From the sea to the table....

I know this is a long time coming but last summer my husband's family came to visit us in Tampa and we went on a private fishing trip into the Gulf of Mexico to fish for Grouper. See here for more information on Grouper. Grouper is a mild white fish and is usually blackened or fried.

It was very entertaining and enjoyable to be fishing with my husband's family and here are a few of our pictures from that day. What was really nice is that the captain of the boat cleaned and boned our fish for us to take home. Once we got back we did a fresh fish fry with our freshly caught grouper. It is really something I have not done in a long time (if ever). It amazes me how fresh fish really does taste so amazing.

We started very very early in the morning. Just in time for the sunrise on the gulf.

 The guys all ready for a day at sea. And our boat.

 Me and the hubs

 

 On our way out to sea. Beautiful and perfect day for this.

 

 Before going out to sea we have to catch our live bait. The captain and his mate throw the net over near a bridge and get the bait fish. Then they scoop them up and put them in the water filled coolers on the sides of the boat. 

 

 After a few attempts of catching some bigger bait with the smaller bait we finally catch some black grouper!

 We all got a few and it was hard work but so much fun!

 

 At one point the hubbies brother had a big grouper but then he realized he only had half of it. We looked over and it seemed that a Barracuda fish bit off part of the grouper while he was trying to reel it in. The guides told him to keep the line in the water and sure enough the barracuda tried to get the rest and hooked onto the line. The guide helped him get this big ol fish for what seemed about 30 minutes and traveled all around the boat following it until they finally reeled it in. It took both of them. This was one strong fish!

 We caught the barracuda but could not keep it because its not the eating kind. They threw him back but look how big it was!

 My favorite picture of the brothers.

 With the limits the way they are we could only get 2 grouper of a certain size per person. We caught a ton more than that but only kept the bigger, better ones. Here are all the fish laid out at the end of the day. There is a flounder and a red snapper in there too!

 Our captain was tasked with the filleting of the fish. It was really cool to see. We got to keep all of this. 20+ lbs of fish fillets in my freezer!

 When we got back to the house we separated the fish and cut some for frying and froze the rest of the fillets.

 The cut fish took a bath in a fish fry batter then went into the fryer (my hubby is the fryer)

And the finished product! It is great by itself as fish fingers or in a taco or sandwich with tartar sauce. Yum!

  

We did another fish fry when my family was in town for Thanksgiving and it was just as tasty! This time we did hush puppies too and we fried out on the patio. 

 

My first roasted chicken and veggies

Whole Roasted Chicken has always been a staple of many households and everyone has told me it's an easy go to for a wonderful home cooked meal. So this has been in the back of my mind for a while. Then I just did it. I bought my first whole chicken at the store the other day. I saw it and thought I would try it on this holiday weekend when I have a little more time than normal. It turned out delicious and beautiful. Not something I thought would happen on my first try.

I researched a few different recipes on Martha Stewart's website - Everyday food - one of my go to places for recipes and tips. I found a few 'roasted chicken 101' type recipes and videos which I have linked to below. One thing is for sure, there are a thousand ways to roast a chicken!

I decided to take the simple version of roasted chicken with herbs and vegetables and add a few other pieces from the other recipes I found that I liked and I came up with this beautiful combination that I will use again and again I am sure of it.
Recipe Inspirations:
Lemon herb roasted chicken
Roasted Chicken 101
Roasted Chicken Recipe collection
Roasted Chicken and Veggies

I learned a lot from the roasted chicken 101 slideshow and from the video of lemon herb roasted chicken. I combined the Roasted Chicken and Veggies recipe with the Lemon and garlic idea from the video and that is what I made.

First I gathered and chopped my veggies and other ingredients and set them all together. This is one thing I try to do with any recipe so it makes it easier to pull everything together when its needed. I did all this before pulling out the chicken. I tossed the cut carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper and left them in the bowl. Then I got out some fresh cracked pepper and salt in separate dishes so when I put it on the chicken it would not contaminate all the other salt and pepper. I also brought out my butter, lemon, and herbs.

I then got the chicken out and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature after rinsing it off and patting it dry. I had a 3.5 pound fryer chicken which was just enough meat for 4 people. The neck and other parts were already taken out of this natural chicken. I would recommend this if you can get one you don't have to pull these parts out of. I also referred to it as the 'pretty chicken' though throughout this process.

I then proceeded to stuff the inside of the chicken with the cut lemon (after squeezing juice), all my herbs (thyme, parsley, and a sprig of rosemary), salt and pepper. I then smashed a few garlic cloves and rubbed them all over the top of the skin and put them in the cavity with the herbs. I also put some of the leftover herbs and garlic in between the skin and the meat (another one of the tips). I then rubbed a couple tablespoons of butter all over the bird and in between the skin and put salt and pepper all over and under the chicken. This is not something I would recommend doing with a cut on your finger. It hurts. Trust me. Gloves next time for me!

