Hi – long time no see!! I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last post! I thought I’d have tons of free time to blog over the summer but so far it has been pretty jam-packed.

After school ended, I led a school trip to France with 10 students and a coworker. It was my first time ever traveling with students and planning a trip for that many people so I was a bit nervous. I had no reason to be nervous though – it all went great!

First, we spent 5 days in Nantes, France where the students stayed with host families. I was a little worried about them in the beginning, but they all had an amazing time with their families! We even ran into some of the students with their host siblings one day and they were having a blast.

While the students were with their families, my coworker and I got to explore Nantes on our own. I actually studied abroad in Nantes AND spent 8 months teaching there after college so I was ECSTATIC to be there again! One of the teachers I worked with took us all over the region in his car and had us over for dinner with his family and I also got to meet up with my friends! It was a really wonderful 5 days in Nantes (way too short though!).

After the 5 days in Nantes, we met back up with the students and took the train to Paris. We spent 3 days in Paris as a big group site-seeing like crazy. There was so much to fit in in just 3 days so we had a very packed itinerary. Despite the complaining about feet hurting, a problem with some ATM cards, some lost luggage, and a run-in with some thieving gypsies, we had no major issues and overall we had a great time!

After the students went home with my coworker, I spent a few days in London visiting a friend I met during my time teaching in France. Since I’ve been to London twice before, I decided to forgo the typical site-seeing and instead spent my time wandering through different neighborhoods and sampling the unique cafes. I love London!

Finally, after London I spent another couple days in Paris where I relaxed on my hotel’s balcony, eating my way through a box of macaroons. I wish I could have taken that balcony (and the view that comes with it) home with me!!

Now that I’m home and well-rested, I have a whole bunch of recipes that I’m dying to try. The first was Maple Glazed Salmon.

Since it’s been so nice out here, we’ve been grilling a lot and trying out some new grilling recipes. We had never grilled salmon outside before but this Maple Glazed Salmon did not disappoint! The marinade was light and flavorful but not too strong so it didn’t overpower the delicious taste of the fish itself. It was very easy too!

Begin with the marinade. In a ziplock bag, combine 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, and 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice. Add 4 salmon fillets into the mixture and marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high then pour marinade into a small sauce pan, bring to boil, and cook until reduced by half.

Spray grill  with cooking spray then place the salmon on the grill, skin side down. Grill 3-4 minutes, brushing it with the marinade every so often.

Flip the salmon (spray with cooking spray first), then peel the skin back and discard it (you could leave it on if you want – the skin just grosses me out!) Grill it another 3-4 minutes or until cooked, brushing it with the marinade occasionally.

Remove the salmon from the grill the season it with salt and pepper. We served ours with tons and tons of grilled veggies. Yum!

Maple Glazed Salmon
Serves 4
From myrecipes.com 

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
cooking spray 
salt
pepper

Directions: 

1. In a ziplock bag, combine rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Add 4 salmon fillets into the bag and marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high then pour marinade into a small sauce pan, bring to boil, and cook until reduced by half.
3. Spray grill  with cooking spray then place the salmon on the grill, skin side down. Grill 3-4 minutes, brushing with marinade every so often.
4. Spray salmon with cooking spray then flip. Peel the skin back and discard it (or leave it on if you prefer). Grill fish another 3-4 minutes or until cooked, brushing it with the marinade occasionally.
5. Remove the salmon to a plate the season it with salt and pepper.

The glaze is sweet from the maple syrup but tangy from the rice wine vinegar and orange juice. You are going to love this Maple Glazed Salmon!