Okay, we can all agree on the fact that it wasn’t exactly beach weather for the weekend thanks to Tropical Storm Debbie. I sat at the computer in my sunroom, looking out at the backyard and realizing it looks more like dusk than almost noon! But welcome to our world in Kelly’s Kitchen where we take advantage of the weather, and work on a few meals for the week to come. The best part of course, messing with the recipes!

   I got a decent deal on some salmon fillets and chicken breasts and decided to poach them both. Remember the wine from Trader Joe’s? That was the base for the salmon poaching liquid along with vegetable stock. I was looking through the cookbook collection and found one called Superfoods/14 Foods That Will Change Your Life. Hey, it’s what I’m working on anyway, and the recipe for the poached salmon with a cucumber sauce was easy and extremely tasty. It’s a simple mixture of 1 cup of white wine, ½ cup vegetable stock, the juice of one lemon, a small onion that is minced, 1 ½ tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper and your salmon filets. Now, the ones I had were a good size, and that recipe is for six fillets and I didn’t think it was enough so I double the recipe and it worked just fine. Merely combine all those ingredients, let it come to a boil, reduce it to a simmer for three minutes. Add your fillets and poach for about 15 minutes, or until you can easily flake the fish with a fork. It should register 140 on an instant read thermometer. For the sauce I just used what I had, which was the only yogurt I eat, and that’s Greek yogurt, about a cup, and added 1/4 sour cream, 1 tbsp of both dried parsley and dill, then mixed that a tbsp of dried onion, a 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper, then diced up a cucumber and mixed that all together. If you prefer a smooth sauce blend it in the food processor. I like a little chunkiness. It’s best to let all those lovely flavors get to know each other in the fridge for a few hours. So with the salmon, which I enjoyed cold and the sauce, that’s a good, healthy meal along with a green salad.

   This is recipe I’ve used for poaching chicken and love to double that up and do a big batch and have all those tasty pieces ready to use throughout the week for salads, sandwiches, whatever I feel like. No excuse for heading for the drive through when that’s waiting at home, right?!

   Oh, and I did make a batch of the brownies that use mayonnaise in the base. The recipe you can find from Hellmans is very good. The first batch I tried was not that recipe and to be honest was just awful! But this one produces a very fudgy brownie. I think warming one up and topping it with some frozen yogurt or ice cream would be a lovely treat. And yes, you must share.

   So when the weather outside is lousy and the beach day you had planned will have to wait, why not make the most of the day and enjoy something simple, delicious, and wow, even good for you (okay, the brownies might be a stretch there) and just smile. Life is still good even on the worst day when you make it yourself.

   And just to keep you all up to date, no, I have not had one soft drink since I told you I was completely quitting last week. Let me tell you, the weekends are the hardest. But my bones are thanking me. I’ll keep working on the rest so when the days are a little rough, they will at least be manageable. And fewer!

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN

Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress. - Bruce Barton