November 26th, 2009
I love the smell of the turkey cooking in the home on Thanksgiving Day. I also like to have a gray and cooler day. I have tried different ways of cooking turkeys and bought the organic ones, the free range ones, the different brand ones but one of my favorites has been the turducken.
I have also have bought the turducken from a few companies but my best one has been from a company called the Cajun Grocer, from LaFayette, LA. Their website is www.cajungrocer.com. Besides being delicious, it is also a conversation piece.
A turducken is a semiboneless turkey stuffed with a deboned chicken, stuffed with a deboned duckbreast. In between each bird a Cajun dressing is placed to create 6 layers of stuffing. Different varieties of dressings are available.
As you sliced the turkey, you will get a taste of all the different birds.
Its funny when you start thinking what to do with the turkey leftovers. Sometimes I really don’t have that much leftover; maybe for one more meal. But, if you do have leftovers, here are a few recipes that you might enjoy.
Quick Curried Turkey
3 cups hot cooked white rice
1 medium green pepper
1 medium red pepper
4 cups turkey, either chopped or shredded
1 tblsp. ground curry powder
2 tsps. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk
1 can (24 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained
2 tblsps. chopped cilantro leaves
Chopped peanuts or toasted coconut
Prepare rice according to directions.
Cut peppers. In a bowl, combine curry powder, cornstarch, ginger and salt; mix well. Add turkey and toss to coat evenly.
Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add turkey and garlic. Cook and stir about 5 minutes. Remove f rom skillet.
Add peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in coconut milk, pineapple and turkey and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat about 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add cilantro and mix gently.
Serve over the rice. Sprinkle with the peanuts or toasted coconut or both.
Note: To toast the coconut, just spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in a 350 degree oven and keep watching it because it will toast before you know it.
If you do not have enough turkey, you can substitute chicken. If the turkey or chicken is raw then add more minutes to the cooking on the skillet.
Serves 4.
Sweet ‘n’ Sour Turkey Sloppy Joes
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red pepper, finely diced.
3 scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced (optional)
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 cups turkey, shredded or finely chopped
1 can (8ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
2 tblsps. sugar
4 hamburger buns or soft rolls
In a medium size skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add red pepper, scallions, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes or so.
Add turkey and cook until well heated.
Stir tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sugar. Simmer about 3 or 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and spoon into hamburger buns or rolls.
Note: If you don’t want to have the rolls then serve it with tortilla chips as a dipping/salsa sauce.
Serves 4 with rolls and a few more if used as a dipping sauce.
Note: The above recipes can easily be adjusted to be gluten free.
Have a Great Day!! Happy Thanksgiving or Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias!!
November 22nd, 2009
When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, mojo was a side sauce for dipping sorullitos de maiz, which are like a hush puppy with cheese inside, fried plantains, and chicharrones de pollo, which are fried chicken pieces. You could really put mojo on anything, including fish, grilled chicken or meat.
A basic mojo is made of garlic, herbs, olive oil and lemon juice. But, believe me, there are plenty of variations.
I hope you enjoy the following recipe:
Shrimp with Cilantro Garlic Mojo
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 lbs. medium size shrimp (frozen, cleaned and easy to peel)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped, some of the green part included
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
Put the first 4 ingredients in a blender. Push pulse until it has the consistency of pesto sauce. Set aside or if not using right away, put in the refrigerator.
Peel shrimp. In a frying pan, preferably non-stick, put butter and olive oil to heat on medium. Add the green onions and then the shrimp and stir fry them for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the mojo sauce and heat them up for another 4 minutes or so. You want them hot but make sure you don’t over cook them.
That’s it!!!
You can serve them over rice, angel hair noodles or wrap them in a flour tortilla, burrito style.
Serves 4 for an entree or 8 for an appetizer or tapas.
Remember to make the recipes your own so if you feel you need more lemon or more tomato sauce or less garlic, please go for it and enjoy.
See you soon…
November 14th, 2009
Beseme, Besame or Dame un Beso, all mean the same; Kiss me. This bistro wants you to remember their food like an unforgetable kiss; to “linger in your mind long after it’s gone from your lips”….
I wanted to go back to Beseme since I have not been there in ages and Lewes is one of my favorite towns. So, Debbie, Cindi and I decided to make that restaurant our meeting place today. The 3 of us have not had lunch together in a long time and I really do enjoy keeping in touch with friends. I think you know that already.
For a Saturday, and with the weather not been the nicest, Lewes was crowded. Actually, the Delaware Beaches were all crowded.
