July 27th, 2022

AboutMyBeaches turns 13 years old, Southern Delaware, Delaware Beaches

Up until a few minutes ago I had not realized that the blog I started in 2009 is celebrating 13 years of sharing my thoughts on finding out about events, restaurants, reviews, where to shop and what to cook for dinner today.
http://www.aboutmybeaches.com

No photos at the beginning until I caught on how important photos are to all of us. We are so visual.

The first post was about McCabes Gourmet Market in Bethany Beach. No longer McCabes, times have changed. Great store that we all loved for many years. Their Queso (Mexican Cheese Dip) Recipe is on the website. Click on it and put it on the Search.

My second post was Agave. The ever present Margaritas, the Avocado Martini, music, best chili, guacamole and so on.

At the time blogs were beginning to take place in our society. But, people would still smiled like saying: really? Blah, Blah, and Blah. The point of my blog was that I could put my two cents in about places that I have been to, my beloved beaches in Southern Delaware and beyond. Food, recipes and reviews. We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes but it was my diary sort of speak of. I can write when I want to and other times I just take a break and put tidbits on My Facebook page.

Since the beginning I have spoken of how good the corn is in Southern Delaware. I just took this photo the other day. White corn, but they have yellow and a mix kernel ones, as well. Freeman’s on Robinsonville Rd. in Lewes is the best. Every day it is picked and it is so fresh that you can eat it raw. I usually eat one or two ears like that. Amazing.

Lewes’ Lighthouses are something to see.

Strolling the Boardwalk day or night.

I have lived here for so many years. I am a foodie and love to eat and experience different cultures.

My blog continues and one of the best things that have happened since opening AboutMyBeaches is that I have learned so much about our area. It is not just the beaches, so much more depth. It has given my family a very nice life. I don’t take it for granted. I appreciate it.

Until then check my Facebook Page, and Instagram and stop here for recipes and information. It’s all good.

Love Crabs….these ones from Suicide Bridge.

August 11th, 2021

Tuna Avocado Salad, Recipe, Healthy, Easy, Summertime Cooking, Pico de Gallo, Chili Bean Salad, Southern Delaware Cooks, Delaware Beaches

“Real cooking is more about following your heart than following recipes.” unknown

That unknown quote is really so true. The Tuna Avocado Salad I will be sharing in this post did not start as my own. But, I made it my own by changing it a lot. It is easy, it is healthy and perfect for the summer weather here at the beaches.

This is the final look of the Tuna Avocado Salad. It was enjoyed last week. Presentation is always something I care about. It adds to the mood of the evening.

The first thing I changed was the canned tuna. Fresh Sashimi tuna is what I used. Be mindful that you can modify this salad to your liking, using crabmeat, shrimp, lobster, chicken salad or whatever your heart or tummy desires.

The second thing that happened was that I needed a cylinder in order to make a perfect round stack. Could not find it anywhere so I opened a large can that held 32 ounces on both ends. For future references this recipe says that it feeds 2 people but it really feeds 4 if you use a smaller can. We had leftovers.

Ingredients:

two large fresh Sashimi grade tuna fillets (I usually say I need 2 good size pieces)

Mayonnaise ( I only use Dukes and you can start with a tablespoon and add more, but don’t let it get too soggy.

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (If you don’t like it, and a lot of people don’t, use fresh Italian parsley.)

2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice

Avocados (They were small so I got 4 and used all of them.)

Pico de Gallo (Homemade, recipe will follow, use enough to top the stack. From 1/2 cup to a cup.

1/8 teaspoon of salt

PICO DE GALLO RECIPE

This is not my recipe but it very easy and you can use it for so many things. Pico de Gallo is basically a Salsa. You can buy salsa at the store but why would you want to do that when it is so easy to prepare.

6 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 red onion, minced

3 tablespoons of chopped fresh Cilantro or Italian Parsley

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (I used bottled sliced jalapenos)

1/2 lime, juiced

1 clove of garlic, minced

a pinch of garlic powder

a pinch of cumin or to taste

salt and black pepper to taste

Combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro or parsley, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. You will have leftovers and use it for tacos or for salsa with chips. Mind you that the jalapenos give it a kick. I do love that though.

Continue with the Tuna Avocado Stack

Dry the tuna steaks and season with salt and pepper. Heat a good skillet with a bit of oil. We only seared it, so it is rare in the middle. Of course, you can make it your way.

