Can You Say Yum?

This Saturday was a milestone for me. For the first time ever, I felt completely fine in the kitchen. With no fears of any kind, I prepared the food and had fun while doing it. I'm certainly gaining confidence. I had less questions for Matet, moved faster around the kitchen, and nailed those recipes. Yeah, baby! Woohoo!

Last Saturday I had a brilliant moment making a chicken fried in an awesome sauce and champagne. I felt like some alcohol wouldn't hurt this time around as well, so this week's dinner includes a fish fillet prepared in white wine. But the highlight of the dinner this time around was the dessert. It was absolutely delicious! Super scrumptious! Yummmmmy!

So here we go:

Dish # 1 - Swan's Summer Soup

Serves 2 Time to Prepare 10 min

4 large tomatoes
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Using a juicer, extract the juice of the 4 large tomatoes.
In a medium bowl combine the tomato juice, avocado, corn, 2 diced tomatoes, cilantro, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls.

My experience: I can almost hear you say, "Cold soup??? Yuck!" Well, think of this not as a proper soup, but as an appetizer. Back in Lithuania, people love making a cold pink soup on hot summer days. Sour cream, fresh vegetables, the works. It's very refreshing. So when I stumbled on a different recipe for a cold soup, I really wanted to give it a try. This one is all about tomatoes, and if you are a big fan of tomato juice, I'm afraid you may not enjoy this recipe. I did things a bit differently. First, we did not find avocado in the grocery, but also instead of squeezing tomatoes, I used commercial tomato juice from a pack. Worked just as well.
Our verdict: Matet never really liked tomato juice, so she did not enjoy it, but it was great for me.

Dish # 2 - Chicken Salad

Serves 8 Time to Prepare 30 min

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups diced, cooked chicken breast meat
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups diced Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups halved green grapes

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and lemon juice.
In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, green onions, water chestnuts, Swiss cheese, and grapes. Add the mayonnaise mixture, and stir to coat. Chill until serving.

My experience: When I made this salad, Matet was not even in the house. This salad is definitely one of the best I've made so far. Very tasty. I had some variations to the recipe. Instead of mayo, I used plain yogurt. Instead of Swiss cheese, I added the Feta cream cheese that I had as a leftover from last Saturday. Finally, adding diced apples would have been nice too. We bought the apples for this purpose, but yours truly forgot to add them... Silly me.
Our verdict: Excellent salad. Will be adding this to our regular rotation for sure.

Dish # 3 - Fish Fillet Italiano

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 15 min

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound cod fillets

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until softened.
Stir in tomatoes, olives, parsley, and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Place fillets in sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes, or until fish turns white.

My experience: This was perfect. From start to finish. Really proud of myself with this recipe. Serve with rice (brown rice is the best) and white wine.
Our verdict: It was so quick! Tastes very good. The fish was really soft.

Dish # 4 - Chocolate Hazelnut Fruit Crepes

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 10 min

1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
4 crepes
4 bananas, sliced
1 (7 ounce) can pressurized whipped cream

Spread 1/4 cup of chocolate hazelnut spread onto each crepe. Arrange 1 sliced banana down the center of each one. Roll up, and place in a warm skillet over medium heat. Let them warm up for about 90 seconds. Transfer to plates, and serve topped with whipped cream.

My experience: We did not find any crepes at the supermarket. Ended up buying lumpia wrapper, but it's intended for frying and gets hard, so we ruled it out and had to make our own crepes. Matet did it by mixing 2 eggs, a cup of flour, a cup of milk, and some butter. Basically like a large pancake, right. Just thinner. I added strawberries.
Our verdict: Best crepes in the world!!! What a perfect way to finish off a long day. Good thing we have a gym on our ground floor.