Pepper & Salmon Soup

A recipe from the files of Alyice Edrich, The Dabbling Mum! I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it sounds wonderful. Alyice says the soup has a real peppery kick, but you can’t stop eating it. If you try it, please drop back by and let me know.

1 # salmon filets, skinned and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Tb extra virgin olive oil
2 C mushrooms, chopped
1 C onions, chopped
1/2 C orange bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 C celery, chopped
3 C russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
32 oz. chicken broth, low sodium
2 C water, plus 2 Tb
1 tsp dill weed
2 Tb fish sauce
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 Tb black pepper (use 1 tsp if you don’t want it real peppery)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 C milk
1/2 C heavy cream
1 Tb cornstarch

Directions:

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-low heat.
When oil is hot, add onions and bell peppers.
Sauté for 4 minutes, stirring continually.
In a large soup pot mix together broth, water, fish sauce, celery salt, sea salt, black pepper, dill weed, onions, bell peppers, and raw veggies.
Cook over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender, about 60 minutes.
In a separate skillet, pan-sear salmon for five minutes and set aside.
When potatoes are done, add salmon to soup pot, lower heat to medium-low, and cook for another 5 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.
Mix cornstarch and 2 Tb warm water together until smooth and liquidy.
Add cornstarch mixture to soup and blend well.
Add cream, milk, and lemon juice. Cook for another 3 minutes.
Serve with warm, toasted, buttered bread. (Nico suggests Hawaiian bread.)

Optional:
Add 1 C fresh green beans, cut into thirds.

About The Cook:
Alyice Edrich is a work-at-home mom with an award winning online magazine. Visit her website, http://thedabblingmum.com/, to learn how you can earn a living working from home, too. Or stop by her personal blog, http://alyiceedrich.com/, to learn more about life on the prairie.

Donna's Dill Dip

Wonderful to dip potato chips, chicken strips, or potato skins.

1/2 C. Sour Cream
1/2 C. Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dill Weed
1 Tbsp. Dill Pickle Juice
Dill Pickles - chopped finely

Mix all ingredients.

I usually have to double or even triple this to have enough! As the flavors blend, it tastes even better. Sometimes I add some garlic or onion powder, too, and I always use Claussen Pickles.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Dream Cake

This is a light, yummy dessert perfect for summer.

Bake according to directions in a 13 x 9 inch pan (I use a larger broiler pan, so the cake's spread out more.):

1 Yellow Cake Mix

Poke holes in baked cake with toothpick or a fork. Pour over the cake:

1 Can Crushed Pineapple in Juice (More if you really like pineapple.)

Whip:

1 8-oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened (I've tried the lowfat, and it will do.)
1 Large Pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding
2 C. Milk

Pour over pineapple.

Pour over all:

1 Large Tub of Cool Whip

This cake is best when made and refrigerated overnight. Some recipes call for nuts on top, but I prefer it without. I think it's called 'Dream Cake' because the original recipe called for Dream Whip, but I have to say using Cool Whip is a whole lot easier!

I haven't tried yet, but one of these days, I'm going to mix it up a bit, and try some new combinations for this such as, using chocolate cake mix, cherry pie filling, and chocolate pudding. Or how about orange cake mix, mandarin oranges, and vanilla pudding?

Anyone else got an idea? Leave a comment!

Topsy Turvy Links!

I find it amusing how people find this recipe site. Several people have stopped by looking for a Topsy Turvy Cake. For fun, I looked it up, and found there's a cake pan called the Topsy Turvy Cake Pan by Wilton.



I found another book called Topsy Turvy Optical Illusions. Looks like a fun book!



My son and I have been hooked on Nintendo games in the past. Here's a game featuring Yoshi.



Apparently, a lot of you are looking for Topsy Turvy Dolls. I found a site where they can be purchased. Click HERE.

AND for those who don't want to spend that much, I found an HGTV site that has sewing instructions for making your own! Click HERE.

Broccoli Casserole

One of my favorite vegetables is broccoli. I buy the huge bags at Sam's Club, and periodically I steam a couple of cups, topping it with a little bit (well, I start out with a little bit!) of butter and salt. Lately I've discovered squeezing a bit of fresh lemon over the top really brings out the flavor. But when I'm fixing a big dinner, I make Broccoli Casserole - a much richer dish. As with all these recipes, forget counting the calories. If you're going to do that, steam it instead.

10 oz. pkg. chopped broccoli

Steam til done, but not overly so. Drain well.

Mix together*:

1/2 c. Mayonnaise
1/2 c. sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 egg, beaten
Dash of black pepper

Mix well with broccoli. Spoon into greased baking dish.

Mix:

1/2 c. crushed Saltines
2 tbsp. melted butter

Top broccoli with cracker mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until topping is golden.

*Sometimes I add about a 1/2 pkg. of onion soup mix to the mayonnaise mixture to make it really onion-y. Warms up well!

Thousand Island Dressing

Recently we ate at Bob Evans Restaurant. The people at the next table muttered and groused, so I tuned in to hear what upset them. Someone had ordered a salad with Thousand Island dressing, and when the new menu change went into effect, guess what had been eliminated?

It got me to thinking about how frequently I used to fix homemade Thousand Island dressing. Now I suppose Ranch has taken its place - or at least it did at Bob Evans!

1 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C. Chili Sauce (Ketchup may be substituted - but only in a pinch.)
1/4 C. Sweet Pickle Relish
2 Hard-boiled Eggs, chopped
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder (Better with chopped green onions, but since my family won't eat onions, I've learned to adapt.)

Mix well. Refrigerate.

Options:

Chop and Add: Stuffed Olives (one of my favorites), green pepper, or onion.
Top with Paprika.

To read about the origin of Thousand Island dressing, click here.