Historic Reading Terminal in Philadelphia is over 125 years old. It is one of America’s largest and oldest public markets. Visiting the City of Brotherly Love, there is no way you cannot visit this amazing market. Usually is full of people. Lunch time? It will be hard to find a place to sit in order to enjoy some of the delicious food only Philadelphia offers.
The middle of the market was usually open with tables and benches and no “social distancing” because it was not necessary. Nowadays, you can still visit The Reading Terminal and as you can see from the photo above there are booths and partitions in order to avoid any contamination.
Just a few weeks ago, a little visit to have some lunch and buy a few things that here, in Rehoboth Beach, you cannot find.
Also lunch was going to be a must at Beck’s. If you like Cajun food this is the best place in Philly to get a good bowl of Gumbo.
We sat at their bar and surfaces were spotless. Look at this bowl of Gumbo. At this time of the year with Lent on my mind as well as Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras, definitely this gumbo hit the spot. A little heat, full of flavor is not to be missed.
And trying to get it all in we also had this “delicacy” from Dinic’s to go with our gumbo.
What can I say? It may not be a good combination of foods but it is best here at the Reading Terminal.
So, don’t be scared. Wear your mask, get out of town and live a little.
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Back in 1997 I was the Chairperson for a cookbook called A Collection of Recipes II. It was a project of the Worcester Country School Parent’s Association. The school is now called Worcester Preparatory School and it is located in Berlin, Maryland.
We asked parents, grandparents, and local restaurants to give us their best recipes. And they did!! It took us many months to get everything compiled and many of us worked hours to bring this book to the community.
I love neighborhood cookbooks. To me these recipes are the center of someone’s kitchen. Recipes used over and over again for holidays, and family gatherings.
At Worcester a lot of the recipes showed up at the Teacher Appreciation Lunches. They are all good and I used this book frequently.
Better Cheddar is a recipe given by one of our grandparents. Mrs. Carol Cairo knew that this recipe, as simple as it was, would be a hit. It had a secret ingredient…..Liquid Smoke.
Serve the Better Cheddar with crackers or dipping pretzels.
Ingredients:
1 pound New York Extra Sharp cheese, crumbled
1 cup walnuts, chopped
6 scallions, chopped
1 cup of mayonnaise (I like Dukes)
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (you can put a bit more after tasting)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
To crumble the cheese, first cut it in chunks and then put in a food processor until it crumbles. I have a very small food processor and I made it in a couple of batches. Easy.
The walnuts, you can also put in the food processor of a few seconds or pulse it so they are chopped.
I have yet to have a guest say they don’t like it. You really get hooked.
Hope you love it as much as I do. Great for appetizers!!
AboutMyBeaches is on Facebook. This blog was started in 2009. Come back often to find out about events, restaurants, reviews, where to shop and what to cook for dinner.
Have a great week.
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It has taken me almost a week to get this recipe. Chili for Super Bowl Sunday and Cuban Tomato Bread. I said, what? I have never heard of Cuban Tomato Bread. I had been served before in Puerto Rico a tomato bread with origins from Spain but, obviously, by the look of TC’s face I was probably making all this up and wanted to give credit to my Puertorican roots. I was not thinking such a thing.
The Cuban Tomato Bread was a hit. And, since so many asked for the recipe, TC decided on Friday to show me. In regards to what kind of bread to use, that could be your choice. The photo above was a French Bread but it looked a little different from the French Bread we had on Super Bowl Sunday. The bread is going to be toasted and it will taste so good no matter what. Following is the photo of the finished bread on Super Bowl Sunday. We had guests, so obviously we had the full baguette.
The ingredients you probably have on hand. Maybe a few things from the store you will need to get.
No measurements are necessary. Bare with me.
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
garlic salt
Red Pepper blend seasoning (Several to choose from store. Pick something you would like.)
Tomato (for 2 people one tomato will do)
1 yellow onion
Italian Parsley
Seasoned Salt like Larry’s
Mrs. Dash original
Mozzarella cheese (rounds or squares)
You will be using the broiler.
In a small saucepan melt butter, sprinkle garlic salt to taste, the red pepper blend seasoning and the chopped parsley.
Place on a cookie sheet the bread and with a pastry brush apply some of the buttery mixture above already melted. Then place in the broiler for a few minutes making sure you don’t let it burn.
The next step is to slice the tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle lightly with the seasoned salt like Larry’s and Mrs. Dash. Place in the broiler and let them cook for a few minutes, again watching that they do not burn.
Assemble the breads by placing the tomatoes and onions in a thin layer.
Put the slices of cheese on top of the tomatoes and brush with remaining melted butter/parsley sauce.
Back into the broiler until you see it coming out like the first two photos. It will not take long by any means.
Being that we were into the Cuban mode, the perfect pairing was homemade Black Bean Soup. It is cold in Southern Delaware so a soup, a chili, a stew will be great. On the other hand, by itself with a nice glass of wine would pair perfectly.
On my Begged, Borrowed, or Stolen recipes, at times you really have to beg.
Hope you like it, and make it your own, as well.
By the way the recipe was obtained many years ago in Key West, Florida.
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Pies are comfort foods. When you hear the word pie immediately thoughts come to holiday pies. Apple Pie being the most popular pie.
