Guest Post: The Lazy Man's Way to Start the Mediterranean Diet

Of our Top Five favorite cuisines, Mediterranean is definitely apart of the team. Robust, seasonal flavors that tantalize all of our senses. We were reminded of our passion for the cuisine when one of our Illinois readers provided some helpful information regarding the Mediterranean diet. We welcome info like this with open arms especially when it involves red wine and olive oil (*two of our favorite cooking ingredients). Eva, of the Mediterranean Diet Blog, provides our newest guest post "The Lazy Man’s Way to Start the Mediterranean Diet". Check it:

a) It is widely known that the Mediterranean diet has high fat content. Is weight loss still possible if people will follow this kind of diet?

While the Mediterranean diet is high in fat, it is high in the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated healthy fats, in contrast to diets that are rich in saturated fat. It is not the fat content that will determine weight loss on the Mediterranean diet. People who wish to follow the Mediterranean diet may experience other health benefits but still not lose weight if they do not lower their caloric intake.

b) What makes the Mediterranean diet different from the American diet?


Americans consume high numbers of red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy, while the Mediterranean includes very little. The diet also differs from the typical American diet through its dependence on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil, beans, breads, cereals, and potatoes.


c) What is the effect of the Mediterranean diet in lowering the incidence of heart disease?


The Mediterranean diet plays a crucial role in lowering cases of heart diseases. Based on established research, this diet promotes a holistic approach so that you can have a healthier body.


d) Does regular exercise has a place in the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle?


Exercise plays an important role for the Mediterranean diet. When this diet was developed, the people of the Mediterranean were already a big fan of exercise and physical activities. This is the basis why the Mediterranean diet includes regular exercise in its overall program. Essentially, a daily one-hour walk is needed. You should also perform full body exercises once a week.


e) Is there a difference between a Low Carb Diet and the Mediterranean Diet?


There is a sea of differences between these two diets. With the Mediterranean diet, your protein consumption would be lower. Normally, you will get 15% of your calorie consumption from the protein content of a Mediterranean diet.


f) Wine is a regular feature of the Mediterranean diet. Is there a recommended amount for wine consumption each day?


Men should generally get 5% calories from wine while women should consume 2.5% calories. As a rule, always drink wine in low to moderate amounts daily to enjoy the best results.


g) Final word of advice


The Mediterranean diet is a good program that can help you achieve good health. This type of diet can help prevent cardiovascular diseases. The key is to eat foods that are rich in Omega 3 and combine these with root crops, vegetable, fruits, breads, and cereals.


*About the Author- Eva writes for Mediterranean Diet Foods, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to eating healthy the Mediterranean way.

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Johnna's Pick of the Week (Travel Edition): Baby Back Shak (Dallas, Texas)

Alert: For all vegetarians, this post may be a bit disturbing. For all meat eaters, this is the place you need to be! When one is in Dallas there are two food genres they must try...TexMex and BBQ. Texas is well known for its slow cooked, grilled BBQ and arguably has the best BBQ on this side of the map. We are used to North Carolina BBQ which is typically chopped, then mixed with a little vinegar and red pepper flakes (*and with a bun and some coleslaw, you are in heaven!). When we made our trek to Texas, we decided it was time to try a new type of BBQ, Texan style.

What better way to taste BBQ then to get advice from the local community?? On the last day of our trip, we found ourselves on the south side of Dallas licking our fingers covered in house made BBQ sauce. The Baby Back Shak is the restaurant that made the cut. They say "a name says it all" and this holds true @ the Baby Back Shak: meager seating accommodations, lighting that resembles that of a bodega in Harlem and of course, plenty of south Dallas attitude in a Southern accent. Good thing we weren't visiting for the decor...this trip was all about the food.

We couldn't let any of the fat escape our palates so we ordered the heart attack plate (*at least that's what we renamed it after seeing what was on it...): Shak's platter which includes ribs, smoked sliced pork, grilled chicken, boudin, link sausage and two sides. We just couldn't let the main course outdo the sides so we decided on the loaded baked potato and the green beans. This was all accompanied by four slices of wheat bread and the house made BBQ sauce. That enough to keep us off our diet?? No, we washed all of this down with a sweet tea and lemonade mix (*when one is in the South, they must drink plenty of sweet tea...).

