As mentioned in the last post, Bev is gone so Cindy and I are having our twice/year seafood-a-thon and it began with the Greek Salmon in the previous post. We had 1½ lbs. of fish left over and she turned them into Salmon patties using the recipe from “Natasha’s Kitchen” while we had mid-March snow showers when a cold front went through.
So, it’s that time again when Bev and Pat head off to Sint Maarten ( Caribbean Island) for a couple of weeks at Pat's timeshare and Cindy and I are dog sitting and eating fish and first up was Greek Salmon using our go-to recipe. And while thinking about what to have with it, the same day up pops the recipe for Best Italian Salad Recipe (Restaurant-Style) from the “Ask Chef Dennis” blog. I did the salmon and Cindy made the salad and followed the recipe as written but used Great Northern Beans and omitted the pepperoncini.
I got this recipe for Crab and Shrimp Casserole on Facebook some time ago and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to make it which finally came about. It was just printed on Facebook without a link to another site.
When I saw the recipe for Ultimate Chicken And Dumplings on the “Serious Eats” blog, I knew I wanted to make it. But after making the best chicken noodle soup we’ve ever had, I decided to use it for the broth then just substitute the dumplings for the noodles. I won’t reprint the broth or baked chicken recipe here but it can be found by clicking on the above link. The one difference is that I removed the veggies from the broth. For the dumplings, I doubled the ingredient amounts. Sorry about the less than great pics.
Back in early December I made Sablefish with Mustard Cream Sauce for our seafood-a-thon while Bev was in Florida and we thought it was so good that I wanted Bev to try it. But this post is really about the Tennessee Onions so you can read about the fish by clicking on this link and substituting crappie for sablefish and doubling the sauce amount.
Just as with friend, Kathy, I gave Cindy free lunches for her Christmas present and for her first one she chose First Watch in Maryville . First watch is a 600+ restaurant chain headquartered in Bradenton, FL and Cindy has been there many times and since I had been wanting to try it, I was pleased with her choice.
Bev had picked up a stuffed beef roast on a whim the other day and we decided to have it for our Friday card group.
I’ve cooked these in the past and the cheese always ran out so I first browned it in a skillet.
For the second meal as part of Kathy’s Christmas present, we decided to go to the local Greenback Diner where we had not been in many years. After we retired, we ate two to three times per week at the locally famous Greenback Drug Store which at one time was a drugstore with a pharmacist and they served meals as well. It was where the local farmers gathered early every morning for coffee and solving the world's problems and they occasionally brought their instruments and played a little music and politicians would come by stumping for votes. After the original owners sold, it changed hands several times, the food quality and service went down hill and we gradually quit going. Even though it’s only a 10 minute drive, we haven’t been in more than 10 years so when Kathy suggested it, we decided to give it a try.
I rarely eat soup in warm weather but with highs in the 30’s (cold for here) predicted for 10 days, we decided to have a soup-a-thon beginning with chili on Friday before the predicted winter storm. We used our normal Anson Peckham’s Chili Con Carne recipe and once again we thought it was delicious. This is Bev's topped with cheese and onion.
We had some sauce and several meatballs left from our recent meal and in thinking about something other than the same meal, I decided to make a casserole dish by cooking additional spaghetti.
We sure dodged the bullet with the winter storm impact here especially compared to Nashville. We had a trace of snow on Saturday then rain which continued thru Sunday (while we made the meal below) then about a quarter inch of snow on ice fell overnight Sunday which made our road too dangerous to drive on so our Monday plans were cancelled. And most importantly, we didn't lose power which I feel very fortunate about since I need it to keep the RV warm.
You know you are a serious Italian cook when you name your blog La Belle Vita Cucina (My Beautiful Life Kitchen), go to Italy to visit and cook with family members, and you attend the famous Mama Agata Cooking Class on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. And so it is with Roz who takes us on her cooking journey via her blog and who recently published a post titled “Secrets For The Best Italian Meatballs.” Since Bev and I had just discussed wanting spaghetti and meatballs, Roz’s recipe immediately moved to the top of the list.
When I saw the recipe for Creamy Tuscan Chicken Thighs on the “Café Delights” blog, I knew I had to make it. But since my ladies prefer breasts to thighs, I made that substitution and I cooked six of them (three for this meal and three for leftovers).
When Pam posted the recipe for Tuscan Gigante Beans on her “For The Love Of Cooking” blog I new I wanted to make it, but I also know that Bev doesn’t like lima beans in any form – it’s the texture and also applies to chickpeas. However, she does like white beans so I decided to just make the dish with Great Northern Beans. Since I was sure we would like the beans, I made a double recipe as shown below. Click on the link above to check out Pam's site for the original recipe and some great pics.
Once again this year, my Christmas gift to friend Kathy was five lunches at the restaurants of her choice and most of the time, she just has me pick one. The adjoining towns of Maryille and Alcoa, TN (county population of 140,000) surprisingly have nine Mexican restaurants and one combination store and restaurant. And for this meal, we picked one of them we had never been to as it was conveniently located for all of us. Las Margarita’s 411 Mexican Grill is located in a building that had been the go-to mom and pop 411 Restaurant since before I came to the area in 1969.
During a recent market trip, Bev picked up two packages of corned beef and I froze the smaller one and cooked the larger one. I decided it was large enough to eat some for supper with still plenty left over for corned beef hash. The size of the ingredients is a matter of personal preference but after eating some Neuske’s Corned Beef Hash, I think I like the smaller pieces better even though they take more time to prepare.
I’ve always enjoyed breakfast casseroles and have made, and posted about, many of them over the years and lately I decided I really, really like them as they can be made then eaten on for several days. For this one, I used the recipe for Easy Vegetable Cheese Sausage Breakfast Casserole from Serious Eats and I made it as shown below.
Bev and I wish you the best for the coming year and we are looking forward to another year together - since 2025 was a good year for us, we will be eating black eyed peas again for good luck today.
We did our usual New Year's Eve - Watched a little football, had a glass of champagne about 10pm then I went to bed and Bev was shortly behind me.
And here is the list of my New Year's Resolutions
1.
