Backyard Fish Fry

There are so many Fish Fry Dinners in our area during the Lenten season that it has been many years since I’ve fried fish at home. We could go to a different location each week and not attend the same one twice. This year, there are no Fish Frys to attend. I decided that doesn’t mean we can’t have a Fish Fry at home.  I have a Cool Daddy Fryer that’s been in the pantry cabinet for years.  I took it out, dusted it off, filled the pot with fresh canola oil and plugged it in to heat up – outside on my patio.  When frying fish indoors the smell lingers in the house for days, so why not take it outdoors?  Here’s the recipe I used for the cod filets:

Paula Deen’s Beer Battered Cod

I made a mistake and added all of the flour to the batter, so it was a bit thicker than it should have been.  That made it a little more difficult to slather it on the fish, but it turned out fine. This poor fry basket could only hold one piece at a time, so I put it on a sheet pan and kept it warm until all four pieces were cooked. We had some pickled beets, leftover Brussels Sprouts Cole Slaw and some Peppered Hash Brown Rounds (frozen, not from scratch) for the side dishes.   It was warm enough to even eat on the patio!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey and Dumplings

Earlier in the week we split a package of turkey tenderloins and tonight we used the second half  as a substitute for chicken in a  favorite dish, Chicken and Dumplings. I’ve posted the recipe in the past and it can be found in the archives. The dumplings seemed extra fluffy tonight and the turkey was tender and delicious. We had some red, yellow and orange heirloom carrots that made for a colorful pot.

Turkey and Dumplings

2 tablespoons butter

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 pound turkey tenderloin, cut in 1-inch chunks

4 heirloom carrots, peeled, split lengthwise and chopped in 2 -inch chunks

1 quart chicken stock

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery and sauté until softened about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and sauté until meat becomes white and slightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, carrots and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 – 30 minutes until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. Prepare the dumpling dough and follow the directions to finish the dish.

Fluffy Dumplings

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium glass mixing bowl, melt the butter in a microwave on high heat for about 30 seconds. Add the milk and stir, then add the egg and stir or whisk until egg is blended into the liquid. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until blended. Drop by tablespoons on top of boiling chicken stock. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Do NOT peek! If you don’t have any leftover chicken and stock, you can use canned chicken and at least 4 cups of chicken stock or more to float the dumplings.

I served a small garden salad and side of pickled beets with the Turkey and Dumplings. Before and after pictures below from dough to delicious in 10 minutes flat.

That is good comfort food!

Dinner on the Patio

After what seems like weeks of bleak skies and dreary weather, the sun came out today and the temperature climbed into more Spring-like 60’s.  It was nice enough to grill outdoors and eat on the patio.   Kevin fired up the gas grill when I was on my way home from work and put the thin-cut pork steaks on to cook.    We popped some frozen sweet potato crinkle fries into the oven (not everything we eat is made from scratch) and pulled out the Brussels Sprouts coleslaw I made a couple of days ago to go with this meal.   The recipe is Ina Garten’s .  She puts it on a turkey sandwich.  To be honest, we’ve had it several times, but never on a sandwich.  It is good on its own without the sandwich!   I used my new Kitchen Aid Slicing attachment and made quick work of shaving the Brussels Sprouts.  That made the recipe pretty easy.   The dressing is creamy and the whole-grain mustard really compliments the Brussels Sprouts’ slightly bitter taste.  Tomorrow night, Turkey and Dumplings!

http://Turkey Sandwiches with Brussels Sprout Slaw by Ina Garten

 

 

 

Southwest Supper

Tonight was a night to use up some leftovers.  As empty nesters, it’s hard sometimes to scale down meals to only serve two people Some things are really good reheated and develop richer flavors.  Other dishes aren’t as resilient and we eat them out of a sense of obligation to not waste food.   I like to re-purpose leftovers into a new dish that doesn’t resemble the original meal.  There was some leftover ribeye steak in the fridge, some tortillas, some leftover Spanish rice, Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.  All of that added up to Steak Tacos with Spanish Rice and a side salad.  We planned this meal Sunday evening, but needed a side dish. We’ve been using up a 24-serving can of corn and found this recipe that also used up the 1/2 red pepper in the vegetable drawer.