Needless to say, we should have brought our Pepto, but it was well worth it. The thin sauce was a sweet mix of brown sugar meets vinegar meets ketchup, all the ingredients necessary for some good BBQ sauce. All of the meats tasted like they had just come off the grill and from the smoky charcoal smell outside, this is exactly where they had been cooked. This was our first time with boudin (*a Cajun staple) which is a sausage stuffed with a pork rice dressing and then grilled. We were quite pleased as we drenched each piece of meat in BBQ sauce and sunk our teeth into some of the most tender cuts we have ever tasted. After this experience, we think we can add another to the "must try" list (*That is, if your in the mood for a meat feast that doesn't cost Fogo De Chao prices..): When one is in Dallas, one must try the Baby Back Shak.

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Recipe: JKGF Crispy Pork Chops

JKGF Crispy Pork Chops

Deep Fryer
2 Pork Chops
1 cup flour
3 tbsp. Emeril's Original Essence
Oil

Prep Deep Fryer with oil according to manufacturers instructions. In a plastic zip lock bag add the flour. Wash and clean off the pork chops and season with Emeril's. Drop pork chops in bag and coat with flour. Add to Deep Fryer (*according to manufacturers instructions); cook for 15-20 minutes. Place a paper towel on a plate and place pork chops on top to drain out excess oil. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: If you don't have a Deep Fryer, it is time to get one! They are great when you feel like indulging...by no means do we say eat fried foods all the time, but every once in a while live a little;-) Emeril's Original Essence makes our lives a thousand times easier because he is one of the few chefs who has created a line of products that we trust...you really don't need anything else after you sprinkle his stuff on your meats. We know pork gets a bad wrap, so if it's not your thing, substitute this recipe with chicken, the results will be the same, delicious!

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Food.Fun.Stuff: Kellari Taverna Opens This Fall

Now this is what DC needs more of...Greek food. In addition to really good Italian spots, Greek food is another cuisine that needs more presence in the DMV. K st. will now welcome Greek restaurant, Kellari Taverna (*Kellari=Wine Cellar in Greek), which will feature traditional Greek fare alongside lots-o-lots of wine. The restaurant is set to open its doors in early October with a seafood display in the middle of the dining room in addition to Greek specialities such as lithrini and fagri. Owner, Stavros Aktipis, has two other restaurants in New York with Greek seafood as the focus. We welcome Kellari Taverna to the area and are hoping it won't follow in the footsteps of those that came before it...remember this is the same location that Restaurant K and Jimmy's on K st. flopped...let's hope for the best!

*WP Tom Sietsema gives more scoop here.

Kellari Taverna
1700 K St. NW
Washington, D.C.

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Food.Fun.Stuff: M.I.A. (Translation: Missing In Action)

Out of commission for the past couple of days...We have been in the process of moving our lives to a new location. Tiresome. Of course we miss talking to our readers so we wanted to drop a line to let you know that we will return next week with more reviews, recipes and the like. For now, we need to get our decorating skills up to par, wish us luck! Until then, here are a few things that might interest you:

>Mark your calendars: Lauren DeSantis of the Capital Cooking Show is spicing things up on September 16 & 23, 2009, from 7 pm-9pm. Lauren will be teaching two cooking classes at Hill’s Kitchen based around Moroccan cuisine. Don’t miss the opp to have a hands-on experience and to learn these new techniques. Then on September 30, 2009, from 6:30 pm-8:45pm, Lauren will be “Bringing the Mediterranean Diet to your Plate”, which is a class on the general principles of the Mediterranean Diet followed by a cooking demonstration both led by Lauren.

>Food Bloggers Unite tonight! Tonight at Poste, numerous area food bloggers will unite for talks about food, drinks, etc. We love when we meet other people who feel the same way about food...we actually wake up thinking about what's for dinner...The meetup is at Poste beginning at 6 pm. Capital Spice has more info/details.

Recipe: Shrimp Skewered

Shrimp Skewered

2 lb. shrimp (Peeled and deveined)
1 lb. bacon (half slices)
2 cans pineapple chunks

Marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat broiler or grill. Combine the sauce ingredients and marinate shrimp in mixture for 1 hour. On a skewer, alternate the shrimp, pineapple and bacon (*1/2 slice should be folded). Broil or grill until bacon is crisp. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: The last days of summer. August is really living up to its reputation of being the hottest month of the year. With so much heat rising in the city, it might be better to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. Pulling out the grill is a great idea and you might want to throw some veggies on the skewers too alongside the shrimp. Pair with a simple salad and some nice cold coladas.

