Baked Lemon & Garlic Salmon

Hubby has been requesting fish for dinner more often, so I've been looking for new recipes to try! I came across a really yummy white wine, butter and garlic sauce recipe and decided to add shallots and dill and try it on baked lemon salmon! It actually turned out pretty good, so I decided why not share the recipe. Enjoy!

Baked Lemon & Garlic Salmon

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets, bones removed
• fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 small shallot sliced (optional)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle fillets with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place 2 lemon slices on top of each fillet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove and tent with aluminum foil for 10 more minutes (the salmon will continue to cook during this time). While salmon is baking, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add minced garlic, sliced shallots and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in wine. Cook for 5 minutes or until sauce reduces by 1/3. Stir in fresh dill and remove from heat. Remove lemon slices from the top of the salmon and discard. Gently slide a serving spatula between the skin and the flesh of the fillet to remove the skin, it should separate very easily (I personally like to leave the skin on). Transfer to a serving platter and spoon white wine dill sauce over the top. Serve and enjoy! 

Nickel Diner

I love watching the Food Network and one of my favorite shows is Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). On Friday the show featured one local diner that we've probably passed by a hundred times and never stopped in to try. Well, after seeing all of the yummy food being featured on Friday I was determined to try it for myself and it wasn't hard at all to convince hubby, Gaby and Mari to come along! On Sunday we took a little trip to DTLA to the Nickel Diner (JD on the other hand opted for Chuck E. Cheese with Ama & Ampa) for lunch and although it was about a 35 minute wait, it was well worth it. This diner has personality, the staff is friendly and the food is so good, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Maple Bacon Donut

NightClub Sandwich

Bacon Burger

Monica's Chicken Pozole

Frosted Cupcakery

Since we were in Long Beach Friday evening at the pumpkin patch, we decided to stop by a cupcake shop in Belmont Shores called Frosted Cupcakery and treat Gaby my sister in law to a birthday cupcake. Gaby loves cupcakes and we are always looking for new cupcake shops to visit. This shop is extremely cute and the staff was so sweet. The cupcakes were absolutely delicious, even hubby agreed that their red velvet was really good! Frosted is also open late (until 9:00 p.m.) everyday, which is perfect for a late night cupcake craving!

Today is National Donut Day!

Did you know today is National Donut Day? Well it is! I love donuts, I married into a donut loving family and my son requests donut holes on a weekly basis! So I will definitely be celebrating by picking up a dozen donuts on my way home, including my favorite a rainbow sprinkle donut!

National Donut Day began as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army in 1938. It’s held annually on the first Friday of June, in honor of the female volunteers of World War I who served donuts to soldiers behind the front lines.

This year, the generosity lives on: Dunkin Donuts customers will receive a free donut with the purchase of any beverage, while Krispy Kreme will be handing out one free donut per person (with no additional purchase necessary). Be sure to check out your local donut shop, as other bakeries across the nation are sure to be celebrating.

Photo Sources: Sprinkle Donuts, Donut Basket, Pink Donut

What is your favorite donut?

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Most people are surprised to hear that I’m not a big fan of cake, I adore brownies, I can always go for pie and I will eat the occasional cupcake, especially if it’s red velvet with cream cheese frosting, but cake I can live without. Now, although a “Bundt Cake” implies cake, it really is a whole different type of cake and a cake I personally find delicious. A bundt cake depends on its actual cake not its frosting to make an impression, if the cake is bad then no amount of frosting can help a bundt cake. So this brings me to yesterday's craving, for years I've purchased delicious bundt cakes from a cute little shop about five minutes from my work, I called them yesterday to place a same day order and I was so saddened to hear that they had closed their shop back in December, so there I was disappointed and craving bundt cake!

I remembered passing by a plaza in Manhattan Beach a few months ago and seeing a sign that read Nothing Bundt Cakes, so I decided why not give them a try and stopped by last night. Nothing Bundt Cakes makes a great first impression, the shop is gorgeous and has a very boutique feel to it selling not only cakes but decor, apparel and accessories; the staff is friendly and their displays are just beautiful. As for the actual bundt cake, all I can say is "YUM" I purchased a red velvet cake with their signature frosting, the cake was moist and delicious and the frosting was perfect. Nothing Bundt Cakes is definitely my new favorite bundt cake shop. Oh, and don't worry if you do not live near a Nothing Bundt Cakes, not only do they deliver locally but they also ship nationwide!

Photos taken by me at:

Nothing Bundt Cake - Manhattan Beach
1570 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite Q

Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

310.297.9530

Trader Joe's Appetizers

If you're looking for quick and delicious appetizers, you have to stop by Trader Joe's; their Pastry Pups and Goat Cheese Croissant Swirls are amazing, just bake and serve and no one needs to know they're store bought. Stop by your local Trader Joe's and pick some up, I promise you'll love them.

Whether you call them pigs in blankets or pastry pups these 
cocktail franks wrapped in buttery pastry are 
absolutely delicious!

What could be better than a warm croissant, a warm croissant 

swirled with goat cheese and Herbs de Provence!