I wish I had a photo – I took some quick shots, but when I pulled them off the memory card, they were blurry – and I’d already finished the grits by then.  (I’m quite certain I’ll be making this again, so there is hope that I can get a shot.)

Best Cheese Grits Ever:

1/4 c. old fashioned grits (NOT instant)
1 1/8 c. chicken stock or broth
2 ounces shredded chipotle cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

Bring the stock to a boil, add grits, stir well.  Set heat to LOW and cover.  After about 6 minutes I hit it with the salt & pepper.  Then at the 12 minute mark, I stir in the cheese.  I did notice that with the chicken stock, it was still a touch soupy at the 12 minute mark, so I let it go another minute or so.  (In the future I may just cut it back to 1 cup of stock.)

Once the cheese is stirred in, sit back and enjoy!

According to the grits package, 1/4 c of grits is 2 servings.  Maybe if you’re eating it with something else.  Otherwise, it’s one perfect serving on it’s own.

I really do.  When I gave my brother a choice of baked or fried potatoes with dinner and he chose baked, I certainly couldn’t argue it.

So easy, so simple, so good.  Prep time of a whole 2 minutes of washing them off, poking them a couple times with a fork and tossing in a pan. An hour in the oven at 400 degrees and that’s that.  Even twice baked are easy, another 5 minutes of mashing them up and a couple minutes back under the broiler.

They’re healthy (even with toppings – just don’t use an entire pint of sour cream) and easy and one of my favorite sides.

All hail the lovely baking potato!

I’ve gotten poked for not getting the food reports out, so here they come – expect a slew in the next day or so. Here we go!

Barefoot Bernie’s Tropical Bar

New for us this year. They have all the standard beach seafood fare with some Jamaican and Tex/Mex thrown in and the usual fruity beach drinks.

Got the Tex Mex chicken potato skins, which were really good. Though, they don’t come with sour cream… Some other sauce, which was very good, but it was all I could do to not ask for sour cream. My brain can’t really process potato skins without sour cream. For dinner I got plain old fried shrimp. Not exciting, not exotic, but just what I wanted and they just hit the spot.

Little bro got wings to start and the steamer platter (clams, shrimp & crab) and polished that off in short order.

Not fancy or outlandish, just good and worthy of a return visit.

MP 4.5 on the Bypass. No reservations needed.

The Black Pelican

This is the third time I’ve been here and it’s been kind of all over the place. The first time I got the Prime Rib and it was delicious. The second time we went with Tev & Lisa, and it was a comedy of errors in getting our orders right, but the food was good and we got a free round of drinks for the issues.

This year – not so great. Started with the crab rangoon which was very good. Then moved onto the Cajun Fish bites – cajun fried catch of the day, which was swordfish. Not bad, but not much that was cajun-y about it.

Then I got the shrimp and grits. Shrimp sauteed in onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes, over jalapeño cheese grits. I just hoped that the jalapeños wouldn’t overpower everything. Turns out that was the least of my worries. They neglected to mention to half a jar of chili powder that was dumped in while they were cooking the shrimp as well as the chili powder dusting on the rim of the plate. (Every time the air currents changed, you’d get lungful of chili powder…) Even with the grits, the shrimp were WAY too hot, and I do like spicy food. However, the grits all by themselves were stupendous.

Donald had the same problem with the ribs he ordered – all spice and no taste. There’s a line between being spicy and inedible, and they seem to have lost sight of where that line is. Probably off the list for next year.

MP 4 on the beach road. No reservations needed.

Kelly’s

Kelly’s is weird. The food is quite good but there is always some odd thing that is more memorable. First trip it was the weird cocktail waitress that I was quite sure was trying to kill us. The the odd little room the four of us had to ourselves last year. (I guess we looked like we were going to cause problems.) This year it was the hostess with pink hair and a sternum piercing. (Not gross, just extremely painful to contemplate.)

Also, there is a bit of a fading glory thing going on. In 2000 it was named the best place to meet babes by Playboy magazine. I don’t think it still holds that distinction. It also seemed that the average age of the clientele had jumped about 15 years in the past 12 months.

But, weird or not, the food is great. You start with a kickass bread basket with 3 or 4 types of bread and biscuits, so everyone will find something to fill up on even before dinner arrives.

I got the clams casino started, and they were very good. (Awful Arthur’s is still #1 for those in my book, though.) The rest of the table shared a plate of calamari, and happy “this is good” noises were being made all around. (I was too busy with my clams to pay attention to any actual words.)

I got the special – rockfish with crab over rice and veggies. VERY good. (I also just love rockfish.) In an unusual turn for me, I ate all the vegetables – green beans that had a ton of butter and a touch of cumin of all things. (Took me forever to figure out what it was, and then when I figured it out I yelled, “IT’S CUMIN!” like some culinary tourette’s patient.)

Tev got the softshell crabs and said they were quite good. At this point, neither myself or my brother can remember what else we ordered, but that we were all happily stuffed at the end of the night. (As I said, there is always something else that prevents us from remembering what we ordered…)

Definitely a repeat.

