Citrus Alaska Cod with a Tahini Drizzle- No More Defrosting!

Pairs well with Bornem Triple
For the rest of the Pack:
BREUGEL- Roasted Chick Peas
AUGUSTIJN- Korean Bulgogi Tacos or Chicken Satay
PIRAAT- Pork Tenderloin with Apple Arugula Salad
BORNEM DOUBLE- Pasta Bolognese
GULDEN DRAAK- Knock You Naked Brownies

That nifty little cookbook sent to me by ASMI has lit a little fire under my tail for the desire to cook more seafood. I grew up eating seafood but now most of the "fresh" seafood I get is either frozen or previously frozen. In walks CIF- Cook It Frozen® into my life, stage left! As a blogger I get many requests to promote products from cookbooks to foods and I would have to say I turn down 98% of them for various reasons but when Ginny contacted me to try this CIF® method it came at a perfect time in my life. Himself and I are trying to make some healthy changes around these parts- we attend CrossFit, just finished a month long detox diet, and now Himself is participating in a Paleo Challenge at our gym. I am also participating in Biz's 101 Days of Summer Challenge. So being asked to try a super quick and easy technique to get more healthy seafood from freezer to table in under 20 minutes was a no brainer.


This recipe is very refreshing, encompassing so many interesting flavors; citrus and sesame seed paste or tahini which can be found in your Asian grocery store. This went from freezer to table in under 20 minutes and the fish was so tender and juicy. With a side of mixed baby greens drizzled with the tahini sauce as well and some sweet watermelon slices- minus the Nile River water* of course, this is a super healthy dinner.

Citrus Alaska Cod with a Tahini Drizzle
4 Cod fillets 4-6 ounces each
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
juice and zest of one orange
juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic minced, or 1 tsp. garlic paste
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup parsley chopped

In a small bowl mix orange juice and zest, set aside. In another small bowl mix together lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and parsley- the mixture will be thick. Remove cod from the freezer and rinse under cold water to remove any ice. Gently pat dry with a paper towel. Rub each fillet with a small bit of olive oil and in a large skillet over medium-high heat cook fillets for 4 minutes then flip. Pour orange juice mixture evenly over each fillet and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes more or until fish is opaque in the thickest part. Stir a few tablespoons of the pan drippings into the tahini sauce to thin then drizzle over the fish. Serves 4.

* I have a friend who naively purchased and ate watermelon from the local markets while living in Cairo. Until, that is, her coworkers alerted her to the fact that the vendors injected Nile River water into them so that they would weigh more at the scales. Ick.

ASMI sent me the Alaska Cod for this dish. For more CIF® recipes go to their website. Those of you who can get fresh fish- consider yourself blessed but guess what? All of these recipes still apply, simply reduce cook times by a few minutes.

Robin Sue

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Provençal Alaska Salmon Sauté and Hooray for Cook It Frozen®

Scream, scream, jump for joy the Cook It Frozen® technique has saved my life- or at least my dinners. I used to be the type who would pull frozen fish out of the freezer, set it out to thaw, and after many hours finally start dinner. Or entirely forget to pull out the fish to thaw and have to make grilled cheese instead. Not anymore. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has created an entire website on how to Cook It Frozen®. There you will learn recipes, techniques, and cook times for many types of Wild Alaska Seafood. Agreeing to try this technique, ASMI sent me a cooler filled with generous portions of salmon and cod as well as stacks of recipes and a fantastic recipe book called "Spice Pantry" developed by the Culinary Institute of America.

I chose this French dish first for the simple fact that I got to pull out my Herbes de Provence, a favorite spice blend of mine. This dish came together in about 15 minutes from freezer to plate. We enjoyed the flavor combinations in this dish as well as the freshness of the salmon. AND for once I did not over-cook the fish! Give the CIF® technique a try, it will change your mealTIME.


