Guava Snack & Sweet Plantains ~ Tailgating Time ~ week #13

Yes, here we are again for week # 13 - Time for football, food, coolers full of cold ones, and game day buffets. Bring over your chips and dips, chili and chowders, all your wings and party things!

I would like to again thank you all so much for joining us each week!! Those of you who are new to us or are Tailgating Time time regulars! Come on and join us! it's easy, just add your link!

You don't have to like football to enjoy tailgating! What is more fun than sharing good food with good friends?! It's all about the food!!
Here are a couple of sweet treats that I will be bringing to the tailgating party today. Sweet ripe plantains and guava cheese snack.

When I want to make plantain chips I have to buy the green plantains the day I will be making them otherwise....they get too ripe on me. So when that happens I make the sweet dessert...

You can slice them or cut them like I did, either way they're so tasty. In a tiny skillet melt a little butter, then add the ripe plantains that are peeled and cut. Then I added a little liqueur....I used this...

Gingerbread liqueur, and it was so good!

Then I drizzled on a little molasses and it caramelized so nicely! Mmmmm....

Then using some guava paste I made a quick treat with some cheese and cracker. Here in Florida we can get guava paste in many ways, I often get it like this...
You will see it in a can, flat tin, box, or like I got it..in a thick plastic wrap. Many different brands can be found too. I will post some more recipes on how you can use it. Like turnovers, stuffed inside fritters, but today it's all about simple...

I topped some Cuban crackers with cream cheese and sliced guava paste. It is good with any mild white cheese, like a Mexican cheese or farmers cheese even fried cheese is tasty. That reminds me I need to make that again, it's been awhile maybe for next week! I guess you can call this some Florida snacks for the football game!
It is a day full of flavors! Now that's a good bite! Have some!

Tailgating Time will be posted every Sunday at noon and it will be open until noon on Wednesday. That should still give you plenty of time to add your family favorites. We'll play each and every week until Superbowl Sunday.
Can't wait to see what you bring!

Tailgating Time is brought to you this week by:
Martha at ~ Seaside Simplicity
Tamy at ~ 3 Sides of Crazy
Me here at ~ The Tiny Skillet
Would you like to be a host of Tailgating Time too? Leave me a comment with your email so I can let Martha know and she'll send you the code and add you to the host list - more exposure, more links, more football food, more fun!

Guava Sorbet

Since I have a lot of the frozen fruit pulps, we use them often in the Magic Bullet blender for smoothies and blended ice drinks. It works really well and Maranda can blend up what ever flavor she wants one at a time. I thought I'd pull out the ice cream maker and try using some to make a sorbet.

I guess to get a creamy texture you need to use enough sugar in it, about 1/2 cup for every cup of fruit. Then there is the question of how sweet the fruit is. The other thing you need to add is lemon juice to cut the sweet taste, then you add a touch of vodka or flavor matching of enhancing alcohol to keep it soft enough to scoop out. You can make it with or without a ice cream maker. This is what I did.

-2 cups guava pulp (the bag is 14 oz so I used guava juice to make up for it)

-3/4 cup of sugar

-1 cup of water

-3 tablespoons lemon juice

-2 tablespoons vodka

In a sauce pan make a simple syrup by heating the water and sugar until sugar is dissolved, then let it cool. In a blender or food processor puree fruit pulp and add lemon and vodka. Combine fruit and simple syrup and put in refrigerator to cool. Follow ice cream makers instructions, pour cooled mixture in running machine, then freeze. It should take about 20 minutes or so in the ice cream maker. Enjoy the icy, cold, fruity goodness!

Next time Maranda wants to make some mango sorbet next, or her favorite Mango Italian Ice! I'll have to check into that. I want to make a Tamarind Ginger Sorbet, so we have a lot of experimenting to do.

What is your favorite sorbet, or what flavor blend would you like to try?

An Afternoon of Appetizers

My husband was telling me they were having a get together at his place of work after hours (because the owner was out of town) hehe, not really. I don't know what they were celebrating, the time change? Good enough reason! A friend that Wade runs with and hangs out at the shop is good with his turkey frier. He was bringing some fresh fish, and other goodies to fry. I have a turkey thawing that he will be frying. So I thought this would be a good time to try my hand at making crab salad nigiri sushi, that my blogger friend Pikko at Adventures in bento making made. Pikko's are much prettier, I'll have to keep practicing. Her creation was a hit though. I put them in a deviled egg carrier to bring them in. Since we were all hanging outside behind the shop it didn't have to be fancy. That is where the fryer was! and the blender!

