January 26th, 2011
Looking out my window…. all I see is dark skies, rain, wind; probably cold, but have not been outside yet even though, Addy, my dog, is looking at me with skeptical eyes.
I had not posted a recipe that I made the other day because I was looking for the perfect day; I think today this post is perfect.
The recipe has Ancho Chili Powder. If you are wondering if it is going to have too much heat, don’t worry because ancho chili powder is a ground powder made from the poblano pepper. It is called ancho when it is dried. It is also dark, smokey, with rich flavor. It is considered mild, so perfect if you don’t like too much heat; just enough. There are times when a poblano pepper could have more heat than usual, though. You won’t find that in this dish.
The recipe also uses Cumin Powder. This spice has origins from the East Mediterranean to East India; used in many types of cuisines.
During the Middle Ages it was thought that the use of cumin would keep the chickens and lovers from wandering…..
It is also the second most used spice, after black pepper, in the world.
Years ago I went to a cooking class given by Gretchen at a home in Bethany Beach. I have modified this recipe here or there a bit. Yes, made it my own. Here it goes:
Ancho Chili and Black Bean Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lbs)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup green pepper
1 tablespoon fnely chopped jalapeno (to taste, or not at all)
1 tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin Powder
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium, organic)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cooked black beans, undrained
cilantro, optional
Cubed avocado for garnish
You can either prepare the dish with the whole boneless chicken breast or cube them, like I did. If you like thighs better then get the ones that are already deboned; you will get more meat.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. If you are on a low sodium diet, then you know what you need to do.
In a heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and sear until well browned on both sides. Transfer the chicken to another plate.
Then, reduce heat to medium.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Add 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup green pepper, 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeno, if desired.
Then saute for a couple of minutes. Add 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Continue to saute on that medium heat until fragrant.
Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil and add 1 can petite tomatoes, drained. Bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened; about 6 minutes or so. Then add 1 can black beans.
Return chicken and juices to the skillet; reduce heat to low.
Simmer until heated through; nice and hot. At this point, if you would like to add the cilantro, then do so. Serve it over rice and garnish with cubed avocado.
Rice: You can use any rice you like. I used on this particular night a blend of black and mahogany rice, Lundberg Black Japonica. It is grown in the Sacramento Valley.
Please note that this recipe is gluten free.
Just remember, make the recipe your own. You have the basic recipe, but if you like more juice, or less beans, or more tomatoes, then experiment and enjoy it.
Have a great day….talk to you later….
January 20th, 2011
I started my website on July of 2009. I cannot believe that it has been a year and a half since I started AboutMyBeaches, written in a blog style. I think I achieved the look I wanted for the site. Clean, bright, easy to read and most of all, available to all.
I write pretty much every day. I take a lot of pictures, as well. I am not a professional, but I think you can see that in some of my posts, pictures and even recipes, since there are plenty of those too.
This is my business. I started it always with the idea that it would become a business. But, you needed to get to know me through my writings first.
You know that I have lived at the Delaware Beaches since 1981. My children were born here and I truly love the area. I have seen it grow in so many different directions; pretty much all good.
I am promoting the Delaware Beaches, Ocean City, Maryland and also Delray Beach, Florida. That’s another town that has become a second home to me. I love to walk around Delray, enjoy the restaurants and the beach and I respect the devotion that its residents have towards keeping the town the jewel it has become. All you have to do is visit this Village by the Sea and you will want to get to know it much better.
 Delray Beach, Florida  Delray Beach, Florida So, in my travels, camera in hand, I review restaurants; no credentials, but I know what I like and how I want to be treated. I also promote the arts and entertainment; I will be sure to tell you what’s going on. I hope you will log on to www.aboutmybeaches.com to find out about, events, restaurants, reviews, where to shop and what to cook for dinner.
 At Venus in Dewey Beach I consider myself “the word of mouth”. It is the best advertisement. I have written so far 530 posts. I have experienced all those posts, as well. I had to in order to pass the information on to you. On average the website is getting 5,500 hits per month. That’s between 150 to 200+ per day, depending on the subject. Most of the writings are from the Delaware Beaches, but a lot are from Delray Beach, Ocean City and from wherever I find myself at a particular time.
 Milton Theatre  The whale that washed up in Fenwick
Advertising on AboutMyBeaches is as follows:
$500 for 1 year
$300 for 6 months
$200 for 1 year if you are only using a business card
At the bottom of the website you will find my contact information.
I have a webmaster that will put your website on my site. The day the website goes on, anyone reading my posts will be able to access your website with just a click. That ad is your spot for the time contracted. Go on www.aboutmybeaches.com right now and see for yourself by testing the other ads already there. If this is the first time you are reading my post, then check the whole site. I can guarantee you that you will find it interesting and some times even entertaining.
 Greyhound in Dewey Beach  New in Lewes
You bet you will get my personal attention. Once you advertise on AboutMyBeaches, that’s what you will get. If you need to announce something immediately, then all you have to do is send me an e-mail. I will post your information on the website and then is good to go. Once I post, then I send it to Facebook, my personal one and the one for AboutMyBeaches. After that I send it to Twitter and then to Linkedin.
It really is inexpensive. Think about it, $500 for one year is about $1.36 per day.
I don’t take these coastal towns for granted. It really is great living here and visiting the other beach towns that I do. I don’t even take my AboutMyBeaches for granted either. I have learned so much.
For 2011, so many places to be revisited and so many other ones to be discovered; trying to keep it interesting, yes, I am a local but not a native and word of mouth is Priceless!!
Talk to you later….you know I will….
January 8th, 2011
“A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands.” lord byron
We really would be in trouble if that was true. Nevertheless, I had lobster on New Year’s Eve. And even though it was lobster; the dinner was casual, in front of the fire place. I still don’t have a working oven. Can you believe that? It has not been that bad, though.
I was thinking, why is it that some of the specialty foods are only to be eaten on special occasions? I think that every time you sit at the table, it should be special. The food should be prepared from the heart; like you mean it.
This recipe is a Lobster Newburg. Actually, this is an American dish. I added small peas to give the dish contrast and color. The dish was to also be baked, but I did not see any need to it; nor did I have the oven to do that. So here it goes.
Crepes with Lobster Newburg
2 1/2 cups lobster meat (I got 3 small lobsters)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb. mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
2 cups medium cream (I mixed 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of half and half)
1/2 tablespoon flour (I used Arrowhead Mills, gluten free baking mix)
1/4 cup dry Sherry (remember? a little more of this or a little less of that)
1 cup cream (heavy)
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (I did not use salt)
Crepes
I had the market cooked the lobsters and as soon as I got home I got the meat out and put it aside. Chop it but you still want to see nice chunks of lobster.
In a large skillet melt butter and saute the mushrooms for a few minutes. Add the lobster and peas to heat through. Don’t overcook it, please.
Heat, but do not boil, the cream sauce and add sherry to it. Then add the egg yolks to the heavy cream and combine. Then add it to the cream sauce. If you think that it is too thin then add the flour and wisk it in quickly. Add the paprika and seasonings.
Note: As you can see there are 2 creams; one is the cream sauce and the other is the 1 cup of heavy cream. To that cup of heavy cream you will be adding the egg yolks. A little confusing, I know.
Add the cream to the lobster, mushroom and peas. Again just heat it through. If you want you can just turn it off while you are preparing the crepes. It should not take long.
Crepes
This recipe for crepes can be made ahead of time; even the night before. Just cover and refrigerate. It is a basic recipe and can be used plain with just a bit of honey on top or as a stuffed crepe.
3 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ( I used Arrowhead Mills gluten free baking mix)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon milk
A pinch of salt
Combine all of the above and stir until the ingredients are the consistency of thin cream.
In a 10 inch non-stick frying pan or crepe pan, melt 1 tblsp. of butter. When it bubbles, pour some of the batter, enough to cover the bottom with a thin coating. Cook a couple of minutes and with a large spatula flip it over and cook on the other side for a few minutes, as well. Take it out of the pan and continue with the rest of them using butter as needed. I made four of them and had left-over batter.
After I filled the crepe I put extra sauce on top. It turned out very nice and the combination of flavors was good. If you do not like Sherry, then you can use Madeira. Lobster Newburg was originally prepared with Madeira wine but it seemed that it was thought to be too sweet.
As you can see from my pictures I had steamed asparagus as a side dish. You can prepare your favorite vegetable or just a salad. You know, make it your own.
This is a rich and flavorful dish. You might just want to have one crepe and save the rest for another day.