Beseme is located on 142 Second & Market Streets in historic downtown Lewes. The telephone is 302-645-8108. The website is www.beseme.biz. It is open year round. Breakfast from 8 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. and dinner from 5 p.m.
I entered through the entrance on Market Street, which is the main entrance. The entrance on Second Street is through the Hotel Rodney.
Beseme is bigger than it appears from the outside. A very pretty bar with lots of wood is the first thing I saw. Two rooms for dining that were nicely decorated and not crowded. This is a historic building so the woods and atmosphere are very warm and inviting.
We were presented with the lunch menu. There were soups and starters, salads as main courses, omelettes, crepes, and burgers with your choice of bison, lamb or beef.
Their all natural meats come from BAR Farms in Lewes and Wells Meats in Philadelphia.
Since I already knew I would be posting on my blog, I asked that we all have something different. I decided to go with the bison burger with provolone cheese, Debbie had the Macho salad which had roasted chicken, goat cheese, figs, baby corn, tomatoes, pine nuts, avocado, cornmeal croutons, with a champagne vinaigrette.
Cindi had the Temptation Omelette, which had eggplant, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, Gruyere & Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Their organic eggs come from Cleckner Farm in Bivalve, Maryland.
We all decided that our food was very good. My burger came with their house cut waffle chips. I would say that you could get addicted to those.
For our sweet ending we ordered only one dessert and we chose the crepe with berries. Our waitress throught we would like that one. This restaurant is known for their crepes and this one was light and refreshing. Really, a perfect ending to our lunch.
I would suggest that you go and visit Beseme’s website. They have events and menus plus a lot of other pertinent information.
Tomorrow, Sunday, the 15th at 6 p.m. Keith Mack will be performing. And, on Tuesday, the 17th at 7 p.m. the Rehoboth Beach Writers Guild will have poetry, short stories and prose.
Besides their lunch menu, they also have the traditional dinner menu and a small plates menu, which is like a tapas way of dining. With this type of dining you can order several dishes for the table and everyone can sample the food. The restaurant has a full bar but you may also get wines by the glass and they have a very good selection from Chile, Italy, South Africa, Spain, California and Argentina.
As usual, part of having a good meal is sharing it with the people that mean a lot to you. Cindi, Debbie and I have been friends for a long time and every time we are together laughter is not far behind.
We really did enjoy Beseme so let me know how you like it.
See you soon….
November 7th, 2009
Just like in the Delaware beaches and Ocean City, Maryland, Delray Beach, Florida is another of those popular beach towns where businesses are popping everywhere. Two of the newest ones are:
Unique Boutique
This small but very sophisticated jewelry shop opened last February on 204 East Atlantic Ave., in Delray Beach. Telephone is 561-272-6654. The e-mail adress is uniqueboutique2@comcast.net and the website is www.uniqueboutiquejewelry.net.
Besides jewelry, it also has accessories, but the jewelry is what attracted me to the store. The owner of the store is Karen Beaton and she buys from 9 designers. The jewelry is distinctive, with great combination of stones and metals. Very affordable as well. Sometimes when you are on vacation, it is good to splurge a little so check out this store and you might be wearing something new for that special evening ahead.
Unique Boutique is not the only jewelry store that Karen Beaton has. There are 2 more and their locations are:
Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod, MA 02649 and the telephone is 508-477-3900.
1185 Third Street South, Naples, FL 34102 and the telephone is 239-643-8900.
The other business that opened on Atlantic Ave., and is actually next to Unique Boutique, is Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine.
Yesterday, Thursday, Anita and I decided to have lunch at Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine. I wanted to experience it so that I could write a post. It was a beautiful day to have lunch outside.
The address of the restaurant is 200 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33483 and the telephone is 561-276-2502.
Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine is owned by Linda Bean and if the name sounds familiar is because she is the granddaughter of L.L. Bean. She is 69 years old and sits on the board of L.L. Bean.
This is the first restaurant, and I believe, the idea is to sell the franchise. We spoke to one of the employees that told us that it opened 1 month ago and it has been crowded and exceeded expectations. We wondered why Delray was picked and he said that it was because it is a hot bed for franchises.
Anita had the lobster roll and I had the Fancy Green Salad with lobster and chili lime salsa. This was a large salad with a lot of lobster and it was $12.95.
Anita’s Lobster Roll, which was a quarter of a pound was $15.50 and she really thought is was very good.
Even though we had iced tea with our lunch, this restaurant serves wine and beer. They even have Dogfish 60 Minute IPA, which is from the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, near the Delaware beaches.
It is a very casual restaurant; ordering at a window and food brought to the table by a server. Actually, very relaxing.
