Along with cooler temperatures, brightly colored leaves, pumpkins, and Indian corn, football arrives.
Which is what prompted me to share this lovely lady cheerleader. Gee, do you remember saddle shoes? Catch the gingham lining of this gal’s skirt. Very classy.
I don’t think it’s possible to watch your favorite team battle it out on the gridiron without Bratwurst & Onions. It is the quintessential tailgating sandwich. Richard and I love them. But at our homestead, there’s only two of us. We’re also past the tailgating phase of our lives. No reason to fire up the grill, so I make ours in a cast iron skillet.
Preparation is quick and belies the juicy, peppery deliciousness soon to be served. Carmelized onions, sauerkraut, mustard! Yes!!
The first thing I do is carmelize a whole onion or two. Slice the onion in half, lay the cut side down on the cutting board, and slice into slivers – the opposite of cutting rings, or half rings in this case.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add one Tablespoon unsalted butter and one Tablespoon olive oil. Add the onions. Sprinkle with a little salt, and let them saute.
Stir every once in a while with a wooden spoon to make sure they all become nicely browned.
Keep an eye on the skillet. You may have to turn the heat down a bit as the onions cook so they don’t burn.
Remove your perfectly browned onions to a bowl. Set aside while you fry up the brats.
Use the same skillet to cook up the sausages so they soak up the oniony goodness.
Cook over medium heat until brown. Flip them over and brown the other side. The brats are not cooked through at this point, so cover with a lid or a piece of foil and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so. You might even flip them halfway through cooking to keep one side from getting overly brown.
And there you have it. So basic. So juicy and delicious. Put a brat in a bun. Top with cooked onions. And whatever else you want: sauerkraut, German-style mustard. But no ketchup – these are not hot dogs.
Here’s an image to Pin!
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When Richard and I were first married, he introduced us to salmon. I’d never prepared salmon before, but over the next 20 years, a filet baked with onions and lemons has become a family staple. Even our young grandsons love it. They call it “pink fish.”
Salmon filet baked with onions and lemons can be cooked in the oven (great for cold winter days) or on the grill (great when it’s too hot in the kitchen). This is an easy, quick, and healthy recipe that provides an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-12, and vitamin D.
Something SO delicious and it’s good for you, too! YEAH!!
The secret to this recipe is the mayonnaise-mustard spread that’s slathered over the raw filet. The mayo keeps the fish nice and moist and buttery-tasting. Literally, the salmon melts in your mouth. The mustard adds a kick of flavor. Any mayonnaise will do, and we’re not picky about the mustard either.
We got this bottle from “The Mustard Man’ at Jungle Jim’s grocery in Cincinnati. The Mustard Man himself recommended this peppered version to go particularly well with salmon. YUM! We’ve also used plain old yellow mustard or dijon.
When we’re having the kids over, Richard and I will get one of those giant salmon filets from Costco. One large one will feed all eight of us with generous servings.
Let’s Bake Some Salmon!
Yes, this is one very large piece of fish! Weighs between 2.5 – 3 lbs. Notice the tail end is folded under. That’s to help keep the cooking uniform.
Yep, it’s a whopper! This one has no skin attached – Richard doesn’t like fish skin. But, I do! In all things, we compromise – well, most of the time. If you choose a filet with skin on, it won’t crisp up in this recipe, because you’re basically steaming the fish.
I cut a large piece of 18″ heavy duty aluminum foil and allow extra on the sides for wrapping the fish. Season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I sprinkle on dried dill weed or fresh, if I have it.Whisk together 3/4 cup of mayo and 1/3 of mustard. Slather it all over the top of the filet.Thinly slice one medium-sized onion and distribute evenly on top of the mayo-mustard layer.And top that with thin slices of lemon. When the fish is done, the lemons are delicious!Bring the foil together in the middle covering the filet. Fold the foil edges together and fold over again to crimp and form a tight seal. Then fold over the ends, Christmas package style, roll and crimp so the edges are facing up. You want the juices from the salmon to stay inside, not leak out.
If you’re using the oven, heat to 375°F. Put the lovely fishy package on a sheet pan, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the fish reaches 140-145°F at the thickest part of the filet.
On the grill, heat to 350-375°F. (I use a gas grill, so it’s easier for me to regulate the temperature.) Put the lovely fishy package on the grill, with or without the sheet pan. Put the lid down, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the fish at the thickest part reaches 140-145°F.