It can serve 4 people easily.
Enjoy it and the next day….do extra exercises….talk to you later…
December 31st, 2010
I have been thinking about my New Year’s resolutions. There are so many I would like to make and keep. I know that is not going to happen. I will try, though. You know, be a better person, a better parent, a better friend, a better wife, exercise more, eat less. Oh my, the list is so long, I am already tired and afraid I won’t be able to keep them up. There is always next year.
Growing up in the Island of Puerto Rico, well, what can I say that after Thanksgiving you might as well not go to work. The Holidays last so long, the “parrandas”, “asaltos”, “aguinaldos”, lechon, morzillas, pasteles, coquito, arroz con gandules; really, they are endless.
I found out that in Puerto Rico there is the tradition of throwing a bucket of water out into the streets; getting rid of the bad things, shall we say; preparing for all the good things to come.
Another one is throwing sugar around and outside the house; warding off bad luck and bringing good luck into your lives.
I don’t know but I dont remember any of that. I never saw my mother or grandmother throwing anything around to ward off this or that.
But, the celebrations of the Ano Viejo and the welcoming of the Ano Nuevo, church and wearing something yellow the first day of the year for good luck; I do remember that.
And, how can anyone that has lived there forget the fireworks, some with real guns, and honking the horns at midnight. You know it’s true.
If you speak Spanish then visit http://www.elboricua.com/elbrindis.html. This is called El Brindis del Bohemio or the Bohemian’s Toast. It has always been a tradition at parties in Puerto Rico to first read this toast, which is so beautiful at this time of the year.
I usually don’t do much on New Year’s Eve. Almost like been there and done that. Everything is usually so expensive, the service is bad and the food is atrocious. No thanks. I am having lobster tonight, at home.
Two New Year’s come to mind. Years ago I spent New Year’s in Spain. A tradition of eating 12 grapes as the clock chimes to the New Year started in Spain. During a big grape harvest the King of Spain decided to give grapes for everyone to eat at New Year’s. Latin American countries observe this tradition; Puerto Rico being one of them. I had such a good time in Madrid trying to make it in time for New Year’s when by mistake I took the wrong train. I made it just in time to eat my first grape.
The other one was in Bethany Beach, Delaware when friends hosted a Murder Mystery Party. Everyone was in character until the end.
Most other years, I pretty much have friends over. This year it will be my husband and I, which reminds me. I better go downstairs and start cooking….
See you, Happy New Year!!! Have a great evening…
December 29th, 2010
Still with no oven, probably for a couple more days; I am turning to soups. I love them all. No barbecuing in the past few days. No way; it has been bitter cold.
Soups are simply satisfying one dish meals. In the summer I make gazpacho, vichyssoise, or a fruit soup. But during the winter the chowders, bean soups, onion soups are the ones that warm you up in a very special way.
I have made a different type of tortilla soup before; tonight’s tortilla soup is just that; Tortilla Soup. I hope you try it because I think you will find that it is so easy to prepare; probably the ingredients are in your kitchen already.
Tortilla Soup
8 1/2 cups of chicken broth (I used organic low sodium)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Cajun-style stewed tomatoes. I could not find any so I used the Italian style ones.
4 or 5 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons chili powder (more if you want to)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken ( I bought chicken tenders and sauteed them in a frying pan)
1 can of corn, drained
2 cans of black beans, drained
1 small can of chopped green chiles
4 tablespoons half and half
2 cups shredded Chipotle Cheddar Cheese (I bought the Cabot brand and shredded it myself)
Tortilla Chips (I bought blue corn tortilla chips)
It might look like a long list but you will see how easily it is all assembled.
The first thing to do is to get a large soup pot and bring the first 7 ingredients to a boiling point.
Reduce heat.
If you have not yet cooked the chicken then quickly sautee in a frying pan with a little bit of oil and a pat of butter, and cut to bite size pieces.
If you had your chicken already cooked then add it with the rest of the ingredients, using just 1 cup of the cheese (the other cup for garnish), and hold the tortilla chips for garnish, as well.
Make sure the soup is nice and hot; serve it garnished with crumbled tortilla chips and cheese.
Serves about 6 people.
Hope you like it. Remember to make it your own by adding a little more of this or a little less of that.
