Grilled Salmon salad with Veg skewers and Skillet Cornbread

This is all about the cornbread, really. SO suggested we have salmon and cornbread for Sunday supper. I've been slowly building up the seasoning on my 12" cast iron pan lately, and was dying to do cornbread in it, so perfect.  There's nothing easier than throwing salmon on the grill, and maybe some summer vegetables on skewers to go with it all.

Grilled salmon on salad, with vegetable skewers
and skillet cornbread

I cut the tomatoes in wedges, peeled half the skin off the zucchini and sliced thickly, and also cut some big pieces of yellow pepper. Threaded them on some skewers, and basted with a bit of Briana's Dijon Honey Mustard salad dressing. I don't normally plug specific products, but I love this one. No preservatives, lactose and egg free, etc.

Nothing special about the salmon, although I made up a quick marinade of dijon, maple syrup, and soy sauce then put it and the salmon in a ziplock for a couple hours. I tore up and washed some romaine, and lightly dressed with the same salad dressing.

Most skillet cornbread recipes are pretty similar, with minor variances in the amount of flour, sugar, and baking powder. I've seen different types of milk, usually buttermilk, and also different pan sizes.

After heating up the pan in the oven, swirl some butter around the bottom and sides.

Cast iron pan ready for the corn bread batter

Getting the eggs and milk nice and frothy is a good idea, and not over mixing is another key step. The cast iron pan is way better than normal baking pans. You get a nice crust and it keeps it warm afterwards.

All done - nice crust!

I've seen variations that use bacon grease, hot peppers, all kinds of interesting things. I used to have an old recipe that called for cream style corn, it was awesome but had like 25 ingredients so I didn't make it very often. Maybe I'll try to adapt that one.

Next Time: will play with the ingredients a bit, but the cast iron pan is great!

Me: 10/10

SO: 10/10

SSO: 3/10

Victoria Sponge Cake

Also known as Victoria Sandwich, this was supposedly a favourite of Queen Victoria. This is likely why it seems to be strongly associated with tea. As in the British afternoon snack time. So High Tea for the Queen, and Afternoon Tea for the rest of us.

Victoria Sponge, a.k.a. Victoria Sandwich

Most versions of this seem to favour just strawberries, but I mixed in some raspberries as well. Actually very easy to make, and looks nice. It is a bit drier than I thought it would be, but I think I was confusing it in my mind with Angle Food Cake. In any case, the berry filling and cream make up for it!

Next Time: maybe try different berries, and a different type of jam.

Me: 7/10
SO: 9/10
SSO: 8/10

Mustard and Dill Potato Salad

It's getting hot these days, finally, after a long cold winter. So what do we serve guests at a Sunday dinner? BBQ chicken and grilled asparagus, with potato salad and a strawberry cream dessert called Victoria Sponge (see post).

Mustard and Dill Potato Salad

I love this particular potato salad since it is vinaigrette based instead of mayo. I think the vinegar and mustard give it a bright and sharp flavour, and well, you can't have a decent potato salad without fresh dill. Some recipes use prepared mustard or a dijon, but the mustard seeds give it a fresh earthy tone. The trick is to soak the mustard seed for at least an hour in vinegar. I used part white vinegar and part sherry vinegar for a bit of extra oomph. SO thought I didn't soak long enough, I thought it was OK. Red onions give it colour and a bit of tang. Yum!

Next Time: I would eliminate or bump up the parsley. Also I was a bit stingy on the red onion.

Me: 9/10
SO: 7.5/10
SSO: 2/10