Garlic Is Good For You

Salmon on the grill

Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to when Egyptian pyramids were built.   Garlic is mentioned in the Bible and the Talmud.  Garlic was consumed by ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, sailors, and rural classes as a cure-all.  The practice of hanging garlic, lemon and red chili at the door to ward off evil is still common today in India.  Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals, or particles that can damage cell membranes and possibly contribute to the aging process.  Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and could reduce or prevent some of the damage they cause.  I think we should all eat our garlic!  Are you in?

One of our favorite meals at The Orange Bee is salmon on the grill.  My family doesn’t seem to care how I prepare it as long as I do.  After several snow and ice days our weather has turned to balmy, breezy and spring like, perfect for throwing a piece of fish on the grill.  Luckily, over the weekend we paid a visit to Central Market and adoring husband found the seafood counter.  All three of us were smiling with the prospect of salmon for dinner.

I like to keep it simple when preparing fish.  I also prefer a whole piece of salmon which I cut into individual servings after it is cooked.  On this night I felt a little Latin influence would be nice so I elected for a “mojo de ajo” sauce for el pescado.  If you are not a fan of garlic this dish will not be pleasing to you.  Mojo de ajo is simply garlic sauce.  I will warn you it is addicting and works equally well with pork, chicken or any seafood.

I begin by marinating the fish for about thirty minutes then grilling until it flakes easily. The sauce is prepared while the fish is marinating.   Many recipes call for turning the fish after 6-8 minutes, however I do not flip my fish when grilling.  I lay it on a grill, sprayed with Pam, skin side down and grill over medium heat until done.  I test the fish by flaking and by touch and appearance.  Adoring husband does not like fish that is not thoroughly cooked, not overdone but cooked through.  I can do that!  Here is my disclaimer: the smell of garlic will permeate your kitchen and you but remember, “garlic is good for you”.  Oh!  Surely you know that salmon also has plenty of health benefits, omega 3’s, protein and good fats.  So dive in and get healthy while enjoying a delicious meal.

Enjoy!

Salmon Mojo de Ajo

1 Salmon filet
3/4 cup Lime juice, divided by 1/2 & 1/4 cup
1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Green Onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/2 tbsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Mix 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, green onion and 4 cloves of the garlic.  Stir well and pour over fish, allow to marinate about 30 minutes.

Meantime prepare the “Mojo sauce”.  Whisk together olive oil, remaining lime juice, remaining cilantro, remaining garlic, orange peel, oregano, cumin and salt & pepper.  Set aside.

Prepare grill.  Remove fish from marinade and place on grill.  Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and a little oregano.  Cook until fish is cooked through.  Remove fish, cut into serving sizes, place on plates and spoon sauce over fish.  Serve with extra lime slices on the side.

In The Name Of Love

Keller's #5 Special

Last night we followed our Valentines evening tradition and headed to Keller’s drive-in. As I mentioned in my Valentine’s Day post it is an old timey drive-in complete with car-hops who still look like they did in the 80’s.   They call you “hon” and “sweetie” and they don’t even know you.  It’s a composition of bikers, families, couples, hot rods, single guys, dogs ridin’ shotgun and folks driving through for cases of cold beer.  Keller’s may be the cheapest place in town judging by the number of cars who pull up and never turn off their engines.  They cruise in, order a case, pay and keep on movin’, dodging pot holes and car hops.

We ordered our #5 Specials with grilled onions, tater tots and two cold brews.  A #5 Special is two all beef patties, cheese, tomato, lettuce and special sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun, and if you ask you can get grilled onions.  Miss T opted for a cheeseburger, fries and a Dr. Pepper.  She’s a low maintenance kind of girl.  We tuned in some nice latin jazz on the radio, rolled down all the windows and kicked back.  Luckily the weather was perfect for doin’ the drive-in and we could experience all the sights, sounds and smells of the night. It was crowded, as it is every time on Valentine’s.  It evokes a sense of kindred spirit. People from all parallels of life eating #5 specials, downing cold beer, and checking out the other guys ride, all in the name of “love”.

Is this meal the healthiest on the planet – I don’t think so!  Was it greasy – well yes, just a tad.  Was it delicious – absolutely.  It is a tradition we won’t soon toss aside for an extravagant dining experience.  We eat, we smile, we laugh, we listen, we look, we wipe our greasy faces and we head home in good spirits knowing that we carried on our special tradition once again.  Life is good….

