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Simple Supper Saturday: Cheddar Melt with Smoked Salmon

My journey to a healthier lifestyle has taken several twists and turns over the last year. The first changes came with diet. First to go were soft drinks. Next I tackled processed foods. My philosophy now is to prepare meals with fresh, whole foods with lots of veggies. Along the way, I lost a stubborn 8 pounds and re-discovered the enjoyment of creativity with food.

When I talk to friends and colleagues, I hear the same lament. “I want to eat more healthy foods, I just don’t have time to cook.” It seems that we are all looking for fast, easy, and delicious recipes. With that in mind, I’ve decided to post a fast and delicious recipe every Saturday.

Today’s simple supper is Cheddar Melt with Smoked Salmon. I’ve served this for lunch, dinner, and brunch. It’s one of my favorite breakfasts too. Since it is made with full fat dairy, this recipe is not appropriate for anyone on a low-fat diet, but low or no-fat dairy can be substituted – it just won’t be as delicious. I usually serve this cheese fondue in individual ramekins, but it is fun in a fondue pot for a party. By adding lots of fresh veggies for dipping, the dish is actually quite healthy and oh so yummy.

Cheddar Melt with Smoked Salmon

1 (3 oz. package) cream cheese, room temperature

1-1/4 cup sour cream

10 oz. extra sharp white cheddar, shredded

½ tsp. snipped chives

1 tsp. Whole grain or deli mustard

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 oz. smoked salmon

 Dipping Foods

Whole grain toast points

Steamed green beans

Steamed cauliflower

Steamed broccoli

Steamed asparagus

Small roasted potatoes

Blend the cream cheese and sour cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. When melted together, stir in the shredded cheddar one handful at a time and stir until melted and smooth. Don’t let it boil or simmer or it will curdle and separate. Stir in the chives, mustard, and Worcestershire. Mix in the smoked salmon. Serve warm in individual ramekins or a warmed, ceramic fondue pot with dipping foods.

Cooks Notes:

Extra sharp white cheddar gives the best flavor, texture, and color. Other types of cheddar are perfectly acceptable. I prefer the smoked salmon filets rather than the thinly sliced lox style, but both types work well. If using the filet, just shred it into the fondue. If using the thin-sliced, chop it with a knife before adding.

To Pay or Not to Pay? It Really Wasn’t My Fault

A colleague came to me the other day and wanted to know if I could help him with an ethical dilemma. It seems that a friend of his was visiting and the friend’s car was towed during the night. After a bit of inquiry, they discovered that the car had been towed because of a parking violation.

Here’s the scenario my colleague presented:

My friend is disabled.

My friend lives on a fixed income.

My friend has calculated to the penny how to live in South Florida for three months this winter and has no extra money or income.

My colleague has an ongoing feud with his condo owner’s association. (They don’t see eye to eye right now).

My colleague has a generous income and is not on a tight budget. (He can afford the $150 towing bill).

My colleague and his friend went out to dinner and when they returned, parked the friend’s truck for the night. The friend backed into the parking space. Backing in to a parking space is against the rules at my colleague’s condo, not to mention actually illegal in Florida.

Next morning, the friend wakes my colleague telling him that his truck is gone.

After calling in late to work and finally discovering what happened to the truck,  the friend leaves and says he’s never coming back.

My colleague asked me what he should do about this.

At this point, I’m at a loss. Then the colleague reveals this nugget: “I knew that backing in to the parking space was against the rules, but I didn’t say anything.”

Ok. Game changes.

D. If you knew that backing in was not allowed and you have also been in this war with your condo association – why wouldn’t you say anything to your friend?

“I thought it would be ok – that they wouldn’t do anything.”

D, really?

My colleague’s question was this: “Should I offer to pay for the towing, or at least part of it?”

D, I say, “——”

I know what I told him, but I’m interested in what you would have told him. What do you think he should do? And why? We’re presented with these moral/ethical questions quite often. How do we stay in spiritual flow and make decisions that maintain our equilibrium and integrity?

Magic Hat and Yo-yos: Making work fun.

Although I was into the flow of a good story and oblivious to my husband’s channel surfing, snippets of commentary began to invade my sanctuary and pique my interest. Within a few minutes, I found myself watching the Best Damn World Yoyo Contest (suffer through the advertising and then scroll through to about the 3 minute mark to see the winning performance). I had no idea a yoyo could be trained to do such tricks.

 Back in third grade, yo-yoing was play and a fun way to occasionally impress your friends. Simple tricks with dime store yo-yos were all the rage. I still remember my blue Duncan butterfly. If you could get your yo-yo to sleep, you were pretty darn good. And if you could manage a ‘round the world… well let’s just call you a guru. And now, forty years later, I find that there is a whole industry around yo-yos, from performers to judges to commentators. If so inclined, you can even rise to the level of National Grand Master. As with other sports, if you’re good enough, sponsors pay you to practice and compete full time. Who knew there was a career in yo-yo?

 And this got me thinking yet again about how to connect work, passions, and fun. Seems to be a recurring theme – maybe I should pay close attention…

 If people can really earn a living having fun, then what’s holding the rest of us back?

 And so I began to think of other examples of businesses that are fun and creative. The guys over at Magic Hat Brewery in Vermont have it figured out. If you’ve ever taken a tour of the Artifactory you know firsthand their passion for beer and fun. And why not? Is there some rule somewhere that says we must be serious and somber while working?

Really, though. Why don’t more of us turn our passions into work and have great fun doing so? The number one answer is fear.

 We fear failure.

We fear ridicule.

We fear hard work.

We fear actually having to make our own decisions.

We fear taking responsibility for our decisions.

We fear uncertainty.

We fear bankruptcy.

We fear isolation.

We fear loss of a predictable routine (and paycheck).

We fear success.

 Once we confront our fears, we need to take action. We can research, plan, organize, and dream all we want, but nothing happens until we take that first step. Nike understands: “Just do it.” All of us have a dream job in our heads. Every time I watch Myth Busters, I think, “What a fun job.” Or when I watch Top Chef, I picture myself competing to the bitter end and taking home the title. Then again, when I read a great author, I envision myself a writer. So what’s the first step?

To be a myth-buster, you have to learn how to blow up things and not be afraid to fail. To be a chef, you have to cook. To be a writer, you have to write – a lot. Start a blog and write something every day. Once you take that first action and apply persistence to it, you begin to get really good at it. Do you think those guys with the yo-yo’s picked up a yo-yo one day and the tricks just happened?

The point is to do something. Anything that moves you toward what you want most. Try this. Write down one sentence about what you want. I find that when I do this, it is much more difficult to articulate what I really want when I commit it to writing. Most of the time, it is too broad. At first, narrow the desire to a specific action. Keep adding small actions and pretty soon you have a plan. Use the power of the present moment. I find I sometimes get overwhelmed if I think about the grand plan of what I want to accomplish. Keeping my focus on the present also keeps me grounded. And so for today, I choose to have fun writing.

Do you know people who have carved a business out of fun and creative interests? If so, share a link so we can all be inspired.