Sweet Salmon

No matter how you look at it, the best way to get a man to open up about his feelings is through his stomach.  My grandfather, who passed away a few months back, would often sit and stare at the food my grandmother prepared for him, often gently shaking his head back and forth, sighing.  It was almost as if he was thinking, Not this old thing again.

Truth be told, my grandma is a great cook.  She uses some old family recipes with secret ingredients and measurements.  Her homemade spaghetti sauce is to die for.  Her hand rolled meatballs are perfect in every way.  But my poor grandpa always looked so depressed.  I would ask him during the meal, “How is your food, fgramps?”  And he would almost always answer, “It’ll do.”

The conversation was often background noise to the clatter of stianless steel utenils beating on ancient china.  Usually it was me holding two different conversations with my two grandparents.  Who knows.  Maybe my grandpa’s hearing aid batteries were dead all those years.

But something amazing happened when grandma made one of grandpa’s favorite dishes.  He smiled.  He complimented her on the cooking. In fact, conversation even existed at those meals.  It was through those visits to the Copple dinner table that I learned the importance of good food to equal good conversation.

If you are a caregiver for a man, or even a woman, try to open up the conversation by cooking their favorite dish.  It is important to remember that as we age, our senses of smell and taste decline.  Those tastebuds still work, but they require more potent flavors to accomplish the same goal.  Thus the reason why so many seniors enjoy sweets, chocolate, salt, and other things of the same variety.  So when you’re cooking, be sure to substitute ingredients for maximum flavor impact, and you’ll turn some stomachs into happy talkers!

Here are a few recipes to try in lieu of our holiday weekend:

Salmon is a great fish for those who enjoy a medium to taste to their catch.  Salmon, however, due to it’s meaty nature, is capable of soaking up flavors that other fish may not be able to hold.  One way to get around this is to bake your salmon in a can of Dr. Pepper.  The taste is sweet, yet pleasant, and it doesn’t overpower the taste of the pink flesh.  The key here is to not overcook, but to allow the trim to whiten and allow the juicy center to hold the sugars from the Dr. Pepper.

1. Place two salmon filets in a baking pan, spraying the bottom of each fish, with the skin still in-tact, so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
2. Pour a can of Dr. Pepper into the pan, making sure that the bottom portion of each filet is “under-Pepper”.
3. Season the tops of each fillet with salt.  Don’t use butter or other seasons.  You won’t need to!
4. Bake for at least twenty minutes at 325 degrees.  Once the outer layers of the fish begin to carmelize and turn white your fish is done.
5. When you remove the fish from the pan, the skin layer should come right off.  Feel free to sprinkly a pinch or two of brown sugar over the top of the fish.  Serve with a potent vegetable like asparagus or brussel sprouts.
6. For a more advanced side dish, try serving summer squash and spinach, cooked together in a sauce pan, while mixing in a quarter cup of brown sugar.  It will have a thicker consistency, sits nicely on the plate, and tastes amazing.

Here’s another recipe…

Raspberry Vinegar Chicken Breasts

Using powerful ingredients, here is a dish that your senior loved one can really taste and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, heat the butter or margarine and oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown lightly on each side. Once the chicken breasts are cooked (the juices should run clear) remove them from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the shallots and the chicken stock to the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the raspberry vinegar. Bring all to a boil and simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Stir in the cream and return the chicken to the pan. Heat for 1 minute to warm the chicken, turning the chicken pieces to coat with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To see this recipe on-line, click here.

And here’s our final recipe for this holiday week…

Leftover Turkey Patties

Finally the answer for all of that post-Thanksgiving trurkey!  Notice the good use of falvors in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups half-and-half cream, divided
• 1 cup cooked, chopped turkey meat
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and 1 cup of half-and-half. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring, until thick. Stir in turkey, onion and bread crumbs. Mix well, then shape mixture into 8 small patties and refrigerate to chill for 30 minutes.
2. Place cornflake crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl and place remaining 1 cup half-and-half in a second shallow dish or bowl. Heat oil in skillet. Dip patties in crumbs, then in cream, then in crumbs again; brown patties in the hot skillet, place in a serving dish and cover with soup.

To view the recipe on-line, click here.

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