Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze

I made this salmon for Dad's birthday dinner, but I am just now getting around to posting it. I had made it several times before and decided I should stick to a "tried and true" recipe for the occasion rather than risking it with a new recipe! It is from Giada DeLaurentis on Food Network. She really has some great recipes, and this one has gotten a 5 star review from 222 reviewers so you know it has to be good! I followed the recipe exactly so I am just going post a link to it- you can find it here.

Very Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies

For Dad's Birthday (the big 6-0 !!), he requested crunchy chocolate chip cookies. Now, I am not a crunchy cookie person so I can't really relate to this desire, but apparently some (crazy) people do like crunchy cookies. So, to make them crunchy, I found a recipe that used all white sugar and had a high butter ratio because that's what makes them have that crunch. I am a big fan of the sweet/salty combo (and I think Dad is too) so when I took the cookies out, I sprinkled them with some Fleur de Sel (sea salt), which added some delicious saltiness. I can't wait to try it on some chewy chocolate chip cookies! So, if you like REALLY crunchy chocolate chip cookies, these may be for you. The original recipe can be found here, but my modified version is below.


Ingredients
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* Fleur de Sel, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven (baking time will vary depending on size of cookies so watch first batch closely- they are done when the edges start to brown).
4. Remove cookies from oven and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel.

Apple, Grape, Turkey Sausage Salad

Well, I am now working on "Operation: Clean out Wichita Fridge and Freezer" and I wasn't sure what to do with the Smoked Turkey Sausage so I figured it could be a good substitute for chicken on salad since I like just about anything if it is on a salad. It was tasty and good for a change although the sausage is a much stronger flavor than chicken (not in a bad way) so be prepared for that if you try it!

Ingredients:
1/2 fuji apple, diced
1 cup of grapes, halved (you can use either color but purple/red look prettier :) )
1 bag of lettuce/your favorite salad mix
4 or 5 oz of turkey sausage, sliced
any kind of cheese- I recommend fat free feta, Nick recommends goat or cheddar
Newman's Own Light Balsamic Dressing

Directions:
1. Heat non-stick skillet on medium
2. Add sausage and cook until browned
3. Let cool for a few minutes while you assemble salad
3. Place greens on plate and top with apples, grapes, cheese, and turkey sausage
4. Serve with dressing on side or you could toss the greens with the dressing before assembling- whatever your preference is