Salmon Chowder

It's been raining quite a bit the last two weeks or so and it's been rather chilly. I hear this is normal? In some ways I miss having a really hot summer. What would you normally like to eat on cold rainy days?  Soups by any chance? Soups are great for when you're sick especially some homemade chicken noodle, but they're also great for days like this. 

I'm going to attempt to make my first  "chowder" type of soup and since we live in Alaska now why not make Salmon Chowder!

I bought a big cookbook of soups and found what seems to be an amazing salmon chowder recipe.  This will be enough for 8 servings.

2 cups diced peeled potatoes

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen mixed veggies

1 large onion, chopped of course

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

2 cups water

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash Pepper

2 cups milk

2 cups cubed cooked salmon

In a large soup pot, combine the potatoes, veggies, onion, celery seed and water. Bring to a boil.  Seems pretty easy doesn't it? Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the veggies are tender. 

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the veggie mixture with salmon; heat through.

It turned out pretty good.  I think for next time I'll add a little more water and milk/flour.  It wasn't as soupy as we would have liked it.  Oh and I added a little shrimp to it as well which was nice! Overall Justin and I would give it an 8. It's definitely a keeper.

Grilled Chicken and Mango Salad

I got this cookbook as a wedding present 5 years ago. I've used it a couple of times mainly for the main dishes.  It's got a TON of yummy looking desserts (which I haven't made yet).  Since Justin will be coming home today I've decided to make a light salad since he's been eating out the past couple of days.  

We are going to have GRILLED CHICKEN and MANGO SALAD. 
It's got 4 parts to it: Chicken, Dressing, Salad and the Salsa.  When I looked at the ingredients I noticed that I had most of them so I didn't have to buy a whole bunch at the store.  I think that most of this stuff is pretty standard to have in a home. Now please keep in mind that these ingredients have been cut down to make two serving sizes at the most, Justin and myself. Our kid wouldn't have anything to do with this meal.  She's a cheese/bread/cracker/pizza/fruit/mashed potato/milk/water kind of kid.  We're lucky enough if she eats a cheese burger or chicken nuggets.  


Chicken:
2 big boneless/skinless check breasts
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce


Dressing:
1/2 pkg of buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise


Salsa:
1/2 can white corn
1/2 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup chopped red and green bell peppers
1/2 avocado, peeled, cubed
1/2 medium tomato, chopped/cubed
1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup of monterey jack cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar


Salad:
2 cups of crisp corn chips
3 cups green leaf lettuce, cute into bit sized pieces

So obviously you'll need marinade the chicken.  Best way is to put it in a plastic bag and add the teriyaki sauce and shake it around for a little bit.  Seal the bag and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour. While waiting on that combine all of the ingredients for the dressing, stir and the refrigerate it.  Do the same for the salsa mix and then combine the salsa mix and dressings together.


For best results with the chicken you should grill it.  I like my chicken a little on crispy side so I cook it a little longer than normal but I would advise you to cook yours how you want it. Once the chicken is done cut it up into little 1/2 inch cubes.


When it's time to serve combine the salsa mixture and corn chips; toss carefully.  Place 1 cup of lettuce on each plate.  Top with 1/4 of salsa/dressing mixture and then add the chicken on top.  


I haven't cooked any of this yet because it's not even close to dinner time here but this is my plan.  After dinner I plan on updating this with my thoughts, rates, ect.  

So.... I'm terrible at grilling.   :/  That part didn't go over so well.  I couldn't figure out how to work Justin's grill so I ended up baking the chicken instead.  Which was ok, but it didn't have the "grill" taste to it.  Over all though we both really like the meal.  The flavoring was good. It was sweet and tart at the same time. I enjoyed the mango in the salad!  I'm sure to use this recipe again.  

Scale of 1-10  (with 1 being terrible and 10 being extremely yummy)-----------   7