Fried Calamari

So when friends are in town,
for RAMMSTEIN!

delicious meals are in order.

Patty was out of town the night prior, so unfortunately there were no pictures taken of the schnitzel I made.  Or the broccoli cheddar mac-n-cheese. 

Lou (my man cute manly guy)(i know where you sleep) whipped up some of his infamous fried calamari.

Using fresh calamari from our favorite (#1 out of... 1) Italian Market,

and seasoned (I'm assuming?) flour.

As Patty continually reminds (he meant nags) me, I need to start writing down my recipes.  I added: generous amounts of dry mustard, a moderate amount of celery seed and pepper, a pinch of cumin (it's strong and makes everything taste like tex-mex, tread lightly), a little salt too. 

He even made his own cocktail sauce,

(it was his first time!).
(i didn't know the components of cocktail sauce, pro chef-in-training)
 

Needless to say, no left overs.

If I didn't eat a few from the draining rack, I wouldn't have had anything! 

How can anyone go back to restaurant calamari after they've had this??

The correct answer is, you can't...


How do you like your squid?
Any good cocktail sauce recipes out there? 

Tips for calamari : Either cook it fast (fry dem suckers, get it, because of the suction cups) or cook them slow, but not more than an hour.  Any other way will leave you thinking of eating rubber, and if you eat rubber; you're going to have a bad time. 

You can make these again anytime you want, Lou!

Patty(rocks my socks)

Orange Ginger Salmon with Rice Noodles

A creation Lou made a few nights ago:

Marinate Salmon in dressing of your choosing. 

We used an Orange Ginger Soy marinade (La Choy).

Lou was angry he didn't make his own sauce,

he had to use this one because my mom gave it to him.

He got kiss-up points for using it. 

Lousclues**I've done rubs, but I haven't ventured into marinades yet.  I imagine you use stock, and drop a flavor bomb into it, followed by whatever it is you'd like to enhance.  I feel shame when I use pre-made products, like it's cheating.

Bake Salmon and shred. 

Below are the rice/Thai noodles we used.

The noodles were pre-soaked in water, and maybe salt?

No salt, this time, it was an afterthought, oopsie poopsies.

Fresh orange was grated and squeezed over the concoction to give it a light, tangy flavor.

I'm not sure at what step this was done. 

I'm not observant that way.

IIRC I tried to use my muscles to make juice once I was happy with how cooked the veggies were, shaved off some rind for zest too.  Little corn starch for thickness too!

Vegetables were chopped and sauteed in low-sodium chicken broth. 

Lou chopped brocolli, carrots, water chesnuts, onions, and bean sprouts.

Various seasonings were added. 

After the vegetables had softened, Lou added the salmon.

Noodles were boiled and once softened, added to the mix.

There was some stirring and some seasoning involved.

And then I was handed this!

A Salmon - Thai Noodle success!

 Seconds were definitely had.

And thirds.
What she isn't telling you: we stood around the bowl of leftovers going spoonful for spoonful.  

Thanks for stopping by!
Stay Classy!

Do you use any good marinades?

Do you have a good recipe for an Asian/Thai inspired marinade?

I'm in the market for a good peanut-sauce recipe, does anyone have one?

Flavorful Fish & Classic Rigatoni

To make baller fish: 

Tilapia 

2 parts butter
1 part soy
1 part dill weed
1 part lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Breading
Flour
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Clams Casino

Lemon & Dill Salmon with Baked Onions, Peppers, and Tomatoes

So Fresh. So Yum.

Homemade Sushi

Ze Golden Dinner!

Salmon Cakes

Scallops, Bacon, Tomatoes, Spinach with Balsmic Vinagrette and Portabella Mushrooms with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce