Tilapia on Thursday

I love fish, I really do! I would have to say that my favorite would be shrimp, in its many forms, followed by a close second of raw or slightly seared Tuna steaks. Yummy in my tummy!

Well, I tried to make some tilapia fillets last night. I think they turned out okay, again they can be better, but than again, everything can always be better! I believe the recipe that I used was from either the Food Network magazine, or a Rachel Ray magazine. This meal was served with steamed asparagus with mushrooms and onions.

~Pan Seared Tilapia~

2 tbsp. AP flour

2 tsp. chopped, fresh oregano*

2 tbsp. chopped, fresh parsley

Salt

Pepper

4 6oz. tilapia fillets

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

Combine the flour, oregano and parsley in a shallow dish or pie pan. Season with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over med-high heat. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Melt 3 tbsp. butter in the skillet, then add 2 fillets and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 4 min. Flip and cook through, 1-2 more min. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 fillets. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over top of fish. 

This dish turned out really good and it was really easy and quick! My only critique is that the fish could have used a bit more flavor in the flour coating. Maybe some garlic or salt or something. But it was yummy, light and fresh!

ENJOY!

Salmon on Wednesday

I had bought some smoked salmon at the grocery store over the weekend with the idea of making some "salmon toasts" or something equivalent. Well, I decided to make them tonight as an appitizer of sorts. Along with the Salmon Crackers, as I am now calling them, I served curried potatoes, and a large spinach salad. There was no real recipe used for any of the dished served for this dinner, just kind of tasted and seasoned as I saw fit.

Here are the "recipes" 

~Curried Potatoes~

8-10 small fingerling potatoes

1/3 c. olive oil

1-2 tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a baking sheet with not stick spray. Combine the olive oil and spices into a med bowl and mix to incorporate. Wash the potatoes and cut them into med uniform pieces. Mix with the olive oil and spice mixture until well coated. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-40 min. or until fork tender and cooked through. 

~Salmon Toasts~

1 pkg. cream cheese, room temp

1-2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. salt 

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 pkg. smoked salmon

Ritz Crackers

In a med. bowl combine the cream cheese, onions, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread a tsp. amount of cream cheese mixture onto a Ritz crackers. Top with small slice of salmon. Serve!

The salad that I made was pretty basic. Just spinach, feta cheese, red onion, celery, sunflower seeds, sweet peppers, leftover turkey burger, and dressing. 

I liked the potatoes! The flavor was good, but they were a bit oily, maybe less olive oil next time, but I do like the curry spice. The Salmon Crackers were okay. I thought the salmon would taste a little different. I found myself liking the cream cheese mixture better. Oh well, maybe salmon is better paired with something else. Its an experimentation! 

ENJOY!!!

Turkey on Tuesday

I am keeping it up! I am so very proud!

I decided to make some turkey burgers for dinner. I love, love, LOVE ground turkey! In burgers, meatballs, meat loaf, tacos, sloppy joes, and just about any other combination that you can imagine. Normally I add some sort of Italian seasonings and parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, but this time I wanted something different. The recipe I used was clipped out of a magazine, not sure which one, but one of the larger known cooking magazines.

~Grilled Turkey Burgers~

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

1/2 tsp. salt

2 garlic cloves*

1 lb. ground turkey

1 10oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained*

1 lg. egg white

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder*

1 tsp. italian seasoning*

1 tsp. chopped thyme*

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing gently. Divide turkey mixture into equal portions, shaping each into a 1/4 in. thick patty. Heat a grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 8 min. on each side or until done.

*NOTE: I did not use garlic cloves, I used minced garlic in water, about 2 tsp. I also left out the spinach because I did not have any on hand. I also added the last 3 ingredients to "spice" things up a bit.

Both Hubby and I liked the burgers! The stand-out flavor is the lemon rind, it beings a nice fresh taste to things. I am going to be adding it to my turkey burgers from now on!

ENJOY!

Shrimp on Monday

Yesterday I made some shrimp! I am starting this new integration into my cooking repertoire by cooking at least 2 or 3 new recipes each week. We'll see how it goes, but so far so good!

The recipe I used was from Redbook Magazine. I had clipped it out and put it into my recipe scrap book (I now have 3 going on 4 of these "recipe books") a while ago and I asked my Hubby to look through it and find a recipe he wanted me to make. This was the one that he chose.

~Scampi Gratin~

24 extra large peeled, deveined shrimp, thawed

4 slices white bread, crusts torn into pieces

1/4 c. marinated sun-dried tomatoes, drained, minced

1/4 c. chopped basil

6 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. capers, drained, chopped

1 tsp. garlic paste

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 c. olive oil 

Lemon wedges

Arrange oven rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400 F. To butterfly the shrimp, lay shrimp on a work surface. Make a deep slice with the tip of a knife into shrimp, following the curve where the vein was removed and cutting about 3/4 of the way through the meat. Spread incision open and flatten slightly with fingertips. Move to baking pan brushed with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. 

Pulse bread in a food processor until corse crumbs form; transfer to a bowl. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, basil, 4 tbsp. parmesan, capers, garlic paste, and pepper until combined. Stuff each shrimp with breadcrumb mixture, slightly pressing stuffing down to adhere. Drizzle remaining olive oil over shrimp, then sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake 5 min. Shut off oven and turn broiler to hight. Broil shrimp  until stuffing is browned, about 2 min. Serve with lemon wedges.

NOTE: I made a lot of changes to this recipe. Nothing to grand, just some swaps here and there.

1. I used plain bread crumbs (no food processor, yet)

2. I used minced garlic

3. I used dried basil

4. I added some olive oil to the bread crumb mixture before putting it on top of the shrimp

5. I did not use capers

Hubby and I both thought that this recipe was good, or at least it had the potential to be even better! It's an experimentation process right? Next time I am going to used a little less stuffing mixture on each shrimp, add more salt (capers?), more cheese...basically make the amount on top of the shrimp less, but amp up the flavor.

I served this meal with a simple spinach salad. On top of the spinach I added sweet salad pepper, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, sunflower seeds and a simple olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper dressing. Twas tasty!

ENJOY!

On another note, here are some bands that ya'll should totally check out!

1. Alpha Rev

2. She & Him

3. Neon Trees

4. Beach House

5. Delta Spirit 

Do I need to be stimulated like this?

So, over the weekend I went and saw the movie "Eat, Pray, Love". It is a movie based off of the book by Elizabeth Gilbert in which a newly divorced woman, Liz, takes a year to travel around the world. For 4 months she goes to Italy to "eat", then another 4 months she spends in India to "pray" at a hindu workshop of sorts, and finally she spends 4 months in Bali to find balance and love once again.

The move was okay, and, as most always is the case, the book is by far much better. While watching the movie and taking in all of her surroundings I was intrigued by two things. The first was the food styling used when Liz goes to Italy, and second was the utter uncomfortable feeling when she travels to India and takes a taxi through the city. I remember thinking to myself, "I need to be stimulated like this!" I need to go and do something out of the ordinary for me. I need to be forced into uncomfortable places and I need to learn to survive, to become comfortable first with myself, then secondly, with said place.

I read an article about the food styling used in the move here. The food here reminded me a little of Julie & Julia but more from the eating and restaurant dining side than the cooking. It was wonderful. I want to go to Italy and eat! Yes please!

Things I want to Eat in Italy
1. Gelato
2. Classic Pizza
3. Spaghetti Bolognese
4. Prosciutto
5. Coffee
6. Fresh, Local Fruit
7. Seafood
8. Classic Bread

I am excited to get out there and TRAVEL! I cannot wait to move to Okinawa, it's just the start of what I am predicting to be a wonderful adventure of traveling, eating, experiencing, photographing, and growing!

ENJOY!

Refresh me!

So, in leu of getting back from a California trip not to long ago, I would like to share a review of a landmark in St. Helena CA.

I am not sure as to when the original location opened up, but I believe it has been a popular dining establishment for quite some time. Taylor's Refresher gained popularity in the early 2000's and it had been going strong until a change in owners in 200  . Then it became known as Gott's Roadside. The menu is pretty much the same. They are known for their burgers, shakes and fries. Chicken, seafood, salads and other options are served as well.

Some of the Awards that the Refresher as received include one of San Francisco Magazines 50 Very Best Restaurants, and it has made appearances in Food & Wine Magazine, Savor, Travel + Leisure, Gourmet and Bon Appetit to name a few. As well has being visited by Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive Ins & Dives. In 2006 it received the James Beard Foundation Medal for America's Classic Restaurant

"The James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Restaurant Award is given to a locally owned restaurant with timeless appeal, beloved for quality food that reflects the history and character of its community.  James Beard Foundation Awards have become the highest honors awarded to fine food and beverage professionals in North America."

Needless to say, when I heard we were going to Taylor's I was super excited! Upon arriving I was shocked to see that the name had been changed. Why would you do such a thing?! The other thing I noticed was that the line was wrapping around the entire patio! It was about 2ish in the afternoon, but I guess a nice, sunny, summer day brings out all the tourists to this place! Luckily the line was very quick and entirely worth the wait! (even if I only got a chance to eat the fries)


What we ordered: Wisconsin Sourdough Burger w/ mushrooms, bacon, mayo, and BBQ sauce. 1 order of sweet potato fries w/ chili spice. 1 order of garlic fries.


What we thought: The burger was good according to my hubby. He sure likes his sourdough bread, one of his favorites! The garlic fries were good as well, nothing special. They came out very green and tasted like your basic french fry covered in garlic and herbs. The sweet potato fries were by far my favorite. I am a huge fan of them and try them at most every restaurant that I go to if offered on the menu, this was the first time I had them with chili spice. Most of the time they come plain or with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them. I liked the idea of the sweet and spicy combo. Very good!

Over all rating: 3 out of 5

I think that I would need to go back and sample some more of the menu items to make a better overall review. French fries, as good as they are, are not an adequate sampling of a restaurants menu! Hopefully, some day I will get to go back, but until then...my rating stands!

ENJOY!

Changes Changes Everywhere!

Once again, this Blog has been reformatted! I think that I like this format the best, as of right now at least. It is much more simple and clean. Not to busy. The perfect backdrop for my photography!

San Francisco City Hall

The hubby and I recently got back from a 9 day trip to California. We were visiting grandparents in the San Francisco Bay area and siblings in the Sacramento area. We had a wonderful time visiting Downtown San Fran, Napa, and other adventures!

One "Adventure" that sticks out in my mind is the obligatory trip to World's Fare Donuts! This place is very significant to my hubby because he has memories as a child going to his grandmothers house and always, repeat, always getting doughnuts from this place. Of course, one we go to CA we had to have them as well!


Hubby's Fav: Maple Long John (but will pretty much eat anything that has frosting and not cream filled)
My Fav: Glazed Old Fashioned (they also have chocolate and maple glazed) These are the little ones that "crack" open while cooking and look like, to me at least, little flying saucer doughnuts!

I highly recommend going to Worlds Fare, their doughnuts are fresh and there is a vast selection to please everybody, but I understand that doughnut stores are a dime a dozen in CA. Its just so big! But the place is so significant to us, we will stand by them through and through!

Soon I will be posting some pictures from our sparkling wine and wine tours and tastings. I will also include a review on a historic restaurant in St. Helena CA. Can you guess what it may be? If not, stay tuned!

ENJOY!