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The Secret to Amazing Grilled Salmon – and How to grill corn with the husks on

By KariV on August 16, 2013 in Cooking Light, Recipes

I love to get fresh salmon from the Market every time we visit California. It seems so much fresher than the fish in Arizona, and when we grill it up using this secret (that I’m going to tell you today) I am convinced that it’s even better than any restaurant salmon!

Yes, I’m going to share the secret with you to Grilling up amazing Salmon. My husband was shocked when I shared the secret with him, and now it’s going to be on the blog-o-sphere for all my dear readers to see!

Here it is: Fresh fish, simple ingredients, and a homemade foil tray! (That’s a secret, you ask?) Well, yes…and I’m going to give you the full instructions here.

First, get your salmon at a fresh market and get the best quality you can find. We got Silver Salmon (not farm raised, no dyes added). Silver Salmon is known for it’s bright red flesh and a slightly more delicate texture than King Salmon. King salmon is considered the best tasting, but it also costs more because many use it raw in Sashimi (sushi) dishes. I also like Sockeye Salmon, and King Salmon for grilling, though. Then, gather a few easy ingredients of salt, pepper, garlic salt, and butter.

Take some aluminum foil and make up a simple tray by doubling the foil, then turning up the edges for a make-shift tray. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the tray. Put the salmon skin-side DOWN on the tray. Then season up the top side of the salmon (only) with a few sprinkles of salt, pepper and garlic salt.

Add some small pieces of butter across the top of the salmon. This is going to melt into the salmon during the cooking process and make that salmon even more moist and amazing!

Now for the corn.

While at the farmer’s market, we picked up some amazing two-toned sweet corn and it’s delicious grilled up with your salmon dinner. Here’s how to cook it in the husks and all. (We discovered this while at the beach house a few years back and we didn’t have much foil…the answer? Cook it in the husks! It turned out SO good that this is the only way we cook it now.)

Here’s what you do: Peel back the husks, tear the silk off (as much as possible), butter up that ear of corn! Then, wrap the husks back around the corn and tie the end with a bit of bakers twine or string to keep it closed. Don’t salt the corn before you cook it…you will add it later.

Put the corn on the top tier and the salmon, tray and all, on the bottom tier.
Note: Preheat the grill to 400 degrees. Since the corn takes a bit longer to cook than the salmon, put the corn on while the grill preheats. Then add the salmon.

Close the grill and set your timer for about 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon and the heat of the grill. When it cooked about 3/4 of the way through, it is ready to flip over!

Now, here’s the exciting part. You will take the salmon OFF the tray at this point and flip it directly onto the grill. When you take the salmon off the tray, the skin should peel off easily!

Now, cook it directly on the grill for just 2-3 minutes, so you get a nice grill mark. Then flip it to the other side for just about 1 minute so it gets nicely grilled. It doesn’t take long. Don’t forget to turn your corn!

Just about ready to eat!

To serve the corn easily, cut the end off the corn and the husks should peel off completely. (use a cutting board, we really could have used one here!)

Oh, that corn was good! And the salmon, AMAZING!

The nice thing about this salmon is: if you have leftovers, it makes an amazing topper for a big salad.
Enjoy!

Sometimes simple really is delicious. Thanks for reading!

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Announcing: #BackToSchoolWeek for Busy Moms (starts on Sunday!)

By KariV on August 15, 2013 in Uncategorized

I’m excited to announce the Back To School Week coming up, where I am joining forces with 20 other amazing bloggers to bring to you some great school craft ideas, snack ideas, and easy crock pot meals (because I know you are busy)!

It starts on Sunday…and I’ll keep you up to date on all the news. So be ready because Sunday kicks off with a Twitter party (more on that soon) and a GIVEAWAY with lots of awesome prizes!

Next week is going to be full of “Back to School” and prizes; I can’t wait! So come back Sunday to see all the details on how you can WIN and get some great new school ideas.

See you then!

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Carlsbad Farmer’s Market – A Feast for your Eyes

By KariV on August 14, 2013 in Favorite Things

Do you like fresh fruits and vegetables?! Well today I have quite a treat for you. I am taking you with me on a virtual tour of the Carlsbad Farmer’s Market in California! Ready, here we go.

I’ve been visiting San Diego since I was a kid, but I only found out about the AMAZING Farmer’s Markets they have over there just this past year. I can’t believe I’ve been missing all this goodness! Our last trip was just a few weeks ago and I really wanted to visit the San Diego farmer’s market, but we couldn’t make it on Saturday. Then I found out there are farmer’s markets all over Southern California on just about any day of the week (check out the list here). So on a beautiful Wednesday, we headed over to Carlsbad and found this little gem of an outdoor market.

Just take a look at these beautiful cherry tomatoes! There are quite a few pictures, so just take a deep breath and enjoy the amazing color and variety available here:

Radishes, Turnips and Zucchini.

I loved the variety: lots of beautiful flowers, organic eggs, mushrooms (types I’ve never seen before!), pastas, and candied almonds.

