Fresh Florida Fried Grouper Sandwiches ~ ~ On The Road Again!

These are some seriously crazy huge freshly beer-batter dipped onion rings that we joyfully noshed on while overlooking one of the inland waterways off of Treasure Island near St. Petersburg, FL, USA!  What a fun and definitely popular place!  Goodness, it was happy hour and there wasn't an empty seat in the 3 room establishment . . . mostly senior citizens drinking around the lengthy bars too!  Ahhhh, to be retired and living in the warm sunshine!

Anyhow, whenever we travel, our plans always include asking where the locals go for good food (you know, the places that never have to advertise and that are so popular that there are never any specials or coupons offered . . . essentially the ancient old 'gold-mines')!  For the first night dining here in St. Pete Mr. M. and P. and I were directed to a delicious dump called Sea Hags Bar and Grill on St. Pete's Beach.  We totally loved it!  Live music, lots of happy people, great food, and cocktails to satisfy the souls of these two travelers!

We're suckers for hand-made, on-the-premise breaded onion rings . . . and the bigger the better we say!  This platter of  O-Rings was almost nabbed by every character sitting at the bar before it made it's way to our table and was nearly a meal in itself.  But alas, we couldn't stop there for "Pete's sake"!

So on with the next course:  A huge fresh-out-of-the-gulf fried grouper sandwich so tender and sweet!  And surprise of all surprises!  Something that I rarely see on a menu south of the Midwest:   a monster-sized breaded pork loin sandwich!  HEAVEN ON A BUN!  These sammies were so huge that we saved half of each for today's lunch and then some!

Perfectly unhealthy fried food . . . but fresh unhealthy fried food!  :-D

Above:  The Fried Breaded Fresh Grouper Sammie!

Above:  The ultra-huge monster-sized Fried Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sammie 

(compare to the size of the large hamburger bun!)

A view of some gorgeous boats floating in the docks along with a few happy people at the end of the outdoor section of the restaurant where there were literally only a few tables left for strangers like us who arrived a bit late for happy hour!

Cheers from St. Pete/Tampa Bay, Florida!

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Panko and Italian Herb~Crusted Perch Filets!

Everyone knows that we should try to enjoy more fish in our nutrition versus beef and/or pork.  When it comes to preparing fish, we usually choose grilling for simplicity and speed.  However, as we all know, doing the same thing all the time tends to get boring.  So I searched the web for some quick and easy fish entree recipes and came up with a compilation of about three recipes.  As with every recipe that I post, I always recommend that you put your own spin on a recipe.  Just know that picture doesn't lie and this crust is crunchy and yummy.  This fish recipe can be baked or fried.  

Either way that you choose to cook the fish, the panko breading sprinkled with herbs is delightful.  Panko is made from the center of bread instead of the crust.  Using it results in a larger, flaky bread crumb and a crunchier texture when fried.  We just love Panko!!  

I used perch fillets for this entree, but you can use any mild-flavored white fish as well (tilapia, cod, flounder).  If you can, try to use as freshly caught fish as you can.  Serve this encrusted fish with lemon-garlic butter or your favorite tartar sauce on the side for dipping.  This simple and easy fish pairs nicely with uncomplicated, colorful, fresh vegetables as well.  

Panko and Italian Herb-Crusted Perch Filets

4 lake or ocean perch (or any mild-flavored white fish)

1-1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

2 jumbo eggs

1/2 stick of butter (or more if desired)

1 cup canola oil

.

Garlic Butter

1 stick butter

juice from 1/2 lemon (or more if desired)

1 tsp. garlic powder
.

Blend all dry ingredients from the panko crumbs to the lemon zest in one medium sized bowl.

In a second medium sized bowl, beat the eggs.

Heat the butter and oil to hot on the stove OR pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Begin dipping the fish filets in the beaten eggs.

Dip egg-washed fish filets into the panko-herb breading.

Dip AGAIN into the eggs.

Dip AGAIN into the breading.

Place the breaded fish filets into the hot butter-oil, cover with a lid.

Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on the heat of the oil.

Keep your eyes on the fish so that they cook until a nice golden brown color on each side.

For the dipping sauce, melt the butter and add lemon juice and garlic.  

If you bake the fish, place them in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil.

Bake until golden brown.

Garnish with lemon slices or wedges.

Serve with lemon-garlic butter and/or tartar sauce.