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, the day of love.  I was challenged with deciding what to create to show the love to my family on Valentine’s Day.  It’s not that I don’t have a zillion yummy dessert recipes to choose from or half a zillion that I’ve never tried but want to.  No, that was not the problem.  I wanted something easy and unusual.  Something they had never tried before.  Not chocolate this time, not cake, cupcakes or cookies. While mulling it over I remembered I own a Coeur à la Creme mold.  I also thought I had a Bon Appetit magazine from many years ago, saved just for the Coeur à la Creme recipe.  Voila!  Found the magazine, dated from February 1980 and easily put my hands on the mold.  Decision finalized!

Coeur à la Creme is french for “heart with cream”.  It is a simple, lovely and refined dessert.  I laugh as I visualize the words I wrote in the previous sentence.  Simple, as in easy to prepare; lovely, as in appealing, refined, as in elegant and well-mannered. These words indeed describe the Coeur à la Creme.  The motivation for my laughter is the words I will use to describe the joint where we’ll eat our Valentine’s dinner tonight. We will be heading to Keller’s Drive-In.  A greasy spoon burger joint, complete with car hops reminiscent of the 70’s and 80’s, bikers, pick-up trucks and pot holes.  I’d call Keller’s rough, crude and not much to look at.  Don’t get me wrong it is a great establishment serving greasy cheeseburgers that are covered in “special sauce”, tater tots fresh out of the freezer bag into the deep fat fryer, and ice-cold beer.  We’ll get a kick out of discussing the contrast to our dining choices over dessert.  Stay tuned to find out just how greasy our burgers were.  Meantime, put on your white gloves and whip up a lovely Coeur à la Creme.

I altered the original recipe from Bon Appetit just a bit (altered recipe follows).  Having licked the bowl after filling the mold I can attest it is creamy, fluffy deliciousness!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Coeur à la Creme

8 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 Tbsp. Kirsch
Extra strawberries for garnish
Cheesecloth

Soak the cheesecloth in water, wring out excess water and line the mold with the cheesecloth.  Allow 2 inches to hang over on all sides.

Combine cheeses, sugar and vanilla and mix thoroughly until light and creamy.  Whip heavy cream at high-speed until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture.  Spoon into prepared mold smoothing the top.  Cover with cheesecloth.  Place mold on a wire rack over a pie plate and refrigerate overnight.  The whey will drain onto the pie plate leaving the heart of the cheeses.

Puree hulled strawberries with Kirsch.  Chill.  When ready to serve, remove cheesecloth from top of mold, turn mold upside down onto a plate and remove cheesecloth.  Garnish with fresh strawberries and drizzle purée mixture over the coeur à la crème.

Modern Museum & Tex Mex

Yesterday began at 6 am.  This time of day is not my favorite.  I like it best when the alarm has a 7 in front of the other numbers, whether they are :00 or :20 or :45.  But yesterday it was 6:00 straight up. Miss T was required to be at her school by 6:45 a.m. to depart for an art competition.  We played the good parents and drove her through Starbucks, dropped her at school and went back to Starbucks for our own double shot of caffeine.  I can’t say that I have been in a Starbucks, or anywhere else for that matter, at that time of day in a long, long time. Today it was nice to sit with adoring hubby and sip hot, steamy coffee with milk.  Plus I needed that caffeine.

This was followed by picking up our budding artist at 9:30 and driving for an hour to allow her to join her English class in the cultural district of Ft. Worth for a visit to three different museums.  We arrived in the parking lot just as they were dispersing to the different museums and she jaunted off to join her peers.  We toured the Museum Of Modern Art, visited with the riveting English teacher and his better half and headed to chow down on some Tex Mex.

While observing the art I snapped a few photos, not so much of the art itself but of the architecture.  I am not a big fan of modern art but understand that I may learn something by visiting a museum full of it.  I do however, enjoy the modern form of architecture and this building delivered.

'Shadows" Museum of Modern Art Ft. Worth, Texas

While I did not shoot many photos of the art I did shoot one colorful, large painting which I was reminded of when we sat down to eat at one of the local Tex Mex cafes, by the colorful scene painted on their restaurant windows.  What a contrast!  One with sharp lines and bright colors, painted by a famous artist, hanging big and bold, the other having been painted by a person, not famous, not known to those of culture, but colorful and inviting.  What I liked about both is the use of brilliant color.

No recipes came out of my kitchen yesterday, no cooking at The Orange Bee, but a delightful day spent with my husband and my daughter.  Seeing her in her own element, with friends and teachers is quite a treat.  As you view my photos I hope they draw a smile to your face and bring some colorful joy into your day.  I have some delicious recipes in store for you over the next few days.  Stay tuned….

Enjoy!

My favorite painting in the museum.