Take fillets out and cut them in small pieces for the stack. Not tiny pieces, just small. In a bowl mix the cut tuna, mayonnaise, cilantro or parsley and juice for half a lime. Add salt to taste and stir it together.

Peel and chop the avocados. Put them in a bowl and mash them a little bit but also leaving some of the chunks. Salt to taste.

Place the cylinder in the middle of each plate. First put avocado in and pack it in. Remember that you are making a stack so you want it to hold its shape. Then a layer of the tuna. Again, press on it gently so it stays. Finish with the Pico de Gallo salsa. Go on to the next second serving.

Always treat your stack gently when you are taking the cylinder out. You see that photo above. I was scared it was not going to work but it certainly did.

The Chili Bean Salad made it look that it was placed on pebbles. This Salad was a recipe given to my children’s school cookbook many years ago. It is very good.

Recipe

1 15 ounce can each of black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans and whole-kernel corn

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 cup diced celery

1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies, not drained

Dressing:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons leaf oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce (I used Crystal)

Drain and rise beans and corn. Put all dressing ingredients in a jar; shake well to mix.

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large serving bowl. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Cover and chill 6 hours or overnight and mix it from time to time so all beans take advantage of the dressing.

When preparing your serving plates, just put it around it just like the photo shows. You will have leftovers.

Life around a table…”If the home is a body, the table is the heart, the beating center, the sustainer of life and health.” shauna niequist

This post is a little long and you may think this recipe is hard to make. I can tell you that it takes no time. I think you will love it.

AboutMyBeaches has its own Facebook page and Instagram Page.

March 28th, 2021

Cornish Game Hens, Recipe, Easy, Delicious, Recipes Begged, Borrowed, or Stolen, The Art of Wining and Dining, Coastal Delaware Eats

I remember when I was young Sunday was a day to gather at my grandmother’s house. After church it was the satisfaction of gathering with cousins and with good comfort food. My grandmother was a very good cook; always cooking with the best ingredients she could fine.

Not sure why I think of Cornish Game Hens as a Sunday Supper dish. I have stuffed them, cooked them with prosciutto and figs as well. They have great flavor. And what are they, really? I found out that they are the product from a cross between the Cornish and White Plymouth Rock chicken breeds, that it is served young and immature, weighing no more than two pounds ready to cook.

We have a good butcher here in Rehoboth Beach. Hickmans!! I picked these Cornish Game Hens around the holidays. They were pretty big. Last week I made this recipe. By no means the recipe is my own, but I did give it my own spin.

They are easy to prepare. I usually do not serve a guest a whole hen even though you could depending on the size.

2 Cornish Game Hens

salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon, cut in half

rosemary sprigs (2 per hen)

olive oil

15 cloves of garlic and more if you do like garlic like I do

2/3 cup of white wine (it is a great additions to the sauce)

2/3 cup of chicken broth (I used chicken stock)

More fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

honey

The first thing to do is to preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Then take gizzards and neck from the hens and put them aside. You will use them in the broth.

Rub the hens with salt and pepper. Place one of the lemon wedges in the cavity along with a sprig of rosemary. Also put one garlic clove in each of them. If you look closely you can see that I drizzled honey over the top. Very yummy!!

Arrange them in a heavy roasting pan. Take some of the rosemary leaves and spread them around the pan. Put the whole garlic cloves around the hens in the pan. In order to avoid the garlic to burn since you at first will be cooking on a high temperature, take some extra chicken stock and pour into the pan in order to cover the cloves a bit.

This is how they will look before going into the oven.

You are going to roast them in that temperature for 25 minutes.

The gizzards and neck that you took from the oven place in a pot and cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Once that is done, cut the gizzards, heart and set aside. This is totally optional. I just think it adds to the broth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together wine, chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the cut gizzards, etc.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Pour the broth above the hens and continue roasting about 25 minutes longer or until hens are golden brown. Baste with the pan juices every 10 minutes.

Transfer the hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. You can put the pan on top of your burners and heat up the juices, smashing those garlic cloves which will be amazing combining them in the broth. I used a little bit of corn starch because I wanted the broth to be a tad thicker.

You can cut them in half or serve them whole. Cranberry looked pretty and appropriate with them. And, those veggies? I will give you the recipe because they went perfectly with the hens. Easy too. Next post.

Here is a photo of the hen in half. It depends how hungry your guests are. And please make sure to put a lot of broth in the plate.

