a little spring feast

As I was driving the carpool on Tuesday, I heard on NPR that the first Copper River Salmon of the season had arrived on an Alaska Airlines flight. The first 45 lb salmon went to several local chefs and they all prepared the salmon their signature way. My mouth was watering listening to this little foodie discussion about how best to serve the fish, and I have been thinking of the salmon for the past four days. Copper River Salmon is so special because it has more fat and oil because of the difficult swim up the Copper River, or something like that. I just know it tastes incredible. Anyway, Zig, lucky sucker, had what he described as one of his "best restaurant meals ever" at place called Bis on Main this week. Usually the only comments he makes about restaurant food is that he hates it, even at great restaurants. But of course this week he had the Copper River salmon. He beat me to it.  He began describing how amazing it was to me on Thursday evening and then I think he started to feel bad as he looked at the stove and saw a few sad little tortellini still left  in the pot. It had been one of those busy days, and the tortellini meal is always a last resort. I do not love pasta of any sort, but the kids do.

Anyway, today I had such a nice day. I cleaned out the refrigerator which is strangely immensely satisfying. Then I headed out to get some salmon assuming it had to have hit the stores by now. I started dreaming up a spring feast and was so excited to find asparagus, cherries, snap peas, and all sorts of spring goodies. I filled that newly emptied fridge right back up!

Zig and Rollin harvested the rhubarb while I was gone. They hauled wheel barrels full of the leaves to the compost and left me with a nice HUGE basket of rhubarb stalks.


Do you see what I see?

And a rhubarb dance...


There were no pressing demands on my time today so I chopped up fruits and veggies and put them in containers so I can be prepared for another busy week. Veggies get eaten so much quicker when they are washed and ready to go. Not to mention speeding up the lunch making rush in the mornings. Man, I can't wait till summer!

Zig is leaving town early tomorrow for a meeting so we had our Sunday dinner tonight so we could enjoy it together...and so  I could show him that my salmon kicks Bis on Main's tail :)  I prepared the salmon very simply with a few spices, lemon, and butter. Rather than cooking the whole fish at once and risking some parts getting too done with others are still undercooked, I cut the fillet into squares, something we did in a cooking class once, and I was able to keep each piece moist and yummy. We also had roasted asparagus and broccolini (baby broccoli), Sea salt roasted Fingerling potatoes with rosemary, and a mixed green salad with cherries, walnuts and feta with a cherry balsamic vinaigrette. Sela made a strawberry rhubarb spelt crisp which was voted best yet by everyone. She took my suggestion and used 1/4 of the sugar the recipe called for and it was perfect and plenty sweet. Some recipes are so over the top on the sugar! We served it with Vanilla Bean Hemp Ice cream.  It's amazing how good such simply prepared food can taste when it's all in season and at the peak of freshness. The fish was like butter, creamy and divine.

 




I love having a buddy in the kitchen! Well, I always have a buddy, but this one helps rather than chucks dishes off the counter, rearranges cabinets, etc. Evan was napping, so we were enjoying listening to Adele and cooking in peace.


Nina is the dessert queen.

The rest of the day we just spent hanging out together. I am working on creating a big art wall above both girls beds. This has been in the works (mentally) for over a year. I have most of their favorite work framed, but recently they've been creating some really cool pieces so we're going to try and incorporate their new big silk paintings. I took Nina's most recent silk painting to be framed this evening. Sela helped me choose from the framing options. It is the cutest guinea pig painting ever. I will have to get a picture of it to post. Like her little hippo that stares at me every day in the kitchen, this guinea pig is all Nina and so bright and fun.

Sela played some more tennis and spent the rest of the afternoon writing a newsletter about our week and she printed copies for us. Very fun to see the events of the week through her eyes. I love how she enjoys writing for fun. She's always got something in the works. Looking forward to another low key day tomorrow, well, after I make it through church alone with the four kids that is!