Recipe: Salmon Cakes 2020

Salmon Cakes...also known as salmon patties are not a new recipe to the world. They are a basic staple in many 'country' family recipe collections and I am pretty sure every family has their own version based on which part of the world/country you come from. My recipe is pretty much the same as most others you can find; but I do a couple of things differently, ...maybe? 😊

Note: This is a big portion recipe, specifically to make either large portion sizes OR extra portions to have as left overs (or serve a larger number of people). This recipe will make 12 large salmon cakes, or up to 20 small cakes.

Also. I only buy the boneless, skinless cans of salmon these days. BE GONE to the days of having to pick out the bones and skin! For this recipe I used Chicken of the Sea Pink Salmon. If you can't find it, or if its out of your budget...just use the regular salmon in a can...and...debone/deskin it.


Salmon Cakes 2020

Ingredients.

3 5oz cans of salmon-boneless, skinless.

1/2 onion, diced very small.

1 stalk of celery, chopped with leaves

2 'sleeves' of Ritz crackers (2 cups), smashed up to bits.

2 eggs, scrambled (not cooked)

1-2 tbsp of real mayo

2 tsp "soul food" seasoning

2 tsp black pepper

fresh lemon juice (about 1tsp, or the juice from 1/2 lemon)

dash of salt, to taste


(you can add a dash of hot sauce or two, or seven as well...for a bit of kick)


Instructions.

Combine it all, thoroughly. Note; the smaller you dice your veggies, the more 'tender' your cakes will be, and the greater chance of your cakes staying together.





Form into balls.

If the balls are too "wet" add a tsp of flour, if they are too dry you can add more mayo. They should form a ball, and stay in that shape.





Heat oil in a skillet or frying pan. Smash balls into patties right before adding them to the pan. Fry both sides about 3 minutes, until dark brown and crispy on the edges.





Drain on a wire rack, or on paper towels for a short time, then remove to a plate so they do not get soggy! Let cool briefly, serve warm.


Questions? Comments? Leave them in the comment section below. Thanks!

Wewalka Party!!!

Wewalka Party!

Our most recent party included pastry and pizza dough from Wewalka!  

Wewalka was created by a European baker named Johann Wewalka, back in 1994. Now, the company provides fresh dough for more than 30 countries in Europe and Asia -- and is now here in America! A focus on high quality ingredients is evident in the products' before and after baking. 

The best ingredients have NO artificial flavors or colors, no high frutose corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils and no bleached flour. Suitable for vegetarians, and packaging that aids in freshness (one way valvue that vents CO2!). 

Links to ALL the recipes we tried are at the bottom of this post! 

Wewalka offers ready-to-use pastry, flatbread, pizza, and pie crusts. Available in various locations (click here to find a local store here you), I found it in the refrigerated section at Wal-Mart!

 

The products we tried were the Bistro Pizza, Classic Pizza and Puff Pastry doughs. The pizza doughs' were both fantastic, easy to use and baked up perfectly! Our recipes with the Puff Pasty dough also turned out fantastic, even though it was the first time using Puff Pastry for many of us. 

 

Above you can see the Classic Pizza crust, (left) it is the perfect rectangle shape for a regular sized cookie sheet pan. On the right is a finished pizza, YUMMY! The crust is about a medium thickness, and could be stretched out to a thinner crust, or doubled over for an double thickness. 

The crust above is the Bistro Pizza (Round and Thin Crust). This was my favorite of the two pizza crusts, it baked up great and had crisp edges and just enough crust to hold all my toppings. 

My Recipes! Click the pictures below to view the recipe and see more pictures of Wewalka products in use!

@Wewalka on Twitter

#wewalkaparty

#tryazon

Recipe: Quinoa Fritters with Garlic Lemon Aoili

Quinoa Fritters with Garlic Lemon Aoili 

This recipe is an adaptation of a zucchini fritter I made last year, but never posted a recipe. It's fairly basic and easily customizable. Adding dry ingredients will mean you can use less flour, and wet ingredients will need more flour for the  mixture to hold together while being cooked. 