They have a very good menu with live and steamed shellfish, seafood roll baskets, panini sandwiches, a simpler fare like the “Pause for Claws”, which is a quarter pound Maine lobster claw meat, with melted butter, and, of course, Maine Clam Chowder and Linda Bean’s Lobster Stew.
For the salad lovers there are plenty of them. I told you that the one I had, the Fancy Green with the Lobster, was delicious.
If you would like to have more information on Linda Bean’s Perfect Main, please visit the website www.lindabeansperfectmaine.com.
I think they are going to do very well. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Note: In a perfect world there would be a gluten free roll for the lobster and seafood rolls.
There are other business about to open for the new season, so be on the look-out because they will be here before you know it.
Sooooo…once again, writing from Delray Beach, Florida….I remain…
November 4th, 2009
Knowing that there are many reviews available on-line, I chose not to read any for this particular restaurant. I just wanted to feel the experience of just going in with a blank slate and then put it into words.
Last night was one of those beautiful full moon evenings in Delray Beach; a light wind and the ever present palm trees swaying in their own unique way. One thing that separates this town from others is the availability to eat outdoors. And, last night was the perfect night for such a thing and in my household, the mood was beef.
I have not been to Cut 432, even though this restaurant has been in Delray for about a year and a half. The address is 432 E. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483. The tel. is 561-272-9898 and the fax is 561-272-9797. The website is www.cut432.com.
Brian Albe, Brandon Belluscio and Chef Anthony Pizzo are the owners of Cut 432. Even though these owners are fairly young, between them are many years of experience in the restaurant business.
My husband, son and I arrived with no reservations and they sat us right away on one of their outdoor tables. For a Tuesday evening, it was comfortably crowded.
The restaurant and the bar inside have modern lines, but the chandeliers give it sophistication.
Johnny was our waiter and I cannot tell you enough how professional he was. I had so many questions for him regarding the menu and he was able to explain the ingredients and make suggestions. Definitely, he is an asset to the restaurant.
If you have read my blog in the past, you will know that my husband has to eat gluten free. It was so refreshing to see the eagerness of Johnny to put us at ease and go back to the kitchen and ask the chef if the creamed spinach could be made without the breading or make sure a particular sauce was gluten free. And even nicer was the fact that the restaurant wanted to accommodate us, as well.
So, in that respect I want to say Gracias a Johnny por habernos atendido tan bien, and thanks to Cut 432.
The menu is very well presented and easy to read. You should visit their website above mentioned because you can read their menu, check when the catering menu will be posted, read the bios, look at the pictures and see what this company is all about. You can even download their award winning wine list.
A couple of cocktails that attracted my attention were the Pumpkin Pie, which is a pumpkin infused vokda, cream and candied pumpkin. The other was the Jalapeno & Pineapple Margarita, which contains Gold Tequila, slice of jalapeno and pienapple juice.
The menu is divided into Raw Bar, Cheese Bar, Soup and Salads, Appetizers, Cuts, Fish, Potatoes, Sauces, Vegetables and Entrees. Desserts? Don’t worry, they will be discussed at the end of the meal.
Okay, I was looking at the menu and when I saw that for an appetizer I could have a grilled cheese; I knew what my choice would be. It was so delicious, but this was no ordinary grilled cheese. It had truffled gouda, short ribs and heirloom tomato soup. The actual sandwich was cut in two and the tomato soup could be use for dipping or just eaten with the spoon. Can you imagine? Of course, I dipped and double dipped.
My husband had the Local Ceviche, Peruvian Style with Aji Amarillo. Served in a Martini glass with the fish being grouper, it was very tasty; sweet with the right amount of heat.
Since my appetizer was quite a portion, I decided to go with the Sea Bass, which is one of my favorite fish. It had a Miso sauce that complemented the lightness of this fish so well. My husband had the 8 ounce filet and my son had the 12 ounce one. Both raved about their choices; cooked to perfection.
All side dishes are family style so the portions are big. They are served on cast iron cassouletes. Our choices were the Pancetta Brussel Sprouts, Creamed Spinach and Potato Gratin. All went perfectly well with our dishes. I was tempted to order the Buttered Edamame, since I never see it as a side dish, but to tell you the truth, we had a lot of food already.
Cut 432 is one of the restaurants that I have found have the key ingredients to make a successful restaurant:
Quality of Ingredients – If the restaurant has the money, they should buy the best.
Culinary Competence – This is the chef responsibility; to make the best with the ingredients he has available.
Service – Prompt; anticipating what you need.
Ambiance – Tranquil and relaxing.
Price – Cut 432 is pricey, but after the service and the food we experienced, it was worth it and, really, a cut above the rest.
