to say things have been a bit busy would be a serious understatement. balls to the walls busy would probably be more accurate. 

but that's just how the cookie crumbles when you are running around trying to get multiple businesses going. because heaven forbid i just deal with one problem at a time.

between wes working more than forty hours a week at the restaurant he manages + working catering events with me on his days off and my job juggling we have been eating a lot of in'n'out. oooops. 

in addition to an increase in burger intake, our dates are down to a minimum. yesterday we found ourselves both at home in the afternoon for the first time in weeks so we decided to put together something special. with minimal effort of course. 

cedar grilled salmon
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 2 x 6oz salmon filets. 4 lemon slices. 2 tbs dijon mustard. 1 tsp olive oil. 2 garlic cloves minced. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs chopped dill. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 cedar plank for grilling.

start by soaking your cedar plank for 1 hour. preheat your grill to a medium heat. make sure to only light half the grill as the salmon needs to cook on indirect heat. 

in a small bowl, combine the mustard, oil, garlic, dill, sugar and half the salt and pepper. stir till combined. 

season both sides of the fish with the rest of the salt and pepper. spoon the mustard mixture onto the fish and spread it over both sides. 

place the side of the fish the skin was on down onto the cedar plank. top each piece of fish with two lemon slices.

place the plank on the side of the grill that is not on. cover and cook for 17-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the lemon is lightly grilled. 

remove the lemons from the salmon and serve hot over a bed of greens. 

xoxo
a

cedar grilled salmon
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 2 x 6oz salmon filets. 4 lemon slices. 2 tbs dijon mustard. 1 tsp olive oil. 2 garlic cloves minced. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs chopped dill. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 cedar plank for grilling.

start by soaking your cedar plank for 1 hour. preheat your grill to a medium heat. make sure to only light half the grill as the salmon needs to cook on indirect heat.
in a small bowl, combine the mustard, oil, garlic, dill, sugar and half the salt and pepper. stir till combined.
season both sides of the fish with the rest of the salt and pepper. spoon the mustard mixture onto the fish and spread it over both sides. place the side of the fish the skin was on down onto the cedar plank. top each piece of fish with two lemon slices.
place the plank on the side of the grill that is not on. cover and cook for 17-20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the lemon is lightly grilled.
remove the lemons from the salmon and serve hot over a bed of greens.

i was rereading some old blogposts last night before i drifted off to sleep and i happened upon a post from may of twenty-thirteen. and wow was i emo. 

the entire post was literally about me crying. 

it made me sad for the younger me. so uncertain of what the future would hold. so desperate to mold my life into the dream that was in my mind. 

three years later, many of my dreams are materializing. my day to day involves food, i married the love of my life, we have an adorable place to live, where we grow our own food and our close friends and family are scattered across the globe enabling us to see the world. life is pretty sweet right now. 

but even with all of that wonderfulness, the truth is everything is still uncertain. even the most steadfast things and people come and go. but instead of looking at the uncertainty with fear, i'm looking at uncertainty as an opportunity for adventure. 

on saturday wes and i catered our fifth party. and it was quite the adventure. we served dinner for twenty five in a barn ten miles from the mexican boarder and smack dab in the middle of nowhere.of course i have not a photo to show for it. 

but this tasty tomato salsa alternative was a hit at the salsa bar we served. it's great to eat with chips, served over tacos or as an enchilada sauce. 

salsa verde
serves: 6 cups
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 40 minutes 

1.5 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped. 1 small yellow onion, diced. 1 tbs olive oil. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 green onions, chopped. .5 c cilantro. .25 c fresh oregano, chopped. 1 tsp cumin. 2 cups water. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 

in a large pot, combine the tomatillos, onion and olive oil. season well with salt and pepper and cook the tomatillos and onions over medium high heat until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. 

add in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. about 1 minute. 

stir in the green onions, oregano and cilantro, the rest of the salt and pepper and the cumin. when everything is well combined and the cumin is fragrant, pour in the water. about 1 minute.

bring the liquid to a boil. reduce it to a slow simmer and cover. simmer the salsa till the tomatillos are breaking down. about 20 minutes. 

remove from heat. allow to cool slightly and blend with a hand emersion blender or in your blender/food processor. serve cold or at room temp.

xoxo
a

salsa verde
serves: 6 cups
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 40 minutes 

1.5 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped. 1 small yellow onion, diced. 1 tbs olive oil. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 green onions, chopped. .5 c cilantro. .25 c fresh oregano, chopped. 1 tsp cumin. 2 cups water. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
in a large pot, combine the tomatillos, onion and olive oil. season well with salt and pepper and cook the tomatillos and onions over medium high heat until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.
add in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. about 1 minute.
stir in the green onions, oregano and cilantro, the rest of the salt and pepper and the cumin. when everything is well combined and the cumin is fragrant, pour in the water. about 1 minute.
bring the liquid to a boil. reduce it to a slow simmer and cover. simmer the salsa till the tomatillos are breaking down. about 20 minutes.
remove from heat. allow to cool slightly and blend with a hand emersion blender or in your blender/food processor. serve cold or at room temp.