Quinoa is a great product to use for people with sensitive tummies, it's gluten free and as grains go - gentle on the digestive system. The Quinoa I am using for this recipe is a boil-in-bag from Success, which is one of the products given in the #momlife VoxBox from Influenster. 

Success Boil-in-Bag Quinoa!

If you have never cooked Quinoa before, the boil-in-bag option from Success is a great way to cook it without worry of over/under cooking, and less mess! The raw/dry form of Quinoa are very small, and light (airy) - so the potential for  mess is eliminated when they are sealed up in bags!

Coooked, in bags. 

Cooked quinoa.

   

After the bags boil in water for just 10 minutes remove and let drain for about 5 minutes. For my recipe you can leave them to drain and cool longer, if you'd like; and even refrigerate for later (or use leftovers!). 

  

Recipe

Fritters

2c       cooked quinoa
2/3c    shredded cheese (I used pepper jack)
2-3tbs  flour
1         green onion (sliced thin)
1         egg (beaten)
1tsp    black pepper
1tsp    garlic salt
1tsp    salt
1/4c    oil (any kind, for frying)


Aoili

1/2c   prepared mayo
2-3     cloves garlic (roasted or fried, and chopped finely)
1        juice and zest of one lemon
1tsp    hot sauce (optional)

*Note: In the photos I have doubled the recipe for the fritters.

Directions

Simply mix all fritter ingredients in medium bowl thoroughly. 

Pro Tip 1: The amount of flour used depends on the moisture level of the mix, I used an ice cream scoop (because the quinoa sticks to hands), and pressed the mix into the scoop fairly firmly. If the mix comes out easily and stays in the scoop shape - it's ready to cook. If it falls apart - add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it keeps it shape. 

Add half of the oil to frying pan, and heat to medium-high (should only take a minute or two to get the oil hot). As you cook, you may need to add more oil to the pan because the fritters do absorb the oil a bit. 

Cook until light brown (or a bit darker brown if you prefer), about 2-4 minutes on each side. 

Pro Tip 2: Cooking time depends on fritter size, the number of fritters in the pan and temperature you cook them at. Since all ingredients are cooked except for the egg, you are simply frying them until the egg is cooked and forms the patty. 

Once they are brown enough, remove from pan and allow to drain on a rack. I do not recommend using paper towels, as the fritters hold a bit of moisture inside and the bottom would get soggy. 

Serve these warm, with the garlic lemon aoili (recipe below)!

 Lemon Garlic Aoili Recipe is at the top, the directions are simple - mix it all up! 

Pro Tip 3: Roasting or frying garlic simply brings out a nice mellow flavor. I fried mine in the pan with the fritters (see below) until golden brown - DO NOT OVER-COOK! Burned garlic is very bitter and does not taste good! 

Frying garlic

  

Raw garlic at the top, fried at the bottom

Once the garlic is cooled a bit, slice it up and smoosh it with the flat part of a knife, then chop it into tiny bits before adding to the mixture. 

Mix it all up!

Serve the aoili with your fritters for a nice refreshing sauce, as the fritters can be "heavy". 

 #EasySuccessQuinoa  #gotitfree  #contest

I recieved Success Quinoa free to try from Influenster for testing purposes. 

Recipe - Easy Peasy Peach Cobbler

Easy Peasy Peach Cobbler

I saw a similar recipe online (no clue where) and vaguely went by that recipe. But, I made some changes. This recipe is made using peaches that were fresh, that I peeled, cut in half and froze. You can use canned peaches, if you prefer. 

My version: 

Peach Mixture

Peaches, frozen or fresh cut into chunks, 5 cups or more. 

1/2 c of sugar (add more if you prefer it sweeter). 

1 TBS corn starch. 

Splash of lemon juice (fresh or bottled). 

Combine all ingredients in medium sauce pan. Allow to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens up. Set aside. 

(((if using canned peaches, use 3 large cans and skip the above steps and ingredients)))

Cobbler Recipe

Peach Mixture above OR 3 cans of peaches in syrup (drain syrup from ONE can). 

