Last weekend I traveled to Connecticut for a weekend of bridal pampering and planning for one of my best friends who is getting married in August.  We visited the stunning vineyard where she is getting married, had her hair trial, and ordered her shoes, all while the Maid of Honor and myself (matron of honor) took advantage of every moment she was in the other room to scheme and plan.  It’s such a special treat to get to celebrate friends.

With over 6 hours of driving by myself, I eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to catch up on the podcasts in my queue. I’ve been in more of a book phase recently, but listening to each of these reminded me of the power of a great story and just how much I love all of these podcasts and the unique joy they each bring.

• The West Wing Weekly – Any other WWW lovers out there? They go through the TV show episode-by-episode and recap with guests, reflections, and lots of laughs. I listened to an episode all about Hamilton the musical, in which they interviewed the Hamilton creators who are huge West Wing nuts.  It was different than the usual format but EXCELLENT.  
• Ear Hustle – This one was just recommended to me and I’m so glad it’s in my feed. It is produced and hosted inside of a state prison in California. I started with episode 1 called ‘cellies.’ Worth a listen.
• Song Exploder – This podcast interviews bands/song writers who break down one of their songs piece by piece. This was also my first time with this one and I Started with an episode about The Roots. There are 133 episodes to date!
• This American Life – A longtime classic that most people know, but the specific episode I listened to was called DIY which told the story of a wrongly incarcerated man and his friend’s quest for justice for him. Beautifully told. Important story.
• By the Book – I forget how I found this pocast, but it is a lighthearted and fun pair of women who are reading and living the rules in ‘every self help book.’  They started with The Secret and The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
• The Sporkful – In terms of food podcasts this one is always a winner with the tagline ‘it’s not for foodies; it’s for eaters.’  
• What Teachers Should Know – This podcast is produced by an organization close to my heart called Primary Source. They work to “advance global and cultural learning in schools” by providing teachers with quality professional development. I’ve taken many of their courses and also traveled to China with them a few years ago. Now, they have this great podcast for teachers about the Middle East. The first episode tackles the question ‘where exactly is the Middle East?”.

What podcasts are you listening to?

After making it home I was pleasantly exuahsted but didn’t want to spend too much time cooking.  I made a version of this at Easter and thought it would be a perfect sheet pan meal by roasting the brussels sprouts and salmon on the same pan.  A word of caution here is that salmon thickness will really impact the timing, so keep an eye on your fish and sprouts when making this dish. I pulled the sprouts out 5 minutes early so that they didn’t get too burnt and let the salmon and lemons crisp up.  The rosemary and garlic came together well and flavored the fish nicely. For someone who tends to get nervous cooking fish this is a dish that is winning me over!

Sheet Pan Rosemary and Garlic Salmon and Brussels Sprouts

• Servings: 2
• Time: 30mins
• Print

A healthy one pan weeknight dinner option!

Ingredients

• 1 lb salmon
• About 15-18 Brussels Sprouts
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 full sprigs of rosemary
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Steps & Notes

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Cut the stem off of the brussels and then cut them in half. Drizzle with olive oil (or use spray) and dust with salt and pepper.
3. Place the brussels onto a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a food processor and blend until fully combined — it will form somewhat of a paste.
5. Heat this mixture in a pan on the stovetop for 1 minute (this helps make the garlic not taste raw).
6. Use a fork to lightly poke holes in the raw salmon. Drizzle the piece of fish with one lemon wedge, salt, and pepper.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and add the salmon then cover with the rosemary garlic mixture. Cook for 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and check to see if the fish is flaky. If necessary, remove the brussels from the pan and place just the salmon back in for 5 minutes (the thickness of your salmon will impact cooking times here).