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Wild Rice, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Frittata ~ Lightened Up!

Spring is just around the corner!   And eggs just symbolize this wonderful season of new life that so many of us are anticipating at this time! 

The focus for this month's theme for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is my incredibly, irrisistable love of EGGS!  Whenever there is a question about what one must absolutely have in your panty, my response always includes eggs!    

Well, whatever your feelings are about eggs, I know one thing for certain . . . for me, personally I can't live without them.  I can give up beef easily, chicken next, and then maybe pork.  But eggs?  It would be tough to ever give them up!  For this Cooking Light monthly entree recipe, I selected a wonderful Italian recipe in which eggs are delicately seasoned with basil and lemon in a frittata.  The primary focus of this dish is on the contrasting spring flavors of asparagus, green onions, and tomatoes. Wild rice brings an earthy nuttiness to the ensemble and makes this dish a light and complete meal in itself. To top it off the frittata includes creamy goat cheese as well.  It is simply delicious!  Experiment with whatever produce is in season or whatever is your preference, for example fresh peas, prosciutto, or fontina cheese would also be delightful in this Italian frittata.

Please visit Val from "More Than Burnt Toast", the host for this monthly get-together of foodie bloggers in the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club!  On Val's blog you will also find all of the delicious, mouth-watering light 'egg' recipes selected by the other chefs in the group.

Enjoy!

Wild Rice, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Frittata

2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
4 large egg whites
Cooking spray
1 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1/4 pound)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese

First, one hour before cooking the frittata, prepare the wild rice according to the package directions (bring 4 cups of water and 1 cup of wild rice to a full boil, reduce to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes; turn off heat and let rice sit for another 30 minutes covered).
Preheat oven broiler.
Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk; set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Coat pan with cooking spray.
Add asparagus and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes.
Add onions, and sauté 1 minute or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, rice, basil, and rind; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.
Reduce heat to medium.
Pat mixture into an even layer in pan; sprinkle with cheese.
Pour egg mixture over rice mixture; cook 4 minutes or until almost set.
Wrap handle of pan with foil; broil 4 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Cook wild rice (left)

Saute asparagus and garlic (right)

Add sliced onions and sauté (left)

Chop up basil (right)

Add and sauté basil, tomatoes, rise, and lemon (left)

Add the egg mixture (left)

Add in diced goat cheese (left)

Cook on stove on low and then broil in oven (right)

..

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Baked Spaghetti Pie ~~ Perfect Way to Use Cooked Spaghetti!

Spaghetti in Bolognese sauce . . . we devour a tremendous amount of it!  Twice a year we make huge, HUGE pots of Bolognese (meat) sauce to freeze in order to use whenever we want pasta at the last minute without having to wait to make this sauce from scratch each time.  This sauce is a life-saver, but we eat so much of it, that like everything else, it can get old.  Variety is the spice of life, right?

So I played with a few recipes today (from both on-line sources and my endless amounts of clipped recipes) to come up with a Baked Spaghetti Pie.  Oh my goodness, this is so delicious that even my husband spoke not one word while he stuffed his face.

"Silence" from the lips of Mr. M. and P. (Meat and Potatoes) while eating is ALWAYS a good sign!  It's his sign of culinary happiness and approval!  If he doesn't enjoy something he says something directly after his first or second bite and that's all that's necessary to realize if a recipe is a loser or not.  So I love it when he eats in quiet bliss because I know he's basically saying "I like this and can't eat it fast enough!".  This man's taste palate and his stomach are very important to my cooking endeavors, and as a result he's a spoiled man regarding good food . . . and I rely on him to tell me the truth to keep or toss out a recipe!  His huge stamp of approval is all over this recipe for you!

If you prepare this recipe, use any ingredient that you prefer and/or have on hand in your pantry.  For example, I had some Genoa salami on hand and chose to dice it up and throw it in.  I also had some prosciutto but decided against using it because it's not an ingredient to get lost in a casserole-type of dish; it's best to shine on it's own.  If you have some ground pork or turkey, that would be great, but in this case I had only ground chuck beef and used it.  Do you like artichokes . . . anchovies . . . olives?  Just chop some up and throw those in and make this recipe your own personalized version!!  The spaghetti forms the base and the toppings are as unique as your imagination.