Isn’t it fun to look at piles o’ veggies? I love the produce department at the grocery store, but these organic, locally grown vegetables are just so beautiful!

There were herbs like dill, parsley, cilantro, thyme and basil. And you could even take home your very own strawberry plant!

Plums, nectarines, and peaches galore!

We found some goodies that we just couldn’t leave without. Flowers, kettle corn, strawberries, peaches, fudge, and Cheesecake in a cup (it was divine!) I know, I know, it’s all the sweet stuff…but we are on vacation here! Plus, we had already purchased our carrots, beets, celery, apples, kale and other delicious veggies to juice at the local organic market.

I hope you enjoyed this short tour of the Carlsbad Farmer’s Market. I’ve been to a lot of farmer’s markets and this just might be my favorite one to date!

Oh, and before you go…did I mention they had seafood too? Come back this week to see my absolute favorite (and simple) way to grill up market salmon. We like this preparation because it tastes as good (or better) than any salmon we’ve ever ordered at a restaurant! See you then. 🙂

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Dose of Sunshine Monday — 6 Steps to Mending a Broken Heart

By KariV on August 12, 2013 in Inspiration

A few weeks ago I had a friend tell me that her heart was broken. I’ve been wanting to write a bit about broken hearts for quite a while now. Do you remember that song with the words: “how can you mend a broken heart?” I don’t believe they even tell us how to mend a heart in that song! So today, I’m sharing 6 Steps to Mend a Broken Heart.

{First let me tell you that I’m not a therapist or a doctor, but I do know a thing or two (or twelve) about broken hearts and I’ve found all these tips helpful.}

1) Be kind to yourself! If you are broken, take it easy. No guilt, no judgements, just LOVE yourself by treating yourself to any (or all) of the following: bubble bath, pedicure, read a happy book, meditate, deep breathing. Repeat as necessary.

2) Talk it out. Gather a friend or two who will let you share your feelings. It helps to just get these feelings out and friends can be invaluable in helping you to get over it, see it in a new light, or just give hugs. (sisters, moms, and spouses work, too!)

3) Journal. Writing things down can also be very healing. Even if you write it down and then rip it up, throw it out, stomp on it, destroy it. Sometimes a broken heart comes with some angry or sad feelings, too…and journaling is SO good for releasing those. If you keep those feelings bottled up inside, it will just get worse.

4) Pray. Kneel down and really pour out your heart. You might be amazed at how this can change things for you. I keep a sign on my nightstand that says: “Prayer Changes Things.” And it does. It may not change the situation, but I’ve seen it change feelings, attitudes, outcomes, and more. I do believe that you can ask for your own miracle; miracles happen every day. Why not for you?

5) Chocolate. Nothing is better than friends, except friends who have chocolate. I’m going to share a secret: I ALWAYS have a chocolate stash at the ready for times I need it. This stash may not be good for my waist-line, but it sure is soothing for a broken heart! If chocolate is not readily available, sometimes maple donuts are the next best thing. 🙂

6) Exercise. It’s well known that exercise raises seratonin, which makes you feel happy. Find a form of exercise that you like and spend some time at it. Running, walking, weight lifting, yoga, cycling, sports. (AND This will help with #5 above!)

I hope this helps you or someone you love in a small way. Have you ever had a broken heart? What did you do that helped your heart? Sending hugs to all my virtual friends and family!

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Botanical Garden at Balboa Park

By KariV on August 7, 2013 in Favorite Things, Freebies

I have a great little vacation tip for you the next time you are in San Diego. And it’s *free! I love a family-friendly-and-free place to visit while on vacation. It’s the Botanical Gardens at Balboa Park.

This amazing garden has so many varieties of plants and flowers…some I’ve never even seen before. Take a look at how amazing this atrium is, too…all made of wood. It’s actually one of the largest lath structures in the world!

It was built in 1915 and it’s an amazing historical must-see building. There are enormous trees and plants growing, like giant ferns and this elephant leaf plant (I may have named that plant just now):

G was enthralled with it. And he also loved the polka dotted plants. He asked me to take a picture especially of him sitting next to them in his “I made this plant” pose. Hey, I don’t make this stuff up…that was his instruction to me! (Love this kid!)

I do almost* believe he made that plant…with that pose there. 😉
Take a look at some of the other beautiful plants to see at the Botanical Garden.

This place just might be a little magical. It’s a perfect garden for kissing (at least G thought so).

There’s a spot near the back of the garden that is growing an “Allspice” Tree and the bark smells so good…just like Allspice!

The boys especially enjoyed the “smelling garden” that had a number of plants and herbs that you could touch and smell. There was mint and basil, lemongrass and one that smelled like cinnamon. Even a plant that my husband thought smelled like dish soap!

There’s the boys smelling and touching the “smelling garden” plants! So entertaining. We probably could have stayed there for quite some time if a *little someone* didn’t need to use the bathroom! Ah, the life of traveling with kids, right? 🙂