What’s the perfect salad on a hot summer day? My traditional Italian tomato salad with fresh tomatoes, sweet onions, the crunch from the celery and cucumber.
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authentic
Charoset, Haroset or Charoses For Passover
Charoset, haroset or charoses (pronounced – ḥărōset) is a recipe made up of apples, walnuts, cinnamon and wine that is served during Passover.
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Ridgeland, MS – My First Experience Eating Crawfish
Shucker’s Oysters Bar, 116 Conestoga Rd, Ridgeland, MS – (601) 853-0105
So no recipe here just my life experience on trying crawfish for the first time.
Have you ever tried eating crawfish? I can officially say that I have tried crawfish and I was so happy I did. Trying fresh crawfish in the south was something I had always wanted to do, probably because watching it on television made it seem so cool and it intrigued me. I can now say that I totally understand the quote, “pinch a little tail, suck a lot of head”, it totally makes sense to me now 😉
I was told by my southern girlfriend that I could only try crawfish if I was in the south and with people who can teach me how to eat it (see the above quote) and I’m happy to say, that’s exactly what happened! I ended up on a trip to Tennessee, which had it’s ups and downs but let me tell you, the ups outweighed the downs. Let me start by saying my big down…my luggage got lost…for 2+ days I had none of my clothes, makeup, shoes…nothing! The worst part of losing my suitcase was that American Airlines kept feeding me lines about where my luggage was and when I’d receive it. Finally at 9:30 pm, I had to go to the airport to pick it up, not good! Then they cancelled my return flight…really not good 🙁
Anyway back to crawfish, I ended up in Mississippi and reconnected with my friends there, I was so happy because I knew we were going to Shucker’s to get crawfish. Shucker’s is a local bar that is fabulous! For those that live in California and know about the Sagebrush Cantina, the atmosphere at Shucker’s is very similar to the Cantina so I felt very comfortable.
We were told to go under the tent and we did, there was a live band playing music and people were dancing, it was so lovely so hear and see, I just LOVE live bands
we got some beer, a pound of crawfish, a corn and a potato…I was so excited to try this little creature!
Here is a little closer view of my pound of crawfish, they even give you wipes…trust me you will need those wipes and they come in very handy
I have to say I was a little skeptical because they smell of seafood was very strong but I went in for the try, looks like a little lobster ha?
I did as the quote said…not really but it sounded good…I did twist the head off and peeled the tail back, then pinched and look at what came out!
I thought the claw was very cute but I will warn you from my mistake, do not attempt to crack open that cute little claw as it will squirt all over your face leaving you ready to use one of those wipes lol (yes that really happened to me)
When I was done eating my crawfish, I had to go in the back to see how they were prepared, so cool ha? It sure held a lot of crawfish
Then they have a strainer that pulls the crawfish up and lets them sit in the juices
I found the crawfish to be very good the way they were prepared, they were very spicy and I loved it! The potato was even more spicier then the crawfish and the corn…oh my, the corn knocked my socks off.
What I learned was…
“What looks, tastes, and smells like seafood, but doesn’t come from the sea? It’s crawfish, a freshwater shellfish that is considered a Louisiana delicacy.”
I will say that eating crawfish at Shucker’s was truly amazing and I’m so lucky I had the opportunity to do so. I can’t wait until next year at this prime time to do it all over again…who’s in?
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Thank you for visiting my site and I hope you enjoy this recipe. I do love comments so please feel free to leave me your comment or suggestion. If you would like to be kept up to date with all my new recipes, I only post twice a week, please subscribe in the box listed on the top of the page “Subscribe Via Email”. You will be emailed with a link to confirm you are interested in the subscription so be sure to click on that link too.
Thank you again ~ Patty Limatola-Tanenbaum
No Knead Bread dough…best recipe ever!
We all need a great bread recipe don’t we? Well after making many recipes, I have the one…you “knead” the most…this no knead bread recipe (lol). Actually I’ve been making this bread for many years and we just love it. It’s idiot proof, tastes yummy and it’s a recipe worth blogging about.
I grew up eating homemade bread daily, being Italian and all…my father would make bread every other day, honestly he would. I can’t remember my mother ever buying a loaf of bread ever. It was great to see him start off with the yeast and flour, then he’d knead the dough and he would just know when it was the right time to stop kneading. He’d let the dough rise and he’d wait…here came the fun part, he’d take the risen dough and he’d “punch” the dough to release the gases…he then would shape the dough and let it rise again before baking it. As soon as that bread came out of the oven my sister and I would lather butter and sugar on top…OMG…it was heaven.
If you searched the web for no knead bread recipes, you’d find many recipes as it seems like everyone is making no knead bread lately. I’ve tried a few recipes and different methods but I always come back to this recipe. It’s super easy, you basically throw all your ingredients into a bowl, mix it up, I put mine in a food storage container (I drill a small hole on the top to allow the gases to release)
and let it rise…after 1/2 an hour…
after an hour…
after an hour and a 1/2…
after 2 hours…
for 2 hours (or so) and then after the dough collapses
you put in the fridge until you are ready to use it. You can leave it in your container for up to a week in your refrigerator.
