Something Light

Sorry for the lack of posts this week.

I feel like I'm being pulled in a thousand directions at work, not sleeping well, waking up late, and lacking serious motivation.

It has been chilly here in Cincinnati, with a little bit of sunshine, so I've been eating TONS of soup. I wanted to find something that reminded me of summer to make up for missing yesterdays "Because I'm Hungry" recipe.

So Enjoy!

Salmon with Honey-Coriander Glaze

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
• 1/4 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 salmon fillets (5 ounces each), skinned
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry, large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool. Grind seeds in a spice grinder or crush with a mortar and pestle until coarsely ground; reserve skillet.
2. Make glaze: Stir together crushed coriander seeds, honey, soy sauce, and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined.
3. Lightly brush the top of each salmon fillet with glaze; reserve remainder. Heat oil in the nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Cook salmon fillets, glazed sides down, 1 minute; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 2 minutes more. Turn fillets over, and cook 3 minutes for medium-rare (salmon will be slightly pink in the middle), or longer if desired. Transfer to a plate; loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour remaining glaze into skillet; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until glaze has thickened to the consistency of syrup, about 1 minute. Serve salmon with glaze on the side.

{recipe and photo found here}

Halloween By Martha

Mission: find a super yummy and fun recipe to share in honor of Halloween.

Enter Martha Stewart.

This wonder woman sure knows how to add those special touches for that wow! factor everyone hopes for. I was faced with the problem of which to pick, which I guess isn't really a problem. So I decided why pick? 

Hope you enjoy my little round-up!

1. Monster Lollipops
2. Ladies' Fingers
3. Brain Cupcakes
4. Boo-Nilla Shake
5. Bloody Tooth Cocktail
6. Dulce De Leche Bat Cookies
7. Stenciled Chocolate Cupcakes
8. Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

Spend Less!

1: ModCloth $44.99

2.Crate and Barrel $49.95

3. Old Navy $24.99

4. Top Shop $32.00

5. ModCloth $29.99

6. Forever 21 $29.80

7. Target $29.99

8. Top Shop $32.00

Queen City

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Fabulous I hope!

For me this past weekend was full of haunted fun:

Friday I spent the evening walking one of the country's most endangered historical areas, The Gateway District of Over the Rhine, on a haunted tour.

The Queen City is Haunted Tour.

This amazing tour was put on by American Legacy Tours.
A few friends and myself spent a little over 2 hours listening to stories of Cincinnati's German background, Over the Rhine and its' horror stories of disease, murder, and body snatching from graves. Some of these stories involved presidents, hospitals and even a local college.
I don't do well with scary movies but true stories of the past, especially about the beautiful city I call home, fascinates me.

Eric and I had such a blast we went back for a different tour on Saturday night.
On this tour we stepped foot in two extremely haunted buildings in the Gateway District with electronic devices used to detect the presence of spirits.
I felt like I was on a paranormal activity show on the Travel Channel or a member of the Ghost Busters!

After experiencing these two amazing tours I've already made future plans to attend a few of the company's other tours.
One being the Queen City Underground: Bosses, Breweries and Burials Walking Tour.
This tour actually takes you underground in the tunnels that run beneath the city.

I definitely suggest these tours for anyone in the Cincinnati/Newport area.
 If you aren't local, take a look at your city to see if there is anything similiar!

Mmmm, soup and grilled cheese.

Hopefully you've noticed I've been completely MIA from the blogging world the last two days.

I'll fill you in as to why tomorrow.

But until then ....

The weather is absolutely dreadful in Cincinnati this morning.

So I will definitely be enjoying a version of this classic combo for lunch today.

Creamy Shrimp Bisque

Ingredients

• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 green onion with tops, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 glove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half and half
• 3 1/2 cups fish stock
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 8 ounces cooked shrimp or lobster meat, chopped
• Homemade croutons, recipe follows

Homemade Croutons

• 3 slices white bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut bread with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake until toasted.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, add celery, onions and butter, stirring occasionally. When tender add garlic and mix together. Stir in flour and half and half. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in fish stock and parsley. Cook for 10 minutes until it thickens. Add shrimp meat and let simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through. Stir occasionally. Add salt, to taste.

When ready, serve with croutons.

{Recipe and Image found here}

"Grown Up" Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Italian bread such as ciabatta
• 1 pound Teleme or Brie cheese
• 1 pound sliced smoked ham (applewood if available)
• Butter
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup roasted red peppers

Directions

Cut loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Top the bottom bread slice with the Teleme cheese, then the smoked ham, distributing it evenly. Place top of bread on sandwich and brush with butter.

Heat a sandwich grill until hot. Set sandwich, butter side down in grill. Butter top side of bread. Place a heavy pan on top of entire sandwich to evenly distribute weight and cook until nicely browned and the cheese is melted, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Transfer the sandwich to a work surface and remove the top slice of bread. Spread the underside of the bread with mustard, and add roasted peppers, if desired.

Replace the top slice of bread, cut the sandwiches into slices, and serve immediately.

{Recipe and Image found here}