Dating Myself: Last Friday Alone

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I had just written a post reflecting on how great of a time I had treating myself to a date a few weeks ago, and gushing about how I couldn’t wait for the next time.  Well life always happens in funny ways and instead of having a night with Sister or accepting an invitation to an OAR concert uptown, I ended up staying home.  It didn’t really hit me till I started to lay out the salmon that this lucky gal was about to have another date night.

On the menu was grilled salmon topped with zucchini chutney and a fresh caesar salad.  Salmon is my favorite fish and possibly one of my favorite foods period.  But of course myself would know that 😉  And instead of an intellectual stunner I went with Love Happens for the movie.  I LOVE a good chick flick!

I was proud of myself for thinking of the novel idea of zucchini chutney.  Along with squash, we have been inundated with the stuff and I’ve been trying to be as creative as possible in how to use it (mainly because Sister is all but boycotting both at this point).  As I started googling I realized I was not the first to think up this brilliant idea.

Taking inspiration from this recipe I set to work on my masterpiece.

Grilled Salmon Topped with Zucchini Chutney
Serves 3

Ingredients
1 lb Wild Caught Salmon
1 Large Zucchini, diced small
1/2 Medium Onion, diced small
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 c Raw Turbinado Sugar (any sugar or sweetener can be substituted)

Directions
1. Place all ingredients (except salmon) into medium sized pot over med-high heat.
2. Boil mixture down for approximately 20-30 mins until zucchini and onion have reached desired tenderness.  *The original recipe has this boiling down for hours and then canning it.  I preferred mine to still have a little resistance in the texture.
3. Turn grill on high heat for a few minutes, then when ready to put the fish on, turn to medium heat.  Place salmon skin side down and let grill for 4-5 minutes on skin side.  You should be able to see that it has cooked almost half way through the filet, some may take more or less time depending on the thickness of the filet.
4. Turn the salmon and let cook on the other side for 2 minutes.  *Again fish is a personal preference, I prefer my salmon to be just slightly undercooked (or a lot undercooked if its a really quality piece).
5. Remove and top with chutney and serve.

Homemade croutons because I was out.  Just brush a piece of sandwich bread with olive oil and throw on the grill with your salmon.

This morning I woke (for the second time since the first was when he went to the gym) to Husband banging around in the kitchen making coffee.  Still sleepy-eyed and really probably needing another half hour of sleep I decided I wanted to take advantage of a few moments with him while I could seeing as he wouldn’t be home until 10:30 tonight.

They were a very few short minutes which consisted of watching him brush his teeth as he pulled up the dying snap pea plants from our garden while I ate my breakfast of greek yogurt with watermelon and granola and an egg topped with salsa.  I did manage to get a hug and a kiss sprinkled with leftover water on his beard before he left. The very touch and smell of that man makes me crazy.

Charlotte has decided to treat us with a cool spell for the past few days.  I do love summer, but Fall will always have my heart and the cool touch on my skin sends butterflies through my stomach in anticipation of being able to actually get back outside and enjoy the cool mountain air.  I spent the rest of my morning doing one of my favorite things, sitting OUTSIDE taking in the morning over coffee and breakfast.

I don’t think I have to tell you how giddy with excitement I am knowing that in a few short weeks I will get to do this same thing any morning I choose while looking at this view…

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