redeemed - smoked salmon dish saves reputation

after yesterday's first i played it safe and made a very simple (like yesterday's stir fry was supposed to be) smoked salmon dish with a fresh salad.

I made a white sauce to go with the salmon which i found in a book called "Salmon" by Dumont Monte (easy and very tasty addition - but not if you are weight watching due to the creme fraiche and cream).

I used smoked salmon, but i rolled it into a log and lightly seared it to add a different texture and flavour.

the salad recipe came from the web

Smoked Salmon Salad Recipe

Smoked Salmon Pieces (Olympic Peninsula Alder Smoked Salmon)
Romaine Lettuce (Chopped)
Roma Tomato Slices
Mushrooms (sliced)
Avocado (slices or chopped pieces)
Scallions (green onions) chopped
Feta Cheese
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning
Fresh Ground Pepper
A really good Caesar dressing


This is very simple! Take your romaine lettuce and cover the plate or bowl.
You can make the salad any size that you want.
Next, put on all the toppings one by one.
Start with your smoked salmon, the tomato slices, mushroom slices,
avocado, feta cheese crumbled over the top, and scallions.
After all of your toppings are in place, grab your spices
and sprinkle each one over the entire salad (to taste).
When you are done with the spices, add your dressing on top and serve!!!
You can even set all of your ingredients out for your guests to create their own salad!!!
That is one of the great things about this salad…
you can add or delete any item that you want and put as much of each ingredient that you want.

Carly Slocumb
Austin, TX

However, i left the salad dressing and the herbs off and served the fetta on the side so people could serve themselves if they wished to.

For desserts i have made a simple fruit salad (can be eaten alone or with icecream) for later.

Seems i have restored my standing as "head chef". Whoopey for me

Major Failure - Lemon and Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

I have just cooked (last night) the first meal i have ever thrown away. I cooked this chicken stir fry (out of a Donna Hay mag) to the recipe but it was simply inedible. It tasted really bitter - like set your teeth on edge bitter. In the end we had a mix of things for tea - toast, cold baked beans, tin soup.

So how did this happen i wonder. the recipe is so simple it would seem impossible to stuff it up unless the ingredients were off. The chicken was fresh, the garlic and ginger were fresh, the lemon was fresh (but it could have been part of the problem). the only non-fresh ingredients were some chicken stock and some oyster sauce.

Personally, i think the lemon played a major role. I sliced the lemon with the skin on because it did not say to peel it, but if i ever tried this again i would peel it first i think.

Oh well - lesson learned. Recipes are not infallible. Its always good to have a stand by.