Provençal Alaska Salmon Sauté- adapted from ASMI
1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1/4 cup Nicoise olives
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1 T capers
Olive oil
4 6-8 ounce fillets Alaska King Salmon
Salt and Pepper to taste- I left the salt out, Himself is in a Paleo Challenge

Combine tomatoes, olives, Herbes de Provence, and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using the Cook It Frozen method, remove frozen fish from its wrapper and rinse under cold water. Lay on a plate or tray and gently pat dry with a paper towel. Rub both sides of each fillet with olive oil. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté, skin side up for 3-4 minutes. Flip and season with salt and pepper and sauté for 6-8 minutes more or until the thickest part of the fillet goes from translucent to opaque. Plate each fillet and top with tomato mixture. Serves 4.

Note- I served our Salmon over a bed of Sautéed Spinach.

If you are interested you may download the free CIF app for your phone and have recipes and ingredient lists at your fingertips.

Thank you ASMI, I learned something new and very valuable!

Come back by on Wednesday as I take you to Egypt with a delicious Alaska Cod recipe.

Robin Sue

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Food Treats for Father's Day

Get those kids in the kitchen and treat Dad to some yummy eats. Would he like breakfast in bed, snacky foods, or a nice dinner? How about something sweet? Here are a few well loved recipes from my kitchen that we think Himself would enjoy. Give some a try. I think most of the recipes are easy enough for children to help out with in the kitchen. Enjoy!


Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip



White Castle-like Sliders



Scotch Eggs


Cinnamon Roll Pancakes


Peanut Butter Bars


Banana Split Pie


Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin


Sweet Italian Chicken


Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls


Soft Pretzel Samoas


Spaghetti Pie


Fancy Brownies


Jalapeno Popper Dip


Peanut Butter Candy


Happy Father's Day!

Robin Sue

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Fast Food: Mini Frozen Grape Kebabs

It's that time of year to load the freezer up with Frozen Red Grapes. Our last day of school is this Friday and I am already in a panic as to how to feed three children 53 times per day, all healthy items, with a few cheats. Frozen Red Grapes do solve this dilemma. But when my friend showed me these Mini Frozen Grape Kebabs that were served to her and her family while sunning themselves by the pool in Miami, I thought to myself, "Wow, that is brilliant!" My children love food-on-a-stick and I love dainty, little treats myself. These are easy to make, all you need is grapes and toothpicks. Easy to eat as well since they are so much like icy popsicles or ice lollies.

Mini Frozen Grape Kebabs
red grapes
regular toothpicks

Wash grapes and thread three onto each toothpick. Make as many as you like. Freeze on a tray for at least 4 hours or overnight. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

CrossFit approved. Paleo approved.

Robin Sue

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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

The original and unique Cinnamon Roll Pancake recipe created by Robin Sue!

My little Deven loves pancakes and wants me to make them all the time, but I don't often enough. Late last night my friend had spotted this Cinnamon Bun Pancake Recipe from the blogisphere and posted it on her Facebook status suggesting for her daughter to make them. Wow, Cinnamon Bun Pancakes, that would be a winner in my house too. So I went to bed with pancakes dancing in my head. I dreamed up ways to make this pancake recipe look and taste more like a cinnamon roll. I wanted a Cinnamon Roll Pancake that had a Cinnamon Roll's telltale swirl, here is what I did...


I created a typical cinnamon roll filling and placed it in a pastry bag to be swirled over the pancakes as they cooked. I also added cream cheese to the icing and placed the icing in a pastry bag as well. It makes it very easy to fill the bags if you stand them up in tall tumblers.


After pouring 1/4 cup pancake batter in a hot skillet, I swirled the cinnamon filling mixture over top. Once the pancakes bubbled evenly, I flipped them over to cook about 30 seconds more. I plated the pancakes and squeezed icing over top. My children liked a bit of maple syrup over top too. These tasted just like pancakes and cinnamon rolls swirled into one. Although there were a few steps to this, I used only one bowl, and the end results were wonderful. With a side of sausage or bacon and some fruit, this dish is beautiful.


Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
For the Cinnamon Filling...
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, mix until smooth:
1 stick softened butter, almost melty
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon

Using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides, pour this mixture into a large pastry bag that had been opened and stood up in a tall tumbler. A large ziptop bag with the edges folded over the tumbler would work too.

For the Cream Cheese Icing...
In the same bowl that you used for the cinnamon filling, mix together, using the hand mixer again:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
4 T. milk

Mix until smooth and pour into a second pastry bag just like you did with the cinnamon mixture above.

For the Pancakes...
In the same bowl that you used for the filling and the icing- no need to be using or washing too many bowls now- mix together:
2 cups pancake mix- I used Bisquick's Heart Healthy
3 eggs
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 T. powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups milk

Using the hand mixer, blend until smooth. In a large non-stick skillet, over medium to medium-low heat, and using a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup, ladle 2 pancakes. Snip the tip off the pastry bag containing the cinnamon filling so that the opening is a scant 1/2 inch wide, swirl over cooking pancakes in a circular motion- 3 go-a-rounds should do. Continue to cook the pancakes until bubbles form evenly through each cake. Gently flip each pancake over and cook another 30-45 seconds, remove to a serving platter and serve immediately or keep warm covered in a warm oven. Continue with the rest of the batter. Place 2-3 pancakes side by side (too pretty to stack!) on each person's plate and drizzle each one with icing. Serve maple syrup, bacon or sausage, and fruit on the side. Makes 18 pancakes.

Note- Using a damp paper towel, wipe your skillet after each pancake is made. This will keep the next pancake from sticking to any of the cinnamon filling that has leaked onto your skillet or griddle.
After I swirled each pancake with the cinnamon filling, I returned the pastry bag, tip down in the tumbler. This kept it from leaking all over.
Store any leftover icing in the refrigerator for future use.

Now I've created BAKED Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!




Another Thing of Interest!
Quick Cinnamon Rolls


Have a great Weekend!

Hey this recipe would be perfect for Father's Day, June 20th...

Robin Sue

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Appetizers for a Girl's Night Out

There is something about filling my kitchen with beautifully dressed woman, sipping champagne, nibbling on delicious little noshes, and chatting up all things girly. Ah, I love Girl's Night Out and am saddened that I don't do them more often. I guess I would, but life seems to get in the way. It's a great life, so that's OK with me. Here are the nibbles...


Brie Bites- fill each mini fillo cup with a tiny cube of brie, a spoonful of blueberry fruit spread (I used a baby spoon), and top with a pecan half. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until cheese has softened and pecan is toasted. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Smoked Salmon Toasts- Spread a mixture of cream cheese, horseradish, and honey on little toast crackers (Trader Joe's). Top with a small piece of smoked salmon and decorate with capers and tiny bits of red onion. Sprinkle with dried dill.


Bruschetta on Baguette Toasts- not in photo, I purchased Trader Joe's Bruschetta mix (jarred) and dolloped it on toasted baguette slices.
Cambozola and Pita Crackers- both from Trader Joe's
Cucumber Canapes- Mix 1/2 packet Italian dressing mix, 8 ounces cream cheese, and heaping tablespoon mayonnaise until smooth. Spread over non-toasted baguette slices and top with a cucumber triangle.


Devils on Horseback- Wrap dried apricot halves with cooked bacon slices and secure with a toothpick. This is usually done with prunes but the texture of the apricots in this dish is fantastic. Made by my friend Maggie!


Syllabub- Place berries in a cordial glass and top with syllabub. To make syllabub stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup sweet white wine (I used Riesling), and the juice and zest of 1/2 lemon until the sugar has dissolved. Whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form then start slowly pouring wine mixture in cream while you continue whisking until cream is thick and holds a peak. I used my KA mixer to do this. This cream is fantastic, all the flavors come through wonderfully. Don't forget to serve nice chocolate bars, truffles, or Belgian Chocolates with this dessert. I found this recipe on thekitchn.com.

Beverages- champagne, sparkling water, sparkling apple juice. Girls love sparkle.

Robin Sue

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