 Baked Spaghetti Pie

4 cups (minimum) left over spaghetti in Bolognese or Marinara sauce
2 jumbo eggs
1 Tbsp. egg whites
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella (or ricotta if you prefer)
1 pound ground beef or pork (or 1/2 and 1/2 of each)
Seasonings of choice (I liberally sprinkle Accent, Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Flavor, and Nature's Seasoning)
2 - 3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 large cloves of freshly minced garlic
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 lb. diced Genoa salami (or prosciutto)
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained . . . or fresh if you have them on hand
1/2 package of sliced turkey pepperoni (or regular pepperoni)
2 packets or containers of pizza sauce (Trader Joe's is very good)

1 7 to 8 oz. package of 5 to 6 shredded cheese Italian blend

In a medium casserole dish place the left-over spaghetti Bolognese and spread evenly.

Combine the egg and egg whites and blend in the Parmesan cheese to the mixture.

Pour this egg-cheese mixture evenly over the top of the spaghetti Bolognese.

Spread the fresh mozzarella (or ricotta) over the spaghetti.

Saute and brown the ground beef with seasonings of choice.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 - 3 Tbsp. olive oil.

Add the chopped green pepper, minced garlic, chopped onion, and diced salami.  

Cook for about 5 minutes.
Do not burn the garlic.

Add to the sautéed, seasoned and browned beef.

Spread the beef-vegetable mixture over the mozzarella.

Layer sliced mushrooms.

Layer the pepperoni.
Pour the pizza sauce on top and spread evenly.

Generously sprinkle the shredded cheeses over the top.

Place spaghetti on lower rack of pre-heated oven.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until your preferred level of doneness, usually when the cheese is melted and golden brown.

spread the fresh mozzarella over the spaghetti Bolognese and egg-Parmesan mixture

spread the beef-pepper-garlic mixture on top of the mozzarella

next layer the sliced mushrooms and turkey pepperoni

pour the pizza sauce over the pepperoni

sprinkle and spread the 5 to 6 Italian cheese blend all over the top

Ooey, gooey, cheesy indulgence!  Yes!

Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown at 350 degrees.

Enjoy this cheesy Italian-American dish!

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Snickerdoodle Simplicity ~ A Classic Treat!

 

I'm a firm believer in Thoreau's famous words "Simplify, simplify, simplify"  and "I went to the woods to live simply".  With that said, it's been my own personal mantra for the last year.  As a blogger, I've noticed so many recipes that are anything BUT simple, and in fact, are quite tedious and time-consuming to make.  

"WHY?" I ask!

As an Italian, one of the most singular, well-known, time-tested element of my native cuisine is in fact it's pure simplicity with the use of outstanding ingredients that never compete with a heavy sauce or gravy!  Maybe that is why I love David Rocco's style of Italian cooking . . . he doesn't mess it up with 'stuff', but rather allows the purity of the dish to shine on it's own.  With the weather being so crazy this week in the Southeast, we were yearning for something comforting and simple . . . something baked . . . something that made our kitchen and home 'feel' safer, at least through the perception of aromas:  Warm cookies and milk.  Childhood simplicity!  Perfect!

Our hands-down favorite cookies on the planet are Snickerdoodles.   I never had the chance to enjoy these growing up because my mother did not bake other than for Christmas.  My husband, on the other hand, came from a baking crazed family and he has carried on that tradition throughout our years together.  In fact, HE bakes all of the cookies in the house, not me!  And he's a great baker to boot!

So here is Mr. M. and P.'s (meat and potatoes) recipe for snicker doodles that he has lovingly borrowed from an old cookies cookbook that I purchased years ago to try and get started on baking these treats (Cookies by Bess, 1981).

Pass the milk please!

Snickerdoodles

1 cup softened butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 jumbo eggs

2-3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. sugar

Cream butter, sugar and eggs together.

Stir in dried ingredients.

Mix well.

Chill dough.

Roll into small balls.

Combine the 2 Tbsp. of cinnamon and 2 Tbsp. of sugar

Roll the cookie dough balls in this cinnamon-sugar mixture to cover.

Place balls 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake in 400 degree oven until lightly browned and STILL SOFT for about 6 - 8 minutes.  The longer they bake, the harder they will get after removing from the oven.  We like ours more soft.

The cookies puff out and then flatten out a bit.

Enjoy these delicious cinnamon, sweet treats!

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