlimited quantities of amazing Irish butter.

Besides travel and blogging, there were a few other things that defined this year for me. I definitely got back into a solid fitness routine over the course of the year, which I documented through these monthly “Fitness Challenge” posts. I started from a place that I was very unhappy with – heavy, tired, and a complete stranger to my old running habits. Getting back in shape was a slow process, but by springtime I was running regularly and eating better, and I managed to keep those habits going all year. And of course, there’s the stuff that really matters – family and friends. I love how much time I was able to spend with my family this year, and being able to drive over for gardening and Sunday dinner almost every week is something I really treasure. I perhaps could have done a little better in prioritizing some of my friendships last year, but it’s something I hope to focus on more in 2015. And finally, Trevor is still the best, I love sharing my life with him, and I love that even after 7 years together I still feel excited to be with him. So that’s a big fat plus sign for 2014.

On to 2015!

Although I’m still reflecting on how I want to shape 2015, there’s a few things that I already know will be focus areas. One thing that I want for myself is to be less stressed. This is probably easier said than done, but I’m trying to think about what habits and routines I can change to allow myself to be more flexible and less likely to end up in a stressed-out, to-do-list-dominated state. I also want to find ways to build more joy and spontaneity into my life, to be more flexible, and to forgive myself and others more easily. I’ve been toying with the idea of some sort of gratitude journaling or instagram project, to keep myself in a positive and thankful frame of mind, but am a little worried that I’ll turn it in to one more thing I stress out about getting done every day. Have any of you tried something like this? What did you think? On a lighter note, I want to read more books, take better advantage of my travels, have more regular date nights with Trevor, and maybe learn to dance on pointe (I have no idea if this is even within my reach, but I’d like to think it is!). What are your resolutions and thoughts for the new year? I’d love to hear about them.

And if you’ve read through all that (not as short-and-sweet as I promised, huh?), then it’s time for some New Year’s eating! We had a fairly mellow New Year’s that was just right – movies and drinks with my brothers, then Veronika came over for snacks and champagne, before we headed with her and Scott to a late dinner in Harvard complete with fun party hats and free champagne. The snacks were sort of a last minute decision, but once I’d gotten the idea of a little Russian-inspired blini spread into my mind, I couldn’t get it out again. New Year’s Eve is a much bigger holiday in Russia than Christmas is, and the evening is filled with lots of zakuski, a buffet of hot and cold appetizers, and vodka toasts. So I whipped up a batch of rye and caraway blini and two easy dips: one made from hot-smoked salmon and cream cheese, and the other from chopped beets, honey, and vinegar. Both got generous helpings of dill and red onion, and spooned onto hot blini for a delightful mix of flavors. For drinks, I went with a sparkly pink number inspired by this Bon Appetit recipe, with fresh grapefruit juice, vodka, campari, and prosecco. Everything was delicious and all together it made for a festive spread.

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Rye and Caraway Blini

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine. Makes 30-40 blini.

• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 3/4 c. AP flour
• 1/2 c. rye flour
• 2 eggs
• 3 TBS butter, melted
• 1 TBS brown sugar
• 1 tsp whole caraway seeds
• 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 c. seltzer or club soda
• canola oil, for brushing the pan

1. Place the buttermilk, both flours, eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, caraway, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a blender. Blend on high until a smooth batter forms, stopping to scrape excess flour down the sides with a spatula if necessary. Let batter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, or in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. When ready to cook the blini, stir the seltzer into the batter. Heat a little canola oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, then pour tablespoon-sized drops of batter into the prepared pan. Cook until bubbles on top of pancake have popped, then flip. They should cook for about 60 seconds on each side. Remove to a plate, and repeat until you have used all the batter, adding more canola oil to the pan whenever it runs out. Best served warm.

Hot-Smoked Salmon Dip

Makes about 1 cup.