 

Painting on the window of "the Original" mexican restaurant, Ft. Worth, Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above is a photo of the painting hanging in the museum, and to the right is the window painting at the restaurant. There really is no comparison to these two works of art. What it did make me realize is how many forms of art we look at everyday,  some famous and others not.  Yesterday I enjoyed surveying the museum works and found equal pleasure in the small works of art outside of the museum walls as well.

Two additional art forms I noticed, this painting of olives in the museum and the nachos we snacked on at lunch.  The olive painting was cool and made me think of icy vodka martinis, being served on the deck of a beautiful yacht, drifting in azure waters as a golden sun sets on the horizon.  The nacho, full of gooey cheese and warm peppers carried my thoughts to a sandy beach, in the shade of a palapa, listening to the waves roll in, with an ice-cold beer in hand.  Each distinct and pleasurable.  Here are photos of the olive painting and the nacho. I mean, isn’t that what art is supposed to do for us- carry our thoughts, cause us to “think” beyond the ordinary, daily and possibly mundane events of our lives?

Martini anyone?

"The Original's" nacho

Brussel Sprout Battle

Did you know that Brussel Sprouts are an ancient vegetable?  Possibly grown in what is now known as Belgium in the 13th century, Brussel Sprouts could be America’s most disliked vegetable.  The first recorded writings about Brussel Sprouts date to 1587. Brussel Sprouts are one of the few vegetables to originate in northern Europe.  They were first introduced in France and England where they remain popular.  Around 1800 French settlers in Louisiana introduced them to America.  They are an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin A and they also contain noble amounts of folic acid and fiber.

Are you wondering why you needed all of this information about Brussel Sprouts?  Do you realize the abbreviation for Brussel Sprouts is B.S.?  Maybe you are thinking all those pertinent facts with respect to Brussel Sprouts is just that…B.S. Well, I cannot force you to eat your vegetables, especially your B.S.’s, but I am prepared to give you a recipe for Brussel Sprouts which, if you like B.S., you will find easy to prepare, fresh and tasty.

I am the only member of my family who lives in this home that really “likes” B.S.  From time to time when I am home alone I buy fresh vegetables that adoring hubby and Miss T will not even look at and prepare them for my lunch.  This is not a common occurrence but occasional.  On these days I usually feel that my body is asking me to feed it these veggies and I oblige.  I mean, there are some battles worth fighting with your kids and hubby, but forcing them to eat B.S. is not one I’m willing to dive into.

A few days ago I found myself in the supermarket and hungry.  That is an awful combination.  While perusing the produce section I was drawn to the Brussel Sprouts and decided to buy a few.  Brussel Sprouts that come from Mexico are still fresh during this time of year.  I’m guessing this is where these originated.  I brought them home and quickly made them for my lunch.  What I want you to know is that this not a standardized recipe but one of those where you throw together what sounds good and see what happens.  I was quite pleased with my bowl of B.S., they were wholesome and tasty.

Enjoy!

Pan-Roasted Brussel Sprouts

8-10 Brussel Sprouts
1 Tablespoon Pine Nuts
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Splash of Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Clean Brussel Sprouts and remove outer leaves.  Trim ends.  Slice B.S.’s  into halves.  In a small skillet heat olive oil and add B.S.’s.  Cook over medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes, then add pine nuts. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally.  When Brussel Sprouts begin to brown and pine nuts are fragrant, lower heat and add vinegar to pan. Swirl and stir to distribute vinegar. Continue cooking until Brussel sprouts are nicely browned and heated through.

Remove sprouts from skillet, place in a bowl.  Add fresh grated parmesan cheese to sprouts and toss thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Gumbo Add-On

After I posted the gumbo recipe my Mom, who is quite familiar with the business of making gumbo called to say she wanted to clue me in on a change my Dad had made to his gumbo recipe, which had not been added to his book.  Here’s the story.  My Dad had a taste for” hot” or spicy foods whereas my Mom does not.  Just a hint of pepper can be too much for her delicate palate.  There were times when my Dad would add so much pepper to his gumbo that my Mom couldn’t even eat it.  That didn’t go over so well with Daddy but she simply could not choke it down.  In order to uphold peace in their home they came up with a method by which to add pepper where he would be proud of his gumbo and she could enjoy eating a bowl or two.

It is a simple addition to the recipe.  I will edit the original recipe and add the pepper amounts so that you too can have a mildly spicy, ever so slightly peppery pot of gumbo. It’s up to you to use the pepper additions or alter the heat and spice to your own taste. However you do it I’m hopeful that you will relish your bowl of gumbo as much as I.

Enjoy!

