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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Wine & Dine - GJU Style!

Whether you live the single life like me, or you're cooking for a family, or you want to host a party and need something simple to whip up... these recipes are for you!

I don't know if you know, but I'm not greatest chef. In fact, I'm far from it. I lack patience in the kitchen, so the recipes I use have to be quick, easy and can't require a ton of fancy ingredients because I a) don't feel like looking for them at the grocery store and b) most likely can't afford them.

In this post, I'll show you my easy breezy dinner and dessert combo that will take only minutes to make, will taste delicious, and will impress your dinner guests which, after all, is the end goal. You'll be regarded as the Hostess with the Mostess.

Simple Seasoned Salmon

All you need for the salmon dish is canola spray, mayo, mustard, and dill (and the salmon, of course). Most of these things you probably already have in your spice cabinet and fridge, so this should be a piece of cake for anyone!


Line your pan with tin foil and spray the foil with canola oil. This will prevent the salmon from sticking to the pan when it's time to hit the plate. 

Mix some mayo and mustard in a bowl. I can't give you an exact measurement because I don't use one. It's all about the ratio you like. If you're more into mustard, go 60/40 in favor of mustard. And vice versa. I use a knife and take a little, equal scoop of both. So there's an accurate amount for you!

Spread the sauce on the salmon, and sprinkle dill on the top. I just really wanted to say sprinkle.

Salmon from the side.

Salmon from the top.
Preheat your toaster oven (or regular oven if you're fancy and not as lazy as I am) to 450. Broil your salmon for about 12 minutes, or until it's the texture you prefer. People are picky with salmon, but it's actually a pretty easy fish to cook. If you stick to between 10 - 15 minutes you can't go wrong

Action shot! It's cooking! Oooohhh Aaahhhh
When time is up, stick it on a plate next to your (beautifully crafted-- from a bag) salad.. and Wa-La! Seasoned salmon in minutes. 

Salivating just looking at this. Good thing I got to eat it after I shot a pic!

Look at you going all Top Chef in the kitchen!

Banana Peanut Butter Fice Cream

I don't know about you, but I can't eat a meal without finishing it off with something sweet. I'm a sucker for ice cream but quite frankly my hips can't stand to get any wider. This is a much lower cal option.

My compromise: Banana Peanut Butter Fice Cream (Fake + Ice Cream = Fice Cream). It's probably the easiest dessert ever and tastes just like ice cream. I originally heard a similar idea from an old colleague and then decided to try it myself.

Start by sticking a banana in the freezer in the morning. It may turn brown throughout the day-- do not fret. It's still good to go. (By the way, this is a great use of bananas that are too squishy to eat but you don't want to them to go to waste.)

When it's about 10 - 15 minutes before dessert time, take the banana out of the freezer and let it thaw a little. You want it to be able to pressed in, but not completely soft, if you catch my drift.



Wrap the banana in a paper towel (trust me, you'll want to-- it will be so cold!) and peel.

Peel to the left! Peel to the right!
 Behold! A naked frozen banana.

This is what it will look like once it's been peeled, in case, like me
you require step by step photo instructions. 
Mush up the banana with a spoon-- banana mash, if you will. It will start to resemble ice cream during this step.


Now, you can leave it like this, or add in a topping. I like peanut butter with my bananas so I put a small scoop of peanut butter on top of my banana mash. I also like using Nutella.

Ok, maybe it's not a small scoop. Whatever. Details.
 Mix the peanut butter in with the banana mash. Obviously.


And when it's mixed to your personal preference... Enjoy! 

Nom nom!

Like I said, this dinner and dessert combo is so easy, so inexpensive, and will impress your friends leading them to believe you put a ton of thought, effort, and time into making them a gourmet meal. Let them be fooled.

I hope you try these dishes out, and if you do, I'd love to hear what you think :)

Happy eats!

<3 GJU




2 comments:

  1. Definitely will have to try that salmon recipe! I'm like you - recipes have to be quick and easy, and I hate going to the grocery store.

    I always have frozen bananas in the freezer for smoothies. To make it easier, I peel them beforehand and break them in half before freezing them in a freezer bag. Also, if you have a food processor or a really strong blender, throw a chopped frozen banana in there and let it go for 5 minutes or so. After a while it starts to turn into banana soft serve and is super creamy. Top with peanut butter like you did, and I'm a happy camper :)

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    1. Great ideas with the frozen bananas. I'm definitely going to need to try those!

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