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 TBS creme fraiche or sour cream
• 2 TBS finely  minced red onion
• 2 TBS finely minced fresh dill
• 1 small wedge preserved meyer lemon, finely diced
• 4 oz. hot-smoked salmon

1. Beat the cream cheese, creme fraiche, red onion, dill, and meyer lemon together until the mixture is even. Use a fork to flake the hot smoked salmon out of its skin in bite-sized pieces. Gently stir the salmon pieces into the dip. Serve chilled.

Russian Beet Dip

Recipe inspired by Cooks.com. Makes about 2 cups.

• 2 medium beets
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 TBS finely minced red onion
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 TBS cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh dill
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove the greens and tails from the beets and place the beets in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil, boiling until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 25-40 minutes, depending on their size. Remove the beets with a slotted spoon and run under cold water, rubbing the skin off with your hands as you do so. This works best when the beets are still warm.
2. Dice the beets into 1/4 inch cubes. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, red onion, honey, vinegar, and dill until evenly mixed, then stir in the cubed beets. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

Pretty in Pink

Inspired by Bon Appetit. Serves 2.

• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, from one large grapefruit
• Two 1.5 oz. shots of vodka
• One 1.5 oz. shot of campari
• Chilled prosecco or champagne

1. Add grapefruit juice, vodka, and campari to a cocktail shaker with a few cubes of ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into two coupe glasses. Top each glass off with prosecco and serve immediately.

The post 2014 – A Year in Review // Rye Blini with Smoked Salmon Dip and Russian Beet Salad appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I’m so thrilled to be back on Cup of Jo today. When Joanna and her team first reached out to me last year about contributing a recipe, I had heard of her blog but only glanced at it once or twice. Since then, I’ve become a loyal reader – and I mean I actually read all her posts, not just skim through the pictures like I do with so many blogs. It’s almost always the first blog I click on when I open up my reader, and reading her posts makes me feel like I’m chatting with a slightly older, slightly wiser, really sweet girlfriend. Making strangers feel like that over the internet takes a whole lot of talent. But enough with the fangirling – on to the food! Last year I shared my favorite recipe for guacamole with Joanna and her readers, and I’m flattered to be returning with a super simple, three ingredient pasta dish that’s perfect for summer eating.

July is really the perfect time for quick dinners – less time in the kitchen means more time outside soaking up the sunshine, or laying on the floor in your underwear as close to your AC unit as you can get, depending on where you live. Of course, I took my three ingredients – smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and capers – and decided that I should make two of the three from scratch, defeating the simplicity point a little bit. Creme fraiche is super easy to make at home – all you need to do is add a few tablespoons of buttermilk to a cup of heavy cream, stir it up, cover it, and let it sit on the counter until thick, usually about 24 hours. Smoking your own salmon takes a bit more effort, but it’s a fun project and totally doable. Trevor did most of the hard work, stoking and tending the fire and keeping the temperature just right as the fish smoked, so I can’t take too much credit here, but the end result was really delicious. The pasta gets well coated with the tangy creme fraiche, the salmon is incredibly rich and slightly sweet from a maple syrup brine, and the capers add some much-needed piquancy. Even with all store-bought ingredients, this recipe is a winner for summer nights. Head over to get the full recipe on Cup of Jo.

Thanks to both Joanna and Caroline for featuring this recipe!

Note: we used the following three sources for info on hot-smoking salmon at home. We’re still perfecting our technique, but once we do, maybe we’ll have our own recipe to share.

Alton Brown
Hunter Angler Gardner Cook
Epicurious 

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I have something really exciting to introduce to you today – and an equally exciting giveaway to go along with it. A few months ago, Kelli from Blue Apron Meals reached out to ask if I’d be interested in reviewing their weekly meal service. I was hesitant at first – I mean, I write a food blog after all, half the fun is in coming up with my own recipes to share with you! But as I thought more about it, I realized that Blue Apron might be just what some of you are looking for. In particular, I was thinking about all my 20-something friends just setting out on their own – the ones who tell me they want to learn how to cook but don’t know where to start, the ones who ask me what they can make that’s both healthy and easy, and the ones who just don’t have the time to think about what to make and when they’re going to get groceries and how to carry them back to their apartments. So I decided to give it a try – and to give one of you the chance to try it out for yourself, as well.

