Breakfast this morning was a handful of oatmeal banana cookies.

After breakfast, I went to Safeway at 7:30am.  I thought it would be a good idea to go early before it got crowded with the day-before-Thanksgiving-panicked crowd.  Ha.  The place was already PACKED, I couldn’t believe it!  At 7:30am!  I only got a few things, but it took me over an hour and a half because I had to dodge the people in every aisle and stand in line for a long time.

I did get some sole dover fillets on sale because it was their sell-by date.  That’s the good thing about getting to the grocery store in the morning!  I cooked them the minute I got home – drizzled a little olive oil on them, and then coated in salt, garlic, and some red pepper.  Then stuck them in the oven at 350:

I was a little nervous as I cooked it, because it smelled very fishy.  Hard to believe… fish smelling fishy.  But I have read that usually if it has a strong fishy scent, it could mean that it is old or going bad.  It looked ok, though, and didn’t smell stinky… just fishy.  I tried it when it was cooked, though, and it was delicious!

I got two meals out of it.  A fish salad for lunch:

And for the second meal, I tried my spiral slicer!  As I mentioned, the spiral slicer arrived yesterday but due to the holiday hustle and bustle, I didn’t get to try it out until today.

The tool comes with three different slicing blades – one to make really thin slices, one for thin spirals (like spaghetti), and one for thicker spirals (think curly fries.)

The back of the box showed the three different cuts and I totally got excited before I even opened it!

The front looked awesome too.

The only appropriate veggie that I had on hand to try out was zucchini.  But that was my first choice anyways, because I have seen several people making spiral zucchini on other blogs and it looked so great.

The slicer was so easy to use.  I have to admit that I was so excited, I just got started and figured it out myself because I was too impatient to read the directions.  It’s pretty self-explanatory – just stick the veggie in between the blade on one side, and on the spikes on the other side… and start turning the handle!

Within seconds, I had this:

Beautiful, spiraled zucchini.

NOM NOM NOM!  Perfect for salad topping, zucchini spaghetti, or just snacking.

It was sooo easy.  And unlike some other kitchen tools I have used in the past, the handle was so easy to turn.  That is probably partially because the zucchini was pretty soft, so I have to try out a potato or harder veggie to be sure, but I think based on the feel of the slicer that it will still be no problem whatsoever.

How do you like the funny center of the zucchini that it leaves sticking out?  It is hilarious.  And slightly… sad.

And maybe even slightly phallic.

My only complaint about the spiral slicer was that it was fairly hard to get all of the spiraled pieces to fall into a bowl properly so I made a little bit of a mess.  Next time I am going to try putting the whole thing on a place to catch the veggies as they come out!

I can’t wait to try all three blades and different types of fruits and veggies.  Thanks again, CSN Stores, for this opportunity!!!!  Everybody, please go check out CSN stores and all they have to offer.

I used my zucchini to make my second fishy meal of the day.  A snack plate with the spirals, egg whites, fish, and hummus.

Mid-afternoon, I started my cooking frenzy.  I already had completed my turkey cookies for the kids, so my next assignment was appetizers.  I decided to make a salmon ball and some cheese sticks.  First was the salmon ball prep.  My mom used to make this salmon balls for parties and events all the time when I was growing up, and everybody always raves about it.  So as soon as I heard I was in charge of appetizers, I asked her to send me the recipe.  It’s pretty simple to make:

SALMON PARTY BALL

1 can (1 lb) salmon
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons snipped parsley

Drain and flake salmon, removing skin and bones.  Combine salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, onion, horseradish, salt, and liquid smoke.  Mix thoroughly.  Chill overnight (I just did for a couple of hours). Combine pecans and parsley.  Shape salmon mixture into a ball.  Roll in nut mixture.  Chill well. Serve with assorted crackers.

I actually doubled the recipe because I knew I was going to be with a large crowd.  I mixed together the ingredients.  I have to admit, this is the first time I have worked with canned salmon and I didn’t find it very easy to remove the bones.  I think that most of the ones I didn’t get were so small and soft that they just got mixed in and weren’t a problem, but I was still frustrated!

After letting it chill in the fridge for a few hours, I took it out, shaped it, and rolled it in the pecan and parsley mixture.  And… ta dah!

I must admit, it looked beautiful.  Almost too beautiful to eat   I made S try it, and I knew I was good to go when he liked it even though he does not like salmon.  I bought two types of Kashi crackers to eat with it, too.

Next on to the cheese twists.  These didn’t turn out quite as beautiful… but they tasted delicious!  I actually got the recipe off of the Reader’s Digest website.  I wish mine had turned out as pretty as theirs did

Vermont Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Straws

Makes 30 cheese straws.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough (from a 17.3-ounce package)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
All-purpose flour for dusting
1 large egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

Directions
1. Remove 1 pastry sheet from the package and let thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes. Tightly seal the remaining pastry and freeze for another use.

2. Position one rack in the center and a second rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Have ready 2 rimmed baking sheets, preferably nonstick. For pans without a nonstick finish, line the pans with parchment paper or use Silpat mats.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, chives, thyme, pimentón, and cayenne. Set aside.

4. Unfold the pastry sheet and place it on a lightly floured cutting board. If there are any cracks in the pastry, gently pinch them closed. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll over the pastry gently, just enough to remove the fold marks, and then roll it out into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise to form two 5-by-15-inch rectangles. Brush each piece with the egg wash. Arrange 1 piece of the dough with the long side facing you and distribute the cheese filling evenly over it. Place the second piece of dough, egg wash side down, on top of the cheese, lining up the edges evenly. Using the rolling pin, press the sheets together to secure the cheese firmly between the layers, especially at the edges.

5. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the filled and pressed pastry crosswise into 30 strips, each 1/2 inch wide. Working with 1 strip at a time, twist 3 times and lay the cheese straw on a baking sheet, pressing down the ends firmly to keep it from untwisting during baking. Continue to twist and arrange the remaining strips, placing them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.

6. Bake for 8 minutes, switch the position of the baking sheets, and continue to bake until the cheese straws are puffed, golden brown, and crisp, about 4 to 6 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My finished product:

As a reward after all my cooking, I broke into the sweet, cold treat that I picked up for myself on sale at Safeway…  Ben and Jerry’s Mission to Marzipan ice cream!

I have been wanting to try this for so long – combining my love of ice cream with my love of marzipan.  I am really surprised this flavor even exists, because I have had so much trouble finding marzipan candy in the US in general.  But I am not complaining!

Right out of the container (unfortunately.)

Oooh, so good.

Later on in the evening, I broke into my first Smores Clif zBar.  I have been wanting to try these for a long time, so I couldn’t wait!

And it was worth the wait.  So delicious.  It was very sweet, just how I like it.  I ate a second one later, in some cottage cheese cheesecake pudding.

Now I’m going to bed.  We are getting up bright and early to head to Oakland – an hour drive – to do the Piedmont Turkey Trot!

G’night ya’ll.