Additional Math Pages & Resources

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Salmon on the Grill

Salmon on the grill — place planks away from the flame!
As summer draws to a close, here's an easy salmon recipe you can use for family gatherings and neighborhood dinners. If you don't have a grill handy (or you're out of propane), just cook the salmon in your 450ยบ oven for 12-15 minutes or pan fry until medium rare. Do not overcook.

This recipe has become a favorite in our house and with the Excel Math employees. Paired with Bob's relish recipe, it's a refreshingly delicious fish meal for family and friends.

If you do have a grill, cut untreated cedar planks to fit (so your grill lid will close). Soak the planks for 1-3 hours beforehand.

The bathtub or a child's pool works well for soaking. Use weights or clean bricks to weigh down the planks and keep them from floating. You will only be able to use these planks once, since they char, as shown in the photo above.

Purchase wild salmon, if it's available. Create an herb rub with the following ingredients (or use your own favorite rub):

Onion powder
Garlic powder
Dried or fresh parsley
Dried or fresh dill
Celery seed
Paprika
Lemon peel
Dried or fresh basil
Place the salmon on cedar planks or on a cookie sheet, if you cook it in the oven. Sprinkle the rub on the salmon as shown. 

Drizzle with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar to coat. Garnish with lemon slices. Pre-heat your grill so it is very hot.

While the grill or oven is heating, make the Relish. These measurements are approximate. Feel free to adjust to taste.
In a bowl mix:
2 - 3 medium-size shallots, minced
3 - 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers
1/3 cup coarsely chopped sundried tomatoes (packed in oil)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Minced lemon rind of one lemon
1/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted slivered almonds
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Also make a Balsamic Vinegar reduction. Simply boil the vinegar on medium heat until it becomes a syrup, (reduced by at least half). Let cool. Set aside relish and balsamic reduction until the salmon is cooked.
 
Place the planks on the grill, away from the flame. Cook the salmon to medium rare, until it is slightly opaque in the middle. 

Do not overcook the fish. It will continue to cook for another minute on the plank after being removed from the heat. (Overcooking is the most frequent error when cooking fish at home.)

Place the fillets on a plate, add relish on top, and finish with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar reduction. Serve immediately with rice, roasted red potatoes or Cous-Cous. 

Enjoy!

You might also like these articles:
Professional Development Energizes & Engages Math Teachers
Disney Math — Celebrating 60 Years
Five Steps to Acing Your Interview Without Having to Lie  
Easy Options for Summer Math Improvement
Higher Order Word Problems for Math Students  

Monday, August 10, 2015

Professional Development Energizes & Engages Math Teachers

Bob (pictured at left) offers affordable and
informative Professional Development for math teachers around the country.

These sessions get rave reviews from participants. Bob keeps teachers engaged and informed throughout each two-hour seminar.

He also grills a mean salmon, but we'll save that recipe for tomorrow!

Excel Math is now available in three versions:
Common Core
Texas (TEKS aligned)
Standard (Non Common Core)

Bob has a Professional Development session tailored to meet the needs of teachers using each of these editions. Take a look at Texas Professional Development here.

Watch a short video to hear about Bob's sessions:


Within these areas, Bob offers two different Professional Development seminars: one for users new to Excel Math (Initial P.D.) and the other (Next Step P.D.) for schools that have used Excel Math for a period of time.

For the Initial P.D.: The Excel Math Professional Development gives teachers instructional strategies (best practices) for effective direct instruction and tips to take full advantage of the three components of Excel Math.

Plus, you will learn how to utilize the regular assessment in Excel Math for maximum instruction.

Because Excel Math emphasizes Critical Thinking instead of fill-in-the-blank answers, the Excel Math lessons are an outstanding bridge to the new requirements of the Common Core and State Standards.

Additionally, this in-service includes how to effectively blend Excel Math with an adopted core curriculum for maximum instruction in cases where Excel Math is used as a supplement.

For the Next Step P.D.: "Excel Math—Your Bridge to the Common Core" explores in more depth the specifics of Excel Math as an outstanding bridge to the new requirements of the Common Core and State Standards and reviews Instructional Strategies outlined in the Initial Professional Development.

The fee for each in-service seminar is minimal—to cover travel costs from California. Professional Development seminars are subject to availability. Generally, each session is a little under two hours in length.


Feel free to give Bob a call at 1.866.866.7026 or send him an email: bob@excelmath.com if you'd like to schedule PD at your school site.

Bob is lining up his Professional Development travel for the new school year.

Take a look at the various seminar topics available: http://excelmath.com/usingexcel/prof_development.html

Dates are filling up quickly for these informative and affordable sessions!

You might also like these articles:
Disney Math — Celebrating 60 Years
Five Steps to Acing Your Interview Without Having to Lie  
Easy Options for Summer Math Improvement
Higher Order Word Problems for Math Students  
Using Number Lines in the Math Class