So how does Blue Apron work? It’s easy. They send you a box full of pre-measured, clearly labeled ingredients, along with three recipe cards. Each box has enough to make three meals with two servings each, and the cost is $10 per person per meal (so, a $60 weekly minimum). The only ingredients you need to supply are olive oil, salt, and pepper – everything else comes with the box, including tiny bottles of maple syrup, little containers with pats of butter, and pre-measured spices. You can choose either the vegetarian or meat and fish box, and all that’s left for you to do is cook! You will need to know some basic techniques (peeling, chopping, searing), and to have a basic set of kitchen implements (I needed a cutting board, knife, pot with lid, saute pan, roasting pan, and zester/grater for this week’s meals), but the instructions are clear and each step is illustrated with photographs.

My experience using Blue Apron Meals was very positive. I got to try three tasty, healthy meals – Minute Steaks with Picadillo Sauce and Yellow Rice, Chicken with White Beans, Escarole, and Meyer Lemon, and Maple and Ginger Glazed Salmon with Watercress Parsnip Salad (you can find the full recipes for any dish, which would be easy to recreate even without the service, on Blue Apron’s site). Each dish took between 30 and 50 minutes from start to finish, and all were generously portioned (I got 3 full meals out of the steaks). The best parts of the service for me? Not having to go to the grocery store, not having to decide what to cook and find a recipe, being able to turn your order on or off based on that week’s meals (which are announced ahead of time), and knowing that the meals are healthy and balanced. And although I received this week’s box for free, I think the service is affordable. If I were to have made three meals with different proteins – steak, chicken, and salmon – I would have spent close to $30 on the meat alone, especially since it’s hard to buy proteins in a size appropriate for a single meal.

That being said, there is always room for improvement. While the meals are tasty and home-cooked, they are not as exciting as the typical dinner I make at home – in each dish, I was left wanting a little bit more contrast of flavors – more olives and raisins in the Spanish rice, more seasoning on the chicken, more oranges for the watercress salad. (My friends and family will be shocked to hear that I thought the salmon was actually the best dish, since I’ve long been a self-proclaimed seafood hater! So here’s to expanding horizons.) Also, the ingredients were high quality, but I was a teeny bit put off to find a few small snails in the watercress. Harmless, I know, and they do tell you to wash all your veggies, but it still made me a touch squeamish.

The bottom line: Overall, I would heartily recommend Blue Apron Meals, especially for those of you who want to cook more at home but either don’t have time or don’t know where to start. I’m considering signing up so that for weeks when I know ahead of time that I’ll be crazy busy, I can turn this on and know that healthy, tasty meals for the week will be taken care of.

Giveaway details: Blue Apron has generously offered to send one reader a week’s worth of meals (that’s 3 meals at 2 servings each)! Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to readers within their current delivery range (CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV and some parts of AL, AR, GA, IA, MI, MO, MS, NC, SC, WI… for a more precise definition of whether or not you’re eligible, see their delivery map). Directions for how to enter the giveaway are:

1. Mandatory Entry: visit Blue Apron’s recipe book then come back here and leave me a comment letting me know which recent recipe you think sounds the best.
2. Additional Entry #1: Like both Blue Apron Meals and Katie at the Kitchen Door on facebook, then return here and leave a comment letting me know you did so.
3. Additional Entry #2: Follow @BlueApronMeals and @Kitchen_Door on twitter, tweet “Win a week’s worth of healthy and tasty meals from @BlueApronMeals and @Kitchen_Door via http://wp.me/pMUN2-Yj”, then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so.

That’s all! The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, March 5th, 2013 at midnight, at which point I will randomly select a winner. Good luck to everyone.

Disclaimer: I received a week’s worth of meals from Blue Apron free of charge, and they are hosting this giveaway. All opinions are my own, and I was not otherwise compensated to write this post.

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