Here is the best part, when you want fresh bread, you take your container out of the refrigerator, tear off some of the dough, shape it…leave it out on the counter for 30 minutes and throw it in the oven for 15-20 minutes…the bread comes out crusty
on the outside and tender in the inside and best of all, your house will smell like an Italian bakery. Whenever I make it, it brings back fond memories from my childhood. I hope you enjoy it.
No Knead Bread dough…best recipe ever!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Water (110 degrees)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Yeast, fact acting
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 3 cups Bread flour (if you have it)
- 3 1/2 cups All purpose flour (if you only have all purpose then it will be 6 1/2 cups all purpose)
Directions
- Bring your water to 110 degrees and add your yeast and a pinch of sugar (it helps to feed the yeast). I do this in my Kitchen Aid.
- Add your flour and salt and mix until blended. Your dough will be very wet, place your dough into your container and let it sit at room temperature until your dough collapses (about 2 hours). If you do not have a container, use a large bowl, just make sure to cover it in plastic wrap and puncture a small hole in the top to allow the gases to escape.
- When you are ready to bake your dough, prepare your baking pan with parchment paper and cornmeal if you like that look. Dust your hands with flour, tear off a handful of the dough and shape it, using a knife or razor, cut slits on the top of your bread. I would preheat the oven to 450 degrees at this point.
- Let your bread loaf rise for about 30 minutes, it may not look like it's risen much but no worries as the oven will do it's magic when it bakes.
- To obtain a crusty exterior, place an empty baking pan on your bottom rack and when you place your bread into the oven, place some water in the empty baking pan to create steam...close your oven door quickly as you don't want to lose that steam.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until it's a nice golden color. If you can, allow your bread to cool off prior to cutting into it....now it's time to slather butter and sugar on top!
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use
Traditional Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
So, it’s November outside, know what I’m thinking? Chicken Tortilla Soup!!! It’s cold outside, know what I’m thinking? Chicken Tortilla Soup!!! My kids are wanting their favorite soup, know what I’m thinking? Chicken Tortilla Soup!!! I have some extra time on my hands, know what I’m thinking? Chicken Tortilla Soup!!! It’s Friday, know what I’m thinking? Chicken Tortilla Soup!!! You starting to get the picture? We love soup or I should say, I love soup, I can eat soup any time of the year, even if it’s 100 degrees outside.
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Authenic Pasta Arrabiata Recipe…from my mom
As a child, I took a lot of things for granted…and one of the biggest things I took for granted was my mother. Since mother’s day was Sunday and being that my mother passed away almost 19 years ago, I thought what a great way to pay tribute to her.
You see in my early 20’s, my mother invited me to go to Italy with her to visit my grandparents. I am a first generation American and I had not met all of my extended family members so it would have been a great trip. At the time, I had a job that would not allow for me to take time off and I had a very active life style that needed that job. My sister Adriana went with my mother and I know it was a memorable trip for both of them and I know just how much my mother loved and neede that trip.
This simple recipe came from a cousin of my mothers, he had a pot of sauce (or gravy as we always referred to it) on the stove and was preparing for an Italian pasta dinner. My mom “accidentally” knocked the pot off the stove top and while she felt really bad about it, the outcome was that she learned how to make this easy and delicious sauce. So for Mothers day, this year, I made it in memory of my mom and so thought I’d share this authentic, simple and tasty dish with you.
Pasta Arrabiata
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper flakes (more if you like it hot or less if you don't)
- 1 small Onion, sliced thin
- 4 cloves Garlic, chopped (I do a larger chop for this recipe)
- 10 Roma tomatoes, cut in half and seeds removed (I only had 7 and it still worked but 10 better)
- 3 tablespoons Italian Parsley
- 1 pound Penne Pasta
- 1 cup Pasta water (if needed)
- Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Directions
- Prepare a pot of water for your pasta. Follow the instructions on the package of your pasta. By the time your pasta is cooked through, your sauce will be ready to enjoy as well.
- In a skillet, place olive oil in pan and add your onions. Cook onions until they become tender and translucent 5-7 minutes.
- While your onions are cooking, cut your tomatoes in half, width way, and squeeze out all the seeds and juice. Do no throw away the juice or seeds as you may need them later on in making your sauce.
- When your onions are almost cooked through, add your red pepper flakes, garlic, salt and stir. Place tomatoes cut side down in your pan and don't touch them! Cover your pan (if the liquids start to evaporate to much, add some of the seeds and juice and then put the cover back on your pan. Cook for about 5 minutes. At this point your tomatoes should be nice and tender, I then take the back of a wooden spoon and I squish the tomatoes down.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of water (if needed), add your sauce on top of your pasta (add the pasta water if it's too thick) sprinkle with Italian parsley and Parmesan cheese.
- This dish can be served hot or cold.
Recipe belongs to Patty @MmGood.com, please contact me to use for personal use