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Recipe: Sweet Cornbread Muffins

Sweet Cornbread Muffins

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk (divided)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, shortening and 1/2 cup of milk; beat for 1 minute. Add remaining milk; beat just until blended. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until muffins are golden.

*Johnna's tip: A colleague brought these in for a party and we fell in love! They were so sweet and moist on the inside, we had to ask for the recipe they used. They remind us of the cornbread muffins at KFC (*of which we have a guilty pleasure) but better. Try alongside your favorite fried chicken or bbq chicken/rib recipe.

Picture source: http://barbecuefest.com/vabbq_menu.htm

Food.Fun.Stuff: Shining Star...

It's amazing how you can go from the chaos that is Chinatown D.C. into the most serene setting by just crossing one bridge. That's the thoughts that crossed our minds as we entered the Commonwealth of Virginia to taste the creations of Evening Star Cafe's Executive Chef, Will Artley. Now typically we would just float around the District to find all the local ingredients we need in our daily dish, but when we recieved the buzz about a new "farm table" launching at Evening Star's sister winery, Planet Wine, we hopped in the car and took a trip south on Route 1. Planet Wine's new farm table is a private dining space for about 12-14 guests and caters to the diner who is looking for simple, but specially crafted menus with local and seasonal ingredients (*We say: This is an awesome way to spend a night celebrating such as a birthday, promotion or just because you have 12 friends who like to eat good food...:-).

Now this guy knows his stuff. After spending a small stint under the direction of Jean George of New York amongst many other acclaimed restaurant establishments, Will has mastered a major key to serving up the good stuff to patrons: Seasoning. Everything was seasoned to perfection and we probably put on about 10 extra pounds as we tried to down every dish that came our way (*Vida will definitely see us this weekend...) The dinner was intimate with a table set up in the middle of the wine shop (*Wine all around us decorating the walls...Now that's what we call living;-), candles provided the right touch to the dim lighting and of course you can't go wrong with a little Aretha playing softly in the background.

The food was delicious with everything ranging from Pancetta Deviled Eggs (*We are trying this one at home...soon.), fried soft shell crabs (*which were served with the most sapid lemon-basil vinaigrette...we're not gonna be able to shake that one for awhile...) and Ricotta Gnocchi (*Definitely the best we've had on this side of the Potomac). Sound good?? Well, we do have to put out the disclaimer that this may not be what you will get when you visit because the Chef Artley has made it clear all menu items are based on what's in season at that moment so the food for the farm table is subject to change. This, however, is a great thing because we are more than sure the customers who enter those doors in the next week or so will be more than pleased with whatever dishes Chef Artley produces with the fresh halibut they just recieved overnight from Alaska...Speaking of that, we need to make another trip down Route 1...

Locate: 2004 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301
Touch Base: (703) 549-3444 and get more info on price details here.

Picture source: http://www.planetwineshop.com/farmtable.html

Food.Fun.Stuff: Z Burger Fast!

Who said good food couldn't be fast and with great service?? Society has cast this image of the fast food world as the dark side, the place where you can't find good, quality cuisine and if you should find it, it will probably ruin your health in some way. JKGF sought to refute these arguments and started seeking fast food havens that cater to provide good food at a fast pace. What we discovered was, like anything else, if you eat in moderation your health concerns will be fine. Since we are not a medical or your local nutritionist site, we based our pick for the best fast food solely on taste buds;-) We ran across a spot called Z Burger in Tenlytown, D.C. and were quite impressed with what we found...:

The food: Outside of Cali, it is hard to find that "In 'n Out" burger appeal. This Z Burger gave us some optimism of what could be in store for the East Coast (*Could it be true?? An "In 'n Out" for the East?!) The burgers were big and juicy and match perfectly with the in house sauce they make (*Secret recipe we tried to snag but they weren't giving in...) and add to the side. One order of fries is enough to feed you and another person, maybe even three more people. The onion rings were flavored with a hint of sweetness and enough for two people to share. Ohhh the milkshakes. The milkshakes take up 1/3 of the menu board (*there are seriously 100 to choose from) and we suggest the Birthday Cake (*It reminds you of the Birthday Cake Ice Cream at ColdStone...speaking of ColdStone, why are they closing the one in Cleveland Park?!) On the flip side, we could take or leave the turkey burgers, stick to the beef or veggie burgers.

