"Planking"... the other kind.

Yesterday was "Boy2 and Daddy Day"... Monday will be "Boy2 and Mommy Day" since his school is closed for a self-imposed holiday/furlough until Tuesday. Being that it was about 5 degrees outside and we got about 6" of snow, it probably wasn't a bad idea that school was closed. The actual bad idea was that I asked the Husba to go to Whole Foods today because they were having a wild sockeye salmon sale ($7.99lb!!). C'mon... that's a steal. Terrible roads and snow notwithstanding.

OK, I admit I shouldn't have asked him to go clear on the other side of the city just to buy salmon, but they only seem to have sales like this on Fridays (what, nobody works?!?) and well, he was home anyway... I will say that I had the most delicious dinner. Thanks, hon.

I ended up using my standard BBQ dry rub - usually reserved for ribs and other grill items, it was wonderful on the salmon. I happen to have some grilling planks (alder, cedar, maple and the like) so I grabbed the cedar plank and pretended I lived in Seattle again. I used to eat salmon like this all the time but for some reason I've neglected buying this lovely fish since moving to Milwaukee. Let's just say it's probably a bad idea to use the planks indoors (yes, I soaked it) because it completely overtook our tiny house with the smell of burning cedar. And not in a good way. It smelled like my college dorm where everyone would burn Nag Champa and hang Indian tapestries on the walls. Nevertheless, it sure was tasty.

Dry Rub Recipe:

1/4 c internet search

3T googling for BBQ dry rub

1T deciding on whose recipe to use because mine's a secret!

Every so often, the stars align and a moment (or three) of bliss occurs. My moment was around 10:30 Saturday morning and I'd worked my way through most of a fresh pot of coffee from early in the morning. The Husba took Boy1 and Boy2 on an extended errand while I rummaged through the refrigerator for something to eat - when I spotted it: the package of wild Alaskan salmon I impulse-purchased at Whole Foods the night before. This, I thought, is why you don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry. But thank you, oh hungry Friday night stomach(!), I shall enjoy my salmon with every possible pairing available. Red onion? Check. Lemon? Check. Dill? Check. Rye toast and capers? Check check. Even those tiny little cornichon pickles? You got it! A dab of cream cheese and I was transported back to 1988 when I sat in a cafe in Helsinki, desperately pointing to something on the menu in the hopes it wasn't gelatinous fish or pig hearts.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." ~Lao Tzu