Steamed Mussels with a White Wine Sauce

Steamed mussels are so easy and impressive....I don't know why I haven't made them sooner. I guess I just have so many things I want to try, but when I ran across some fresh mussels at Whole Foods all cleaned and ready to go...I jumped on it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water

1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon  olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 shallots minced
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 cup cream
2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
1/4 cup minced parsley
red pepper flakes if you want

Method:

Rinse clean mussels under running cold water, scrub if needed. Discard any broken shells or any that will not close when tapped. If not already cleaned and debearded remove the “beard” or brown tab typically found on the side of the shell.

 In a large stock pot, or Dutch oven , in the oil, sauté the shallots, garlic over a medium high flame for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and red pepper flakes (if using them).  Add the mussels and cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their flavored water into the pot. Cook until the shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Try not to overcook, or they will be rubbery and not so good.

Once the mussels are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot to a bowl. Discard any shells that did not open. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley.

.

Mmm still steaming and oh-so-garlicky-good!

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk some butter and the cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tarragon, add the flour if it needs to be thickened a little. Pour the mixture over the mussels and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Dig in and enjoy! Make sure you dip the bread to sop up all that wonderful goodness!

Sutchi Fillet with Cornmeal Crust

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We ran across this sutchi fish that is similar to catfish and will hold up well to pan frying, we thought we'd try it.

prepare the egg mixture...whisk together 1 egg and a little milk or cream with a fork...if you don't want to use eggs you can soak the fish in buttermilk instead. Pour the egg wash and cornmeal mixture (recipe below) in shallow bowls...or pie dishes.

prepare the fish by rinsing and patting them dry...

...then dust the fillets in flour that is seasoned with salt and pepper, I use a plastic bag and shake the fish with flour until well coated. The flour helps the egg wash and cornmeal stick. Then dip the fillet in the egg wash and then in the cornmeal.

Cornmeal crust:

•  3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional)
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or less)
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay (or other seafood seasoning that you like)
• if you don't have Old Bay try this:
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon tarragon (I just like dried tarragon with fish)
  

Heat up a skillet or griddle with a little oil, I use rice bran oil it can take high heat well without smoking. You want the pan to be hot.

Cook the fish 3-5 minutes per side until done. They should be a golden brown with a crisp crust.

Nice and moist fish inside. The sugar is my secret in the crust...it makes it taste like lake perch or walleye that is naturally a little sweet....well I can imagine can't I?

You can use many fish like to cook like this, but it can't be too delicate or it will fall apart.

Black Rice Pasta

I had to try this black rice pasta when I saw it in the store. I already had some black rice soba noodles and I loved it, but it is hard to do it justice in a photograph. I will definitely try that again. Black rice is rich in antioxidants which I like to eat instead of blueberries. Everyone gives me a hard time because I don't like blueberries and they are so healthy for you. Then I found that black rice has just as much antioxidants as blueberries so I eat that instead! Now I found the black rice pasta...what could be better?

Anyway the other thing that I have found in the stores lately is Philadelphia Cooking Creme, that is supposed to make cooking a meal a snap. It comes in many flavors like Santa Fe, Italian, and Savory Garlic. But looking at the ingredients it has little "creme" but various gums, and additives even corn syrup. Being that it is next to the cream cheese I thought I would go with that instead.

So I used:

• 4oz cream cheese (just 4oz, I have a small family, use the whole 8oz package if making more)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream (or creme fresh or Mexican crema)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth if going vegetarian)
• 2 cloves chopped garlic (more or less to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

This is the basic sauce that I used for the savory garlic. for the Santa Fe you can use chilies and cumin. The Italian use some Italian seasoning . You could probably even use some Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. I just heated it in a sauce pan to make in smooth and creamy. Just a few more steps from opening the tub, but i think it's worth it.

I quick stir fried some Chinese broccoli, shallots,  and chicken if you like, this one was vegetarian. Then add shredded carrots, and diced tomatoes, then add the cooked pasta, and mix in the sauce. Top with Parmesan, or cotija cheese like I did here.

Really it tastes better than it looks, and it's fairly healthy with the greens and black rice pasta. The pasta will look better for serving if you didn't use a cream sauce, but it sure tastes good and the flavor was there.

)

She had fun checking everything out, just so many new things to take in...she was chasing birds and lizards, and even got a chance to meet some doggy friends.

This was Linked to Camera Critters and Meatless Mondays. Weekend Potluck and (Gluten free) Weekly Meal Plan .

Greek Chicken Tenders - Martha Monday

Today's Martha Monday was my turn to choose. This summer my daughter and I are trying more and more restaurants and new things we find at the farmers market. So this week I let my daughter choose what we make for Martha Monday. She came up with two recipes from Martha Stewarts website. One bowl chocolate cupcakes - but we already made the one bowl chocolate cake so here is the other choice she made. Greek Chicken Cutlets. We will still make the cupcakes later.