The Service: Welcome to Cali-Pause. With the service we received, for a minute we felt like we might be in the laid back ocean zone...but no, we were in the District. The cashiers were actually chipper in a D.C. fast food spot...quite a surprise for the local patrons. After dealing with sucky service on so many levels in the District, it is so refreshing to patronize a cheap food establishment with good service. (*Again, we put our disclaimer out there, you could go and have a totally different experience based on other factors such as different cashiers, managers day off, etc.)

Local competition: Five Guys. Z Burger, however, offers a better atmosphere than Five Guys.

Things that might turn you off: In this economy, fast food is expected to not break your pockets. This spot could run you about $25 for you and another person (*But that's only if you get Large for everything...trust us, that is way to much food); the turkey burgers and the health factors (*fried, burgers and more fried...just keep thinking: moderation...)

If you are looking for a good spot to grab a quick bite to eat with some friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. this is worth a taste. JKGF is not fond of chain restaurants in the least, but this one has definitely caught our foodie eye and we will be scoping out other fast food spots that can meet the good food and good service without the white tablecloths. More to come...

*You know a fast food spot that's awesome?? Shoot us an email @ johnnaknowsgoodfood@gmail.com telling us the name and why you love this spot, we want to hear from you.

Picture source: http://www.coles.com.au/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=1018

Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes

2 sweet potatoes
8 small red potatoes
8 new potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. dried tarragon
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cube the sweet and red potatoes. Scrub the new potatoes and cut into cubes. Place the potatoes in a saucepan. Add in enough lightly salted water to cover the potatoes; bring to a boil and cook potatoes for 3-5 minutes; drain. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a non stick baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the tarragon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast the potatoes until browned and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: Roasted Potatoes work alongside almost everything...where do we start?? Baked chicken, BBQ ribs, a big juicy steak (*We repeat "big" and "juicy" for exaggeration...hahaha;-), assorted veggies, baked salmon, fried chicken....need we go on??...Pair with your favorite main dish for a quick and easy side dish, Enjoy!

Picture source: http://www.sheknows.com/articles/804235.htm

Isa's Fried Flounder Dish

Isa's Fried Flounder Dish

6-8 pieces of flounder
1 cup Water
1 cup Vinegar
1 cup Fish fry seasoning (Cajun or regular)
Pepper (to taste)
Old Bay Seasoning (to taste)
Cooking Oil

Preheat a skillet filled with oil (about 2 inches from the top of the pan). While the oil is heating, clean the flounder with water and vinegar. Then coat the fish with the fish fry seasoning, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning. Add fish to the oil and fry on each side for 2-4 minutes until golden brown. On a plate topped with 2 paper towels, add the cooked fish and allow it to drain out some of the access oil. Transfer to a serving dish and Eat!

*Johnna's tip: This recipe was tried and true with a breakfast meal...yes, breakfast. Serve alongside some scrambled cheese eggs and home fries and you have the absolute comfort breakfast. Or try with some plain potato chips (*You can make these homemade too;-) and enjoy some good 'ole fish and chips. Top the fish with some Peppadew Hot Splash on Sauce and Enjoy!

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

1 package of ground turkey (or Vegetarians you can try Morning Star Meal Starter crumbled meat) 1 packet taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) refried beans
1 packet Lipton Mexican or Spanish rice
1 package corn tortillas
1 can tomato sauce
1 package Mexican mix cheeses (you can try low fat/part skim cheeses too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet brown morning star meat. Add packet of taco seasoning mix to meat, following instructions on the taco seasoning packet. Follow directions on Lipton rice packet to prepare rice (*Do not, we repeat do not, however, add the tomatoes to the rice...the recipe is going to call for this but you will be adding in tomatoes already with the casserole, so you don't need double tomatoes). Cook refried beans (add water to them so they are not to thick). Combine rice, refried beans, diced tomatoes to the Morning Star meat and cook on low heat. In a separate skillet heat tomato sauce. Dip a tortilla into the tomato sauce and put on the bottom of the casserole dish, then add a layer of the meat mixture and some of the shredded Mexican mix cheese. Continue this process until all ingredients are gone and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 15-20 or until cheese has melted and is browning.

*Johnna's tip: We were in the need for some comforting last night and decided enchilada's would do the trick. This is a bit of a remix to the original Enchilada casserole we posted about over a year ago and decided to update the recipe. At the end of whipping it together we realized we should've added in some diced green and red peppers and maybe even a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little more spice. The dish turned out fine and we topped with some sour cream and a drizzle of enchilada sauce (*Can be found at your local grocery store)...we feel better just thinking about it...

