Salmon Patties

Here in the Conley household, we love us some salmon!  Jake and I have always eaten a lot of salmon, and when we introduced it to Luke a few months ago, he loved it too.  I try to fix salmon at least once a week so we can all get our omega-3 fix. :)

Of course living in land-locked Tennesee makes serving good quality, yet affordable salmon a bit of a challenge.  We LOVE the fresh salmon at Publix (they have some in a bourbon marinade that is do die for!), but it's a little too pricey for us to buy every week.  I've found some frozen salmon at Sam's Club that isn't half bad, so we eat that quite a bit. But I'm always on the lookout for new and creative ways to work salmon into our weeknight dinners.

Several months ago, I came across this recipe on Pinterest for Goat Cheese and Spinach Salmon Burgers.  Goat cheese, spinach, and salmon happen to be three of my favorite foods, so I was intrigued. When I looked at the recipe, I was surprised to see that it called for canned salmon.  I don't know why, but I've always avoided canned salmon.  Something about the bones and the skin and the smell have always grossed me out.  However, I must admit that it is very affordable.  And these burgers looked super yummy, so I decided to give them a try.

I am so glad I did!  Jake and I were both amazed by how good they were.  I think we were both expecting something kind of mediocre-edible but not outstanding.  I mean, it was canned salmon after all.  But we were blown away!  These burgers were moist, flavorful, and absolutely delicious.  They have now become one of our favorite ways to eat salmon. 

I've tweaked the recipe a bit and made it a little easier (and less gross!) by using pouches of salmon instead of cans.  No bones, skin, or draining required and still very affordable. The first time we ate these, we ate them without buns because I didn't have any. 

Since then we have tried them both ways, but we actually prefer them bunless (is that a word??).  So we call them salmon patties instead of burgers.  It just doesn't seem right to call something a burger if you don't eat it with a bun, ya know? 

Here's the recipe with my adaptations:

You'll need fresh spinach, pouches of salmon (or cans), goat cheese (feta also works), bread crumbs, eggs, garlic powder, and onion powder.  And salt and olive oil.  Forgot to put those in the photo.  Oops!

Start by chopping your spinach.  I like to just throw it in a large bowl and use these awesome Pampered Chef Salad Choppers.  I use them all the time!  They're great for chopping chicken, veggies, pasta, and obviously salad.  Definitely recommend them!

If you don't have salad choppers, you can also just use a knife and cutting board.

Next add the salmon (drained with bones and skin removed if using canned), eggs, bread crumbs, lemon juice, and seasonings.

Now the original recipe calls for a chopped onion.  I am not a big fan of crunchy pieces of onion in things, so the first time I made this, I sauteed the onions on olive oil and that worked well.  The second time I was in a hurry and didn't have time to chop an onion, so I used onion powder.  Definitely a lot easier, and I think it still tasted great.  If you have the time and desire to chop an onion (something I always hate doing!), feel free.  Otherwise, I recommend the powder.

 
Stir all of these ingredients together well.  Feel free to use your hands.  You'll be getting them messy later anyway. :) 

Then add your goat or feta cheese and stir until just combined.

Now shape the mixture into patties.  This makes four large patties, but I like to separate out the last into two little ones for Luke. These freeze really well, so I usually freeze one of the extra big and little patties for us to have for lunch on another day.

Chill these in the fridge for 30 minutes.  I confess, I don't always have time to do this, but they do stick together better when you do.

When you're ready to cook them, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook the patties about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

And there you have it!  An easy, healthy, and delicious week night meal.  We like to eat them with a salad and bread or sometimes roasted sweet potatoes.

Luke loves them and so do we!

Salmon Patties with Goat Cheese & Spinach

Adapted from Hummusapien

2 small pouches of salmon (or a 14.5 oz can)
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 egg + 1 egg white
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 cup chopped & sauteed onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz crumbled goat or feta cheese
Olive oil

Combine chopped spinach, salmon, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Gently stir in cheese.

Shape into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat about 1 Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook patties about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

~Rachel

Luke's First Birthday!!

So I have definitely slacked with my blog lately.  The last few months have been a bit of a whirlwind! Between traveling for the holidays, some yucky sickness (both Luke and me), Luke becoming very mobile, and the daily demands of work and life, I have had very little time or energy to blog. But I really want to get back into it! And what better way to start than with a recap of Luke's first birthday?!

Hard to believe he was ever this small!

It still feels surreal to say that Luke is one year old! Everyone says that once you have children, time starts to pass faster than you ever dreamed possible, and I finally understand that. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that I was bringing my sweet little bundle home from the hospital.