Cold & Craving Oooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Bars

If you are not from Texas you may laugh at us Texans’ totally shutting down every time we get ice and or snow.  Laugh all you want but apparently we are not equipped to handle too much of the white stuff so we close our schools to the joy of all students, deplete our grocery store shelves satisfying store managers, throw snowballs thrilling the thrower, build cozy fires pleasing our cats, and bake treats to foster blissful cabin mates.

Once again the phone rang at 5:40a.m. to inform me that I could indeed sleep in as there would be no school today.  Ducky!  I think our school district may need to devise a more efficient plan for letting me sleep in if we continue to have snow days.  Those of you accustomed to this weather don’t receive those nerve racking ring tones before the crack of dawn.  Mornings like this require an extra cup or two of coffee, which I enjoyed this frosty morn.  After my eyes were fully open, I got busy whipping up some sweet treats as I knew I’d polished off the Blue Bell Vanilla Bean last night.  The 12* temps they are predicting don’t exactly constitute a craving for another frozen treat.  Here is what I whipped up.  Very easy and quick to prepare and dare I say just what I was craving.

Enjoy!

Oooey Gooey Caramel-Chocolate Bars
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup pecan halves
Topping:
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350*.  Combine all crust ingredients except pecans in bowl of a stand mixer, if  you do not own a stand mixer put ingredients in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Press into bottom of an ungreased 9″ x 13″baking pan.  Place pecans evenly over unbaked crust.
Combine remaining butter and brown sugar in 1 quart saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the entire surface of the mixture begins to boil.  Boil stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Pour mixture evenly over pecans and crust.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the entire layer of caramel is bubbly.  (Do NOT overbake) Remove from oven.  Immediately sprinkle with chips; allow to melt slightly.  Spread melted chips over bars with an off-set spatula.  Cool completely.  Cut into bars.

Next time I make these I’m going to bake them in a smaller pan to make thicker bars.  If you beat me to this idea please comment and let me know how they turn out.  Stay tuned…

 

 

 

 

 

Super Bowl Of Gumbo

Isn’t that beautiful?  Fresh shrimp ready to be peeled, cooked and eaten.  As you know by now these shrimp are destined for the Super Bowl of Gumbo.  That is not truly the name of this gumbo but it seemed so fitting to turn it into a puzzle.  None of you guessed  – nor even attempted.  Ok, maybe puzzles and blogs don’t go together.  What does fit right into this blog however, is the recipe and instructions on how to make gumbo.

The first tip I have for you is to start early in the afternoon making your gumbo. Chopping the vegetables is easy but time-consuming and you’ll want the veggies prepped before you start your roux.  The most important part of gumbo making which my Dad drilled into my head is that the roux cannot be any color other than chocolate-brown.  His way of making gumbo is one of hundreds, passed down in families all over south Louisiana and southeast Texas.  You may have eaten gumbo before that didn’t resemble this gumbo at all.  Producing roux the color of a candy bar takes quite a while and you can’t hurry it along.  That is the reason he plainly states, “have a taste of the wine yourself”.  This well intended tip is the only way I know for making gumbo, pour a glass of wine, pull up a stool or chair to the stove top and then begin the roux making process. Having your adoring husband or wife, a great friend (who also likes wine), or your significant other hanging out in the kitchen makes the lengthy roux browning much more enjoyable.

I am including photos of the roux making process to help you grasp what color to strive for.  If you are patient and don’t give up too quickly you will attain the perfect roux and the most delicious pot of gumbo you’ve ever tasted!

Enjoy!

Adoring hubby likes his gumbo with an icy cold brewski.

Lew’s Louisiana Gumbo

Recipe feeds 10
6-8 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
8 celery ribs, chopped
1 large can of tomatoes
1 lb. okra, sliced (one large bag of frozen will work too – NOT breaded okra)
6 bay leaves
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup dry red wine
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup parsley, minced
6-10 green onions, chopped (use tops and bottoms)
8 lbs. shrimp, cleaned and uncooked
1 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced
2 cups flour
2 cups butter or cooking oil
Salt & pepper (1 tsp. white pepper, 1 tsp. black pepper and 1 tsp. red (cayenne) pepper)

Begin by chopping all of your vegetables, garlic and parsley.  Set aside.  Pour a glass of wine and pull a stool up to the stove.

Adding the flour - roux the color of straw.

Color beginning to look like caramel or butterscotch.

Color is changing more quickly now but you aren't there yet!

Voila! This is the color you are looking for rich chocolate-brown.

Bring your oil to a high heat and gradually whisk in the flour stirring continuously until well mixed.

Lower the heat, continue stirring and sipping your wine while the roux begins to take on a caramel color.

Continue stirring, have the other person in your kitchen refill your wine glass if necessary.  Whatever you do don’t stop stirring or give up yet.

