Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Free Admission to Disney on your Birthday!



Registration and details here.

Alaska Spring Salmon Salad from Chef Kirstin Dixon

A Spring salad from owner and chef Kirsten Dixon from their Alaska Lodges.


Asian Springtime Salmon Salad ( and Early Spring Salad)

Asian Springtime Salmon Salad

The taste of ginger, soy, and sesame were made for salmon! This marinade is easy, delicious, and good on fish as well as stir-fry beef or flank steak.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (make sure you buy a nice strong Asian variety- some sesame oils are too mild)
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon light sesame seeds

Instructions

Mix all of these ingredients together. If you want to make a thicker dressing, add in a little bit of mayonnaise. Take a fillet of fish and remove the skin and pin bones. Lay the fish onto a secure cutting board. I place a little bit of mesh rubber netting (like shelf liner) down to secure my cutting board. Cut a small slit in the tail end of the fish. Hold your knife at about a 15-degree angle and slice upward in one fast stroke. Remove the skin and discard it. Remove the pin bones with a pair of needle-nose pliers or Japanese style tweezers. Slice the fish into angled fillets.

Place the fish slicees into a plastic bag with some of the marinade. Seal and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Remove the fish and pat dry. Sear the fish fillets in a nonstick pan that has been heated to medium high with a little bit of oil. Place the “presentation” side of the fish down first. Turn the fish once with fish tongs to finish cooking. In the meantime, dress the salad greens with a bit of rice wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a bit of the Asian dressing to the greens. Toss in some favorite springtime ingredients. On the show, we had figs, raspberries, blackberries, and Asian pears in our salad.

Sprinkle a few extra toasted sesame seeds on top of the seared salmon and place it in the center of your salad.

Holland America Bread Pudding

Ingredients

9 oz Milk
9 oz Heavy cream
2/3 c Butter
3 Vanilla beans; split open
Salt; to taste
5 Eggs
5 oz Sugar
1 Loaf bread; no crust
3 oz Raisins; soaked in hot water
1 ts Cinnamon mixed with sugar

Instructions"

Bring milk, cream, butte, and salt to boil. Mix eggs and sugar, add hot milk mixture. Arrange bread slices in buttered dish. Sprinkle raisins between layers of bread. Cover with milk mixture. Place in a bain marie. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Serve plain or with vanilla sauce

2010 Will Cruise Ships Leave Alaska

As bloggers and Alaska experts it's hard to believe that ships will be leaving Alaska in 2010 and hopefully not as Alaska is such an affordable destination.

Here is a article on Cruise Critic posted today here.

Themed Cruises

Carnival Cruise Lines

"Whodunit Mystery Cruises" on eight three-day voyages from Long Beach aboard the Paradise until December 2009. Soap opera cruise. $250,000-in-prizes PokerPro Challenge no-limit Texas Hold'em poker tournaments on most voyages of most ships. "Bloggers Cruise," twice in 2009, aboard the Carnival Dream from New York and Port Canaveral.

Cruise West

Cruising California Wine Country, Nine cruises from San Francisco, Fall. Eight photographic cruises during 2009. Christmas/New Year cruise to Central America.

Crystal Cruises


Wine and Food Experiences of Discovery. Glenn Miller Orchestra and Big Band sounds, ballroom dancing Miami to Lisbon transatlantic cruise in May 2009. Fashion and Style. Smithsonian Journeys. Creative Learning Institute. Crystal President's Cruise.

Cunard Line

National Symphony Orchestra performances and lectures. The Royal Astronomical Society star navigation.Polar exploration. Maritime studies. Aeronautics and space.

Holland America Line

Culinary cruises, featuring more than 70 guest chefs from all over the U. S. throughout the 2009 cruise season.

MSC Cruises

Baseball: five theme cruises during the 2009 - 2010 Caribbean season.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Concert Cruises, featuring Barenaked Ladies and Indigo Girls.

Princess Cruises

ScholarShip@Sea, featuring lecturers and experts in Culinary arts, Visual/creative arts, Photography, and Computer technology.

Royal Caribbean Cruises

Nickelodian Family Cruises: Two 2009 seven-day trips, one from Los Angeles, one from Port Canaveral. Will offer families opportunities for quality time.


Silversea Cruises

13 golf theme cruises in 2009, visiting courses in 30 countries and islands, led by PGA-classed pros. 11 Wine Series voyages in 2009 with tastings and lectures by wine authorities.
 
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