This chicken tenderloins recipe from food.com is tasty and really simple, albeit with a strange name - "Heroin Chicken Tenders (One Taste and You're Addicted)". (http://www.food.com/recipe/heroin-chicken-tenders-one-taste-and-youre-addicted-69990) You're likely to have all the ingredients you need except the chicken tenders.
The original recipe below serves 4. I cut it in half because I was only making dinner for two of us.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup butter
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine dry ingredients, including Parmesan cheese.
3. Line a shallow pan with foil
4. Melt butter in a shallow dish (that's long enough for dipping the tenders)
5. Dip each piece in butter; then roll in the seasoning mix, and place in the pan with the foil.
6. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, or until chicken is done. (25 minutes in our Breville toaster oven was perfect.)
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Antoine's Restaurant, Sarasota - Very Nice Flavors of France and Belgium
The other night, my wife and I enjoyed a delightful dinner at Antoine's (http://www.antoinessarasota.com/), a restaurant which offers delicious French cuisine and terrific mussels. The owners, Olivier Georges and his wife Angela, were originally recruited from Belgium to work at Brasserie Belge, which we loved. The owner of Brasserie Belge (Belgian Brasserie) decided to close the brasserie and return to Belgium, but Olivier and Angela loved it here and decided to open their own restaurant. They first opened it on Fruitville, and then moved to the current location, in the small shopping center across from Ed Smith Stadium.
My wife and I went for a special they were offering - a three-course dinner for two, plus a bottle of wine, plus amuse-bouche for $69. All of the food was delicious, and the wine was decent.
The amuse-bouche was Gougeres - two small pastries made with dough and Swiss cheese.
My wife's appetizer was broccoli bisque, and mine was Mussels Marinières (Moules Marinières). I love mussels, and these were terrific. Antoine's serves seven types of mussels, and on Monday nights, they offer an all-you-can-eat mussels special for $22.
My wife and I had the same main dish - a pork roulade au jus stuffed with spinach and apples. The pork was served with a mix of vegetables perfectly cooked - asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes.
For dessert, we both had the Belgian chocolate mousse. It was fantastic.
After dinner, we both enjoyed a cup of very nice espresso.
The butter served with the bread was an elegant creation carved by Olivier.
The bottle of wine offered with the special was Patriarche Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Both are from the Pays d'Oc area of France. It was decent, and I was not expecting more for the price.
Olivier is the host and server, and Angela is the chef. She makes everything from scratch. Olivier has a warm and welcoming personality. He is very attentive.
For those who like special beers, they offer 12 beers, which I believe are all Belgian.
Olivier and Angela created the decor themselves. It has resulted in a very cozy atmosphere.
They are currently only open for dinner 6 days per week, and closed on Sunday. Olivier said they might open for lunch during the winter season.
My wife and I went for a special they were offering - a three-course dinner for two, plus a bottle of wine, plus amuse-bouche for $69. All of the food was delicious, and the wine was decent.
The amuse-bouche was Gougeres - two small pastries made with dough and Swiss cheese.
My wife's appetizer was broccoli bisque, and mine was Mussels Marinières (Moules Marinières). I love mussels, and these were terrific. Antoine's serves seven types of mussels, and on Monday nights, they offer an all-you-can-eat mussels special for $22.
My wife and I had the same main dish - a pork roulade au jus stuffed with spinach and apples. The pork was served with a mix of vegetables perfectly cooked - asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes.
For dessert, we both had the Belgian chocolate mousse. It was fantastic.
After dinner, we both enjoyed a cup of very nice espresso.
The butter served with the bread was an elegant creation carved by Olivier.
The bottle of wine offered with the special was Patriarche Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Both are from the Pays d'Oc area of France. It was decent, and I was not expecting more for the price.
Olivier is the host and server, and Angela is the chef. She makes everything from scratch. Olivier has a warm and welcoming personality. He is very attentive.
For those who like special beers, they offer 12 beers, which I believe are all Belgian.
Olivier and Angela created the decor themselves. It has resulted in a very cozy atmosphere.
They are currently only open for dinner 6 days per week, and closed on Sunday. Olivier said they might open for lunch during the winter season.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Delicious Fig, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, Arugula & Spinach Salad
This delicious and easy salad is a variant of one posted on food.com at http://www.food.com/recipe/fig-prosciutto-and-arugula-salad-261149. Searching the Internet will find you others. Some use different cheese - like Parmesan or mozzarella. Others add ingredients like rosemary.
