Seafood Feast!

Ray must have been hungry when he stopped by the store. He brought home shrimp, scallops and mahi-mahi. He wants to grill it with vegie kabobs... Found this at foodadventures.com and that looks very good.

Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Cilantro Lime Butter
Serves 4

Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 clove garlic minced
2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
4 8oz Mahi-Mahi fillets

Marinade (30 minutes to 2 hours before serving)

Remove the skin from Mahi fillets.
Mix all ingredients on the left (except Mahi) in a non-reactive bowl that is just big enough to hold the fish in one layer.
Add the fish fillets and turn them to coat. They should be sitting very tightly in the bowl.
If you don't have the bowl of appropriate size, just pour the marinade into a large zip loc freezer bag, add the fish, squeeze all the air out and close the bag.
If marinating only for 30 minutes leave the fish at room temperature.
If marinating longer than that, keep it in the fridge removing to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.

Do not rinse or dry mahi fillets. Grill on med-high 3.5 minutes. Flip fillets over and grill 3.5 minutes longer. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of fillets. To test if your fillets are done, gently try to separate the flakes of the thickest part with a fork. If the fish flakes, it's done. It's ok for it to be moist and not completely opaque in the center. Top with melted cilantro lime butter and serve.

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Cilantro Lime Butter
This butter is particularly great on top of grilled and broiled fish.

1 stick butter softened
zest of 2 limes
2 tsp lime juice
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
pinch of red chili flakes

If using unsalted butter add salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp). Add all the other ingredients, and mix well. If not using right away, wrap in parchment paper making a log, put into a zip loc bag, and freeze.

Now searching for more ideas...

This looks like it will go well with the fish. I've reduced it to an appetizer portion. Found it at Cooks.com.

GRILLED SCALLOPS WITH LIME AND SESAME

4. lg. sea scallops
1 lime, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. lime juice
4 tsp. Oriental sesame oil or olive oil
4 tsp. sesame seeds
Freshly ground pepper

Alternate scallops and lime slices on 4 skewers. Combine lime juice and sesame oil in a small bowl. Place skewers on hot oiled grill 4-5 inches above hot coals. Grill 5-6 minutes turning and basting with lime juice mixture and sprinkling with sesame seeds. Grind pepper on top. Garnish with dill.

Now for the shrimp & squash...

hmmmm... this is interesting... God Hates Shrimp (It's a joke!)

I'm saving this jewel for later!
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We also have mussels. Found this recipe from Jicama Grill:

Jicama Grill Mussels in Spicy Ginger-Cilantro Broth
Source: Jicama Grill, Louisville, Kentucky

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds fresh mussels
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of 6 limes (a little more than 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup fresh ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add 1/3 of the mussels in a single layer on the pan's bottom. Cover the pan, set a timer for 1 minute and cook. Keep open mussels warm in oven. Repeat until all mussels are open. Discard any mussels that remain closed.

Return open mussels to sauté pan. Add garlic and scallions and cover pan. Set timer for 30 seconds.

When done, add soy sauce, 1 cup water, lime juice and ginger; cover and cook 1 minute.

Remove mussels again and keep warm in oven. After all the mussels are out of the pan, increase heat to high and boil broth about 1 minute. Return mussels to the pan with sesame oil and toss. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Serve hot with a French loaf or other high-quality bread to soak up the spicy juice.

The mussels were cooked perfectly! But next time I will use less limejuice and soy sauce. Maybe use a bit of Chicken Broth to make up the differences.

August 27th - Anniversary Dinner

This year, our 39th Anniversary, I think I will cook at home. With our new rooms, decks and the nice weather, I think this is prettier than anywhere else we can go! So, I'll cook Ray's favorites in my new kitchen and we'll eat out on our new deck. Then I can soak in my new tub (maybe Ray'll clean up the kitchen while I linger in the bubbles) and go to sleep in my beautiful bedroom!

So for the menu!

Of course, I'll have to make "Oysters Louie" using the recipe sent to me by Leeds Lmt Restaurant. Ray went there while working a Pure Fishing show and fell in love with this. After about two years, I finally found the restaurant and asked them for the recipe. And they sent it!

"hi olive....start out by dusting the oysters with a mixture of flour, pepper, salt, and a pinch of cayenne(spelling?) pepper. fry them to your liking. make a creamed spinach...aka...rockafeller sauce (not sure how its prepared but recipes must be available online somewhere). place sauce on half shell...pre warm shell to ensure oyster wont get cold. place oyster on top of sauce. take texas pete hot sauce or your favorite and mix with honey. drizzle over oyster. then put alittle blue cheese dressing over it. we make our own blue cheese dressing....i think that is important for optimal taste. im not positive on the recipe for it but it is fairly easy and again a similar recipe shouldnt be hard to find. good luck i hope this helps...jonah"

Thank you, Jonah!