1 box of yellow cake mix

1/2 cup of real butter, softened

Pour peaches into cake pan. Cut butter into small pieces and mix with dry cake mix. 

Pour butter and cake mixture over peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check often!

 Topping will be brown, and peaches will bubble around the edges. 

 

 Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. I served it warm with vanilla ice cream. Very yummy. 

Product Review: Creator Studio Silicone Baking Mat

Product Review: Creator Studio Non-Stick Silicone Baking Sheet and bonus silicone brush

Amazon Link : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XVG3H1F 

Mat Size: 16.5’’ x 11’’

Silicone mats have been around for a while, they really are one of the best inventions for the kitchen. They replace the need for parchment paper, and are designed to help the baker (amateur or pro) make the perfect cookies, cakes, pastries and other baked items. But it helps with more than just cookies! You can also use it for pizza dough, rolls, baked veggies (potatoes with a touch of olive oil and herbs, yummy!), candies, and almost anything you would bake on a cookie sheet. They are also reusable, and can last a lifetime!

This mat has a printed design that helps even more than a basic non-printed mat. Macaroons for example, need to be spaced perfectly in order for them too cook evenly and so they don't touch each other. 

In order to test this, we had to make cookies. *grins* So, chocolate chip cookies it is! See below for the awesome results. 

Line them up for perfect cookies.

Ok, we may have needed more flour, haha! But those are perfect to me, they don't stick to the mat and are perfectly brown. NOMNOMNOM! 

Why not get yourself one? Or two! I think I need more of them, as well!

Check out Creator Studio's Silicone Baking Mat on Amazon, HERE. 

Sunbeam Mini Donut Maker! Review & Recipe!

Sunbeam Mini Donut Maker

Model: Sunbeam FPSBDML920 

The recipe is simple, and incredibly easy. Using any cake mix, any flavor - prepare batter as the instructions state - MINUS half of the water. Which means, if it calls for a cup of water, 3 eggs and 1/3c oil, you add 1/2c water, 3 eggs and 1/3c oil. Each brand is a little different, but as long as you cut the water in half, it will be fine.  

Once you have mixed the batter (either with a spoon/fork or electric mixer), it's ready to cook! Preheat the donut maker, until the green light comes on. This took about 5 minutes. I used a large spoon (large soup spoon), and just spooned the batter into the spaces. I have tried to use a ziplock bag (a-la-frosting piping bag) to pipe the batter in...however~ if the bag touches the hot areas, the bag melts and a big mess is everywhere. Also, it is hard to stop and start the batter coming out of the ziplock bag. 

Allow the batter to cook until the green light comes back on, or about 6-8 minutes. 

Yay! Done! Remove them using a wooden ladle or any sort of spatula that won't melt. Let cool for about 30 minutes. 

Frost & Decorate. You can either dip the donuts into slightly melted frosting (messy), or just spoon it on like a cupcake (less messy). Both ways work just fine. 

Ohhhhh festive and pretty! 

I was not solicited to make this review, and have not been paid to do so. The item in this post was purchased by me with my own money, all thoughts expressed are my own. 

Christmas Sweetheart Pops (link)

Find the How-to HERE!

Kroger Skillet Meals - Review!

Kroger Skillet Meals Review

  

Kroger Tuscan Style Penne Skillet Meal, 

Kroger Leafy Romain Salad Mix,

and Kroger frozen Garlic Bread 

This review is mostly for the Skillet Meal, since the salad and bread are pretty self explanatory.  

 

Following the instructions couldn't be easier...put it in a pan, and cook it! I made 3 bags, as the serving size is 2 servings per bag...and there are 5 of us. 

 

Nifty little frozen cubes of sauce! 

Wow, it cooks down a lot, this pot was FULL to the top when it was frozen! Ohh! MAGIC! 

Finished Tuscan Style Penne, with salad and garlic bread. I added some cheese to the bread before baking, made it nice and cheesy. 

Yummy! 

I received one or more of the items in this post free from Bzzagent.com