Talk to you later….
December 24th, 2010
It was cold today in Rehoboth. It is so nice to have the town to yourself. I stopped at Silver Lake to see the ducks. Silver Lake is a waterfowl refuge. They were there pretty much taking a break during their yearly migration; such a long journey.
My Christmas dinner turned out easier than I thought. The oven decided to stop working. Well, on with the charcoal and barbecuing is what we did. It was different but we enjoyed it just as much. Probably even better.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
And to all a good night…..
December 12th, 2010
Guests, family, Thanksgiving, friends and now the rest of the Holidays are around the corner. My holidays are quiet this year and believe me, I think I like it that way. I am so laid back that I have not put up a single decoration yet. There is still time, though.
My recipes reflect my moods during the holidays. You read my posts about the Turducken and the sides dishes during Thanksgiving; now I want roast beef, lobster and crab imperial.
Crab Imperial is such an easy dish to prepare for company. Well, you better check that no guests have a seafood allergy. I am going to give you the Crab Imperial recipe that I have. I doubled it the last time I made it and I also put it in a casserole dish. I had big eaters that evening and they thoroughly enjoyed it.
Crab Imperial
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
6 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4-6 drops Tabasco sauce
2 slices of bread, crumbled
butter
Paprika
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Pick crabmeat well. Mix mayonnaise, cream, mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco together until smooth.
Add bread. Fold crabmeat in gently.
Place in a casserole dish and pat it smooth. Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for about 20 minutes. If you double it then bake for a little longer; you want it hot and and a little toasted on top.
I made this recipe a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I also served it with polenta on the side, and a colorful salad.
Serves 4; doubled, serves 6 or a few more depending on your company.
Remember to make it your own and enjoy it…..talk to you later….
November 18th, 2010
The doorbell rang today and I was so surprised to receive my Turducken so fast. You see from time to time I like a little variety for my Thanksgiving dinner.
About four years or so ago I cooked my first Turducken. I heard about it from friends and immediately ordered it from a company in Louisiana. I love Cajun food and The Cajun Grocer is located in Lafayette, Louisiana. Their website is www.cajungrocer.com. The tel. is 888-272-9347. I have even given it as presents for the holidays; besides being delicious, it is also a conversation piece.
Cajun cuisine is the rustic cuisine of Louisiana with locally available ingredients; so many culinary influences are detected in cajun dishes.
If you don’t like turkey, chicken or duck then you will probably be bored to tears with this post.
And, what is a Turducken? It is a semi-boneless turkey that is stuffed with a deboned chicken or hen, that is also stuffed with a deboned duck breast.
A layer of Cajun dressing is placed between each bird. The juices from the duck and the creole pork stuffing (the one I ordered) will really add flavor to the turkey.
Since the turkey is semi-boneless, you can slice it in such a way that you get the advantage of the 3 meats. Slice it like you are slicing meatloaf.
The Cajun Grocer has a variety of stuffings. Of course, this year, I sent them an e-mail because I wanted to know which Turduckens were gluten-free. They immediately informed me that they had 3; the seafood, the vegetable and the creole pork. I chose the pork. It is now in my freezer and 48 hours prior to cooking I will defrost it in the refrigerator. I will just have to plan what side dishes to add this year.
Check the www.cajungrocer.com because they have so many other foods available for immediate shipping; gumbo, gulf shrimp, boudin, crawfish and so much more. Recipes are also available and even music.
Yes, Zydeco which is Cajun and Creole music combined from Southwest Louisiana. It is quite good.
I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I like to be home on such a special day; to give thanks for everything we have. I like a gray day; windy and cold.
I have had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant and really did not enjoy it at all. It’s just not the same.
So, Turducken vs. Turkey? It is just a matter of taste…and who’s coming for dinner.
The other thing I will enjoy doing this year, on Friday or Saturday, after Thanksgiving is going to the Artists Studio Tour in southeastern Sussex County; the towns of Bethany Beach, Ocean View, Frankford, and Dagsboro. Both days from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
This is the 16th Annual Artists Studio Tour, which is a self guided tour of the studios of 15 of Delaware’s most talented artists and artisans. They graciously open their studios to the public and are there for you to ask questions and see what they are all about.
For more information, please visit www.artstudiotour.com.
Have a good one!!….Talk to you later…
 
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