The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

This is another little ode to Ina Garten, who never fails me. There are things that happen when I use one of her recipes that I just can’t explain, but one thing is for sure they are simple and always turn out as wonderful as they look. I whipped up this smoked salmon mousse this weekend after we opened another huge package of my fathers amazing wild smoked salmon, a package that is just way too big for two people to finish off in just one week.

I’m always sort of hesitant to do anything too fancy with this salmon as I think it’s really at its best when eaten simply with a little cream cheese, capers and red onion on bread. The delicate flavor is easily lost when mixed with too many flavors and I’m not a fan of cooking smoked salmon in any way – the combination of smoked salmon and eggs is about as wrong as food parings get for me.

It is officially feeling like fall in Vancouver and I’m wondering how it’s possible that the summer flew by so quickly. It’s the end of September, how is that possible? Is this what happens after you turn 30? If it is, I don’t think I’m comfortable with it.

It really seems like just yesterday when I was laying on top of my bed, limbs spread out as far as possible from one another, with a sunburn so bad that you could get third degree burns from just touching my skin. I’m pretty sure I shaved a good 5 years off my life with that one yet I keep telling myself that the tan I had in weeks that followed was worth the price. It really was spectacular. Not to mention that it lasted for at least a month! I don’t tan very easily thanks to my extremely fair skin and usually apply the highest amount of SPF I can find, so a tan is a rare thing…. which is what I used to also say about burns. Ha!