Salmon, Sweet tea, and P.S. I Love You

I'm writing this post a little bit different than usual. Usually, I wait until dinner has been made, eaten, and cleaned up before I post about it. Tonight, however, I am writing as I wait for dinner to cook. Right now, the red potatoes are cooking away in the oven and the tea is brewing on the stove. And I am sitting here, on the couch, watching P.S. I Love You. I love this movie. So much, in fact, that when I saw that it was coming on at 5, I jumped up and started dinner. This way, I can watch the movie and cook dinner at the same time. Tonight for dinner, I am making Salmon Croquettes.

Supposedly, our taste buds change every 5 or 7 years. I definitely think that my taste buds have changed since I was a kid. Something my parents made from time to time as I grew up were Salmon Croquettes and, anytime momma would say that was what was for dinner, I would groan. Within the last couple years, though, they have become something I crave. They're almost as good as crab cakes...Okay, that was a lie. Crab cakes are way better than Salmon Croquettes but, I'm on a college budget, so Salmon Croquettes it is.

Salmon Croquettes
Ingredients:
1 14 oz can salmon (you could use 2 fresh fillets instead but, like I mentioned, college budget)
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon celery
1/2 cup bread crumbs, plus more for coating (I used half regular bread crumbs and half crushed up garlic croutons)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Dash worshteshire sauce
1/2 T parsley
Canola oil for frying

Method:
1. Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. I found that it was easier to dive right in and use my hands to do the mixing.
2. Then form the mixture into patties. You can make them as big or small as you like. You could make little ones if you wanted to serve them as appetizers. I made mine into 4 medium sized patties. Then coat the patties with bread crumbs.

Here's how they looked after being covered in bread crumbs.

3. Now heat up your skillet (I prefer cast iron) and add the oil (just enough to coat the bottom.) Once the oil is heated, throw the patties in (If it sizzles when you add them, you know the oil is hot enough.)

Cook them for about 5 minutes on medium, then flip them. They should look like this--

4. Cook 5 more minutes on the other side (you may need to add a little bit more oil) and then place them on a plate with a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

And there you have it. I had a salad, new potatoes, and sweet tea with mine. A little lemon squeezed on top is good, too!

Where there is hot melty cheese involved, I am happy.

It's true. I love a few things in life, some most of which involves food. I love chocolate, bread, garlic, cheese, and pudding. My dinner tonight and the recipe I am about to share involves 3 of the 5. Not bad. I have been on an Italian kick for the past week or so. I had homemade personal pan pizza twice, baked spaghetti once, and pizza at a restaurant once. All in one week. Like I said--hot cheese has a special place in my heart. Plus, where there is Italian food, there is bread. And garlic. And butter.

Anyway, tonight for dinner i made my mom's Stuffed Shells. They are pretty easy to make and will fool your roommate into thinking you are a world famous cook. Here's how you do it.

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
1/2 of a 16oz box jumbo pasta shells
2 cups large curd cottage cheese
6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (I used the bag of like 4 different kinds. Romano, mozzarella  parmesan, etc. and it was really good!)
1/4  cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pinch garlic powder (Naturally, I used much more than a pinch. What does "pinch" even mean, anyway?)
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t parsley
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
Cheese for sprinkling on top
8 oz frozen spinach, optional (I always use spinach because I think it makes it even better.)

Method:
1. Cook shells completely and place in cold water. (Those shells take a while to cook cause they are so thick.)
2. Mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of the parm, egg, and garlic in a bowl.
3. Rub dried herbs on your hands and mix cheese using your hands. Add the spinach if you choose to include it.
4. Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the pan (I used an 8x8 square pan)
5. Drain shells and stuff with cheese mixture. Place open side up in pan, close together.
6. Pour remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes and let stand 10 minutes before serving (I probably waited a whole 2 minutes. YOLO.)

Perfect. Or, should I say, perfetto!

Of course, you can't have sauce and cheese without bread. I got this garlic and herb topped bread at Wally World and was pretty impressed.

We also had salad with it of course. Complete with Olive Garden dressing. Yum.