"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."
- L.M. Montgomery

Although well past high school and bright college days, still have that feeling in June that I'm playing hooky, and am compelled to commemorate the begining of September with "school shopping." 

I was 11 years old when Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" was released. My older teenage brother played it loudly and incessently. [Ed. note: Is there any other way?] He also had an enormous Alice poster above his bed, the infamous one with Vince Furnier wrapped in a boa. Later. he would con my Momala into allowing him to go to a concert by taking my then eight-year-old sister, basically convincing her that Cooper was a folk singer. [Ed. note: GENIUS.] Never fails, June comes around and I can't get the "School's Out" lyrics out of my head.

My BF and I live across the street from a 4th-8th grade school, in the house he grew up in. [Ed. note: La Entrada, class of '83, represent.] Many of the neighborhood kids are graduating and will be in high school come September. Bittersweet, for me. Time is going by at warp speed and summer will be over before we know it.

These salmon kebabs, I make them every summer. It's beyond me that I never thought about threading meat or fish with two skewers instead of one (see picture). A game changer. The kebabs will not flip and spin every time you turn them. Bonus, most of you will probably already have all the necessary spices in your pantry.

We try to eat salmon as often as possible, and these kebabs are exceptionally flavorful and easy to make. Clients love them, and they're fast to prepare from start to finish (great for weeknight dinners). If you use your oven broiler,  like me, we're talking five minutes.

Adapted from: Bon Appetit, June 2013
Number of servings; 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (dried oregano was used here)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ pounds skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 1 hour (or metal skewers, which were used here)

Directions

1. Prepare grill for medium heat or use oven broiler, as was done here.
2. Mix oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to combine; set spice mixture aside.
3. Beginning and ending with salmon, thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make eight kebabs total.
4. Brush with oil and season with reserved spice mixture. (If broiling, place skewers on foiled lined baking sheet).
5. Grill, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout, about 5–8 minutes. If broiling, place salmon under broiler, as close to element as possible. Broil about 5 minutes on one side. No need to turn.

Well, we got no class
And we got no principals
We ain't got no intelligence
We can't even think of a word that rhymes
~ Alice Cooper

My BFF (since 4th grade) lives in a charmingly small Washington-state town in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. Her circa-1920s farm house is populated with every imaginable nut and fruit tree – chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, apples, cherry plums, pears, and bay. Wild blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, a summer garden, as well as a menagerie of animals (rabbits, chickens, birds, goats, cats) complete the picture.
 
The pièce de résistance is the blueberry orchard (see last photo below), with blueberries as large as grapes that, dare I say, truly taste “blue.” We recently reconnected, and I of course took the opportunity to bring home a good supply of the prize blueberries and put them to good use.
 
This sauce is the perfect compliment to pork chops, wild salmon, chicken and steak. Personally, I don’t like cloyingly sweet fruit combined with meat, but this is different as the balsamic and red wine vinegar give it just the right amount of acid to counter the richness of the protein.

By the way, this is peak salmon season in Washington and the recipe is as Pacific Northwest as they come.
 
Number of servings: 4-6
 
Ingredients

• 2 cups blueberries 
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds or juniper berries (not both, just pick one or none, this ingredient is purely optional)
• ½ cup sugar 
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup (good) balsamic vinegar
• 1 stem thyme
• 1 large shallot, finely minced
• Salt

 
 Directions

1. Place blueberries in a shallow bowl.
2. Heat the mustard seeds or juniper berries (if using), ½ cup sugar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and 1 stem thyme in small saucepan for 3 minutes and stir until sugar dissolves. NOTE: turn your stove fan on and do not stick your face over the pan to take a whiff…the vinegar will knock you over.
3. Add minced shallots and a sprinkle of salt (to taste) and simmer 2 minutes. 
4. Strain the sauce directly over the blueberries and let sit for 15 minutes.

I'm a movie-aholic, and The Usual Suspects is a perennial favorite–one that never gets stale. Few films stand up to repeat viewings; I typically don't see a movie more than once, even if it’s a favorite. Every time Fenster says something unintelligible, can't help but lose it.

​I’m the same way with food. I don’t like leftovers, with the exception of tacos. For some reason, Don and I can willingly eat tacos several nights in a row and not tire of it. [Ed. Note: Go figure.]

