Pinchin Pennies

How often does the average person go out to eat?  including take out, socializing, etc?  I seem to go in waves...eating out for days in a row and then feeling middle class guilt and cooking at home.  So, today I ventured into the recesses of my freezer and fridge and made up a dee-lish meal.  Pan cooked salmon with chili raspberry sauce, organic green chard with EVOO and garlic, and potato slices par-fried in butter and garlic.  See the madness below:

Love salmon cooked a bit under. Costco salmon is so good! Dont mind the camera phone pic quality...use your mind's eye and smellivision.  Sauce is from Fresh and Easy...yum. 

Perfect winter potatoes.  Take some meaty taters, slice about 1/2 inch thick length wise and fry in shallow oil about 10 minutes each side.  Toss in garlic and butter after you have cooked the first side and add S&P.  Trust me, you wanna make this sometime.  I have a feeling that they will also tolerate a reheat much better than french fries since they are not supposed to be as crunchy as french fries or other tater versions.  Pair away. 

I have only in this past year have become hip to the goodness of organic chard.  I usually buy the green or swiss variety...not yet bored of it to try the red or rainbow variety.  So far, it has worked fabulously in chowder, with marinara and meatballs, quiche, as a side item, etc.  Today, it married well with garlic bits and EVOO.  Go easy on the salt since this green tends to suck up salty juices.  I guess you could give it the collard green treatment and dash it with hot sauce, but I frankly didnt feel the need in this case.  Stands on its own merit...simple but good ingredients. 

Last but not the least...this was a sandwich I made a few nights ago.  Take very crusty sourdough bread, delis swiss, your fave meat filler and a nice hot pan.  Again, my recipes rely on simple but fresh ingredients and a few minutes in the kitchen.  Not rocket science...gosh dont you hate when people say that?  I would pair it with a bowl of soup or a nice salad with some bite for contrast. 

So I am going to end my entry with this.  What ruins your day?  What makes your day?  Is it the simple things that can make or break your day?  How quickly does YOUR internal switch get flipped?  By the by, thanks.