Corn, Roasted Red Pepper and Cilantro Salad

Neither of us likes spicy food, so I substituted parsley for the Cilantro.  The flavors had been marinating for about 48 hours and it was very good.  Tomorrow night, barbecued pork steaks!

Turkey Tenderloins – Opa!

I love Greek food!  Not only does it taste so good, a Mediterranean diet is reported to also be healthy.  We have a cruise to Europe booked for June that was going to visit ports in Italy, Greece, and Turkey on the first leg of the itinerary.   Sadly, I don’t think that ship is going to sail as planned.  Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some good meals featuring Greek recipes.  Tonight I did a take on Souvlaki.  Souvlaki basically is a Greek dish of pieces of meat grilled on a skewer.  Usually we use chicken breast, but we had picked up some turkey tenderloins and I figured, why not?    Since it is just the two of us, I split a 2-lb. package of tenderloins in half and froze 1 lb.   Last night I reduced a favorite recipe to these proportions for the marinade.

 

Grilled Turkey Souvlaki

 

1 lb. turkey tenderloins, cut into 1-inch cubes.

1/2  tablespoon Kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

 

Mix all ingredients ingredients except for the turkey in Ziplock freezer bag.   I used a 1-gallon size, but quart-size would probably be big enough.  I tucked the bag into a small mixing bowl and pulled the edges over the sides to line the bowl and mixed the ingredients well with a whisk.  Next add the turkey tenderloins, seal the bag and gently knead the meat chunks to coat them with the marinade.  Refrigerate over night (at least).  This batch marinated nearly 24 hours and the acid in the lemon juice is a great meat tenderizer. We grilled them on the gas grill until the internal temperature reached 180 degrees F.    They were moist and flavorful – delicious!

We did a Greek salad of shallot (didn’t have any red onion), chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, Feta cheese with a basic Oregano Vinaigrette.

Greek Salad Dressing

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad Ingredients

1/2 of a small cucumber, chopped

1 large tomato

1 small shallot, chopped (or about 1/4 cup chopped red onion)

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese.

Put all dressing ingredients in a pint jar, put the lid on and shake until well blended and emulsified.  Place the vegetables in a medium bowl and pour dressing over the vegetables. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately.    I used about half of the dressing, but you may use more or less to your taste.

Kevin found a recipe for a rice side dish.   I used the basic recipe but then also added a handful of sliced almonds and about the same amount of dried currants.

Lemon Rice Pilaf

It was a very good meal and I will definitely use turkey again for  Souvlaki!

 

A Wintry Day in March

Today started overcast and dreary, a sort of reflection of the national mood. On a normal Sunday morning I would get up and go to Mass, but services have been cancelled and I stayed at home. To use up some more leftovers we had Corned Beef Hash with poached eggs and a toasted English muffin. I carefully washed my hands for a full minute using warm water and antibacterial soap and packaged up some cookies in Ziplock bags to leave on the doorsteps of a couple of our neighbors. Kevin delivered them and then I texted the next door neighbors to let them know to check the front porch. They were surprised by the treat! We’ve made plans to share a drink over the fence when the weather gets better. Our other neighbor is a senior without internet or smart phone who lives alone. I talked with her a while, just to check in on her. She is doing okay, but is worried by the uncertainty of how long this will last. She had been thinking about baking cookies, so now she doesn’t have to. There were a few snow showers as I looked out the kitchen window. When will Spring ever arrive?

For lunch we ate some leftover Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup. I think it’s better the next day. After lunch, I made home made pasta. Some we’re eating for supper and some we delivered to our daughter, curbside drop off., along with a some cookies, English muffins and a few other items. The pasta recipes comes from Giada De Laruenttis’s Everyday Pasta cookbook. She recommends using a food processor, but I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook.