Enjoy!! Talk to you later.

January 25th, 2021

Meatless Monday! French Onion Soup, Easy, Flavorful Soup, Winter Winner Soup

In the winter there is nothing like a warming bowl of soup. It was cold on Sunday. But, today at the Delaware Beaches the temperatures will rise to the upper 40’s. I’ll take that.

Over the years I have bought tons of magazines. A lot of them have been food oriented. I go through them many times and then I start cutting recipes out and putting them in folders. With a morning coffee I go through them and if something catches my eye, I take it out.

I picked an Onion Soup Recipe that got my attention back in 2013 in a Food & Wine Magazine. It is a healthier version of the traditional French Onion Soup. Traditional soups are fantastic but making them healthier while conserving flavor it’s the trick. That hunk of bread and thick layer of melting cheese makes it high in calories and sodium. Sorry, but it is true.

For Meatless Monday and being that it is a cloudy day this onion soup might be just what you need. I made it yesterday and it is a keeper.

Meatless Monday is a worldwide organization trying to have folks like us eat meatless at least one day per week.

The Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, (sweet or regular) halved and thinly sliced

Kosher Salt

1/4 cup of dry white wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

6 cups of beef stock or low sodium broth

Baguettes (either cut your own or buy prepared ones) I used small ones for my large bowl.

Gruyere shredded cheese. I packed that cheese on the baguettes.

In a large pot heat oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and just starting to brown. Maybe about 7 minutes or so. Taste the broth and add a bit of salt and continue to cook over moderate low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and golden. I would say 20 minutes?

Add the wine and soy sauce to the pot. Cook for a few more minutes.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Then, simmer over low to moderate heat, again stirring occasionally until the onion broth is well flavored and slightly reduced. Taste again and if needed add more salt.

You can make the soup ahead of time until this point.

Then pre-heat the broiler and arrange the baguettes on a baking sheet and top with the Gruyere cheese. Broil until melted.

To serve this onion soup, ladle it into bowls and top with the cheese toasts. You may sprinkle a little bit of cheese all over the soup prior to placing the cheese toasts, as well.

Hope this will be a keeper for you too. Remember AboutMyBeaches has a FB page just in case you want to chime in.

This blog started in 2009 with the idea of offering the readers who want to be in the know about events, restaurants, reviews, where to shop and what to cook for dinner.

October 3rd, 2019

Pickled Shrimp, Recipe, Easy, A Collection of Recipes II, The Art of Wining and Dining, Southern Delaware, Delaware Beaches

In 1997 my children went to Worcester Country School in Berlin, MD. Since then the school is now known as Worcester Preparatory School.

Over the years a lot of parents were involved in the school and I was one of them. Book fairs, galas, Christmas Programs, Reading Programs, Teacher Appreciation Luncheons, etc. etc.

Years before my time the school had published a cookbook called A Collection of Recipes. It was as I mentioned above 1997 and the Parents Association decided to do another cookbook called A Collection of Recipes II.

As you can see the book has been used over the years. I was the Chairperson on this journey that took many months with parents giving us their best recipes. It took a school not a village to complete this project.

I don’t think the book is available anymore. Parents supported this book and it was a great success. The book is probably in your cabinet, but I keep my handy because the recipes are really good. I still feel strong about those words in the dedication that said “But food not only nourishes our minds and bodies. Food serves as a way for people to come together — sharing ideas, experiences and cultures”.

Tonight I made a recipe from this book called Pickled Shrimp. I was invited to a friend’s house. Pickled Shrimp is an easy recipe and it is usually liked by everyone. You can serve it year-round.

1 pound medium shrimp, uncooked

1 tablespoon pickling spices

1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 white wine vinegar

2 green onions sliced, including the greens

Pull shrimp from shells. Discard shells. I bought shrimp already peeled and I just pulled the tails out. Make sure if you buy frozen shrimp to defrost them.

In a 2-quart saucepan, cover shrimp and pickling spices with water. Bring to a boil; simmer over medium heat about 2 minutes. Strain water leaving spices on shrimp. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine mustard, horseradish, oil, salt, celery salt, vinegar and onions. Pour over drained shrimp. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. The longer you marinate it the better they taste. Pour in a pretty bowl with the sauce and enjoy. Serve cold.

This recipe could easily be doubled, as well.