This was actually a perfect choice for a quick summer meal. Very easy and healthy too!

I used chicken tenders because they were on sale and cutlets were not. I think it was a good substitute because they cook pretty much just as quick as the cutlets do. I seasoned them with some marjoram, garlic, and a poultry seasoning that I like to use...instead of just salt and pepper. I made up a whole batch because it was buy one get one free sale. I saved the rest for lunches to make a wrap and use in a Caesar salad.

Tender and good from the first night it was served and even the next day for lunch.

Good right down to the last bites.

Here is Brette's result she now has a blog Putting it All on the Table.

A Few Things - This and That for Quick Meals

Just thought I'd stop in and try to put a post together. I think this is the longest I've been away without saying anything. I just hate using the excuse that I am so busy at work and then trying to keep the house running, meals on the table, lunches made, chores to be done and just about drop into bed each night. I have to keep moving when I get home from work to get anything done. Otherwise once I sit down, boy it's hard to get back up!!
So to relax a little I enjoy walking the beach and collecting sea shells...here are a few I've picked up off the beach lately. We were collecting some things for Maranda's Marine Biology project

This is my husbands busy time at work...people need their jet skis when the weather is this good!! The pro racers need their race skis ready for the up coming race season! So often my daughter and I will eat earlier and he will have to warm his dinner up when he gets home.

To squeeze some greens into a one dish meal, I often add spinach to it, like soups and here in my lasagna.

Nice and cheesy and you can't even tell it has some healthy spinach!

Lasagna is a good meal for him to warm up...and plenty left for lunch or to freeze for later.

A walk along the bay front is relaxing, I always enjoy the way the sun plays off the boats and water.

Yes! Just as good the next day!!

Just throwing some ideas out there. Scrambled eggs made with verde sauce, queso blanco, flowering chives, wrapped up in a fresh tortilla.

Was good for breakfast or lunch!

So here I had an idea how to use sweet soy sauce,. My mom used to make meatloaf for us when we were growing up and she would use ketchup and brown sugar for the topping while baking. It was a little too sweet for me. Well I make my meat loaf different because I don't use ground beef usually ground pork or ground turkey sometime add in some ground chicken. Anyway I just love the flavor of this thick medium sweet soy sauce that I have, so I thought it would work great for a topping instead..

Course I love scraping good caramelized dripping off the bottom of a pan. It did give it good flavor, but I have to figure out what I need to do to make a good sauce thick enough to stay on top. Maybe add it a little while after baking some.

An easy way to make leftovers tasty. Tortillas do come in handy for this. A little chicken, cilantro, fresh squeeze of lime, Mexican cheese, fresh spinach, and tomatoes if you like!

None of these really have recipes so I didn't post any, but I just wanted to share some ideas for things you can throw together for the busy weeks that sometimes sneak up on you! I really admire those who can plan out their weekly menu. I just am not one of them. I like to see what looks good in the store, and use up what I have in the pantry and fridge.
I had some purple potatoes, and sweet potatoes are always easy to find, along with any white potato, and onion. Saute in some good olive oil, rosemary and thyme or your favorite herbs, salt and pepper. Confetti potato hash was a hit!!

The purple potatoes look prettier on the inside than they look before they are cut.
Hope this helped you with some quick supper ideas. I am just happy that I was able to get it out there. I have been off line all day, and off and on throughout the past week. It is so strange that it will do this. I think it is our splitter, even though we replaced it. So our phone and Internet will go down, but not cable TV. We will jiggle the connector, hit the reset button, sometimes it works and some time it doesn't work. We've replace the cable coming to the house, upgraded to an expensive splitter and this will still happen...off and on, no rhyme or reason! Sheesh! Talk about frustrating!! So this brings us to our last relaxing photo...

... of course I couldn't leave you all without a beautiful Florida sunset!

Toasted Onion Crusted Salmon

This is my daughter new favorite way to have salmon. First let me tell you when she was little she liked Goya Mojo Marinade, steamed rice and broccoli...that's it, no sauce, no butter, nothing else. I figured since this is a child who likes such a healthy meal...why mess with it. Sometimes I would add the onions on our half and leave hers the way she liked it, after all she ate it and it was easy.

Then she started to eat other fish, I was able to get her to try mountain trout, catfish, and whitefish, even rainbow trout with the head still on. Now she is pretty adventurous, and will at least try something first, but I think she will eat most fish, (we get on sale).

So here we go on preparing her latest request salmon...

This is a quick meal ready in no time since I have the timing down on baking. Wash and pat dry the salmon...squirt a little oil in the bottom of the baking dish I love using stoneware for baking fish.
Season the fish with salt and pepper or a season-all for fish like Old Bay seasoning


...you can use your favorite mustard, spread it on nice and even now, the mustard helps the onions hold on.