Meat Pies and vegetable pies are very popular, as well. Some weeks ago I found a Crab Meat Pie and being that we live on the coast and crabs are all around us, I decided to make it. It, actually, makes 2 pies but if you want a pie with more height you can probably just put it in one pie plate and you will also have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
I get my crab meat locally and at this time of the year to get fresh one you will pay the price. Thought about if it was worth to put it in a pie vs using it for crab cakes. What the heck, I wanted to do something different.
Ingredients:
1 lb of fresh crab meat (don’t like the pasteurized one)
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup mayonnaise (love Duke’s)
8 ounces of extra sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 Tbsp. minced green pepper
2 tsp. pimentos
2 9 inch deep dish pie shells or any other pie shell crusts you may want
A little Old Bay Seasoning
Instructions:
Combine eggs, flour, mayonnaise and milk in a bowl and mix well.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients but do it gently. You want that crab meat lumps to stay intact as much as you can.
Bake the pie shells at 350 degree for 5 minutes. Cool pie shells.
Spoon crab mixture into pie shells. Sprinkle a little dusting of Old Bay Seasoning because what good are crabs if you don’t have Old Bay, right?
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remember to adjust cooking if you will be using just one pie shell.
This crab meat pie goes well for lunch or dinner. It is tasty and so easy to make. Just add a salad or a green veggie and you are good to go. Enjoy!!
TGIF….Hope your long week-end is filled with fun.
AboutMyBeaches is a blog started in 2009 to promote our beaches and other cool places to visit. To discover the great foods around us. Check the Facebook Page and leave me a note.
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Plan A was to take the Cape May Lewes Ferry from Lewes towards Cape May, on our way to the Borgata. A 24 hour get-a-way. A change of scenery.
Plan B came into the picture when gale force winds were not going to be conducive to traveling inside the ferry. So driving was the way to go. To tell you the truth it was not bad at all. We stopped for lunch in Wilmington at Buckley’s Tavern which post is already up.
If you are a frequent visitor to Atlantic City you will certainly notice that it is very quiet. Upon entering the Borgata the first thing, before you could even take another step, was the taking of your temperature. The hotel was immaculate and during our stay of 24 hours we felt very safe.
There were families with children and other people like us that wanted a change from the same thing.
Our view was amazing. We were on the 36th floor.
There are several restaurants at the Borgata, but if you want to eat steaks then the Old Homestead should be your choice. Reservations are required by calling 609-317-1000. Or you can also do it online http://www.m.theborgata.com The Old Homestead has been in existence for about 150 years in New York. It is considered an institution.
We had great service with our server knowing the menu well. A Coppola wine with oysters. The bread was amazing. And asking him which salad to pick he suggested the Oh Salad. You see that on the plate it looks like a regular old salad, but it was a memorable salad. Romaine, radicchio, tomatoes, gherkins, chopped egg, apple wood bacon, shaved reggiano and onion crunch. It had a Thousand Island Dressing. Not sure what they did to that dressing but it was very good.
I knew the specialty was steak but still asked our server what was the entree that customers just cannot stop talking about. Without hesitation he said the Chilean Bass. He said it is just that good. I love seafood, so that was my entree and it did not disappoint. Probably the best I have ever had. Placed on top of long beans, raisins, cashews, it had a fried potato bundle. Then a sauce made of soy sauce, cilantro, butter, lime, and honey.
Asparagus with Hollandaise for the table.
The Veal Chop was the other entree ordered and it was the special of the day. It got rave reviews, as well.
And guess what else we ordered? Onion Rings…made in house. Not greasy and the perfect size. Dipping them in Ketchup, oh what a treat!!
No dessert was necessary. I think we had eaten enough.
The Casino had players but, again, not like the usual. There were partitions between the dealer and players and between the players too. The moment someone would get up the whole area was cleaned.
If you want to get out of the house, I recommend it.
The next day off we went to Philly to the Reading Terminal….That will be the next post.
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Henlopen City Oyster House is located in Downtown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware at 50 Wilmington Avenue. It is one of the few restaurants that, at this time of the year, are open for lunch and dinner. It closes on Tuesdays.
We sat at the oyster bar. Perfect seating watching the guys shucking oysters. We had 3 varieties….the saltier the better in my book.
You see that glass of wine there? We asked for a suggestion of what would pair well with the oysters. It was called Barbara Ohlzelt and it is a Gruner Veltliner type of wine from Austria. It was perfection with our oysters and seafood choices.
A New England Clam Chowder was ordered. It had plenty of clams, smoked bacon, potatoes and veggies. Look how good it looked.
Up and down the beaches I have my favorite restaurants for a particular food. Henlopen City Oyster House is a favorite of mine for scallops. Any which way they fix them, I love them. Always perfectly cooked. So my choice last night was Seared Massachusetts Scallops with saffron migas, tangerine-meyer lemon emulsion, butternut squash, and sage and speck. Speck is a pork fat with or without some meat in it. It is sort of a type of prosciutto. My review? Excellent!!
I usually rave about the grilled octopus in another local restaurant in town. So I was very excited when the Grilled Octopus was order at Henlopen City Oyster House. I tasted a little bite and it was up there with my other favorite one. Tender and very well seasoned. Braised in red wine, with bay water purple sweet potatoes, bravas sauce, crispy capers, olive oil and parsley. Both the octopus and the clam chowder were appetizers that were ordered as a main entree.
Even through a Pandemic, Rehoboth Beach continues to be a foodie’s destination with our restaurants offering really good food. There is something for everyone in this town.
AboutMyBeaches has a Facebook Page. Leave me a message will you?
TGIF
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