Let me introduce you to the roasted salmon taco. Not only is this super healthy, it only takes 30 minutes to prepare, and you will not tire of it (promise).

The recipe is from Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten (love that woman). The tacos have a bold flavor with the tender spiced salmon, beautifully contrasted by the tangy slaw and kicky creamy avocado.  Everything is fresh and simple and perfect for a weeknight meal. This might be a tad spicy for little kids, or those sensitive to heat, so adjust the chipotle chile powder accordingly. 

Adapted from: Cooking for Jeffrey, by Ina Garten
Number of Servings: 6 (2 tacos per person)
 
Ingredients
For the slaw

• ¾ pound green cabbage, cored and finely shredded
• ½ seedless cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeds removed and very thinly sliced
• ¼ cup good white-wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 
For the salmon

• Olive oil, for greasing the pan
• 1 ¾ pounds center-cut fresh salmon fillet, skin removed
• 2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 4 ripe Hass avocados, seeded and peeled
• ¾ teaspoon Sriracha

 
Directions

1. At least an hour before you plan to serve the tacos, toss the cabbage, cucumber, vinegar, dill, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the cabbage to marinate.
2. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 425 °F. Brush a baking dish with olive oil and place the salmon in it. Mix the chipotle chile powder, lime zest, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Brush the salmon with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and sprinkle with the chipotle seasoning mixture. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the salmon is just cooked through.
3. Wrap the tortillas in 2 foil packets and place them in the oven with the salmon. Roughly mash the avocados with the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice, the Sriracha, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
4. To serve, lay 2 warm tortillas on each of 6 plates. Place a dollop of the avocado mixture on one side of each tortilla, then some large chunks of salmon, and finally, some of the slaw. Fold the tortillas in half over the filling (they will be messy!) and serve warm.

Introduction
Hi! Welcome to my first blog post, and thank you for stumbling onto this page.

I am an Oregon-girl (and a U of O grad, Go Ducks!) who has cooked for my own family for decades, but decided to apply it as a self-employed trade into the teeth of the 2008-09 financial crisis. A layoff from a corporate job in the sleep-education field gave me the opportunity to experiment with different culinary techniques in the kitchen, and subsequently create and execute meal plans for friends.

As Silicon Valley slowly recovered, I formally launched the Moveable Feast personal-chef service, and have enjoyed serving the bay area's mid-peninsula ever since. Besides the many families I have had the pleasure of cooking for, my clients have included executives from Apple, Facebook, Google, YouTube and, up north, Boeing.

Here you will find all sorts of recipes from healthy to comfort food to indulgent desserts. I cook seasonally and with as much local ingredients as possible. I develop all the recipes on this site myself along with the photography and food styling.

With the help of my partner-in-crime Don Zulaica (who has written/edited everything from medical-device marketing to local newspapers, national music magazines and entertainment web sites), this blog will share delicious recipes and experiences from the past decade, document the continuing journey, and hopefully give you a few ideas for dishes to try out in your own kitchen.

Hope you're having a wonderful 4th-of-July holiday!

Cheers,
Jacquie Steiner

Crispy Salmon with Strawberry Salsa
Of all of the posts at the Moveable Feast Facebook page, and the upwards of two dozen salmon preparations, this gets the most requests for its recipe. It's also one of the more popular seasonal dishes from my summer menus.

Sweet strawberries and basil might seem an unusual pairing with salmon, but coupled with the kick of red onion and/or serrano pepper, balance out the entree nicely.

Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• (2) 8 oz pieces of salmon fillet, skin on
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into small cubes
• 2 tsp red onion, minced and/or 1/2 seeded serrano pepper  (if you like more of a kick)
• 2 Tbls basil, julienned
• 1 Tbls (or more to taste) lime

Directions

1. I use a cast iron pan. You can use stainless steel. Place pan over medium high heat. Dry salmon filets with paper towels and brush salmon with olive oil on both sides. Season with kosher salt.   
2. Place fish in the hot pan skin side down, press on fillet gently, turn heat down to medium low and cook for 7 minutes until skin is crispy. Flip the fillets and cook another 1-2 minutes. The internal temperature should be 120 degrees.
3. In a small bowl, toss strawberries with basil, red onion, serrano (if using) lime and a pinch of salt.
4. Plate salmon, sprinkle with sea salt and spoon strawberry salsa over fillets.
5. NOTE: I have made this skinless as well. Follow the same directions.