The family I cook for went to Seattle and brought back some amazing things from Pike Place market. It made me miss home. I was taken aback by the beauty of the food.

Wild mushrooms:


Smelled like rain and dirt, in the best possible way.

Wild salmon:

Smelled of nothing! So fresh.

Easiest Fail Proof  Salmon Recipe (my own, inspired by countless others):

Fresh WILD Salmon
Thyme sprigs
Shallot
Lemon
Salt and Pepper
White Wine (I like Sauv. Blanc for this)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

I make sure the Salmon is clean and dry.
I put it in an oven safe baking dish (needs to have enough of a lip to hold the liquid)
I arrange lemon slices, shallot rings, and Thyme atop the fish.
I season the fish with salt and pepper to taste.
I pour in about 1/2 a cup of white wine.

Put that sucker in the oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes (depending on size of the fish). As long as you don’t keep it in there for too long, your Salmon will come out incredibly moist.

Menu:
Salmon
Sauteed Mushrooms
Whole roasted Brussels Sprouts (Ina Garten’s recipe is perfect)
Arugula with Persimmon and Toasted Hazelnut

Dessert – Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake:

Recipe found on Smitten Kitchen

Last week L.A. had a heat wave. In November. My menu for that 98-degree day was light.

Pan seared Sea Bass (all you need is Salt and Pepper, good oil, and a good pan)
Homemade Mango Salsa, Guacamole, Pico de gallo
Big Black Bean Salad

(I mixed Black beans with bell peppers, tomatoes, and green onion, then poured that over lettuce and dressed it with a lime vinaigrette)

I love Mango salsa, but the store bought kind is always too mushy, and too “not fresh”. (Actually, most store bought salsas don’t taste so good/fresh to me). It’s a revelation how easy and delicious fresh salsa is.

Here’s my super easy, addictive, mango salsa recipe:

2-3 cups medium diced fresh mango (slightly under-ripe is nice for sourness)
1-2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
2-3 Tablespoons finely diced pepper – I used a small slightly mild red pepper. I like the color/texture/flavor. Depending on how spicy you like it, you could mix bell pepper with jalapeno)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 Teaspoon sugar (could sub with Agave syrup)
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt to taste

Mix it all up. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Eat with tortilla chips or on top of fish/chicken/tofu.

When I look for dessert recipes, second to deliciousness, the number one thing I take into consideration is “Degree of Fussiness.” Smitten Kitchen is one of my go to recipe blogs. I follow her baked good recipes EXACTLY, and they come out as planned! Victory!

I baked this applesauce cake last night. The only change I made was to bake it in a round spring form as opposed to a square dish. I might try it again with chunks of pre baked apple inside.

The cream cheese frosting recipe is as easy as it gets, and so delicious. (I had extra frosting which a teenager discovered works well as a schmeer for bagels)

You should make it. It looks impressive but it’s stupid easy.

Menu that proceeded the cake*: 

Apps:
Stuffed grape leaves, homemade marinated artichokes, tapenade platter.
Crudite, baba ghanoush, hummus. Crackers pitas etc.

Main course:
Seared Tuna with tomato, olive, caper, garlic sauce
Rosemary french lentils
Couscous topped with grilled marinated calamari
Greek salad

*I cook for a family as my job.