Patriotic Cheesecake Parfaits

We live about a bazillion miles from family right now, and I'm getting excited about my brother visiting for Independence Day.  Here is a dessert idea for his visit.



Recipe and photo are from here:
http://www.becomingmartha.com/2013/05/patriotic-cheesecake-and-meringue.html

To make this, you will need...

• 2 pkg. of cream cheese (8 oz)
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 pkg fat free vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• meringues (buy them already made, or follow a recipe like this one)
• berries (I used strawberries for Canada Day and added blueberries for 4th of July)

Start my beating the cream cheese.  Then, slowly beat in the milk.  Add the pudding mix.  Then, transfer to another bowl (if you are using a stand mixer, or grab a new bowl if you are using a hand mixer), and whip your cream.  Once the cream is whipped, reserve about 3/4 cup for garnishing and then carefully FOLD the remainder into the cream cheese mixture.  Make sure to fold, and not stir or beat, because you don't want to lose the air you just whipped into your cream.

To layer, I started with cream cheese mixture, then crumbled meringues, then berries.  I added another layer of meringue and cream cheese mixture, and then topped it with a dollop of whipped cream. I added some berries to garnish the top as well.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Credit to Martha Stewart, see link below

I'm starting a new label (see below and sidebar).  It's called, "ones to try when he's deployed".  You see, my husband likes fish...but can't stand the smell of it in the house.  Sooo, I can't so much as sauté shrimp without hearing about it.  I LOVE salmon though and the sweet zing of this one sounds interesting.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 side salmon (about 3 pounds), skin removed, cut into 8 fillets
• 1 bunch watercress (about 3/4 pound), thick stems trimmed
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack in top position. In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add shallot and cook, stirring often until softened, 3 minutes. Add vinegar and cook until slightly evaporated, 1 minute. Add mustard and brown sugar; stir until warm and combined, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. (To store, refrigerate cooled glaze in an airtight container, up to 1 day.)
2. Place salmon fillets on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1/2 cup glaze to a small dish and brush on top of salmon. Broil salmon until glaze is bubbling and fish is opaque throughout, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness; brush remaining glaze over fillets. Serve salmon along with watercress and lemon wedges.

Both the image and this recipe are from Martha Stewart and can be found here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/344987/salmon-with-brown-sugar-and-mustard-glaz?czone=food%252Fdinner-tonight-center%252Fdinner-tonight-main-courses&crlt.pid=camp.6YisakUb4kTu