May 15th, 2015
The gates are beginning to open…..Summer 2015 officially opens next week. Yikes….a new way of trying to figure out when to go here or there. Welcome to the Delaware Beaches!!
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell-attitude.” julia child
Even though my recipes can, at any time, be begged, borrowed, or stolen….this recipe was given to me as a gift by my friend, Jody. It is totally delish and you can serve it by itself for any meatless day; with a salad for a complete veggie meal. Or, just let it sit by the side of beef, chicken or fish.
The main ingredient is a butternut squash. This fruit/vegetable is full of Vitamin C, A, & E. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium and potassium.
Butternut squash can be roasted, toasted, pureed for soups, or mashed and used in casseroles, breads and muffins.
2 new sauces for this recipe, and they are easily found at Peppers on 176 Coastal Hwy. #1 in Lewes, Delaware. The Garlic Pepper Sauce made out of aged red peppers and garlic and the Peri Peri Pepper Sauce which is a blend of Moroccan flavors.
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CORN, RED ONIONS & CRANBERRIES
1 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled with a veggie peeler
1 large red onion, chopped into bite size pieces, not diced
4 Tbsps. Olive Oil
2 Tsps. Garlic Pepper Sauce (Mountain Man) Taste it and add more….I did.
2 Tsps. Peri Peri Pepper Sauce (Warrior’s Potion) Taste it and add more…I did.
1 Tsp. Sea or Pink Himalayan Salt
1.5 Cups Frozen Corn or steamer bag of “honey roasted corn”
1/8 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Chop the peeled butternut squash into circular disc pieces then cut in cubes from the discs. Lightly toss the pieces in olive oil or in coconut oil and a bit of salt. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they will roast in the oven.
Put on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in batches for about 10 minutes. You want them tender but not mushy.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and saute onion. Add corn, hot sauces, salt, and cayenne to the onions and stir for a minute or so. Then add cranberries.
Add the roasted squash cubes to the mixture and stir for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Then add the chopped cilantro.
This recipe has a very good combination of flavors….a little heat, the sweetness of cranberries, and cilantro. As usual, make it your own.
Enjoy. Talk to you later.
April 6th, 2015
I don’t even know when I decided to put recipes for Meatless Monday. Some Mondays I do not follow this global movement. But others, like tonight, made me want to construct a Bean Burger….The recipe is stolen, adding my own twist.
Meatless Monday started in 2003, launched in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It has been catching on. The movement is active in about 36 countries. Every nation brings its uniqueness…culture, customs, and cuisine to the table in meat free dishes. To learn more, please visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com.
Monday is the chosen day because we see it as the beginning of the week. I get it, I get it….I always start my diets on Monday. It is a fresh start. Yeah, and at times is downhill from Monday on.
This recipe is so easy. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I am sure you can make it your own, as well.
A BLACK BEAN BURGER FOR MEATLESS MONDAY
2 cans black beans, divided, rinsed and drained (I bought low sodium beans)
1 small chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 minced garlic clove
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (optional)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oil for frying pan (your preferred oil)
3/4 bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 cup panko (I bought Chipotle Panko)
2 eggs
Puree 1 can beans, onion, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Mine looks a little chunky because I do not own a food processor. The blender was a pain, but I did it, somewhat.
To the burger mixture, add the other can of beans, the peas and carrots, the panko and the eggs. Mix to combine.
Heat a skillet to medium heat.
In the meantime form the burger patties.
Place them in two batches in the skillet and cook until browned. About 4 minutes on each side.
Serve on rolls….I chose this Pretzel Roll. Add lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard and avocado.
Or serve on a salad if you are not eating carbs.
Enjoy!!
March 15th, 2015
I am crushed that Fried Green Tomatoes…..not a Southern dish. That they, apparently, entered the American culinary scene in the Northeast and Midwest, with a link to Jewish immigrants. I love them and when I see them on menus, I do order them. Having been in Charleston, I tasted them everywhere I could. But, let me tell you that, here, at the Delaware Beaches, we have some pretty awesome ones served at our local restaurants.
Looking forward to my fig tree this year. Not just to eat figs off the tree but to also prepare my Fried Green Tomato, Fig, Bacon, Corn Stack….It is my own recipe; not begged, borrowed, or stolen. You can get the recipe by clicking on the month of August of 2013 on the archives of AboutMyBeaches and scrolling down to the 11th.
