Back From Hiatus

It’s been WAY too long! We have had several life changing events that have kept me from my little hobby blog. But alas I can sit comfortably and write…The first event was last fall my daughter Liv was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called, Henoch–Schönlein purpura nephritis. This disease has caused her to be hospitalized quite a bit over the last seven months. She also missed over 30 days of school. Having a sick child takes a huge toll on the family unit, but with a strong loving bond and a lot of answered prayers we have all managed to make it through. I truly believe we are all more grateful for each other today! I am also happy to report that my beautiful strong Liv is doing much better! She is followed closely by a nephrologist and still has to provide bimonthly labs, but she is stronger every day!

The bright sunshine that followed that dark cloud of illness was the purchase of our new home! Just a little over 30 days ago we moved to a beautiful new home! We couldn’t be more thrilled with our new place! We couldn’t bear to leave El Dorado Hills, so we only moved 4 miles down the road, but we nearly doubled our inside square footage and quadrupled our outdoor space. We have a great new entertaining space both indoors and out, and so much room to garden I feel like a giddy school girl! We are of course still getting settled, but the hard work is done and now we are moving on to decoratingJ As a family we all collectively agree that our expansive new deck is our favorite new space. We have rarely eaten a meal inside since the move. Our outdoor table transformed from the place where we ate dinner about four nights a week to the primary eating space in the house, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

One of our favorite recent spring dinners was grilled spiced lemon salmon skewers. It was a family hit, and the cold leftover salmon made a fantastic salad for the lunch the next day! Have a great al fresco dinner and let me know how you like the recipe!

Enjoy!

Grilled Spiced Lemon Salmon Skewers
(Adapted from Bon Appétit June 2013)

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon thyme

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 ½ pounds skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces

2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 1 hour

Preparation

Prepare grill for medium heat. Mix oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to combine; set spice mixture aside.

Beginning and ending with salmon, thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total. Thread salmon pieces onto two skewers so they don't flip and spin every time you turn them on the grill. Brush with oil and season with reserved spice mixture.  Grill, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout, 5–8 minutes.

Enjoy with a cold quinoa salad and a glass of sauvignon blanc!