6/14- HH6 June Challenge- Poached Salmon

This month, the challenge was to prepare a dish using a technique you've never tried before. I've never poached anything in my life, so I decided to go with that. While on vacation at the beach with my family, the women each had to cook one night, so I figured I'd use my whole family as guinea pigs and try it out. I looked up some recipes to get an idea of how to do it, but I basically made it up myself. It got rave reviews from the guinea pigs, so I think it may be a repeat!

I filled a deep skillet about 2/3 full with water, and added 2 cubes of chicken bouillon. Once those dissolved, I squeezed in some lemon juice, and some honey for sweetness. I chopped up some freshly picked dill, basil, parsley, and chives, and tossed some of that in the poaching liquid as well. I seasoned the salmon with a little salt and pepper and let it sit for a minute. I let the poaching liquid boil for a minute or two to let the flavors come out and combine, and then I slid the salmon fillets in. I cooked them for 10-15 minutes, until they were firm and non-translucent. After I took them out and put them on the platter, I sprinkled them with more of the fresh herb mixture.

The salmon was very moist, and very flavorful. Poaching is way easier than I thought!

I served it with fruit salad (duh! :) ), rice, and sauteed squash and zucchini. (Slice each squash long ways, then cut horizontally into small slices. Season with salt and pepper, then saute in a small amount of butter. I like it best when some caramelization gets on the veggies. Yum!) All in all, it was a great "at the beach" meal!

5/29- Grilled Rockfish

A friend of mine loves to go fishing, and lucky for us, he also loves sharing what he catches. There's nothing quite like free fresh-caught seafood! After his last fishing trip, he brought us some Rock fish. I'd never tasted it, much less cooked it myself, so I was a bit apprehensive, but I followed his instructions and it turned out great! I simply seasoned it with some salt and pepper, and then squeezed some lemon juice on it as it was cooking on the grill. I gave it another squirt once it was off the grill on the platter for good measure. Oh my goodness, it was so good! I grilled up some corn and pineapple to go with it. A perfect summer meal!

5/25- HH6 May Challenge- Veggie Goddess Pizza

This month, our challenge was to make a pizza without using any tomato sauce. Pizza is a big thing in my family, but generally it must have sauce, cheese, ham, and pineapple on it. There is no other kind of pizza as far as Scott is concerned! I knew I'd have to get creative if I was going to get it to pass muster, so I started thinking. It didn't take me long to come up with what I hoped was a brilliant idea.

One of my husband's and my favorite restaurants is The Melting Pot. A couple years ago, a friend gave me their cookbook for Christmas, and I've used it for fondue nights several times since them. Every time we have fondue, I always make their Green Goddess dip. It is seriously the best veggie dip on the planet! It's a cream cheese, white onion, and herb dip that is to die for. For some reason, that dip came to mind almost instantly when faced with making a tomato-less pizza. I decided to use that as the sauce, and top it with cheese and veggies. (I thought about chicken too, but decided to go simple the first time out. Maybe next time I'll add it in.)

Green Goddess Sauce

3/4 c cream cheese
1/2 c milk
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c finely chopped fresh chives
2 T minced white onion

Whisk the cream cheese, milk, sour cream, parsley, chives, and onion in a bowl until combined. You may also beat with an electric mixer or a hand-held mixer for 1 to 2 minutes. Chill, covered, until serving time.


I made up the sauce and spread it on the pizza dough. (I used the recipe off the back of the pizza dough  yeast packet... not the greatest but I was pressed for time). I topped it with a pizza mix of cheese from Food Lion, and then arranged yellow and red bell peppers on it, as well as broccoli. Then, just for good measure, I topped it off with a bit of shredded mozzarella. I believe you should be familiar with my family's policy on cheese..... there's no such thing as too much!

Since I was the only adult around to sample this new invention of a pizza, I made a Hawaiian one as well to appease the boy. He doesn't do onions, so I knew I couldn't get him to try it. I thought the Veggie Goddess pizza was delicious though! I look forward to trying it again sometime and trying to make it even better! Thanks for a fun challenge!