But at the same time, it's kind of hard to remember what life was like before him. :)

As the months started closing in on Luke's first birthday, I found myself going back and forth about what kind of party to have for him. Do I invite friends or just stick with family? Do I have it at home or some other venue? Do I keep it simple or go all out?

In the end, I opted for something that was somewhere in the middle. We kept it just family (which ended up being a pretty good crowd of 16 people!) and had the party at our house. I chose sock monkeys as a theme. I love the red/brown color scheme, and since one of our baby showers was sock monkey themed, I already had quite a few things I could use to decorate. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and then conspired with my extremely creative sister-in-law Sarah to recreate some of the things I found.

Sarah did an amazing job!! She not only replicated some of the ideas I found, but made them even cuter than the originals!  I seriously think she might be the most creative person I know.

 She even surprised me with this adorable chalkboard with all kinds of fun facts about Luke.

Isn't she awesome?!!

I ordered invitations from Etsy and had them printed at Staples. Very inexpensive and cute!

The party was starting at 11:30, so I decided to do an appetizer/finger food lunch. We had veggie bars, spinach artichoke dip, meatballs, fruit, and a cheese tray. Good, simple, and all things that I could make ahead!

I had originally planned to make either a cake or cupcakes, but then my sensible (and wise) mama talked me into letting her buy a cake at a local bakery. I am SO glad she did! Not only was it much less work, but it turned out great! I took them a picture of something I found on Pinterest and just like Sarah, they made it even better! And it was delicious!

They even threw in a little smash cake for Luke free of charge (more on that later!)

Sarah and her husband Lance arrived the night before the party and worked tirelessly to help us decorate, set up tables and chairs, fix food, and entertain Luke. We could not have done it without them! Everything came together perfectly and just in time.

 

I wasn't sure how Luke would handle so many people and all of the excitement and attention, but he did GREAT! His only meltdown occurred when we tried to get him to wear his birthday hat.

He was clearly not a fan.

After some socializing and picutres, we ate lunch and Luke opened some of his presents. Of course he was more interested in the bags and bows than the actual gifts, but he did pretty well.

 

Then it was time for cake!

Up until this point, Luke had never really had any kind of dessert (unless you count fruit or graham crackers as dessert, which I definitely do not), so we were all very curious to see what his reaction would be. At first, he wasn't quite sure what to make of something so big on his high chair tray or of the strange texture of the frosting. But once he got managed to get a little on his fingers and into his mouth, his eyes were opened to the wonderful world of refined sugar! Before we knew it he was shoveling it into his mouth!

We were so thankful to have so many of our loved ones come to celebrate Luke's first birthday! We had family from Arkansas, Texas, and all over middle Tennessee make the trip to be with us, and it meant to such!

 

He is such a loved little boy and we are very blessed to have him in our lives. Happy Birthday, Luke Ellis!

Secret Ingredient Fudge

One of my family's holiday traditions is fudge.  And this is not just any fudge.  It is creamy and delicious, and it has a secret ingredient!  When I was in school, my mom and I would make batches and batches for all of mine and my brother's teachers and all of our friends and family.  Then after Jake and I got married, I started making it for all of our friends and co-workers. 

Everyone loves it!  It's very rich and creamy, but it's not overly sugary like some kinds of fudge.  And it's always fun to make people try to guess the secret ingredient when they tasted it for the first time. :)

I've gotten all kinds of guesses...coconut...butterscotch...Nutella...cream cheese...Only one person has ever been able to guess it!  She was a co-worker of mine back who was several months pregnant and claimed that her pregnancy hormones had given her superhuman taste and smell.  Ha! :)

So...Any guesses???

Now let me warn you, it's going to sound really weird!  It's something you would probably never consider putting in fudge and actually sounds like it would be disgusting combined with chocolate.  But I promise you, it is anything but disgusting!

Are you ready???

Here it is:

That's right...Velveeta cheese!!  I know it sounds crazy, but trust me, it is amazing!

The second best thing about this fudge (other than it's delicious taste) is that it is super easy!  It does not require a candy thermometer, testing for "soft-ball stage" or anything like that.  The process is very simple, and you only need five ingredients:

Velveeta, Butter, Powdered Sugar, Cocoa, and Vanilla (preferably Mexican)

 

First, cube your butter and Velveeta and put it in a double boiler.