...sprinkle with some cumin, I almost used dill here, but I really like how the cumin came through in this.



Next take some of the french fried onions and crumble them up...


Top the fish with the onions and pat them down gently...some will fall off, but this is good too. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes depending on how big and thick the salmon is.


For two pieces like this about 17 minutes worked out fine. For one large piece and if it is thicker I have let it go for 25 minutes. You don't want to over cook the fish.


You want the topping to be crisp and the fish to be done, but moist and tender...


What about my husband you ask? Yes he likes it, but I never hear him complain about anything I make as long as it doesn't have green peppers and it's not too spicy!

Would you care for a bite?

Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta

I do like finding more ways to use chicken, it seems to be a big part of out weekly meals. It also works so well for leftovers and lunches. If I fix beef it is usually steaks, weather it is skirt steak prepared on the stove top in a hot cast iron skillet or grill pan...quick but messy...or a nice rib eye or porterhouse on the grill...which I am the one that mans the grill! So I hope you won't get tired of chicken recipes. We usually eat many vegetarian dishes too, but not intentionally we just like it. I am lucky that my family is pretty much receptive to anything that I make or "try out" on them.

This one is not that unusual, so I hope you all like it!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion or shallot chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 oz asparagus cut into 2" pieces
1 teaspoon Turkish oregano*
1 teaspoons basil, more if using fresh
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz angel hair pasta

Directions:
Boil water for pasta in a pasta pot, fitted with a strainer. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the chicken into strips or pieces and in a zip-lock plastic bag place the chicken with the flour seasoned with salt and pepper, shake it to coat the chicken. Brown chicken strips until no longer pink -- about 3 minutes each side. (If you have already cooked chicke you can shred it or dice it and add it to the dish that way). Add sun-dried tomatoes, onion, garlic, and asparagus to skillet. Saute for 2 minutes. In the meantime, add the fresh pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.

Now add the wine, oregano, basil and parsley to the skillet. Saute 1 minute then stir in the cream. You can use some pasta water if you would like more liquid in the sauce. Strain the pasta and transfer to a large pasta bowl. Add the chicken saute to the pasta and toss. Season with oregano, salt and pepper before serving

*edited to add some links to Turkish Oregano


I added it all to the pan together, cooked it until the sauce was the right thickness to my liking.

The asparagus was added just because that is what I had. You can add artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives and even feta cheese if you prefer. I added already cooked chicken this time.

It might of been prettier if I place the pasta in a bowl and laid the chicken and sauce over the top, but this is fine for family. A nice, tasty, pretty quick meal!


You know I have to sneak a beach picture in here:


When the sea birds hang out at the beach at sunset they usually all face the same way...aaah one oddball :)

Blogger friends visit, a weekend in Sarasota

Okay enough playing around, I've got to get back to work. After a week of quick dinners (I had to squeese some food in) like above of yellow rice with cilantro, steamed carrots and kale, and pork cutlet....not much to write about there. It has almost been a whole week since we had our lunch, where we got to meet up with some fabulous fellow blogger friends of mine. I am sure many of you know Rebecca from Chow and Chatter, she is just as nice in person as she is in all of the videos she posts, and she is every bit herself everywhere you'll see her on facebook , twitter and where ever else she might be. Rebecca and her family are awesome, if you haven't been there please check out her blog...I admire all that she does.

We also met Sam from My Carolina Kitchen, we were so lucky that they were in Florida for the season, and they drove up to Sarasota to join us for lunch at Mattison's City Grille downtown...just as the farmer's market was pulling out for the day. Sam and her husband were such a delight, we all had plenty to talk about. If you want to see some fantastic food and stunning photography, be sure to visit Sam's blog, you won't be disappointed.



Rebecca with her finally napping little guy...cat naps for him on this trip.




Sam and her husband Meakin, never a dull moment...




Daddy helping out so mom can eat...he's got his hands full and he can still eat, now that's talent!



I always have to get and action shot...I don't know how I do it!!! :) sorry!




I was busy working on my shell ornaments and crafts for the season. I wanted to bring them along to share...the glue was drying in the car on the way over...it's a long story...about the wrong glue. I didn't get a photo of those, but you can see one of the shell angels I made on Rececca's blog.




Later, I did work on my sea urchin snowmen, and finally found something that would work for a hat. What do you think? Any other ideas what I could use beside a cheap bead?




They were able to enjoy some beautiful weather, and sunsets. So much fun to have Rebecca walk my beach and enjoy the beauty that is around us and where I live. It was great we ran into them there on the beach. So much more to see and do.



After all the sunsets I post, I wanted to share a sunrise looking out my kitchen window. If any of you are visiting Florida and are near Sarasota, please give me a shout and email me. Would love to meet you!