With all that said I hope that visitors to this beautiful Village by The Sea will take the opportunity to pay Cut 432 a visit and experience it for themselves.
Until next time and writing from Delray Beach….talk to you later….
October 30th, 2009
Word of mouth. It is the best advertisement. That is how I found out about the Kee Grill. My friend’s mother, Marilyn, once suggested I stayed in the town of Delray Beach. We liked it so much that we have had a place here for years. Then Marilyn’s friend, Flo, who lives in Boca, took Scott, Marilyn’s grandson, to the Kee Grill. Scott, then proceeded to take his mother, Shelley, and I to the restaurant. I liked it so much that my husband and I pay them a visit every time we find ourselves in the area. That’s how word of mouth works.
The Kee Grill is located on 17940 North Military Trail, Suite 700, Boca Raton, FL 33496. Tel. 561-995-5044 and Fax 561-995-5024. If you know Military Trail, it is very close to Lynn University; in a strip mall.
It does not matter what season it is, it will be crowded. I have gone there plenty of times without a reservation, but to be on the safe side, a reservation should be made. If you get there without one, then by the bar, there will be tables availabe and you might be able to just slide through.
The outside of the restaurant looks best in the evening, once the palm trees are all lit up. Inside it is appealing with an open kitchen. 
I can tell you that the wait staff is so professional and helpful. Last night, our waitress went to talk to the chef several times to make sure that my husband’s dish was going to be gluten free. And it was. He had the pan seared yellowtail snapper and they changed it a bit by caramelizing onions on top.
The Kee Grill has a full bar with plenty of seating. I was glancing through their martini list and a few caught my eye. Being in South Florida how could they not have the following martinis?
Key Lime – VanGogh Citroen Vodka, VanGogh Vanilla Vodka, Licor 43, Rose’s Lime Juice and cream
Key West Sunset – VanGogh Orange Vodka, VanGogh Mango Vodka, VanGoh Coconut Vodka, organge juice and Rose’s Grenadine
This restaurant specializes in fresh seafood. I was debating if to order the Oriental Chilean Seabass that had a sesame soy glaze or the Oriental Glazed BBQ Salmon. I had the Seabass and believe me, it was a great choice. For one of my sides I chose their Spinach Maria, which is like creamed spinach and it was served in a crock with broiled crumbs on top. It is, actually, a local favorite.
In the past, we have had Tristan Lobster Tails and they are incredible. These lobsters have an amazing sweet succulent taste and a texture like no other. They are from the deep, cold waters of Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic, the most remote inhabited island in the world.
Some of the other items on the menu are:
The Palm Beach Snapper, which has a Provencale sauce, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and hearts of palm. Provencale means that it is a thick sauce of tomatoes, garlic and seasonings cooked in olive oil and dry white wine.
The Sweet Potato Encrusted Grouper with a mango-remoulade drizzle.
The Kee Grill Cioppino. This dish has shrimp, scallops, fresh fish, clams, mussels, lobster, pearl pasta in a spicy seafood broth.
Besides the many seaffod entrees, they also have veal rib chop, certified Angus Beef – Strip Steak and Rib-Eye, crab cakes and a lot of other things, including a variety of side dishes, appetizers and salads and of course, the sweet ending desserts.
Soooo, now is my word of mouth to you…if you are around South Florida, near Delray Beach, pay them a visit; you will enjoy it.
Note: Information on Tristan Lobster Tails was taken from http://www.livelob.com
Writing from Delraly Beach, I will talk to you later….
October 3rd, 2009
Spinach Balls (Thanks to Louise)
2 10 ounce packages chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups herb stuffing mix
1 cup firmly packed freshly grated Parmesan cheese (5 oz. wedge)
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 small green onions, finely chopped
3 eggs
dash of nutmeg
mustard sauce – see below
Combine all ingredients, except sauce, in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into 1″ balls. Cover, refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set balls on ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with the following mustard sauce.
Mustard Sauce
1/2 cup dry mustard
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
Combine mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Cover and let stand 4 hours at room temperature.
Note: I would make the sauce ahead of time and then proceed to make the spinach balls if you are planning on serving them on the same day.
Chicken Tortilla Soup (Thanks to Cindi)
2 14.5 cans diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth (I use the low sodium for dietary reasons)
1 1/2 diced cooked chicken
2 tsp. chili powder
1 box of Zatarain Red Beans and Rice (prepared-takes 30 minutes)
Monterey Jack cheese, chopped jalapenos and tortilla chips for garnish
Combine the cans of diced tomatoes with the chicken broth in a large saucepan and boil.
Sprinkle the diced cooked chicken with the chili powder and mix well. Add into saucepan, along with the prepared rice mix. Heat through.
Scoop into bowls and top with the garnishes.
Note: I like foods with a little heat. For the garnish, put in the tortillas first, then the shredded cheese and then the jalapenos. Or, put the garnishes on the side and everyone can just add their own. This recipe can be doubled easily for a big crowd. All you need to add is a colorful salad. Very easy!!
Can you believe that I did not have any Key Lime Pie in Florida? Well, with the above soup, you can have a sweet ending with the following recipe.
Key Lime Pie
Crust:
1 package Keebler, cinnamon graham crackers
3/4 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Crush graham crackers. Combine with melted butter. Press into a 9 inch pie pan. Bake 5 minutes to set. Cool.
Filling:
5 egg yolks
2 cans Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cups Key lime juice
Beat egg yolks. Combine with condensed milk. Add lime juice. Beat all ingredients together. Pour into the 9 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool. It will serve 8.
Note: To serve you can use Cool Whip. They have it even sugar free. Or, you can make your own, which is best. Just use whipping cream (I use Lewes cream in Delaware) and whip it until peaks form. You may grate some of the lime in it while whipping and even add a little sugar, but you won’t need it.
Regarding the key lime juice. The best is the fresh one; no question. Usually at the grocery store you can get a bag filled with the small key lines. I would imagine that in Florida, you might even have a tree. If you don’t have anything fresh, then use the juice in a bottle.
I hope you like these recipes. See you later.
September 30th, 2009
Yes, after all these years, we got together again. It just started with Facebook, really. We figured that the next time we were in Florida we would try to connect. I went from Delray to Miami to visit Mary; Rosarito was coming from Puerto Rico. It really was no problem catching up. It was like time had stood still. We all had had families and gone in different directions. Some of us moved from the Island and made our homes in the States.
I have lived in Delaware longer than I ever lived in Puerto Rico and Mary has lived in Florida longer than she ever lived in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Rosarito and her husband have the travelling bug, so they are all over the place.
I grew up with these women in Puerto Rico; our neighborhood was so close to the center of the town; we walked everywhere. In younger days, we would ride bikes, rollerblade, read comic books and go to dances at San Antonio Abad. San Antonio was the boys’ school at the time. Those are the memories that are never forgotten.
So after I got to Mary’s house we started with the traditional Cuban coffee. We chatted and after some time we decided to take our conversation to a Cuban restaurant called Molina’s. This restaurant is located on 11995 S.W. 26th St. in Coral Way. Telephone is 305-207-8600. We got a nice quiet corner table and ordered some mariquitas. These are made out of plantains, shaved lengthwise and then deep fried. A dip of oilive oil, garlic and spices was served, as well.
For lunch we had the traditional Cuban Sandwich and the Media Noches (Midnights). Molina’s has great shakes made out of fresh fruit like papaya. We really had a nice lunch, finishing it with more Cuban coffee. That was a good idea because I was about to get on the turnpike at 4:00 p.m. and if you have ever been in South Florida at rush hour, you know that you better have a good dose of patience.
My husband wanted pasteles. These are a traditional Puertorican dish made with mashed plantain and other root vegetables with a filling of pork, ham, chickpeas, raisins, and olives. The mashed vegetables are spread on a banana leaf and then the filling is placed on top. It is wrapped and tied with a string. It looks like a “package”. It is boiled and then unwrapped on a plate. Very good. Just like in the picture.  
Sooo, off we go in search of the pasteles to Benny’s. This Puertorican restaurant is located on 2500 S.W. 107., #1, Miami, FL. Tel. 305-227-1232. Website is www.bennyseafood.com and the e-mail is bennyseafood@gmail.com. It is as the Time Center just a few minutes from Florida International University.
I got a dozen of the pasteles and we took off. What I did not know was that this restaurant can ship FedEx all over the United States and besides the pasteles they have Sorullos de Maiz that are a pseudo hush puppy, and morcillas among other Puertorican dishes. Morcillas are blood sausages. Please don’t gag, they are very good. What can I say? It’s the truth!!
One of their specialties is the Mofongo which is fried plantain, mashed with garlic, pork rinds, salt and olive oil. Some times bacon is added as well. It is served in a small mortar and depending on the restaurant, it will be served as a side dish or filled with seafood, meat, “salmorejo de jueyes” (land crab made with a creole type sauce).
This restaurant is well known. It was featured in the Food Network’s Diners, Drive ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. He is the one with the spiky blond hair that goes into all kinds of restaurants trying everything he can.
What a nice day!!! Soon I will be meeting Cuca, up north.
Note: We had 6 of the pasteles and I can tell you that everyone was very pleased.
 
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