Fancy dinner night!!
Remember that TJs toasted sesame dressing I mentioned before? Here’s the meal I made the first time I tried it.
I worked 1/3-1/2 the bottle into a ginormous head of cabbage during nap time so that it would soften and wilt down to a nice texture by dinner. I have been getting cabbage and bok choy every week in the CSA and I got a week behind with the cabbage, but playing catch up is easy when your whole family loooooves cabbage!
I splurged and bought us some nice chunks of salmon for dinner because why the hell not?!?! We go out to dinner all of never so whenever I start to feel guilty about the cost of the $$$ fish, I remind myself that that untapped restaurant budget can just be reallocated to the grocery budget in the moment.
I used some of the sesame dressing on the fish too. It’s going to be a new staple because it’s sooo delish. It reminds me of this sesame kewpie dressing. TJs probably copied it since that’s what they do. Good thing I have YOU dear readers looking out for me because I hardly go to TJs anymore and I may have missed this had it not been brought to my attention (thanks Junghwa!). They actually have three new dressings in total, including rosé vinaigrette and fig balsamic, but I stuck to the sesame and fig (for the time being). Sadly, the fig balsamic was not my favorite and (this may seem like a weird review but…) it’s too figgy for my liking. I tried it one day on my vegan Winter salad and I preferred the normal version I make (without the fig notes). Just sayin’. If you’ve tried the rosé dressing let me know if it’s worth it. They’re pretty cheap though, so the risk/reward ratio is not too stressful. And they are organic – hooray!
This Bissinger’s bar grew on me. At first, I was kinda thrown off by the pink peruvian salt + banana flavor. In reading the name of the bar, I thought the inside would be salted caramel (which would have been awesome because sweet and salty combos are usually my JAM), but it was actually a chocolate filling and trust me when I say it was weird.
A few bites in though and my palate just got used to it because by the end of the bar I didn’t mind it so much.
I wouldn’t buy it again though.
Yum! The salmon in this post looks amazing! What kind is it and how did you bake it?
Also, where do you get your smoked salmon for open faced sandwiches?
I can’t remember but it was wild caught and they were thick belly cuts. SO GOOD. The smoked salmon I get is by Echo Falls: https://www.oceanbeauty.com/echo-falls/
Ahhh…! I literally have that sesame dreyin my fridge and was trying to convince myself to finish some of the other various condiments that seem to multiply first but now obviously i am busting that open ASAP! I LOVE that sesame kewpie dressing but can’t bring myself to pay how much it is here (little bottle was like $8?!? No costco for me)
I did buy and try that fig basalmic too and wasn’t a fan- I thought it was a bit too sweet…? Dunno. It’s around, thinking i’ll try adding some red wine vinegar and a heavy hand with black pepper to use the rest up.
P is so stinking cute!!! And how is he already six??? Such fun celebrations and great meals to boot!
That CSA spread is out. of. control.
Have you ever made the Marcella Hazan smothered canbage? The recipe is on Food52, I’m sure you could do it in the instapot somehow, and the rice soup version with the smothered cabbage is great with some white beans or chickpeas as a meal soup
Here’s a great option for when you have extra cabbage to use up. I usually double the cabbage in this recipe. And i shred my own cabbage with carrots and other goodies that might be leftover – instead of using the prepared cole slaw bags as suggested in the recipe. And I double the spices to make it extra peppier! Hope you enjoy! https://www.idonthavetimeforthat.com/instant-pot-egg-roll-bowls/
Great idea! I’ve seen similar recipes, but this is the perfect reminder 🙂
Pingback: Lunch break(down) – Hungry Hungry Hippie