We had an awesome weekend! Saturday was low-key and relaxing – just the way we like it! Sunday was full and exciting – just the way we like it!
Christopher got a text Friday evening from the Music Associate at church asking if he’d like to sing “up front” on Sunday. The Student Choir was going to be leading in worship and singing a performance song. Usually, three or four teens are chosen to stand in front with microphones, acting as a praise team and lead singers. Christopher was excited to get to do this for the first time. Michael and I were more nervous than he was, but we knew he would do a great job. Of course, singing in “Big Church,” meant that he had to go Saturday to get new jeans and a shirt that he felt was adequate for the occasion!
We shouldn’t have worried. He did great. Since I’m his mama, I could totally hear his voice loud and clear over the others. I had a sneaky friend who was sitting in the balcony and she sent me these pictures:
The entire choir did a great job and sounded wonderful.
After church, Elizabeth and I went to a Parent and Pizza event. Kids in grades 1-6, had a pizza lunch with their parents and then boys went went with a parent to go outside and work on their Pinewood Derby cars, while girls took their parent upstairs to paint. Elizabeth the artist was very excited. She draws all the time, but this was her first venture into painting. We had a blast – and ended up with two very cool paintings!
Christopher had student choir practice in the afternoon, followed by his Life Group meeting. And then he was invited to go fishing with a couple of friends.
I had to take Elizabeth to get new uniform pants because her old ones have gotten too big (Awesome!!).
See? Busy! But still great!
In the midst of all the crazy, I decided to cook something new. I’ve cooked a lot of fish, but it’s usually tilapia, bass, or catfish. I haven’t used much salmon. But back during the summer, one of the local grocery stores had big blocks of frozen salmon on sale, so I bought some and stuck them in the freezer. I thawed them in the refrigerator and cooked them yesterday. Along with the salmon, I made a yummy balsamic glaze that was just tangy enough and sweet enough to be perfect. I also roasted some asparagus to go with it.
I tell you, Low-Carb Lou was in heaven! He doesn’t usually care for salmon, but he ate every bite – and didn’t utter his famous “You don’t have to make that again” critique!
It was easy – only three ingredients in each component of the dish. And the entire meal took just over 30 minutes. I did have a little mishap when I wasn’t paying attention and let the glaze boil over – I still don’t know how I’m going to get that off of my glass cook top because it is stuck on there pretty good! If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments. I can cook pretty good, but the whole cleaning thing eludes me.
Anyway…
Baked Salmon with Balsamic Glaze and Roasted Asparagus
Asparagus:
- 2 bunches of asparagus, tough ends removed
- olive oil
- kosher salt
Balsamic Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
Salmon:
- 8 pieces of center-cut salmon fillets, skin removed
- olive oil
- kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place asparagus in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss with one hand (so the other stays clean). Roast in the oven for 25 minutes – or until it’s as tender as you like. We like ours dead.
Prepare the salmon by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place fillets on the paper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. When asparagus is done, remove it from the oven and place salmon into the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. It should not brown, but will flake easily with a fork.
In a deep saucepan – so you don’t make my mistake – whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, and then TURN THE HEAT TO MEDIUM!! Boil for 15-20 minutes until mixture has reduced by half and is thick and syrupy.
Well Duh #1: To plate, I placed asparagus spears on the plate as a base (and my F oodOCD – I only have OCD when it comes to food! – kicked in so all the spears had to be lined up and facing the same way). Lay the salmon on top and drizzle with the glaze.
Well Duh #2: You really do have to get the fish with no skin on. Or you have to remove the skin yourself. This isn’t one of those dishes where you can leave it on and it gets crispy and awesome.
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