in the kitchen

i rather enjoy sharing these recipes, but realize they can get a bit long. so i'm just linking to the ingredients and instructions (when possible) and noting my changes and such
creamy sweet potato soup[original recipe]

my adjustments: i am not a fan of pecans so they were nixed. i used light butter instead of the margarine, and i traded out the regular chicken broth for a low sodium one. i also used whole wheat flour instead of the all purpose because that's what i keep in the pantry. i've been told they're different, but no one has noticed when eating my foods :p

my notes: with my few changes, the points are five per serving instead of the original six. i generally like to keep my lunches around five to seven points so i'm quite happy. i also added two teaspoons of olive oil to get in my daily recommendation. gotta love those good health guidelines. the taste wasn't affected by the added olive oil, but i still didn't like this soup. i'm not a huge fan of sweet potatoes, but i'm trying to branch out. this was not the way to go. i think it could've used a few more minutes in the food processor and more salt. i would say "next time i'll use regular chicken broth", but that'd be a lie. i had to keep reheating it plus add salt and parm just to get it all down. i think it's more of a texture thing than a taste issue though

slow roasted salmon with potatoes[original recipe]

my adjustments: i killed the leeks so they were out, but i still placed the salmon in the roasting pan, assuming leek juices escaped into the oil or something. i used russet potatoes, sliced up, instead of fingerling, a quarter of an onion instead of a shallot, salted light butter instead of salt and unsalted butter and juice from a whole lemon. i also reduced the amount of salmon to one pound

my notes: i argue with food network on the ease of this recipe. granted, i was also keeping my eyes on two other recipes at the same time. because of my adjustments, the biggest being the amount of salmon, i brought this recipe down to 10 points per serving. not too shabby for a dish that has its own sides incorporated. if i were making this for guests, i would probably double up on the salmon. this was much more appetizing than the soup. i do love salmon though, which helps. also the butter sauce was really good after it settled overnight. i might just buy more salmon and smother it in sauce. gotta use up the chives, parsley and tarragon somehow ;)

i did make the chicken, too, but haven't tasted it yet. i'm really hoping nothing is overcooked. i'm no martha stewart, but i'm not gonna give anyone food poisoning :p