First off my rice cooker died on me. How frustrating. It would turn on and keep warm, but the cook button wouldn't work. I went to check it and there it sat, all that water still hanging out on top. I transferred it to a pan and cooked it on my stove top, forgot to time it, but it turned out fine! Once in the bowl I added the already prepared sushi vinegar while it's still warm.

Using the stick version of the imitation crab (Pikko says it works better than the chunk kind). I was lucky to have these already. Chop up the crab and add mayo, I added a little wasabi powder to it, but not enough for it to be too much for those who don't like it. I am a wasabi fan!

It took a little while to get used to handling the sticky sushi rice, having a bowl of water on hand to help. I hand made the rice balls (I am using a rice ball maker next time, sounds like a good investment). A little adjusting on what size to make them. With scissors cut the nori sheets into strips, being careful to cut them straight because it will show if you cut it crooked.

Wrap the strips around the rice, sealing it with water. With a tiny baby spoon I filled the cups with the crab salad. Those little spoons come in handy, good thing I saved them!

I topped some with srircha, some with wasabi and left some without, because I know Maranda would like it plain. She did eat some and the plain ones went last. I have to tell you this it was funny. A couple showed up later, they came riding in on their motorcycles all noisy, just to make an entrance. The owner brother and his girlfriend. She is acting all tough in her leathers. Someone is telling them what we have to eat. Now for a few of them this was the first sushi that they've tried. He pointed out the sushi, she says "No I only like real sushi". Now I was good, I only said "this is real sushi". Then I let her do her thing. After eating some 7 layer taco dip, she did try a piece and loved it. (No wasabi for her, she doesn't "do " wasabi) Then she ate another one, then said "I wish we were here earlier and didn't miss most of the sushi" She ended up eating the last one too. I just smiled to myself. Maranda and Wade did bring it up later, and we laughed about it.

Thanks Pikko it was a hit.

I didn't bring my camera, what was I thinking? So I didn't get a photo of the beautiful turkey as it came out of the fryer. It was tasty!

Now on to the afternoon of appetizers. I had a plantain that was too ripe again for Tostones, so I quick fried it up in some butter.

Then added a little liqueur, and drizzled it with molasses.

It caramelized so nicely!

I had some guava paste left from the dessert the other day, so I topped some Cuban crackers with cream cheese and the guava paste. I like to bring these to book club, but cut them a little neater. Jalapeno pepper jelly is good like this too. I also fried up some of the Queso de Freir which Maranda ate most of it.

It was a day full of flavors! That's what happens when you skip breakfast!

Pan Fried Catfish

This is a nice quick weeknight meal. We usually do a lot of salmon, and my daughter is finally branching out to try it more ways other than with the Mojo Marinade. My husband is okay with salmon, but would like some other fish once in a while. So tonight just for him...catfish!

I used some pan searing flour,(or you can mix your own - 1 cup Wondra flour, 1 T fine salt and 1T white pepper) mixed with some whole wheat fine bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Seasoned with Cajun seasoning or mix your own. I used garlic powder, paprika, shallot powder, marjoram, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. I guess all the seasoning is to taste!

Get your flat bowls or pie tins ready, one with a beaten egg, the other with the flour mixture.
Dip the fillet in the egg, then the flour and gently place in a hot skillet with a little butter and canola oil. Pan fry for around 3 minutes per side, until done, tender and flaky!

This was just for family, so it can be casual. I served it with cabbage sauteed in butter and topped with sea salt. I saw Ina Garten do this on The Barefoot Contessa. This is probably the only way I really enjoy cabbage (I use my finishing salt on it). Wade actually helped with the cabbage! Woohoo!

Right before dinner was started, we had to go see the sunset. Even though the clouds came in on the horizon just as sunset approached, we still had to get out and walk the beach. Here is a photo of the...um...sunset? Of course I had to have my camera with me.

I even made dessert which is pretty rare. When my sister was down I was going to make this because I had given her some Guava paste and I was going to show her one way to use it. This is so easy to make! I use puff pastry, rolled it in a rectangle,(just because it fit my stoneware pan) and cut in two, or you use both full sheets for a bigger dessert. Spread cream cheese thinned with a little milk. Slice the guava paste and place it on top of the cream cheese.

Leave a space around the edges and brush it with water. Place the top on and crimp with a fork. Cut a few slits on the top to vent. Bake in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. I'd have shown photos of this but it wasn't pretty, and I left it in too long while I was making dinner. So much for multi tasking.

It still tasted good!