Picture source: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=682860

Ready to Serve Taco Meat

Ready to Serve Taco Meat

1 lb. ground turkey (browned)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano

Add all the spices to a container with a lid and shake well. Add this mixture to a pan with the browned ground turkey and 3/4 cup water; stir to combine and allow this to cook until most of the juice has been soaked up by the meat. Serve.

*Johnna's tip: Taco meat has so many uses! Try on top of a salad or in tortilla wraps (*which is what we did...) Add toppings such as fresh tomatoes, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese (*or the Mexican mix cheese that can be found at your local grocery store). For a salad, use a half a head of lettuce and cut into shreds, top with taco meat (above), black (or refried) beans, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

*Johnna's tip, tip: And for those Vegetarians out there, try this recipe with the MorningStar Farms Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles...taste just as good!

Picture source: http://www.martyspizza.net/catering.html

Crisp Baked Chicken Thighs

Crisp Baked Chicken Thighs

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt (to taste) (*We recommend starting with 1 tsp.)
Pepper (to taste) (*We recommend starting with 1 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and seasoning salt. Dip the thighs in butter and press into the breadcrumb mixture, coating well. Place the coated thighs into a baking dish (*dish should be sprayed with cooking spray). Bake for 1 hour.

*Johnna's tip: Serve with corn on the cob or broccoli. This is the best dish when you love fried food, but are trying to avoid it. You get the flavor and light crispness that you want from fried food but the chicken is baked:-) We tried this recipe the other night and paired it with some beets and sweet corn on the cob...try it, it's good!

Picture source: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/crispy-baked-chicken-recipe.htm

Old Fashioned Cornbread

Old Fashioned Cornbread

1 3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. butter


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine together the dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the egg; add in the dry ingredients and stir well until combined. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the skillet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Spread butter on top of cornbread. Enjoy!

*Johnna's tip: Old fashioned cornbread beats the boxed stuff, especially if you have time to make it. For those of us who refuse to spend more than 10-20 minutes in the kitchen cooking anything, this is the recipe you pull out when you're trying to impress someone with your soul food cooking skills. Make this a side for baked or fried chicken, string beans and mac 'n cheese...soul food at its best!

Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MsSh_Cornbread.jpg

Crisp Eggplant

Crisp Eggplant

2 lb. eggplant
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
Peanut Oil (amount desired for frying, should be about 2 inches from the bottom of pan)

Heat oil in frying pan. In a bowl, combine the egg and milk, mixing well. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. On a plate add the flour mixture. When oil in pan is hot (*should bubble a little if you drop a little of the flour in, be careful in this process because the oil could pop you and cause a serious burn). Thinly slice the eggplant, dip in the egg mixture, then coat with flour mixture and then place in the hot oil. Cook on both sides until golden brown about 5 minutes total (2-3 minutes on each side). On another plate, lay a paper towel flat and place eggplant on this paper towel to drain. Serve hot.

*Johnna's tip: This one is for all the vegetarians out there;-) Eggplant can be made boring or fun...this recipe is one of the fun ways of playing with this vegetarian favorite. Our disclaimer is that we know all vegetarians don't like eggplant, so this is our way of trying to persuade non-eggplant eaters into eating it:-) Pair it with a spinach salad or some grilled asparagus...Enjoy!

Picture source: http://mideastfood.about.com/b/2006/01/21/fried-eggplant.htm

Johnna's Pick of the Week: Tackle Box (D.C.)

Hmmm...this week wasn't a hard one to pick. After rummaging through the five dollar bins of the various thrift stores of Georgetown, our appetites were in need of some filling comfort food. Lucky for us, Tackle Box, came to the rescue:-) Tackle Box is basically a summer afternoon in your backyard all year around. What are we talking about?? Here's the low down:

>The seating is first come, first serve and the tables are the old fashioned picnic tables that your grandparents used to have in their backyard for the family cookout.

>Everything is super informal with paper plates and the menu is posted in chalk on a huge chalkboard.

>The menu selections are even more informal: 13 bucks gets you a fish of your choice (which includes a fried fish, fried calamari or fried shrimp, etc. etc. etc...) + 2 side items (which includes mac and cheese, french fries, green beans, etc. etc. etc...) + a sauce (which includes a cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, etc. etc. etc...)

We liked:
The fried calamari
The fried shrimp (they were soo good!)
The green beans (they have this fresh off the grill taste that we can't seem to shake...)