Well... I've worked on this, and after about three tries, I made one that Ray says is as good as theirs! First I found a good Blue Cheese Receipe.. and changed it a bit to fit Leeds taste, (as Ray remembered it)!

Blue Cheese Dressing

1/2 cup Blue Cheese
1/3 cup Buttermilk
1 tablespoon Champagne Vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper
1/2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Place the buttermilk, mustard, black pepper and half the cheese in a blender and process for a few seconds, until combined and creamy.
Pour in the vinegar with the machine running.
Crumble the remaining cheese in a bowl.
Pour the dressing over the crumbles cheese and stir together.
Add salt or more vinegar as necessary. You may also add lemon juice if the dressing is not tangy enough. Add more buttermilk to thin, if necessary.
Chill overnight.

The dressing can be made overnight, but the Rockefellow Sauce must be fresh and hot.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Tonight we had Stuffed Pork Chops. A recipe I found at Recipe*zaar.

I changed it a bit to suit our taste and it was delicious. Still a "Confort Meal!" Thinking it would make an easy company dish or holiday dish!

4 pieces pork loin sliced 1 in. thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups stale bread, cut in 1/2 inch cubes (I think crumbs might be better)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely sliced vadalia onions
1/2 cup peeled chopped portabella mushrooms
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup water
1 portabella mushroom, peeled and sliced

Makes 4 servings

1 hour 15 mins prep

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the pork loin chops. Set aside to cool.
3. Cook the onions, celery, mushrooms in the butter till onions are translucent.
4. Toss the bread cubes, onions, celery, mushrooms and seasoning together and drizzle the butter and broth over all, toss again to distribute evenly.
5. Cut a slit in the side of each chop and stuff them, piling any extra stuffing on top of them.
6. Whisk the soup and water together until smooth and pour it over the chops. Place the additional portabella mushrooms on top.
6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Uncover pan and bake 10-15 minutes more or until the juices run clear and meat thermometer reads 160-170 F.

Rosemary Squash Ravioli with Asparagus and Pinenuts

Ok... today I googled dinner... put in Squash asparagus and chicken. I found this... wihich I think may work! It's from an unusual site, too. http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/zpl/pasta/pasta.html

Rosemary Squash Ravioli with Asparagus and Pinenuts
Contributed by: Sung-Eun Choi
Ingredients

Ravioli
2 eggs worth of plain pasta
1/2 small butternut squash, 1-1 1/2 cups pureed
1/2 t fresh rosemary, finely chopped
salt, pepper, and grated parmesan to taste
Sauce
extra virgin olive oil
2 cups asparagus tips (about 1 inch long)
1/2 cup pinenuts
shredded parmesan

Additional Supplies

Ravioli maker. Either the attachment to the Atlas Pasta maker or the ice cube tray type.
Small food processor or blender.

Remove seeds from the squash half and get it wet. Bake it face down on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until it is soft. Let cool.

Roast fresh pinenuts in a heavy skillet in olive oil. Remove pinenuts from skillet. Steam asparagus tips (about one minute in microwave.) Set both aside.

When squash is cool, remove the meat and puree in food processor or blender. Mix in chopped rosemary. Add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. Assemble ravioli as directed with rosemary squash stuffing. Cook as directed and drizzle olive oil over ravioli.

Saute asparagus in skillet about 2 minutes then add pinenuts for another half a minute.Transfer ravioli to plates and gently spoon on asparagus and pinenut mixture. Top with shredded parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Makes two large servings or four more reasonable ones.

Make your own stuff!

Here's an interesting site... Make your own stuff!

And this is cool! Paper Crafts

Interesting Herb Facts

This came from a gardening catalogue.

Mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers and no-see-ums are tough opponents, and you'll need tough solutions to beat them. But that doesn't mean risking your family's health by using poisons and chemical sprays!

Scientists are discovering that nature's own defenses - geranium oil, coconuts, lemon grass and mint - are actually more effective than chemicals. And you can use them without harming the environment, or killing the beneficial bugs that keep your garden blooming.

hmmm... No coconuts, but I think we have enough mint around here for the whole town!

French Onion Soup

I've got some portabella mushrooms in beef broth left from the other night. (Portabella Mushroom Sauce - see below). Thought it might be good in French Onion Soup. Found this recipe:

Suzanne Somers' Sweet French Onion Soup

3 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Maui
2 T olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
4 C beef stock
1/4 C red wine
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 large portobella mushroom
3 slices Gruyere or provolone cheese (I used grated parmesean)
salt and pepper

Serves 4

Slice the onions very thinly. Place a 5-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions.

After about 10 minutes, lower heat to medium low. Add salt and pepper to taste, mustard seed, celery seed, and cracked pepper and continue to saute the onions until carmelized to a deep golden brown, another 20-25 minutes.

When the onions are a rich brown, add the beef stock, wine and Worcestershire sauce. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for about 15 minutes.

Used seasoned crutons and parmesean cheese...

Turned out pretty well. Hubby loved it!
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Note: I didn't have any red wine for the soup, so Ray said he would run to Eminence and get me some. Well, he came home about three hours later... (after the soup was finished) with the wine... and a new red dodge truck! (At least he remembered "RED.") Can't send him out alone ANYWHERE!

Revised Black Bean Salad

Quick and easy... and very good! Revised!

Black Bean Salad

2 - 15 1/2-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels or 2 ears fresh corn; kernels cut from the cob, of course...
2 fresh tomatoes, quartered and sliced in half
1/4 cup thinly sliced vadalia onions
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
juice of one lime
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper, or to taste

Pour the beans into a colander. Pour the frozen corn on top of the beans. Rinse the vegetables with cool tap water. Drain well. Pour the beans and corn into a 3-quart or larger bowl. chop the tomatoes and onions, and add it to the bowl. Using kitchen shears or a knife, chop the cilantro and add it to the bowl. To make the dressing, pour the olive oil into a 2-cup glass measure. Whisk in the lime juice, optional cumin, salt and black pepper. Add to the beans.

Serve at once or chill until ready to serve. Serves 6 generously as a side dish or 4 as a main dish.

Freezing Bell Peppers

Since red & yellow peppers are so cheap right now, I plan to freeze some for winter use... when they get to be $2-$3 each!

Freezing Bell Peppers

Peppers are one of those foods you can quickly freeze raw without blanching them first. To make it easier to remove only the amount of frozen bell or sweet peppers needed at one time, freeze sliced or diced peppers in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides. Transfer to a "freezer" bag when frozen, excluding as much air as possible from the bag. It is generally recommended frozen vegetables be eaten within about 8 months for best quality.

Stir-fried fish with fermented soy beans

For Denise:

2/3 lb fish meat, fillet or steak
1/2 T. cooking wine or sherry
2/3 t salt
1 T cornstarch
1/2 c oil
1/2 c onions, cut into bite-size pieces
2 T oil
1 T ginger root, chopped
1/4 T garlic cloves, chopped
1 T fermented soy beans (I use about 3-4 T)
1/2 c bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 t cooking wine or sherry
4 T water
1 t cornstarch
1/2 t sugar (I seldom use this)
1/3 t salt

Score the fillets lightly in criss-cross fashion, and then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Mix well with the wine & salt. (Follow ingredients in order they are posted.)

Heat the wok then add oil. When the oil is hot, put the fish in the wok. Stir-fry until the color changes and fish becomes opaque. (Don’t toss a lot or the fish will break up too much.) Then remove and drain. Remove the oil from the wok. Add 2 T oil; stir-fry the onions and chopped ginger, garlic and beans till they are fragrant. Add the pepper and cook a minute. Add the fish and remaining ingredients and toss lightly. Remove to a serving platter.

Good with any mild-tasting fish.

Leftovers...

Hubby and I often cook certain foods one night, planning to use the leftovers the next night for the meal. Last night we had New York Strip... and cooked an extra one for one of our favorites, Pepper Steak.

I think I will make a section in the church cookbook for "Second Day Meals" I could put the recipe for the first dinner in... then follow up with the second day's meal.

We also cook a large "beer-butt" Chicken and use the leftovers for chicken salad. Wonder if I can put "beer-butt" in the church cookbook?

Today's the day!

Ok.. my very first post. I want a place to store my recipes and notes about them. And maybe pictures of the dishes.

Today, I'm looking for a portabella recipe to cook with steaks! Lets google it and see what we fine!

mmmm.. This looks good! Cream of Portabella Soup. But that's not what we are looking for, nor do I have the ingredients. But we'll save this for another day!

ahhh... this fits the bill!

Portabella Mushroom Sauce

* 12 oz. Portabella Mushrooms
* 1/4 cup Olive Oil
* 1 cup chopped Onion
* 1/4 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper
* Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
* 3 Bay Leaves
* 2 or 3 large cloves Garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup dry Red Wine
* 1 1/2 cups Beef Broth or Stock
* 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian Parsley
* Pinch of dried Oregano
* 2 Tablespoons Butter

Clean and chop two-thirds of the mushrooms, and slice the remaining third. Set aside.
In hot olive oil, flash-cook the onions and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper for about a minute.
Add the chopped mushrooms and cook til nice and soft.
Toss in the bay leaves and garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Pour in the wine and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add the broth and simmer for 10 minutes more.
Then add the sliced portabellas, parsley, and oregano.
Give it a good seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pull out and discard the bay leaves.
At the very end, finish the sauce with the heavy cream. Keep it warm, but don’t let it boil.
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Hubby rated this a 6.5 on a scale of 10! That means I won't make this again! Oh well...