Yes, this is A LOT of butter and cheese.  I would not recommend making this recipe too frequently.  But once a year, it is definitely worth the calories! :)

Slowly melt the butter and cheese in the double boiler, stirring frequently.  If you don't have a double boiler, I imagine you could do this in the microwave.  Just make sure not to overheat it or the cheese may burn.

The cheese and butter will never fully incorporate.  It will look grainy and honestly a little gross.  But trust me, it will work.

While your cheese and butter are melting, sift together your cocoa and powdered sugar. 

Now the original recipe calls for 4 pounds of powdered sugar, but years ago, we decided it was better not to use the full amount.  The taste and texture are both better if you leave a little of the powdered sugar in the bag.  I forgot to take a picture of the bag after I was finished, but there was probably about an inch left in the bottom.

Make sure to use a pretty big bowl.  And make sure your bowl is heat-proof.

Once your butter and cheese are melted, pour it into the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture.

Add your vanilla and mix until everything is well combined.  It should look something like this:

Pour into two 9 x 13 pans (told you it made a lot!), and pat it out with your fingers until smooth.

We usually let it set up on the counter for a couple of hours before cutting it.  And we always cut pretty small pieces because it is VERY rich.  But also VERY delicious!  And it also freezes well if you want to make it ahead or have any leftovers.

This makes a great gift or dessert for a holiday party.  But if you make it, you must make people guess the secret ingredient before telling them!

Enjoy!

Secret Ingredient Fudge

1 pound Velveeta Cheese
1 pound (4 sticks) butter
4 pounds (or a little less) powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 Tbs vanilla (preferably Mexican)

Cube Velveeta and butter and combine in a double boiler.  Melt over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. 

Meanwhile, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa in a large bowl.

Once Velveeta and butter are melted, pour into powdered sugar/cocoa mixture.  Add vanilla, and stir until well combined.

Pour into two 9 x 13 inch pans and smooth with fingers.  Let set up a couple of hours before cutting.

~Rachel

Luke is 8 Months Old!

This month has been a big one for sweet Luke Ellis!  It seemed like every day he was changing in some little way or discovering something new.  It's amazing to watch something just click in a baby's little mind and know that they will never be the same again.  Luke had several of those moments this month!

Let's start with eating...

At the beginning of the month, we were gradually introducing foods with more texture.
Luke loved scrambled eggs and did really well with chunks of soft foods.  But he still showed no interest in feeding himself. 


Then one day during dinner, I guess he got tired of waiting for another bite and decided to take matters into his own hands.  Or rather his own mouth...

This is not a great photo, but it shows Luke's first attempt at feeding himself via faceplant.  Needless to say, it didn't really work, but it was pretty hilarious! :)

Not long after that, Luke started reaching for his sippy cup and quickly became very skilled with it.  He loves to drink both water and breastmilk and can drink very quickly.  His little hands have a surprisingly strong grip too!  Sometimes we have to pry the cup out of them to coax him into eating his actual food.

Over the last couple of weeks, Luke has finally started feeding himself!  We've done pieces of toast with various toppings, steamed broccoli, carrots, and chicken.  Tonight he even chowed down on a pear! It's amazing to see how he improves day to day!

Luke also experienced his first Halloween this month!  We didn't take him out trick-or-treating (I didn't think he was quite ready for candy this year!), but we did dress up as a family for our church's annual Trunk-or-Treat.  Luke was a lion, I was a leopard, and Jake was a safari guide.  Luke was not a huge fan of his lion's mane, but he put up with it long enough to get some pictures.  And he loved walking around looking at all of the decorated trunks.

Luke is now sitting up on his own and rolling from his back to his belly.  He's not crawling yet, but he definitely wants to be on the move.  Sometimes, though, I think he's going to skip crawling and go straight to walking!  His little legs are super strong!  He can stand up for several minutes at a time just holding on to the couch. 





This month, Luke also got to spend a lot of time with extended family.  We spent one Saturday visiting with my grandparents who live in town.  Luke had a great time!

My grandparents on the other side of the family who live in Ohio also visited.  Luke loved playing on the floor with them and listening to Nana sing.

We also met Jake's brother and his wife for brunch one weekend.  Luke had fun hanging out with his Uncle Jordy and Aunt Jilly!

One of the sweetest things Luke has started doing is reaching out for me.  Nothing warms my heart more than seeing that adorable little smile feeling those chubby little arms wrap around my neck.  It is one of the best feelings in the world!

Month eight has obviously been a busy one for Luke!  He is such a sweet little guy, and he is getting more and more fun every day.  It will be fun to see what the next month brings. :)

~Rachel