MP 10.5 on the bypass. Still working out the kinks of call ahead seating.

Ah, the beach. Where my diligent monitoring of calories expended vs. consumed goes out the window. Not only is there food, wonderful food, but tons and tons of SEAFOOD. Sure, we’ve got the bay right next door back home, but it’s not quite the same.

Last night we hit what has become our traditional first night spot – Awful Arthur’s. Sure, I suppose it could be considered a tourist trap, but you could say that about every place down where between May and September. And the food is great, so, whatever. No matter what time we go, it’s always an hour wait. But that’s not so bad, because after they inform you of the wait time, the hostess says, “But you can go up to the bar and we’ll come get you when the table is ready.” Gosh, go upstairs and drink beer and have a great view of the ocean. Yes, that sucks.

So we went upstairs and knocked a few back and watched the waves and Nascar and TdF, and in a near Rainman move, my brother closed out the bar tab a mere 2 minutes before the hostess arrived to take us to our table.

I have had a craving for clams casino all week, so a half dozen of those was a given. Fresh clams, sweet peppers, butter and bacon. Tell me how that could possibly go wrong? Oh – it can’t. We were also right under one of the a/c vents so coup was a must as well. The crab and lobster bisque is awesome. It’s think and creamy and tomato-y and just spot on. And then there were hushpuppies. Don’t think you can really go wrong with fried cornmeal and butter, either.

Little bro got the soup and the crabmeat in butter. I’d say it’s a classic rookies mistake of getting two insanely rich items, but I’ve made the same error myself many times. The crab in butter was great, too. I supposed it’s a good think I have a 5 mile run this weekend.

Matt – I didn’t get the oyster shot, but there is still plenty of time.

Tonight it’s Meridian 42, which in the past has been fantastic. I’m a tad concerned it’s been basically Mediterranean influenced seafood and such, and now they’re billing themselves as “Italiano” – which could mean new owners and/or management, or someone just decided that Italiano sounded a little less intimidating somehow. I’m hoping for the latter, as the couple items on the sample menu looked to be in the same vein as years past, and I really hope they haven’t “dumbed down” the food. If nothing else, they make a killer dirty Goose martini.

If you’re seeing this twice, it’s also over at my personal journal, so no stealing has occurred. Pretty much all the beach/food posts will be in both places.

A very yummy little breakfast for one!

Here’s the recipe, thanks to the Virginia Hospitality cookbook (circa 1975…)  (Note: If you cut it down to a 1 egg serving, it takes approximately 35 minutes at 325 degrees.)

2 c. plain croutons (I use the cheese/garlic croutons)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese  (I really don’t know what this equates to in cups, I just kept shredding and weighing.)
4 eggs, beaten
2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. mustard
1/8 t. onion powder (optical communicationsI think 1/4 c. diced onions would work fine as well)
dash of ground black pepper
4 slices crumbled bacon

Put croutons & cheese in bottom of greased 10×6x2 casserole dish (my 8×8 worked fine)
Combine everything else, EXCEPT bacon.
Pour egg mix over croutons & cheese.
Top w/crumbled bacon

Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.  Don’t worry if it’s “jiggly” when you take it out – let it sit for 5 minutes to cool enough to eat, and the eggs will finish setting. 8 servings.

Nutrition info:
Per Serving: 177 Calories; 11g Fat (56.5% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 119mg Cholesterol; 386mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

online casinoBacon Wrapped Potato Bites

How on earth could I have not thought of this before now????

Thanks, Apartment Therapy!

Convenience foods get a bad rap a lot of the time, and a goodly amount of it is justified.  Costs more than homemade, nutritionally dubious value, etc, etc.

But, there is also something to be said for being able to pop something out of the freezer and into the toaster oven for 10 minutes and have a quick snack.  And some are just downright crack-in-a-box.  I absolutely LOVE Stouffer’s French Bread pizzas, always have.  I will admit an everlasting fondness for La Choy’s frozen “egg rolls” – which bear no resemblance to any egg roll I’ve ever gotten from a Chinese restaurant, but I love them anyway, and they bring back nice memories from when my Mom made them when I was a kid.

Additionally, these products can give you some more insight as to HOW to make them on your own, with better ingredients, lower cost and that satisfaction that comes with conquering a new dish.

Which all brings us to today’s convenience food that I should probably feel guilty for buying, but I don’t.  El Monterey Chicken & Cheese Flour Taquitos.

I’ll admit – it was an impulse purchase – they were on sale, I made the mistake of not eating before I went to the market, and my reaction when I saw them was, “Ooooooooooo!  Taquitos!!!!”  And they’re not too bad – defrost a couple in the microwave and pop them in the toaster oven for 12 minutes, add some sour cream and taco sauce and you’ve got a good snack.

The only other time I get taquitos is at the local Tex-Mex place, and if you asked me to recreate them, I’d be stuck.  But having these here in the house, where I can take a look at the ingredients, really look at how they’re put together, I actually have a fighting chance at recreating something along these lines.

So, when this box is done, I’ll likely be making up a big batch of homemade ones and freezing them and having my own taquitos.  (I should also give homemade French Bread Pizzas a whirl sometime, too.)