In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware:
FINS ALE HOUSE & RAW BAR on Coastal Highway. I just had these the other day. They were delicious and hopefully, they will keep them on the menu.
BLUE MOON located on Baltimore Avenue in Downtown Rehoboth Beach. This is a signature appetizer. The fried green tomatoes are served with herbed sheep’s cheese, onion, compote, pesto and a balsamic drizzle. Definitely, a blending of flavors.
In Bethany Beach, Delaware:
PATSY’S RESTAURANT in Downtown Bethany Beach. Her fried green tomatoes are topped with roasted red pepper/Vermont cheddar cheese spread with fresh basil pesto and balsamic reduction.
Cape Charles, Virginia’s Eastern Shore:
AQUA AT KINGS CREEK MARINA in Cape Charles serves a Fried Green Tomato BLT Salad…smoked bacon and mixed greens, tossed with a roasted tomato vinaigrette.
Historic Charleston, South Carolina:
TBONZ in Historic Charleston had these great fried green tomatoes….they went in my burger.
SOUTHEND BREWERY & SMOKE HOUSE, located in Downtown Charleston had never had anyone topped their pizza with fried green tomatoes. Of course, pimento cheese was included. The pizza did not wow me here. But, the combination of pizza and fried green tomatoes was pretty good.
LOWCOUNTRY BISTRO, located in Historic Charleston has a great Ambrose Farms Spinach Salad….an addition of Fried Green Tomatoes made it just perfect.
A.W. SHUCK’S – We stopped here with our Culinary Tour (post in the making)….the praline butter on the fried green tomatoes was delish.
TOAST, located on Meeting St. had their fried green tomatoes with sweet pepper relish.
The following recipe is soooooo good. You can serve it with roast beef, chicken, or even in a sandwich. It takes some time to make but once in the jars you can store them for a long time. Give it as presents to special friends.
MERRYMAN’S GREEN TOMATO PICKLE
1 peck (8 quarts or approx. 20 lbs of small green tomatoes
6 red peppers
12 large onions
5 tablespoons celery seed
5 tablespoons mustard seed
1/2 gal. cider vinegar
3 lbs. light brown sugar
1 cup salt
Slice the tomatoes and onions very thin. Cut peppers into thin strips. Place alternatively (some tomato, some onion, some peppers) in layers in a large bowl, sprinkling salt over each layer.
Let mixture sit for several hours or overnight to draw out liquid.
Squeeze the pickle dry and place in a large kettle. Pour vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and celery seed over pickle.
Cook slowly until onion is clear and tomato is almost transparent. One to two hours. Check and stir often.
Place in sterilized jars and seal.
Note: It is usually served in my house during the Holiday Season. It is an old Merryman recipe.
Have a good one!!
January 20th, 2015
My tiny bag of pearled barley is part of my decor….does not fit in any cabinet. Barley has a low glycemic index. It is also the highest in fiber of all the whole grains.
Check this recipe out!! It is a Stolen Recipe…not my own, even though I usually try to make recipes my own…in this particular recipe the lettuce used was not the one suggested. It worked out just fine.
BARLEY WALDORF SALAD
3/4 cup pearled barley
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used non-fat yogurt, instead) Anything to help the battle of the bulge.
3 tablespoons light mayo
1/4 teaspoon of finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest (This was an extra addition, it gave it a better lemony taste.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar (I used Stevia.)
1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt
1 1/2 cups seedless gred graves, halved (I bought the smaller seedless ones.)
2/3 cup corsely chopped red apple
1/2 cup finely sliced celery
lettuce….Any leaf lettuce will do. The recipe called for 8 leaves of butterhead, Boston or Bibb lettuce. I tore my lettuce leaves.
1/4 cup walnuts and walnut pieces….toasted
In a large saucepan toast pearled barley over medium to low heat for about 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring. Add 4 cups of water. You can also cook it in unsalted chicken broth, like I did. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse. Set aside to let it cool off.
The rest of the ingredients are just an easy assembly.
In a large bowl combine yogurt, mayo, lemmon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Stir in cooked barley, grapes, apple and celery.
Toast the walnuts in a medium heat over the stove, in a frying pan.
To serve, spoon barley mixture over your choice of lettuce. Sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with the shredded lemon peel.
I thought it was great….one of my sons thought it was okay!! You decide.
Have a good one!! Quiet day on Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach.
October 23rd, 2014
I love the title my Mother in Law gave to a family cookbook of recipes: Begged, Borrow, & Stolen. That’s how I feel when I use recipes. The good thing is that I usually change them with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I make the recipes my own.
So, being that it is cooler, rainy, windy…and Fall, I think that the Curried & Apple Soup could be a keeper. Served with a side dish of tostones or fried plantains and Mojito….it is even better. The word Mojito has been around for such a long time. In Puertorican cooking it means a sauce made for dipping certain local delicacies.
Carrots are so healthy and the saying of “an apple a day, keep the doctors away”, is probably so true, as well. Hope you like it.
CURRIED CARROT & APPLE SOUP
2 tablespoons margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and chopped
salt and pepper
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
3/4 pounds celery root, chopped (regular celery will do)
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
4 gingersnaps cookies
1/2 tablespoon yellow curry powder (more if you like curry)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon of finely grated fresh ginger
2 thyme sprigs (1/4 tsp. ground thyme will do)
3 cups chicken stock (I used unsalted chicken stock)
1 cup Apple Cider
1/2 cup sour cream (I used non-fat)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Garnish: Toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped mint, fresh cilantro or cilantro paste, and favorite hot sauce; optional. The pumpkin seeds were toasted on the stove in a frying pan. Make sure they do not burn. So good!!
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion, leek, fennel, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook stirring here or there until softened and veggies are browning.
Add carrots, celery, apple, gingersnaps, curry powder, garlic, ginger, and thyme. Cook until the carrots and celery soften somewhat.
Add chicken stock and apple cider. Bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for about 15 minutes until the veggies are very soft. If using thyme sprigs, remove, otherwise, continue with the next step.
Working in small batches, depending on the size of your blender, puree the soup with the sour cream and vinegar until smooth. What I did was mixed the sour cream with the vinegar and added a tablespoon with each batch. This is a creamy soup so, make sure there are no lumps.
You can reheat the soup and seasoned it with salt and pepper, if necessary. Laddle the soup into bowls and top it with the garnish above mentioned. ENJOY!
I decided that Tostones or Fried Plantains would be great with this soup. A meatless meal, no less! Plantains are a starch. If you let them ripen, then, they are sweet and if green you can make Fried Plantains. For the longest time I used to mashed them with a plate, but now I have my Tostonera from Puerto Rico. The Tostonera and the Pilon are a necessity when cooking Puertorican food. The Pilon is very versatile…use it to mash garlic, make mojito, and other PR dishes.
 
The plantain was peeled, cut, and ready for the next step of frying.
Fry the chunks of plantain in oil until lightly browned. Then, place on the tostonera, or between wax paper.
 
The tostonera is going to make it so much easier to mash. Otherwise, while between the wax paper, mash with a plate. 2 plantains were used on that evening. Finish mashing them and keep on paper towels until the next step.
 
Heat the oil back again and place the mashed plantains in batches once again. They will rise to the surface. Let them get nice and light brown. Take them out and place on paper towels again to drain the oil.
You can serve them on a platter with just butter and garlic salt. Or you can make the mojito by placing in the Pilon or Mortar 1 garlic clove, a pinch of salt. Then with the pestle, crush garlic and salt together. Add a bit of olive oil, a tablespoon or so, a small can of tomato sauce, tabasco and cilantro. Then squeeze half a lime and add it, as well. That’s it.
Note: This recipe is gluten free. Make sure you check the tomato sauce, the chicken stock, and apple cider. Have a good one!!
October 8th, 2014
I have a friend that every time I put a recipe for “Meatless Monday” she always comments on my Facebook Page “I rather eat a hamburger.” She rarely comments, but on that day she does. This recipe is for her because Stuffed Pork is what’s for dinner.
On this recipe I measured everything with 1/4 cup. As usual, you can make your recipes your own…..add a little bit of this or a little bit of that.