Below is my version of the one at food.com. It served three of us.
Ingredients
- 8 Black Mission figs slice vertically and with the stem cut off
- about 4 ounces of mixed arugula and spinach (The original recipe had only arugula.)
- 4 slices of prosciutto cut into small pieces
- several ounces of soft goat cheese (or whatever type cheese you might enjoy with the main ingredients, or no cheese at all)
- high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 2 tablespoons + 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry.)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
Put the balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir to dissolve them.
Stir in the honey.
Spread the arugula and spinach on a serving platter. Drizzle the greens with the EVOO, and season with salt and pepper.
Decoratively arrange the greens, figs and prosciutto on the platter.
Sprinkle the goat cheese over the items on the platter.
Drizzle everything with the balsamic-honey dressing.
Below is my version of the one at food.com. It served three of us.
Ingredients
- 8 Black Mission figs slice vertically and with the stem cut off
- about 4 ounces of mixed arugula and spinach (The original recipe had only arugula.)
- 4 slices of prosciutto cut into small pieces
- several ounces of soft goat cheese (or whatever type cheese you might enjoy with the main ingredients, or no cheese at all)
- high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 2 tablespoons + 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry.)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
Put the balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir to dissolve them.
Stir in the honey.
Spread the arugula and spinach on a serving platter. Drizzle the greens with the EVOO, and season with salt and pepper.
Decoratively arrange the greens, figs and prosciutto on the platter.
Sprinkle the goat cheese over the items on the platter.
Drizzle everything with the balsamic-honey dressing.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Katy Rose Oilery, Lakewood Ranch
I love special olive oils and balsamic vinegars for salads. The place where I normally purchase them is Katy Rose Olive Oils (http://www.katyroseoliveoils.com/) on Lakewood Ranch Main St. They have a wonderful variety of superb olive oils and balsamic vinegars, as well as a couple of other oils, some hard-to-find pastas, and some interesting wines.
I recently purchased a terrific Greek Mycenaean olive oil, a wonderful raspberry balsamic, and a fantastic 19-year aged balsamic from Modena, the home of great balsamics.
The folks at Katy Rose said that the Mycenaean olive oil comes from the Greek property of a Lakewood Ranch resident.
You can taste all of their balsamics and olive oils.
While I initially balked at paying their prices, I discovered there's no comparison between the products they sell and the bottled versions I've purchased from other stores.
I do not use Katy Rose olive oils for cooking. Instead, I use the less expensive Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oils. (Despite their Italian name, the small print shows they come from mixed destinations - Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, and Chile.)
I recommend giving Katy Rose a try
For anyone interested in etymology, the origin of the word "vinegar" is Old French, and means "sour wine."
.
Great Balsamic-Honey Sauce / Syrup for Pork Dishes
I've found a wonderful balsamic vinegar - honey sauce / syrup that is perfect for pork dishes. I discovered this sauce in a fig recipe at popsugar.com. It is super easy to make. I used it on pork chops made with a recipe that I frequently use to cook moist, tasty pork chops (http://viaggiviniecucine.blogspot.com/2013/08/terrific-pork-chop-recipe.html).
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry balsamic)
3 tablespoons honey
Flaky sea salt, to taste
Directions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and a hefty pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry balsamic)
3 tablespoons honey
Flaky sea salt, to taste
Directions
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and a hefty pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese & Balsamic-Honey Sauce
Since fresh figs are currently in season, I looked for a delicious-sounding fig appetizer/side dish. I found this easy winner at popsugar.com (http://www.popsugar.com/food/Easy-Roasted-Fig-Goat-Cheese-Recipe-9205886). Not only was it easy and tasty, but I used the extra balsamic sauce on pork loin chops that I had prepared as the main course.
Since the recipe on the web serves 6-8 and there were only two of us, I used half the number of figs, but left the ingredients in the sauce recipe unchanged. The smaller number of figs was perfect for the two of us.
The reason I did not change the sauce recipe is that I thought the reduced amount of ingredients would not work well in even a very small saucepan. I then used the extra sauce on the pork loin chops. That sauce was so tasty, I will make the sauce just for the pork chops in the future.