Fresh Pasta

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Put the flour in the mixer fitted with the dough hook. Break the eggs into a 1-cup measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. Add the Kosher salt and olive oil and beat to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl and mix until well combined and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I had to mix it a bit by hand, then resume using the mixer to get it to come together. You could also add a little more water or olive oil if the dough is too dry. Remove from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. I rolled the pasta with an Atlas Pasta maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. I rolled it to a thickness of 4 on the dial, but would recommend making it a little thinner using the 5 setting. If you don’t have a pasta machine, you could roll it out very thin with a rolling pin and use a very sharp knife to free-form cut noodles. If you’ve never made pasta before, it’s not that hard. It’s just takes time and patience. It is best eaten immediately because it does not keep well for very long refrigerated. There are no preservatives and with the raw eggs, it’s safer to eat quickly.

We had a late dinner of IKEA Meatballs with Lingonberrry Jam and home made pasta and buttered steamed Brussels Sprouts by the fireside with a glass of wine. Not bad. Not bad at all.

A Changed World

My husband Kevin and I returned from a Caribbean cruise on March 1.  LIttle did we know at the time how fortunate we were to be ending a vacation and returning home.      It is hard to absorb how the world has changed so drastically in less than one month.  I work at a hospital and still go to work every day, although not in the clinical setting.  I can tell you the Coronavirus Pandemic is real; it is not being overblown by the media. We all are facing this crisis together.   Yesterday, the Governor of Illinois, the state I live in,  issued a directive to shelter at home.  We are able to leave home for essential services like getting groceries or visiting pharmacies, but otherwise should stay at home.  Staying abreast of the world news, this was not a surprise and we had been stocking up (not hoarding) some basic staples, and maybe some not-so-basic items, to be able to cook a diverse menu at home for an extended period of time.  We recognized the stay-at-home order is intended to safe lives, maybe our own.   With nowhere to go and an abundance of free time on my hands, I am returning to blogging after a long hiatus.   We all need food for sustenance, but food also brings comfort in times of trouble.   We won’t be having any dinner parties or inviting guests over, but we hope to make up for lost time later.   No one can predict how long that may be, but I will try to make our meals nutritious, interesting and enjoyable.   Meals are now a form of entertainment for my husband and me.

This morning we slept in much later than usual.  No reason to set an alarm and no place to go.   I pulled out a refrigerated pie crust and made a Yogurt Quiche that I make often,  I’ve posted the recipe in the past and it is a good way to use up leftover ham.  Today I used ham, broccoli, red pepper, green onions and mushrooms.   After brunch we took a long walk in our neighborhood, practicing the 6-foot social distance recommendation when we met others also out walking.   Many were in their yards.  We saw people cutting grass, mulching, picking up branches or just sitting outdoors.  When we got home I went to work in the kitchen.  I made Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick’s day and had about 1/4 head of cabbage left and some Corned Beef.   Kevin found a recipe that would make good use of the leftovers.

Food Network Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup

With a slice of home-made rye bread, it was very good!

Thinking ahead for tomorrow’s breakfast, I made some English Muffins.  The recipe uses a bread machine yeast dough, but the muffins get griddled on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet, not baked.  They are not as hard as it sounds to make and they have a nice crisp bottom and chewy centers.

Bread Machine English Muffins

Next, to satisfy Kevin’s sweet tooth, I baked cookies.  Taking stock of some of our older ingredients, we pulled the bag of Andes Baking Chips out of the refrigerator and found this recipe on the package.

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

3/4 cup dark brown sugar ( or light brown)

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp.  baking soda

1 tsp.  baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 pkg. (10-ounces) Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

2 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Beat butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed.  Stir in Andes Baking Chips then flour.  Chill for about 1 hour in refrigerator.  Measure out approximately 1 oz. dough.  Form ball and slightly flatten.  Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick pans.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately 8-10 minutes.  Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing .

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

For good measure, we made a second batch of cookies to use up some white chocolate chips and pistachios.  We have a lot of pistachios in the pantry cabinet.  We’ll be looking for more recipes to use them in.   I only had about a 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips so I used 1/2 cup of Craisins to make up the difference.  This combination is really good!

Salted Honey Pistachio Cookies

We just finished a late supper of Panini-pressed Reubens.  For not having anything to do today, we got a lot done!   Watch for more posts to come in these days ahead.