Balsamic Salmon

Served with noodles tossed with mushrooms sauteed in butter. And with the melted sage butter (recipe below).

• 3 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp dijon
• a couple sprigs of fresh sage, finely minced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar (or try white wine vinegar, which I bet would be good too)
  
• salt/pepper
• 1-1.5 lb fillet of salmon, with skin.

1. Take the salmon and massage/coat with the garlic and about 1 sprig of the minced sage. Drissle with the vinegar (~2 tsp worth, or a couple shakes more if needed) and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let marinate while you prepare everything else, up to an hour.
2. In a small bowl/ramekin, combine butter, mustard and remaining sage. (Marinating salmon next to a ramekin of the butter mixture)
   
   
3. In a pan with a touch of oil, cook the salmon over medium heat, 4-7 minutes each side until flakey. I used salmon with the skin on it, and let it sit for most of the time skin side down.
4. While still hot, top with the butter. If you made the pasta as a side dish, butter the noodles with the same butter. Add salt if needed. Enjoy!
   

Herbed Pork Tenderloin

I made this a while ago but never posted the recipe. I maintain that pork tenderloin is the easiest meat to make taste amazing. The recipe is modified from a food network recipe.

• 2 lb pork tenderloin
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 4 cloves fresh minced garlic
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dry basil
• 1 tsp dry rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375-400 (depending on how hot your oven gets)
   
2. Add everything (but pork) in a small bowl and combine/mix around.
3. Massage the herb mixture into the pork. Place pork on tin foil on a pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes for a medium rare.
4. Serve w/ poatatos and a veggie
   

Spicy Meaty Chili

Mine was really spicy, but it might have been a function of the chorizo I used. If you're not a fan of spicy foods, go easy on the red pepper flakes. Adding more salt can tame the spicy.

• Vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb uncooked chorizo
• 1 lb ground beef
  
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
  
• 1 tbsp fine cornmeal
• salt/pepper
• 1 can red beans
• any toppings, i.e. shredded cheese, chopped onions, sour cream, tortilla strips, hot sauce, etc.

1. Heat a little oil over medium heat in a large pot. Cook the onion. Once translucent, add the chorizo (without casing) and smush it around so that it resembles ground beef. Cook until oils release, maybe 5-10 minutes.
   
2. Add in ground beef and brown it. Add garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock and all the herbs/spices. (I like to add the spices in a small bowl before hand so that I can dump them all in the pot when I'm ready.) Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring so that everything is combined.
3. Add salt and pepper. Mix in corn meal. Let everything simmer for up to an hour. 10 minutes before you're ready to serve, add in the can of beans, drained.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings!
   

Mushroom Risotto for 2

Jon said that this is his favorite meal that I've made. Nothing groundbreaking, but delicious :) Beware though, it takes an hour or more to make. (Step 5 takes forever.) Served it with a green salad and breaded chicken cutlet, which I'll include here.

Mushroom Risotto and Chicken Cutlet

• 2 Chicken Breasts, pounded to an even thickness
• Lots of olive oil
• dried basil
• salt/pepper
• Italian bread crumbs
• 1 32-oz box of chicken stock
• 1/2 oz. package dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 finely chopped onion
• 1 package white mushrooms, diced
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 3/4-1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• couple of handfulls of parmesan cheese

1. Prepare a bag or plate of olive oil, some shakes of dried basil, salt and pepper, enough for the chicken to be coated. Let it marinate until you're almost done with the rice, when you'll start cooking it.
2. Set a medium and a large pot over two burners and heat over medium.
   In the smaller pot, pour the entire box of chicken stock. When it starts to simmer, turn the heat to low and throw in the dried mushrooms for five minutes. When that's done, you'll spoon the mushrooms out and finely chop.
   In the larger pot, melt the butter. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, and throw in the onions. Cook until translucent.
3. Keep the stock over low heat throughout the whole process. In the larger pot, throw in both types of mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and the liquid is mostly evaporated.
4. Throw in the rice and mix for a couple of minutes to toast it.
5. Lower the heat to medium low. Add the wine and mix until it's absorbed. Add a cup of the warm broth and stir frequently until it's absorbed. Add another cup of broth and do the same. Add another cup and do the same. At this point, I'd taste the rice and see if it's cooked through. If not, add more broth. If it's cooked, stop adding broth. (I definitely did not use all of my broth.)
6. Since it takes quite a while for the broth to absorb into the rice, between adding the cups of broth, take the chicken and coat it in bread crumbs. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the coated chicken cutlets (as many as will fit at a time) and cook until done. Maybe 4-5 minutes per side?
7. Once the rice is cooked, add in a couple of handfuls of parmesan and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
8. SERVE!