Officially Thawed

Cooking

For the first time this year, we broke 80 in Boston. Ahhhh, it felt fabulous. And it called for celebration with a refreshment.

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I enjoyed my first summer beer of the season while making Kath’s Maryland Salmon Cakes. I like salmon in general, but the canned stuff does make me a bit nervous. I was glad that I was on high alert when opening the can because I swear there was an entire vertebrate in there – not thin bones but big knobs that looked like joint pieces. Luckily it was easy to pick them out, but it sure seemed dangerous to me!

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I subbed full fat greek yogurt for the mayo because we don’t really keep mayo in the house. I also made Kath’s aioli with greek yogurt, hot sauce, mustard, and Old Bay and it was the perfect accompaniment.

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These were awesome!!! I was pretty surprised that they weren’t very fishy and even Matt (who does not like salmon) liked them.
It was nice to make something new, as I feel like I’ve been eating a lot of the same lately. I also realized I haven’t tried any new beers recently:( It seems like I was drinking way more beer in the winter when it was too cold to do anything else. I also think there’s a lot more variety in the fall/winter seasonals because summer beers are supposed to be lighter, which often means fewer ingredients. I’m headed out of town yet again this weekend, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get to visit the unique brewery at my destination…

Are you guys traveling for memorial day?

Oh, and happy birthday to my friend Sara today and to my friend Corbin tomorrow!!!!

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  • Aub
    May 24, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    I am! Hopefully heading somewhere “woodsy” with my Bf – you headed to western mass earlier this year right? Any good inn suggestions? A nice big tub is key! 🙂

    • Laura
      May 26, 2011 at 6:01 pm

      Somehow your comment was spammed…sorry! I actually wasn’t a big fan of the inn we stayed in while in Lenox. But, Nudel is an awesome little restaurant!!!

  • Kath
    May 24, 2011 at 9:37 pm

    Glad you liked ’em!

    You can totally eat those vertebrae though – they are nutritious and somewhat soft!

    • Laura
      May 24, 2011 at 9:50 pm

      But my garbage disposal couldn’t even cut through them!

  • Kat
    May 24, 2011 at 10:13 pm

    Lady, I’m SO on the same page as you – I’ve heard of others using canned salmon, I just haven’t ever thought to try. Thanks for the heads-up about the bone chunks?! I mean, they’re definitely a part of eating fish, but I can SO see how that would be disconcerting.

    For Memorial Day weekend, we’ll be heading Up North to my parents’ cabin in Northern MN. I can’t wait to hear more about where you’re going!

    • Laura
      May 25, 2011 at 9:01 am

      Ohhh, a long weekend in a cabin sounds delightful…I hope you get some relaxation time!

  • AshinMT
    May 25, 2011 at 11:24 am

    Could you post Kath’s salmon recipe here? I can no longer access her site from work (where i do the majority of my blog reading) because our firewall (or related computer term) filters her site as social networking and is blocked. boo hiss.

    • Laura
      May 25, 2011 at 11:27 am

      Maryland Salmon Cakes

      *Ingredients*

      – 14 oz can wild salmon – 2 tbsp oat bran [or dry bread crumbs] – 1 tsp dried dill – 1/4 tsp kosher salt – 1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning – 1 egg – 1.5 tbsp mayonnaise – 1/2 tsp dry mustard (or 1 tsp of the real stuff) – 1 dash hot sauce

      *Method*

      – Preheat LOW broiler. If your oven only has high, consider baking at 450* and then high broiling for last few minutes. – Mix dry ingredients through Old Bay – Mix wet ingredients through hot sauce. – Add salmon to dry, mix well. – Add wet to salmon mixture. – Form into 6 cakes. – Spray cookie sheet with canola oil mist and low broil for 20 minutes.

      We made a little aioli with mayo, mustard and smoked paprika to go on top.

  • Jessie -- The Messie Kitchen
    May 26, 2011 at 10:42 am

    Hey!
    I’ve been reading your sister’s blog semi-religiously for months now and have read yours from time to time as well! My name is Jessie and I actually met Kath the last time she came to northern Virginia. I’m moving up to Boston this summer!! So maybe when I get there we can meet because I’m definitely into beer and food and basically all the other things you’re writing about. I’m job hunting like a crazy woman now but I plan to be up sometime between June and July! So maybe I will see ya up there!!

    Jessie

    • Laura
      May 26, 2011 at 11:16 am

      Hi!

      It’s so exciting that you’ll be moving to Boston! You’re going to love the food and beer scene here. Unfortunately, I’m moving in four weeks, so I’m not sure I’ll be around when you get here:( Good luck with the job hunt and let me know if you’re around before then!