Salmon with Mango and Papaya Salsa

Trader Joe's Wild Alaskan Salmon in Chimichurri Sauce (Freezer)
Fresh Spinach
Red Onions
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Trader Joe's Mango and Papaya Salsa *Alternate recipe to follow
EVOO
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Layer the bottom of a 13x9 glass baking dish with fresh spinach. Add chopped red onions and the potatoes after they have been peeled and cubed. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dashes of salt and pepper.

Remove the salmon from the package and place on top of the spinach. Put the whole dish in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the fish begins to flake at the light touch of a fork.

Top the fish with the mango and papaya salsa and serve immediately.

*Now I love Trader Joe's and I couldn't live without it, but sometimes they rotate their product so they don't always have the items in stock that you need. It really depends on the season. So if you can't find their Mango & Papaya Salsa try this instead:

1 Mango, peeled, pit removed, chopped
1 Papaya, seeds removed, diced
Sprinkle of Cilantro
Juice from half of a lime
Salt and Pepper

Steak Sandwiches

I love a good steak sandwich. As a kid I used to order them at restaurants every chance I got. So my mom started make them for our family dinners when I was growing up.

By the time I got to college and had to make food on my own, this became one of my go to meals. It's no surprise that all of a sudden my friends would appear in the sorority house kitchen with empty plates and puppy dog looks on their faces. So good, they don't even need A1!

By popular demand, here is the recipe for the (Famous) Steak Sandwiches:

2 Tblspns unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 lb. of thinly sliced tender sirloin
Salt and Pepper
French Rolls

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, generously salt and pepper the steak.

Add steak to the pan. Saute until just cooked through.

Cut the french rolls through to the middle, but not all the way. Open them and place them face down in the pan so that the bread can soak up all of the saute juices.

Slice up the meat and distribute it evenly on each of the rolls along with some of the garlic slices. Enjoy!
Or for a fancy touch, top with onions if desired.

Deglaze the pan with your favorite dry white wine, add the onions (sweet if possible) and saute for 2-5 minutes. Tip: For cooking purchase wine that has a dark glass bottle and a twist off cap so that it will keep for future recipes.

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

Was Black Friday Worth it?

I know, I know, crowds crowds crowds! But check out these shorts that I found for $4 and you tell me...

Linea Pelle bag, Urban Outfitters shorts, lululemon athletica tank, Gap cardigan, Steve Madden boots, Nordstrom bracelet, M.A.C. eyeshadow in Club, Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect 517, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Commander in Chic

Cyber Monday is a great way to take advantage of the sales from the comfort of your technological device of choice, but nothing can beat the experience of getting a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte with your besties and rifling through the racks at 7 a.m. to find the most amazing item at an unbeatable price that makes it all worth it. What a great tradition!

It's the perfect time of year for a housewarming party

Over the weekend I headed to Long Beach to celebrate Cara's first house of her very own. I brought homemade Oreo's as my hostess gift. I got the idea from my favorite blog Cupcakes and Cashmere. The recipe can be found here. Tip: If you make the cookies in a few different sizes, you can arrange them largest to smallest so that when you wrap them up you have an Oreo tower.

It was warm inside and festive outside with hanging lanterns that Cara managed to bring home from her trip to India.The lanterns fold up so they fit perfectly inside her suitcase. I would make the trip just to get some of my own!

We knew the party had been a success when it got broken up by the cops. Cara may officially be an adult homeowner now, but none of us are above a good game of flip cup in the backyard. Welcome to the neighborhood!

When the dog eats the corn bread, make corn muffins

I left the corn bread that I had made from the box on the stove to cool while I ran to drop the girls off at the beach. When I returned, the dog had helped herself to the corn bread. Sigh. I can't blame her, it was delicious. So the only thing left to do was make corn muffins from scratch, which turned out much better than the corn bread from a box. Thanks Angel!

Add fresh corn off the cob for a sweet crunch!

Voila!

Basic Corn Muffins

Pair with Veggie Chili and Enjoy!

Perfect Peaches

Summer has officially arrived! So of course peaches are in season and they are incredibly juicy and fresh. Pick some up at your local Trader Joes for $4.99 a crate. Mix some brown sugar with lite sour cream, then top the peaches with generous dollops of the heavenly mixture and...wallah!!! You have the quickest most delicious treat to serve with those hot off the grill hamburgers.