Now that you have achieved the perfect chocolate shade of roux for your gumbo the remaining steps are easy greasy.

Add the onions, celery, green onions, bell pepper, garlic, and parsley to the roux and mix well.  Allow this mixture to cook over low heat for about 4-5 minutes to allow the celery to begin to soften.  When the vegetables have began to soften transfer the entire mixture to a 12 quart stock pot.  Add 6 quarts of hot water, a little at a time, stirring until smooth and thin.  Bring this mixture to a simmer and add the tomatoes, okra, wine (have a taste yourself), Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and just a touch of salt and pepper.  If you are using sausage add it now.  Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender crisp and the sausage is heated through; add the shrimp and continue to cook until shrimp turn pink and are crisp.

At this time you can leave the gumbo on the stove at the lowest heat setting for quite a while.  If  you allow the gumbo to simmer or boil again your shrimp will be overcooked. Taste your gumbo to determine if additional salt or pepper are needed.  If you like “Hot” gumbo add some cayenne pepper to your pot.  Additionally bring the Louisiana hot sauce or Tabasco to the table.

Serve the gumbo over rice and be sure to have some crusty hot bread for dunking in the liquid.

This same recipe can made using chicken, duck, goose, crab, rabbit, guinea fowl or squirrel.  Yes, I said squirrel.  In those parts of Louisiana and southeast Texas squirrel is eaten by many people.  I’d venture to say not as much today as in the past but if  you’ve got a hankerin’ for squirrel gumbo – go for it!

I prefer my gumbo made with seafood and sausage, served over rice, a touch on the spicy side, with bread for dunking and another glass of wine.

Puzzled

S_ _ ER   _ _ _ L  _ _  _ _ _ _ _

The puzzle above is a “same name” puzzle, like a  “Wheel Of Fortune” puzzle.  Did you ever watch that show?   I do, some evenings.  It is the only program I can watch during dinner – the whole family gets into the challenge of guessing the puzzles and attempting to beat the contestants.  Someone always declares,” You should go on that show!”, to one of us in the room.  Depends on whose game is on that evening.  Somehow I think that actually being a contestant on the show would not work out the same as it does playing in the comfort of our own home.  None the less we enjoy it occasionally.  My preference is no television during dinner, but if we must,  I can do “Wheel”.

So here is what happened to me today.  I don’t think you are interested in my day-to-day comings and goings but today, maybe you are.  We came home from church ready to change into our comfy clothes and get busy cooking and shooting photos of gumbo. Well…our plans changed when the garage door would not open for us.  Frustrating, but no biggie!  Upon inspection we discovered the electricity was out.  YEP!  No power at The Orange Bee. Hmmmm….  No power,  no gumbo, and no reheating chili from last night for some lunch time sustenance.

We were able to change into our comfy clothes,  but we were starving so we went out for some “fast food”.  Yuck!  Miss T was thrilled to get chicken tenders and a Dr. Pepper at our local fried chicken joint.  Not at the top of my list by any means but adoring hubby and I ate some too and then we headed home to discover the power had been restored.

This may seem like an inconsequential occurrence and it was to a degree.  Gumbo, however is not a dish you can toss together in the blink of an eye.  I did manage to make a fabulous pot of gumbo.  I was not able to begin preparing the gumbo until mid-afternoon. My Dad would have told me I was “eat up with the dumb ass” to start a pot of gumbo at that time of day.  That was a phrase he used when he thought you weren’t being too keen but he loved you just the same.  Photos and the recipe will be posted tomorrow.   Meantime I challenge you to solve the “same name” puzzle and stay tuned…tomorrow the answer will be revealed in the post heading followed by the photos and recipe.

Remember I eagerly welcome all comments!  Please feel free to comment on your guess to the answer of my puzzle.

Stay tuned…

The Madness Ends

I’ll start by saying, “I did not win any ribbons”.  Actually there weren’t any ribbons given out, there was a quick announcement of the winners and everyone went back to stuffing their faces with chili.  There were over 60 entries in the cook off and 2 winners were selected by a method not known to me.  First place was hot and tasty and second place was likened to Wendy’s…not by me, I didn’t try it.

This one wasn’t about winning to begin with, it was about helping raise money so kids can go to camp.  You know, the kids who don’t have the means to go but deserve to go none the less.  I’m gratified that I could contribute to this worthy cause.  Last but not least, I had fun creating the chili, I love the kudos from my adoring hubby and it made a swell topic to blog about.

Tomorrow I’ll be making my Dad’s gumbo a proven “Blue Ribbon” winner.  Stay tuned…