Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes

The other day I had some leftover salmon and decided to experiment since leftovers usually go to waste around here.

The second time I attempted it I made a full batch and it was yummy the second time too!

Here's what I used:

10-12oz Salmon

1 egg

1-2 TBSP unbleached flour

3/4 cupish grated sweet potato (grated on the small side)

diced onion

fresh dill (I am growing it, so it was free!)

salt and pepper

Form into medium sized cakes, heat oil in a skillet, and saute until lightly browned.

I also added some green beans to hot oil with a little salt, pepper, and at the last minute balsamic vinegar.

It met with approval from the hubs, and was something different!

I would like to note that I did make the second batch with canned salmon in an attempt to be thrifty. That will not be happening again. It was not even pink! Yikes! I will admit it does save time since there is no baking ahead of time. Perhaps in the future I will give pouch salmon a try, but the jury is still out on that one.

My Intervention

Let me introduce to my pretty sister, S. She owns several make-up bags, has filled at least one standing jewelry chest, and can carry off sequined trucker caps because people are mesmerized by her eyelashes. Oh, and she's a guera. And lucky for me, she likes to stay with me when she's in town, dress me, and make me look nice. (I just typed nice, but pronounced it nyyyyce in my head)

So, meet S....

So, for my birthday this year my fabulous sister bought me Bare Minerals. Which I was worried about, since makeup application is really not my forte.

In true infomercial fashion I decided to take a poorly lit, sans makeup, non-smiling, unpleasant photo of myself. It then took me a month to get up the nerve to post in on the interwebs.

This is a picture of getting started, before the wreckage occurred. Lucky for me, it comes with a video that I watched while applying in my guest bathroom since the hubs was still asleep. Note: Bare Minerals comes off computer keyboards with a little spit on the finger.

Here is my after picture. I took it next to a window, from up above, and tried Tyra "happy eyes". You see, I am smiling with my eyes just like Tyra tells all the girls to do.

So, in true Clark howard style I will say that I have been wearing the make-up for a month and I like it. I am almost down to my other makeup speed of application. I still use other concealer for bad spots, but I like the softer, younger look it gives my skin. Also, it was free since it was a gift, and so therefore a great buy! Thanks, S!

Dedication

The hubs in the middle of writing his master's thesis. After subtle inquiry I have discovered that he has not dedicated it yet, or even decided if he is going to. 

Whaaat???

For some strange twist in logic the reasoning behind not putting a dedication in it is that it will be bound and go in the school library for all eternity. Which in my mind sounds like a perfect reason for a dedication, but who can understand these scholar types. 

So, in my own little inconspicuous way I have come up with a few dedications myself. 

Let's vote!

#1 - To my very own wifey who faithfully washed (and occasionally folded) all the boxers that I wore while writing this book.

#2 - To my wife whom I love and adore with all my heart and for a whole year did not touch my piles of papers in the office even when company was coming.

#3 - To the LOVE of my LIFE who often kept our loud, vocal, always hungry, jobless, mooches of cats away from my office door while I was writing. 

#4 - To my very own Julia Child of a wife who fed me bruschetta and many other culinary delights every week until this was finished. 

#5 - To my muse, Isabelle. 

All winners, if I do say. 

Huck's Unrealized Talent

It appears Huckleberry has an artistic side that the hubs and I have been failing to encourage. We are such rotten parents. All this time his budding talent has been forced to sleep away the hours his little artist's soul was crying for a paintbrush. 

As you can see above, complete apathy had set in as he grudgingly accepted his life with us. But in a lucky coincidence his mommy needed a birthday present for a 3-year-old with a brand new room. Luckily for his mommy, Huck was willing to help throughout the entire process. 

Huck and I's finished product! I bought these letters (which were dull & boring white) at Hobby Lobby. Lucky for me and my wallet, they were having a 50% Wall Sale! Man, I love me some Hobby Lobby!

I had a moment of panic once home and realized there was no way I could paint circles freehand, and even if I could my brushes are getting frayed and I would never be able to stay in the lines. So I tore the end off the ribbon spool and used it as my stencil. Huck approved of the move, and after painting we moved on to the ribbon. We cut the ribbon into 7 pieces, well I actually did the cutting since I have the thumbs, but I digress. Then we tied the bows in the middle, loosely measured the length from the letters using the scissor blade as a ruler, and then glue gunned the heck out of it. 

I think Huck has an affinity for paint since when we found him at the shelter he had a silver paint mark on his forehead to identify him. And just for kicks, and since I am his mommy, above is a picture of him as a little baby in the Kleenex box he liked to sleep in. He was so tiny, and now he is a puma. Sigh. 

Oh, and since we should probably mention the human child all this was for, sweet Jocelyn who  turned 3! She wore a polka-dot dress and was her usual adorable self. It is very weird to me that she used to sit quietly at the restaurant in a stroller and stack cups. Now she holds phone conversations with me and goes everywhere on her own two feet! 

What a wonderful year 3 will be for her and those of us that get to watch her!