August 26th, 2019

Ratatouille, Meatless Monday, Recipe, Vegetarian, Easy, Southern Delaware

My late mother in law, Louise, was a great cook. Many years ago she made a cookbook just for the girls and boys in the family. Every Christmas we would get an insert. She called this cookbook: Recipes, Begged, Borrowed, & Stolen. The Ratatouille is from her cookbook and it is prepared skillet style.

This is one of those dishes that you can prepare year round. But, in the summer vegetables are so beautiful and delicious that it is probably the best time of the year to make it. Those bright colors shine in this recipe.

Some people consider it a stew. Olive oil, garlic and herbs add so much flavor to the Ratatouille.

Following is the recipe. Hope you like it.

RATATOUILLE

1eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes. (I did not peel mine)

3 medium squash – zucchini, sliced

2 large onions – chopped

1 clove garlic – minced

1 large can tomatoes – or several fresh ones ( I used the fresh ones)

1 green pepper – chopped

1 small jar of pimiento, juice included

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. dill seeds

In olive oil saute onions for a minute or so, and add rest of the vegetables and spices. Stir well and simmer vegetable mixture for as long as you wish, stirring occasionally.

It is good to cook it for a long time to get those veggies to soften, but do not let them stick.

You can eat the Ratatouille as a side dish, main dish, over pasta, over polenta like I did, as an appetizer with crackers. Add a dash of hot sauce for some kick. In other words, make this recipe your own.

You can double the recipe. Enjoy!!

February 7th, 2019

Mary’s Touch, Moving, Packing, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Delaware Beaches, Southern Delaware, Sussex County

A few months ago I needed a mover. As it is usually the case a friend gave me the name of Mary Nicholson who is the owner of Mary’s Touch. Her company, Mary’s Touch Moving & Packing, LLC specializes in new homes, storage and retirement homes. Tel. 302-745-1272.

Word of mouth is the best advertising you can get. You are happy with the work, you will definitely, pass the word around. I have been meaning to write a post on Mary because they were true professionals. At some point or another everyone needs a mover that will pack and move your treasures to either another home or to a storage unit.

Totally recommend this company. Please give Mary a call.

Remember to check AboutMyBeaches FaceBook Page!!

September 24th, 2018

Meatless Monday, Delaware Beaches, Recipe, Spinach Pie, Easy, 5 Ingredients, Southern Delaware Eats, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Bethany, Fenwick Island, Healthy Eating, Recipes Begged, Borrowed & Stolen

 

I got into not eating meat on Monday.  Following the Meatless Monday campaign if you want to know.  This is an international campaign nonetheless.  It is just a way of not eating meat one day of the week to improve your health.  This organization was founded in 2003.  There is also a Facebook Page called Meatless Monday. To know more about it, please visit http://www.meatlessmonday.com.

A few years ago I was visiting my cousins on the island of Culebra.  Gorgeous beaches, beautiful scenery.  On the photo a look at Luis Pena from their balconies.  One of the recipes they prepared was a Spinach Pie.  Not only was it good, but it was so easy with 5 ingredients.  The chopped frozen spinach I was buying for this recipe had a lot of water but I found a few months ago a spinach that is steamable and to tell you the truth it is so much better.  You can get it in all supermarkets.

 

I have shared this recipe on my website before so I decided to do it again as I remembered that this summer, here in Rehoboth Beach, Sharon, Amantha, Debbie and I would have impromptu dinners on the beach. This is one of the recipes I took.  You can eat it hot, warm, room temperature or even cold.

Recipe – Spinach Pie

1 package or bag of spinach – 10 ounces

1 block cream cheese.  You can use the less fat one or regular one.

1 onion (Cut in chunks.)

4 eggs

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease lightly a pie dish.  I use a glass one.  Let spinach defrost and squeeze it to get all the water out.  Take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator and let it soften a bit.

In a blender put eggs, spinach, onion, and cream cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I usually add just pepper since the cheese has plenty of salt.  Blend.  Pour into a pie dish.

Place in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top to cover.  The cheese will make a crust and will add taste to the pie. Don’t be shy and sprinkle on.

It will take another half hour or so to be ready.  Test it with a knife and if comes out clean then it is ready.  It should have a nice rich crust.

You can really use this spinach pie for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And even for an appetizer.  I would cut in squares instead of wedges if that is the case.

When I joined my friends this summer for our Rehoboth Beach dinners, I think they loved it.  Don’t you think?  They are smiling!

Remember that these recipes are begged, borrowed, and stolen…..please make them your own.

Until next time!