As the recipe suggested, I used mission figs. I purchased them at Publix, which has a buy-one-get-one-free sale on several types of figs this week.
Below is the recipe with the reduced number of figs:
Ingredients
6 Black Mission figs, halved vertically
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry balsamic)
3 tablespoons honey
2 - 3 ounces of soft goat cheese
Flaky sea salt, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF
While the oven preheats, melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and a hefty pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Place the figs cut-side up in a baking dish. Top each fig half with 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon of goat cheese. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar syrup over the figs.
Roast the figs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are very soft. (It took 15 minutes in our Breville toaster oven.)
Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Thank you popsugar.com!
Since the recipe on the web serves 6-8 and there were only two of us, I used half the number of figs, but left the ingredients in the sauce recipe unchanged. The smaller number of figs was perfect for the two of us.
The reason I did not change the sauce recipe is that I thought the reduced amount of ingredients would not work well in even a very small saucepan. I then used the extra sauce on the pork loin chops. That sauce was so tasty, I will make the sauce just for the pork chops in the future.
As the recipe suggested, I used mission figs. I purchased them at Publix, which has a buy-one-get-one-free sale on several types of figs this week.
Below is the recipe with the reduced number of figs:
Ingredients
6 Black Mission figs, halved vertically
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used raspberry balsamic)
3 tablespoons honey
2 - 3 ounces of soft goat cheese
Flaky sea salt, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400ºF
While the oven preheats, melt the butter in a small saucepan, and add the balsamic vinegar, honey, and a hefty pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Place the figs cut-side up in a baking dish. Top each fig half with 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon of goat cheese. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar syrup over the figs.
Roast the figs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are very soft. (It took 15 minutes in our Breville toaster oven.)
Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Thank you popsugar.com!
Friday, July 17, 2015
The Seafood Shack - A Pleasant Meal
Recently, my wife and I enjoyed a late lunch at the Seafood Shack (http://www.seafoodshack.com/) in Cortez (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/destinations/florida/anna-maria-island/orl-t0201cortezbrfeb01-story.html), a historic fishing village at the north end of Sarasota Bay at the eastern foot of the bridge by which Cortez Rd. crosses over to Anna Maria Island.
Our meal was tasty, but not exceptional. Our entree servings were so large that we had enough left over for dinner.
We had an inside table with a nice view of the water. There are also outside tables.
We both had the same main dish - shrimp and grits, for $18 each. The ingredients were smoked gulf shrimp, white cheddar stone-ground grits, bacon, andouille sausage, peppers, onions, celery, thyme, and butter, topped with shaved parmesan. It was satisfying, but nothing to rave about.
I also had a cup of New England Clam Chowder for $5. It had clams, potatoes, carrots, onion, bacon, and thyme. Like the shrimp and grits, it was nice, but not terrific.
We both ordered the same specialty cocktail - the Hurricane, with light rum, Sugar Island Spiced Rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, with a splash of grenadine, and a dark rum floater for $6. It was delicious, and the serving size was generous.
Our server, Denice, was terrific, and had a great sense of humor.
We were amused as we watched a couple of crows aggressively grabbing packets of sugar off a couple of the outside tables.
The bottom line is that we were happy with our meal, but would probably try another place the next time we're in the area.
Our meal was tasty, but not exceptional. Our entree servings were so large that we had enough left over for dinner.
We had an inside table with a nice view of the water. There are also outside tables.
We both had the same main dish - shrimp and grits, for $18 each. The ingredients were smoked gulf shrimp, white cheddar stone-ground grits, bacon, andouille sausage, peppers, onions, celery, thyme, and butter, topped with shaved parmesan. It was satisfying, but nothing to rave about.
I also had a cup of New England Clam Chowder for $5. It had clams, potatoes, carrots, onion, bacon, and thyme. Like the shrimp and grits, it was nice, but not terrific.
We both ordered the same specialty cocktail - the Hurricane, with light rum, Sugar Island Spiced Rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, with a splash of grenadine, and a dark rum floater for $6. It was delicious, and the serving size was generous.
Our server, Denice, was terrific, and had a great sense of humor.
We were amused as we watched a couple of crows aggressively grabbing packets of sugar off a couple of the outside tables.
The bottom line is that we were happy with our meal, but would probably try another place the next time we're in the area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)