The next time you feel guilty for buying a frozen quick snack food, don’t.  Think of it as a starting point to making your own version that’s even better.  Take the time to look at them, how they’re made, and see if you can’t make a big batch of your own to freeze for those days when you want something quick.

Dijon Popcorn Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into nugget size of your choice
~ 2 cups Italian Style Breadcrumbs
~ 1 cup Grated Parmesean Cheese
~ 3 T Mayonnaise
~ 3 T Country Dijon Mustard

Combine Mayo & Mayonnaise in one bowl. Breadcrumbs & Parmesan Cheese in another bowl. (I usually add a few more spices – a bit of oregano, basil & garlic powder.)

Dredge the chicken pieces in the mayo/mustard, then in the breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-20 minutes. (Depends on the size of the chicken pieces, how accurate your oven is, etc. The good news is that it is really hard to overcook these.)

I usually bake them on a wire rack to prevent stickage.

Yield: 36 nuggets/pound for me.

Per Nuggets: 33 Calories; 1g Fat (36.2% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 94mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

The verdict?  Nope, not Mom’s, but really good and absolutely perfect for a night when it’s 20 degrees outside.  My brother said it was actually pretty close to Mom’s – I just don’t remember any carrots or celery in hers.  But I really, REALLY enjoyed it! :)

Recipes after the jump:

Ham & Bean Soup

1 pound dried Great Northern Beans, soaked overnight or via the Quick Soak Method and drained.  (Some say drain after soaking, others don’t, I don’t think it matters *that* much.)
1-2 ham hocks (depends on size, I used 2)
~ 3/4 c. chopped carrots (~1 medium carrot)
~ 3/4 c. chopped celery (~1.5 stalks)
~ 3/4 c. chopped sweet onion (I went with a somewhat large chop, and chose sweet over white since the white onions this season have been incredibly strong, and I didn’t want it to overpower the rest of the soup.)
~1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
2-4 c. water
2-4 c. chicken stock
1 ham steak, diced or shredded (optional, but that way you get more ham in the soup!)
ground black pepper

Sweat the onions, garlic and celery over medium low heat with about half the ham steak pieces.  (The ham adds a little more fat for the aromatics to happily bathe in.  Or, “it seemed like a good idea at the time!”)

Once the onions are soft, add the ham hocks, the rest of the ham steak, 2 cups of water and 2 cups of stock.  (That was how much was needed to cover everything in liquid.)  Bring to a boil.  (Takes 10-15 minutes.)

Add the beans, carrots and a few shakes of black pepper, and if needed, a little more water if the beans aren’t covered by liquid.  Give it all a good stir and bring to a boil again.

Reduce heat to low and cover.  Check about every 30 minutes and add more liquid (half water/stock) if needed.

Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until beans are tender.  When the skin on the beans splits when you blow on them, they are supposedly done.  However, the skins were splitting about an hour into it, and the beans didn’t taste “done” to me.

An hour and a half in, I took out the ham hocks and let it simmer on low for another 30 minutes uncovered.  Up until this point, the soup hadn’t been very thick at all, and I was ready to add some cornstarch, but it decided to cooperate and thicken up nicely.  (Probably because at this point the beans are technically overcooked, but who cares, they’re nice and soft and tasty!)

Assuming 8 one-cup servings: Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 280 Calories; 3g Fat (10.2% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 26mg Cholesterol; 1282mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable.

Cornbread Madeleines

I totally cheated on these and I don’t care who knows it.  (Perhaps the bottoms sticking to the pan is karma getting back at me, LOL.)  Good old Jiffy Corn Muffin mix, prepared as directed with a squirt of honey added for good measure.  Baked at 400 degrees for approximately 8 minutes.  Next time I need to get out the Baker’s Joy…

It’s been absurdly frigid the past couple days and I wanted something HOT to eat.  I poked through the freezer and found a container of Chicken Chili Soup that I made a while back.  (No, really, it’s not the same batch I made a year ago!)

Defrosted and reheated it – pretty darn good!  Thicker than the original, and the beans were a little mushy, but it did hit the spot on a cold day.  The spices did mellow out a little, but it was still good.  It’s always good to know that something does defrost and reheat well.

Continuing the theme of “good food in the cold” I have a pot of beans soaking and tomorrow I’ll be attempting ham & bean soup.

Now, there are a million variations on it, and it was a favorite when we were kids.  My Mom never wrote down her recipe and I never paid terribly close attention to exactly how she made it.  And I am terrified of screwing it up.

I don’t know why, but it seems that trying to recreate the great comfort foods that my Mom cooked is more intimidating than doing some crazy elaborate recipe I’ve never tried before.

I’ve got some carrots, onion, and celery to toss in it, and smoked ham hocks.  Normally Mom always just used a lefotver ham bone, but I don’t have one of those, and I was lucky to even get the ham hocks – they were the last package in the store.  I think the smoked aspect of it will make it a little interesting.  I’ve also got a big ham steak to shred up and toss in as well.

Keep your fingers crossed!!