Cooking time truly relies on the size of the fish you’re cooking. I always fold the tail end under itself to all the filet to cook more evenly. But don’t over cook it. Best to stay on the “little-under-done” side whether it comes out of the oven or off the grill. The rest time will help finish the cooking.
Check for doneness. Remove the package from the oven or grill and keep the package sealed. Allow it to rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
You’re mouth-watering reward! Flaky, moist, buttery and healthy salmon!
Let’s Eat Some Salmon! What sides to serve?
I like pan fried little red potatoes browned in butter.
Or you might serve a nice big salad – delish!
Or how about a helping of my country green beans made with bacon, onions and tomato? Cook in an Instant Pot with little red potatoes? Success!!
Click the pic for the recipe.
This recipe is a no-brainer; very cook friendly. If I’m making salmon for just the two of us I either get a smaller filet or I bake a giant one so we have leftovers. If you’re using a smaller filet, you’ll need to adjust the cooking times. This leftover salmon is the best as an addition to salad, with eggs and potatoes for breakf, or just by itself!
Feeling a cooking adventure on the horizon?
This is a FABULOUS leftover recipe. Toast a couple of English muffins, poach eggs, and whip up a batch of blender Hollandaise. Thinly slice red onion and fresh tomato. Place the onion and tomato on 1/2 muffin. Top with a piece of salmon and then an egg. Dollop with your beautiful Hollandaise and sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley. Heavenly!
These ribs are phenomenal! I mean, who doesn’t like juicy, “fall-off-the-bone,” savory pork ribs? To begin, I used a spicy dry rub called “Soul Dust” I found at Kayotic Kitchen. I was attracted to this rub, because it uses turbinado sugar, which I just happened to have in my pantry – don’t ask me why. Turned out, the rub is very fragrant and spicy. The smell as the ribs are baking is out of this world. I wonder if there’s a candle out there that smells like this – I’d buy it in a heartbeat. To me, there’s nothing better than the smell of pork and garlic baking in the oven. I just love it! And because these ribs are slow baked, the porky-rib smell wafts through the house for hours.
I don’t think there’s much better on earth than a BBQ brisket sandwich. Well, of course there is, but this is about brisket! I’ve made this a few times, as has my sister, and we’ve both been very pleased with the results. This sandwich on this particular night was served with homemade macaroni salad and homemade buns. Let’s just say I was gearing up for this for a few days. Please excuse my messy plate and thumb print in the bun . . . it sure was delicious, though!
I can’t take credit for this luscious barbecue sauce. The original recipe is at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I was looking for a new recipe that was liquidy, not chunky, and I was happy to find this one. I used it in my recipe for Father’s Day Ribs Fit for a King. I’ve used it several times before and after Father’s Day, and just love it. It’s a good all purpose sauce for ribs, chicken, pork chops, brisket, sausage, pulled pork – whatever grilling mood you’re in.
Prior to finding this recipe, I made Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Barbecue Chicken sauce. It was delicious, but I grew tired of little chunks of stuff falling off the meat into the grill. And I like my BBQ sauce hot and sweet, made with sugar and molasses. I tweaked the original just a bit by substituting jalapeno jelly for some of the brown sugar. Richard was happy the recipe also includes liquid smoke, which is one of his favorite sauce ingredients.
The first thing I do is carmelize a whole onion or two. Slice the onion in half, lay the cut side down on the cutting board, and slice into slivers – the opposite of cutting rings, or half rings in this case.
The secret to this recipe is the mayonnaise-mustard spread that’s slathered over the raw filet. The mayo keeps the fish nice and moist and buttery-tasting. Literally, the salmon melts in your mouth. The mustard adds a kick of flavor. Any mayonnaise will do, and we’re not picky about the mustard either.
I don’t think there’s much better on earth than a BBQ brisket sandwich. Well, of course there is, but this is about brisket! I’ve made this a few times, as has my sister, and we’ve both been very pleased with the results. This sandwich on this particular night was served with homemade macaroni salad and homemade buns. Let’s just say I was gearing up for this for a few days. Please excuse my messy plate and thumb print in the bun . . . it sure was delicious, though!
I can’t take credit for this luscious barbecue sauce. The original recipe is at 
