Spice-Rubbed Salmon with Herb-and-Pomegranate Raita

 

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If you can believe it, we also had fellow couple in our group of friends who were due one month after we were. Cue December 3 (five days after Lila was born) and their baby was here and 28 days early! I will always be so thankful for the group of friends we have and our friend Kari, brought her A+ game. She did a lot for us those first few weeks, including organizing a friend cooking group to bring us meals each night that first week. Not only is this a fantastic way for your friends to see your new little bundle of joy, but it is so helpful to be around friends and family those first few weeks and you get to enjoy  delicious homemade food! So, I volunteered to cook for our fellow new parent couple and wanted to pick something simple, delicious and healthy. Enter this salmon dish from Food & Wine magazine – YUM!

I will admit that while I was pregnant, carbs and sweets were my BFFs. Normally, I don’t indulge in either very often, but I was snarfing breads and pastas and had to have a dessert almost every night (good thing I co-own a pie company eh?). Carbs and pastas and chocolates are a hard habit to break, but I’m trying to get back to my old self and this dish was definitely a step in the right direction. I loved it because I made enough for our friends and for us and it was still quick to make – bonus when you are recovering from a C-section. David and I thought it was perfectly balanced and definitely a keeper, but I knew it was good when I received a text from our friends saying it was delicious! Hooray!

A Winning Night Take Two

As you might have guessed from my severe absence from this blog, we had the baby! Lila Katherine Kealey graced us with her presence on November 29 at 8:20 a.m. weighing in at 8 pound, 2 ounces and 20 inches long. The Kealey trio is doing just fine over here, albeit we don’t know what sleep is anymore, we’ve never done this much laundry in our lives and I now say things like “pee pee diaper” and “passy” (that’s pacifier for short) – I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I feel so blessed each and every day that I get to spend with her and David, plus, this parenting thing is fun! Tiring and overwhelming, but fun.

Of course, I’ve also gotten back to cooking as much as I can since I’m STARVING all the time now. I actually have cooked a lot and will start sharing with you all my findings over the past few months and of course, am back in the saddle moving forward. I’ve already started putting Lila in her chair and facing the kitchen so she can see me cooking and as I cook I explain to her what I’m doing and why. I can’t wait until she’s old enough so I can show her all the magic and love of cooking for yourself and others. More to come!