YUMMY STUFFED PORK
1 1/2 lbs. pork loin (This one was already seasoned…that’s does not matter with this recipe. That’s all the grocery store had that day.)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried figs
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
pepper to taste
1 tsp. rosemary
1/4 cup whole cranberry sauce
1/4 cup of fig preserves
1/4 cup 100% Pomegranate Juice
Kitchen twine
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
The pork loin had a meat thermometer so I took it out and proceeded to make a slit on top not all the way to the bottom and not all the way (almost) to the sides. This is done to create a pocket for the filling.
In a bowl, mix the cranberries, raisins, figs, pepper, rosemary, and crushed pineapple. This is your filling…packed that loin up. Your fingers are the best tool for this.
Cut the twine in order to wrap the pork loin so that the filling stays put while cooking. Place in a baking dish. I inserted the meat thermometer on the side.
Bake for about 20 minutes. While it is cooking, make the sauce.
In a bowl mix the Pomegranate juice, the cranberry sauce, fig preserves, and reserved pineapple juice. Take the pork loin out of the oven and spoon the sauce on. Put back in the oven for another 25 minutes or so or until the meat thermomether pops.
Take it out and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and taking the twine and thermometer out.
Slice and enjoy. This dish can go well with mashers, corn pudding or corn bread, green beans, a salad….Leftovers? Sandwich would be my suggestion…with some mustard, as well.
Note: When slicing just do it carefully. You might have to arrange it a bit if filling falls off somewhat. If you want more sauce just mix the ingredients on a small saucepan, heat and pour over.
Have a great day….gorgeous out there!!
September 12th, 2014
A great mid day activity in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, that I am not sure if you already know. Through September, on Tuesdays, and beginning at 11 a.m., you can start your mid day with a cooking class….here is how it works.
It is called Cooking Rehoboth. You can get more info., by visiting http://www.cookingrehoboth.com, but, in the meantime, even though I have not attended this weekly event, I can pass on the info., before September flies by.
The cost is $75 per person. Group discount for 2 or more, as well.
Location? The Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market at Grove Park, located next to the Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce and The Visitor’s Center in Dowtown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. More info? http://www.rbfarmersmarket.com/map.html.
You will start in the instructor’s kitchen which is around the corner. Beginning with a pie crust, takling about the culinary heritage of Delmarva…pie crust done and then in the refrigerator. Off to the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market, http://www.rbfarmersmarket.com to find fresh fruit to put in the pie. There is always plenty of fresh fruit at the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market. It will be a surprise, though.
 
Shorter days and cooler temperatures bring a different atmosphere to this market. It will be a great experience to shop, then cook, and….Eat!!!
Never a lack for seafood at the market, but at times, meat and poultry are not available on that particular Tuesday. The chef might have to order fresh meats ahead of time. That is all that might be pre-planned. The rest of the meal will be an unexpected surprise….you will have to see what’s available at the market that day.
 
The lunch will be casual, yet elegant. It will be easy to make so that you can do so, as well, at home.
You can watch or, as they say, roll up your sleeves and enjoy the moment.
I think it sounds great!! Have a good day.
August 27th, 2014
The tomatoes are at the height of the season, the peaches are still sweet….this is pretty much a raw salad. Bursting with flavor, it has everything to offer for a perfect end of the summer 2014 meal.
When I made this salad I used gluten free bread. The recipe, actually calls for white bread with crusts removed. Your choice.
TOMATO, PEACH, CORN, AND FETA SALAD
2 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut or torn into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
2 ears fresh corn, shucked
4 ripe tomatoes, a variety of colors….or plain red will do. About 2 lbs.
4 large peaches (about 2 lbs. too)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion or shallots (I used red onion.)
3/4 cups of sheep’s milk feta, crumbled
Pulse the bread in a blender or food processor until the bread breaks down into coarse crumbs.
In a medium skillet, over medium heat, warm 1/2 cup of oil. Once warm, add breadcrumbs and gently toast until golden and crispy. Transfer crumbs to a plate line with paper towels. Season with salt.
Using a sharp knife, slice corn kernels off the cob.
Cut tomatoes and peaches, preferably into wedges. Place in large bowl with onion slivers and corn kernels. Season with salt, optional.
Add the Feta cheese.
Add 6 tablespoons of oil and toss to combine. And then, sprinkle your favorite white balsamic vinegar. My choice was Cranberry Pear White Balsamic from the new store in Downtown Rehoboth Beach….The Olive Orchard.
Distribute salad among plates, then scatter breadcrumbs on top…..serve and enjoy!!
 
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