Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rain. So much rain lately. Fortunately, it cleared off on Friday evening, so we made our way to the local Blue Plum Festival. We started out by stuffing ourselves full of tasty food from the local vendors participating this year. I had a delicious, overstuffed gyro and my favorite, fresh-squeezed lemonade. The boys had hot dogs (one of the best I have ever tasted!) and twisted chips. Josh had a seafood variety plate with rice and salad. Unfortunately, his meal was not great, but the funnel cake at the end made up for it! ;) Slathered in powdered sugar, caramel and wet nuts (walnuts in maple syrup), it was quite delicious. Once the sugar coma set in, we decided to walk around, hopefully burn off some of those calories, and check out what else was there. There were 3 stages set up with different genres of music, featuring local musicians. There were also multiple craft booths set up so that local artisans could sell their goods. We swung by the roller derby tournament for a bit, too, to check out the action. It was a fun evening, spent experiencing some of what the area has to offer!

On Saturday, after receiving a wake up call at 7:15 from the Sears delivery guys (much appreciated on a morning where the boys actually slept in! Ugh.), our new patio furniture was delivered a couple hours later. Josh and the boys spent the rest of the morning getting the table and chairs put together.

We were lucky to have great weather again that evening, so we were able to enjoy our first meal around the new table. Takeout pizza was an easy choice, so I could get a break from the kitchen and dishes! After a long day of cleaning and organizing (I am seriously nesting already!!), I was ready for the break. It's a great set from the Ty Pennington collection and I love that we can fit 6 people around it. Even better was the price - free! Gotta love credit card reward money! ;) The boys love the idea of eating outside, so I see lots of meals there in our future.

Unfortunately, the rain kept us from enjoying our dinner there again on Sunday evening, which meant it also ruined my plans for grilling blackened salmon. It ended up being a good thing, as we discovered a tasty new recipe for salmon instead! Josh went to his go-to cooking girl, Rachael Ray, and found this recipe to try. She did not disappoint! Josh declined my offer to let him post about this one, but I didn't want to keep this gem all to ourselves, so here you go...

Stovetop Glazed Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 salmon filets, skins removed (we used 2 large, 1/2-pound filets)

Directions:
Combine the lime juice, honey, chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk/stir until combined. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-low to medium heat, drizzle in the EVOO and swirl it around to coat the pan well. Brush the sauce over one side of the salmon filets and put the coated side down into the oil. Next, spoon the sauce onto the other side. Cook about 5 minutes a side, or until cooked through, spooning or brushing generously with the sauce to make a nice glaze. Salmon should be nicely seared and juicy.

This dish was excellent served on a bed of brown rice with roasted asparagus on the side! The only change we will make in the future is to add a bit more chili powder to the glaze. It had great flavor, but we love spicy food, and think a little extra kick will pair well with the sweetness of the honey. We both agreed that we like this even more than the blackened salmon on the grill (which is one of my favorite things to eat, so that says a lot about this dish)!

Sadly, I think we may only get one more chance to eat at the new table this week with all of the rain in the forecast. Thankfully, we still have the entire summer ahead of us!