Wouldn't try again:
The mac and cheese (was a little watered down...don't understand?? try them and you'll see what we mean...)
The fries (nothing special about the ones here...)

Of course there are a plethora of items that we did not get to try but we have enough under our belt to want to visit this spot again. Our suggestion: 1 fish (fried shrimp) + 2 sides (green beans and the cornbread) + tartar sauce= happy eating.

*Side note: This could play the spot for a cool cheap date...;-)
**Side, side note: Also, check out their Lobster Pots To Go deal, it's pretty cool, especially if you're into lobster like we are.

Picture source: http://www.tacklebox-dc.com/about-tackle-box-washington-dc.html

Catfish Strips

Catfish Strips

Catfish fingers (*your local grocery store should have these strips in your seafood department; if not there, then buy 4 pieces of catfish and cut into strips)
2 cups white cornmeal
1 1/2 tbsp. all seasoning salt
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. pepper
Peanut Oil (*should be enough to cover the fish while frying...2 inches is about right)

Preheat the oil in a large heavy skillet. Combine the cornmeal, seasoning salt, salt and pepper (*the seasonings can be adjusted to your preference...1 1/2 is a good starting point;-). Clean and rinse the strips and dredge in the cornmeal mixture, shaking off the excess; set aside. When the oil is hot, add the strips about 4 at a time and cook for 5-7 minutes, turning the fish over occasionally so it will cook evenly on both sides. The fish is done when it is golden brown and flakes easily when touched by a fork. Remove the catfish from the oil and drain on a paper towel (*paper towel should be on top of a plate). Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.

*Johnna's tip: Who said fried catfish is only for the summer?? Catfish strips are delicious and succulent in every bite, especially when served piping hot. Alongside some dipping sauce (*tartar sauce is a good one...), catfish strips will make you want to break your dieting rules repeatedly. Since fried food is allowed every once in awhile (*for the health conscious...;-) try these catfish strips with a side of homemade cut fries...Enjoy!

Picture source: http://tonyseafood.com/reviews.php?action=submit&id=139

Johnna's Pick of the Week (Travel Edition): Din Tai Fung (Shanghai, China)

Din Tai Fung has the best shrimp fried rice. We don't know if it's because this rice that we tasted was actually in China, Shanghai to be exact, but it was absolutely delicious and has left us with the longing for much more. Another trip to this tasty Chinese food eatery would be absolutely wonderful (*except for the $1,300 plane ride that comes with it...), but lucky for us Americans, they have one in California! We can not attest for the quality or service that you will get in Cali, but when in Shanghai, one must stop in for a drink and some dumplings at the very least...the veggie dumplings are another of our faves;-)

We must also talk about the service when talking about restaurants, especially the service that we received while in China, it was great! We miss this type of service in America, where even the nicest restaurants of the south and Midwest can't compare to the attention that China restaurant waiters/waitresses pay to its patrons. Shall we say, we would welcome another opportunity to visit Shanghai?? Yes, it was fun, tasty and some of the best Chinese food coming out of China...let us know when and where you're traveling, we want to hear all about the food!

*Side note: JKGF is experimenting with the camera now, oh la la, how do you like??;-)

Waffles

Waffles

2 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs (separated)
1 1/2 cups 1% milk fat milk
5 tbsp. shortening (melted)
1 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat waffle iron. Sift together dry ingredients; make sure mixed well. In a bowl, combine the beaten egg yolks, shortening and milk; add in the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour the batter into the hot waffle iron being careful not to overflow and cook until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm.

*Johnna's tip: There's nothing like warm waffles in the morning. Waffles are actually one of the easiest and quickest breakfast foods to make. Save some of the batter for another day by refrigerating in a Ziploc container (*you should keep no longer than 3 days after making the batter).

*Johnna's tip, tip: Toppings options (ohh, the toppings...;-)= Whipped cream, strawberries, warm honey and of course, sweet maple syrup;-)

*Johnna's tip, tip, tip: Who would've thought fried chicken and waffles make a good combination?? Well they do and the folks at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles and Glady's Knight & Ron Winan's Chicken and Waffles have made it the staples to their restaurants. Try this at home with your waffles: using your favorite fried chicken recipe (*we all have one...;-), make the fried chicken and make the waffles last, serve together and have a breakfast-chicken food feast. Also, fried fish and waffles isn't a horrible idea either...we wonder who's going to take that idea and run with it just like the good folks at Roscoe's did with chicken and waffles...hmm...

Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle