Hailey Grace

This 5X7 oil is of my grand niece Hailey Grace playing at the water's edge in Florida.  She is an adorable toddler who is always busy.

Salmon Burgers with Yogurt Cucumber Sauce and Tomato

Lately I’ve been craving a juicy burger.  Since it is bathing suit season, I try to think of a low-fat alternatives that would still give me the satisfaction of biting into a moist burger with all the toppings.    A salmon burger with yogurt cucumber sauce and tomato on a bun is exactly what fits the bill.  What I love about this recipe is that the salmon is not overpowered by the ingredients or the toppings.  On my list of things to do is making a batch of these burgers and freezing them individually to take on vacation.

Salmon Burgers

1 lb. Salmon steak, skinned, cut into chunks, and checked for bones
¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tbs. of finely chopped red onion
1 tbs. fresh chives – finely chopped
1 tbs. fresh parsley – chopped
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small clove of garlic, minced
S&P


Yogurt Cucumber Sauce
¼ cup Greek Yogurt – No Fat
1 tbs. fresh chives – finely chopped
1 tsp. lemon Juice
¼ cup cucumber, finely diced
1 tsp. red onion - finely chopped
¼ tsp. of mustard
S&P

In a food processor add salmon chunks, panko, red onion, chives, parsley, zest, garlic, lemon juice, S&P.  Process in 3-4 short spurts until just mixed.  Form into 3 patties.  Sprayed a non-stick skillet with oil, over medium heat cook burgers 4 minutes, flip and lower to low heat and cook 4 minutes or until cooked through. 

For sauce, mix all ingredients together in a bowl and stir to combine.   Toast your buns, add burger, sauce and tomato.  Serves 3.  

It Doesn't Get Better than This

This picture was taken on my recent trip to Florida.  We were exploring the historic village of Boca Grande, on the island of Gasparilla, which is located at the southern tip of the Cape Haze Peninsula on Florida's Southwest coast.  It's a lush barrier island with seven miles of white powdery beaches. We were looking for that perfect place for lunch and found it at the South Beach Bar & Grill.  We had a perfect view and an excellent red snapper sandwich, which was the local catch of the day.

Tomato 101

I painted this tomato in preparation for the Polka-dot challenge.  What I like about it is looseness that I can achieve when not trying.  6x6 oil on linen paper.

Garden Delight

After spending a week in  Florida on vacation, I couldn't wait to return to see what was ready in my NJ garden.  At sunrise I was in the garden picking a row of perfect string beans, butter crunch lettuce, and fresh cut chives and basil.  A quick stop at the market after work to get some fresh corn, salmon and dinner was on it's way.   In order to keep the salad fresh and crisp, I blanched the corn and string beans and added them to a vinaigrette, then topped the butter crunch lettuce with the perfectly dressed vegetables.   A spurge item was Parmigiano Reggiano Parma Flakes to add the salty bite to the salad.  This dinner was truly a delight after eating out for a week.

Salad with String Beans & Fresh Corn

2 ears of corn
2 handfuls of String bean
Fresh chives - finely chopped
Fresh basil - julienned
Butter Crunch lettuce
1 lemon
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp of Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1 tbs capers
1 tbs of flaked Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt & Pepper
1 glass of white wine to drink while cooking

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil, add 1 tbs of salt and 1 tsp of sugar to water.   Blanch the string beans for 4 mins. (for larger beans 7 mins.)  Scoop beans out and shock in a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes and then drain.    Add the 2 ears of corn to the water and bring back to a boil.  Cook for about five minutes, drain and let cool enough to handle.  In the mean time prepare your vinaigrette.  Juice of one lemon, Salt & pepper, 1 tsp of chives, 1 tsp of mustard, capers and then whisk in olive oil.  With a knife cut the corn off the cob and place in a medium bowl with the string beans.  Add julienned basil and the rest of the chives, S&P to taste.  Add the lettuce to the plate, top with seasoned vegetables and sprinkle with flakes of Parmigiano Reggiano.  Serves two.

The "Girls" Move to Westchester

Kentucky

Cog Au Vin

Francese

Last weekend I had to move the "Girls" and coop to Westchester County, NY .  I guess you could say they moved up and this story sounds like chicken trash, but it's true. After raising chickens on and off for the last 10 years,  our town is enforcing their  ordinance on keeping chickens and we had to find a new home for the girls.   A wonderful woman I had met at an art class and fellow chicken lady, helped me find the perfect home for the girls.  We delivered them last weekend.  It took two days to disassemble the coop and two trips over the Tappan-Zee Bridge to deliver the "girls" to their new home.  Loved everything about raising Coq Au Vin, Kentucky and Francese. So, within three months I have lost my dog and three chickens.  My husband caught me feeding the gopher in the yard the other day and worries what's next.

Two Hot Tomatoes

I painted this for the DPW "The Polka-Dot Challenge" this week posted by Carol Marine.  The tomatoes at the market have been just beautiful and delicious.  Couldn't resist painting them on my polka-dot patio tablecloth.  It just says, "Summer is here!"

Framing - Wellfleet Oysters

Finally found a great local frame shop that is willing to work with me to frame my pictures at a reasonable price.  It's a thrill  when you find that perfect frame for a favorite picture.  The framer suggested that I do a series of food pictures for some local restaurants to display and sell.  This will keep me busy.