Dijon Dill Cream Sauce

You would have thought that the secret ingredient in my apartment last night was dill. I have a compulsion when I buy fresh herbs to use them immediately and in as many dishes as possible. A fresh herb is a terrible thing to waste :)

Inspired by an episode I saw on 30 minute meals, this dijon dill sauce is a great compliment to any salmon dish, and it's incredibly easy to make. With only four ingredients and about 5 minutes, there is no reason why you can't try this sauce tonight :)

Ingredients (for TWO people - that's right didn't cook this one just for me!):

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon for dijon mustard (that may be a lot for some people, but I love dijon mustard)
• 1-2 tablespoons of freshly chopped dill
• 2 teaspoons of capers

Directions 

Pretty straight forward - mix together in a bowl and chill before serving on top of fish :)

This is the perfect partner for the lemon-dill salmon I posted earlier in the month. With our meal I made some smashed potatoes, very similar to the potato salad from this summer and some pan roast mushrooms. The creamy, cool, sauce was a nice compliment to the buttery fish and the addition of the capers added a salty bite.

I will be making this sauce over and over again.

Lemon Dill Salmon

So in an effort to take off some of those dreaded holiday pounds I am going to attempt to eat better this week, which basically to me means staying away from all the fried foods (what sinfully tempters they are though...)

Anyways in true Frugal Foodies fashion this recipe is super easy and can be executed extremely quick. We're talking 15 minutes or less.

Ingredients (for 1)

• 1 Salmon filet (5-6oz)
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill (if using dried dill, use less)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions
Set the oven to broil.
Coarsely chop dill. Take lemon and slice into 1/8 in slices (you'll need about 6). Place three lemon slices on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with some of the chopped dill.
Salt and pepper salmon filet and pat dill into salmon. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil then place the remaining three lemon slices on top.
Place in the oven for about 5-7 to minutes until flaky.
I served it with some shallots, mushrooms and green beans that I quickly sauteed in a little bit of butter and wine.
This was a quick and healthy recipe that can be created in about 15 minutes, not to mention it looks pretty too :)

Simple Spice Rub

I often get asked - "what should I make for dinner tonight?" and in conjunction with my new task (still taking advice on names "taking advice from the top"?) I have decided to really try and make recipes that can be used multiple ways.

So tonight when I was trying to figure out what I would make for Dory and I tonight, I thought why not try my favorite spice rub on pork.

Basically this is the greatest rub of all time. I've tried it on chicken, steak and recently I found out it works on pork too!!

Ingredients

• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Paprika 

Directions

Mix equal parts chili powder and cumin, then just a hint of paprika

Rub it all over whatever protein that you like and cook the way your normally would. It's smoky, spicy without over powering the protein. It's a great rub for every meal!

Happy Birthday to ME :)

(photo credit here)

Well, it's here, today is my birthday!! Jef got me a WONDERFUL present, Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef (it's one of two parts, the other part is in transit but apparently somehow correlates to this gift).

What I already love about this "cookbook" is its not just a list of recipes, but instead teaches you the process of how to make things delicious. When I was first starting to get into cooking, I would often follow a recipe verbatim and it would turn out good. However, if I tried any sort of variation on the dish that is where I would run into trouble (mostly if I tried to switch proteins). It's here that I understood in order to make a dish successful you have to understand how to cook each component perfectly.

Much like Julie and Julia, I have decided that I am going to cook through Tom's entire cookbook. Renee and Tom doesn't have quite the same ring so I am still working on a name (Lessons from the Top (?)), but I will say this, I can't remember the last time I was so excited to embark on a project!! I will be starting in about two weeks when I am moved into my new apartment and have my kitchen set up. So be looking for posts then!

Thanks to everyone who has continued to read my little ole blog :) This will be 180th post! Can you believe it?!

Smoke Daddy's

I can't say it enough, I love barbeque. I love everything about it, the sauce, the smoke, the fat, everything. So when my new friend Sara suggested that we go to Smoke Daddy's for dinner on our first friend date, I happily agreed. Located in Wicker Park, an area to the northwest of Chicago, this bbq joint was relatively easy to get to. I have a hard time navigating around my new city (praise for Google Maps!) so being able to easily get to this place was a big plus!

Upon entering the bar/restaurant you could smell the smoke down the street; this is always a good sign. Once inside the place was decorated just in time for Halloween, complete with cobwebs and fake spiders. We sit down and automatically I am happy as my eyes focus on the different bbq sauces at the end of the table. As I start to peruse the menu, I am sticker shocked but for a much better reason, the prices here are extremely reasonable! BBQ places can sometimes run on the more expensive side (shocking, I know), I'm assuming for all the labor that must be put into a delicious meal, however most of the sandwiches here run from $8.50-$11 and include one side, combo platters and ribs range from $11.95 to $24.95 which come with two sides- not too bad for a mountain of food!

I opt for the pulled pork sandwich with macaroni and cheese (more on this later) and a side of cornbread, which I asked be sent out immediately as I was starving and Sara went with the burger, Carolina style (which includes coleslaw on the burger).

The cornbread arrived and I knew I was in for a treat. It was about 2 - 2 1/2 inches thick and about 2 inches wide, piping hot and screaming for some butter! Never one to deny my food anything it wants, I added a heaping amount of butter and took a bite into the crunchy outer layer then just sat in silence as the sweet, spicy cornbread melted in my mouth. That's right, melted. I have no doubt that this cornbread was made in a cast iron skillet as it had that crunchy bottom texture that can only be achieved through cast iron. Furthermore, they added jalapeños, which as my loyal readers know, I love nothing more than a good spicy/sweet combo.

Satisfied and ready for more, our food came out quickly and we dove right in. Much like the lobster roll in New Hampshire, Smoke Daddy's understands the importance of a well buttered roll. It can provide the right amount of texture that will make or break a dish. This bun was on point. The bbq was smokey and tender, although being from the South we like ours a little more chopped and with some more fat, but honestly I really cant complain, it was tasty! Sara's burger was cooked to perfection (medium rare) and the coleslaw added a tangy crunch that I wasn't prepared to like, but did! Then I moved on to the mac and cheese...

I should preface this whole next paragraph by saying - this is why we went to Smoke Daddy's...

The mac and cheese came out in a little pot and was topped with bread crumbs. Bread crumbs you might ask? Yes, bread crumbs. Listen, I too was skeptical, but if there is one thing I know from all my dining experiences is trust the kitchen. Don't alter orders, eat it as is and you will be happy. So that's what I did, I stuck my fork in and hoped for the best (I didn't want to upset Sara). Let me say this, you have probably never heard me order mac and cheese before on this blog and that is for good reason, I just don't like it from restaurants...I've worked in the food industry and know that most places let it sit and get dried out...I am not interested in that at all. So when I ordered this I was expecting the worst. However, I found that Smoke Daddy's did a nice job of balancing the cream and the cheese and it made for a delicious side dish. The bread crumbs offered a contrast in texture that can be needed when eating noodles. Overall, it was very successful!

If you are looking for reasonably priced barbeque, and good drink specials (Miller light bottles were $2 on Wednesday) I would suggest Smoke Daddy's!

Smoke Daddy's
1804 W. Division
Chicago, IL 60622