The next step was to tie the feet together so the yummy stuffing of herbs and lemon would not spill out into the pan. This was a tricky step for me for some reason. My hands were all buttery and the legs kept slipping out. I finally got it tied down and set it breast side up in my roasting pan on top of my other veggies already hanging out. I tucked the wings under (not very well) and there you have it!

I added the wine and let the oven heat up to 450 and set it in for about an hour until the thermometer read 165 degrees in the thick part of the meat. When it was done it was beautiful. I took it off of the veggies and put it on the plate so I could carve it.

Pretty Bird...

   

While the chicken was cooking I made another side dish I saw on the website - Cherry Tomato Crisp. It was equally delicious and it paired really well with the chicken and veggies. I got all the ingredients together again to make it easier to pull together. I also used old white buns from the freezer (thawed) instead of fresh bread because old stale bread is the perfect thing to use when making crumbs of any kind.

Then I pulsed the bread, garlic, Parmesan, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a food processor until crumbly. I had more than I thought but it was still delicious!

Then I took an 8x8 glass pan and put the tomatoes on the bottom (I could have used more tomatoes) and covered it in the crumb mixture then put a few tomatoes on top for decoration. I then stuck this in the oven towards the end of when the chicken was done.

The tomatoes cooked a little faster than they should have because I put them at 450 for 10-15 with the chicken instead of 400 for 20-25 so they didn't have enough time to really break open and roast like they should have. The crumb got brown faster but it still tasted delicious. I would keep them at 400 next time and just do it once the chicken is done and resting. 

Overall this was a great experiment and I will definitely do this again. This got me a 4 star (out of 5) rating from the husband and a couple high fives across the table. Totally worth it! We scooped some of the roasted veggies on the plate with the chicken and tomato mixture. I drank a Sauvignon Blanc (the same one I used in the pan) and it was a great pairing.

Have you ever roasted a chicken? What are your favorite ingredients to use for your roasting?

First Dinner in Tampa

So the hubs and I moved to Florida recently an I wanted to make something nice once I got settled. One of his favorites is the lemon risotto here. I wanted to do something simple withit so I broiled some salmon with a little dijon mustard and s&p and roasted asparagus. With a nice bottle of pinot noir this was the perfect start to our life here in Tampa! I have a feeling more seafood is going to be showing up on this blog along with other faves.
What kind of food do you want to see?

Egg in the hole

This is another recipe that I have seen recently and wanted to try. I love eggs.. from my head down to my legs...which brings me to - Egg in the hole.

I saw a version of the egg in the hole used as the bread in a grilled cheese on 'A cozy kitchen' a wonderful blog with delicious and beautiful food. I am not sure I am ready to try the oozy cheezy yummy-ness that was the grilled cheese version but I took the egg in the hole part and made it for the first time. Delicious. Simple. Beautiful.

I also borrowed the Pioneer Woman book from a friend and there is a version in there as well also very simple. If you like eggs and want an easy breakfast or even dinner try it out.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 Piece of bread any kind (I used Texas toast style)
1 tablespoon butter (or spray)

Cut a hole in the bread with an inverted cup or cookie cutter. Make sure you have enough bread still left over to hold the egg.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium low.Place the bread and center that was cut out in the pan and leave for a minute or two.

Drop the egg in the hole (get it - egg in the hole) and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for a minute or two until the white is set on the bottom and the bottom of the bread is starting to toast and brown. Then, flip the bread with the egg carefully and cook on the other side until the egg is done to your liking and the bread is toasted and brown. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Flip the bread center piece too.

Use the middle cut out piece to dip in the center to get the oozy yolk of the egg. Enjoy

Egg in the hole
Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 Piece of bread any kind (I used Texas toast style)
1 tablespoon butter (or spray)

1. Cut a hole in the bread with an inverted cup or cookie cutter. Make sure you have enough bread still left over to hold the egg.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium low.Place the bread and center that was cut out in the pan and leave for a minute or two.
3, Drop the egg in the hole (get it - egg in the hole) and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook for a minute or two until the white is set on the bottom and the bottom of the bread is starting to toast and brown. Then, flip the bread with the egg carefully and cook on the other side until the egg is done to your liking and the bread is toasted and brown. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Flip the bread center piece too.
5. Use the middle cut out piece to dip in the center to get the oozy yolk of the egg. Enjoy



A Cozy Kitchen - Egg-in-a-hole-Grilled-Cheese

Pioneer Woman - Egg in a hole