This weekend was an AWESOME weekend. Not only did I get to have breakfast with a long lost friend on Saturday, but I got to have dinner with another friend in DC on Saturday night! You see, Saturday after breakfast, my husband and I hit the road for Washington DC. Our anniversary was last month… and for the one year anniversary, “paper” is the traditional gift. So I gave him tickets to the Caps game {because even though they are almost always digital these days, you can still print tickets on PAPER!} While my lack of knowledge wouldn’t allow me to see much of a difference between the professional Washington Capitals and our local Admirals hockey {other than the cost of the ticket and the size of the arena} apparently my husband can… so this was a very special gift.
Sunday was just as awesome. I spent most of the day cleaning the house and prepping for my family’s “Progressive Potluck.” You see, for many years we would do a Christmas Progressive Dinner. We would eat one course of dinner at each house. It was a really fun way to see everyone’s holiday decorations and eat a ton of food. But as we have gotten older and I have moved an hour from my family - this tradition has died out. So this year, I decided to invite everyone {spur of the moment} to our house, but they still had to prepare one course of the meal. Instead of a traditional potluck where people bring whatever they want, I assigned courses to each couple coming. {Quite frankly, why haven’t I thought about doing that for all potlucks? That way you don’t end up with 15 servings of cole slaw…}
My husband and I {read: Suz} were in charge of the main entree. I decided that this would be the perfect time to make a dish from my new Southern Living Christmas Cookbook, that the Ronald McDonald House Charity of Richmond gave me. While searching through this amazing cookbook, I was drooling over so many beautiful dishes. While not all of them are 100% clean eating, there are several in there that are easily adaptable to fit my gluten-free, sugar-free, and practically dairy-free lifestyle.
There was one dish in particular that jumped right out at me: The Caramelized Maple-and-Garlic Glazed Salmon (page 87). I have been wanting to create a dish that used pure maple syrup as a sweetener, rather than sugar… and this was perfect! My family of picky eaters loved it, and as an entertainer, who was creating this dish on the spot with a house full of guests, I loved that it only took me 20 minutes to make!
If you are looking for a great, clean, and easy holiday dish - I would highly recommend this one. I paired it with sautéed zoodles, roasted garlic mini-potatoes, and roasted veggies. Again, you can find it in this cookbook.
- 8 (2-inch-thick) salmon fillets (about 2.5 pounds)
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- ¾ tsp. garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. butter (i used ghee)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup, divided (to keep it clean be sure to use 100% pure maple)
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
- Preheat broiler with oven rack 5½ inches from heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and garlic powder.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add salmon, skin side up; cook 2 minutes. Place salmon, skin, side down, on a lightly greased rack in a broiler pan; brush with half of syrup.
- Broil salmon for 5 to 7 minutes or until fish reaches desired degree of doneness and syrup begins to caramelize. Brush with remaining syrup; sprinkle with chives.
A little bit about the Ronald McDonald House of Richmond, VA before I continue on with our family “Potluck Progressive!” This is such a great organization that helps families who have sick children in the hospital. I have done some volunteer work for our local Norfolk Ronald McDonald House in the past: cleaning, cooking and things of that sort. It is so nice to know that by volunteering, or by simply purchasing this cookbook online or from your local Dillard’s that you are helping families stay together and stay strong during one of the scariest times of their lives. The Ronald McDonald House of Richmond provides families with comfy beds, hot showers, homemade meals prepared by volunteers, a place to do laundry, a fully stocked playroom, and a shuttle to take them to and from the hospital. This charity takes care of the family’s basic needs so that they can focus on what matters most: their child’s well being.
Not only are you helping families, but you are getting one heck of a holiday cookbook for just $10. I was so impressed by this cookbook because it definitely makes entertaining easy. It breaks up every single holiday course you can possibly imagine eating. But then, when you flip it over, it has awesome ideas, tablescapes and menus for almost every other holiday on the calendar year! Seriously - they even give you celebration ideas for Memorial Day, Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby!
Like I said, I used this cookbook for our family’s holiday potluck and the Maple Glazed Salmon was a huge hit. Then, after eating several courses {pictures below} we partied like rockstars. Here’s your photo dump:
Gluten free crackers for this girl! Thanks mother for thinking about me!
Red {and green} velvet for everyone else - and a gluten free cuppie for me! Again, thanks to my awesome family for going above and beyond to meet my newly found gluten free needs. Y’all rock.
Then, while we did a wicked gift exchange - Olivia passed out under my butcher block while Chloe helped me get drunk and eat cheese…
Yup, I scored a box of wine. Not too shabby for a gift exchange!
So there ya have it guys! This was one heck of a weekend. I find myself truly blessed to have spent 48 hours with my husband, great friends, and family. Tis the season!
If you’re looking for one last Christmas gift - I highly recommend you check out this awesome, charitable, Southern Living Christmas Cookbook. When you give someone this cookbook, you are giving another family a huge gift as well. Many thanks to the Ronald McDonald House of Richmond for gifting me this cookbook. {The recipe in this blog post is straight from the cookbook, page 87.}
Now time for the linkup! You know the drill!
