Spaghetti Squash With Eggplant Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti squash is a fantastic alternative for pasta. This dish is packed with health benefits as the entire dish is made with fresh vegetables. Your family and your waistline will love it!

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Eggplant
1/3 Cup Diced Onion
1/3 Cup Diced Celery
1/3 Cup Diced Bell Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1/2 Cup Merlot Wine
1 Jar Of Prego Marinara Sauce (Or your favorite store bought variety)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise then scoop the seeds from the middle and discard. Drizzle EVOO over the interior of both halves of the spaghetti squash then season with Kosher salt and black pepper. Turn both halves down on a baking sheet and place in a 425 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
Dice the eggplant into small pieces and season with Kosher salt. In a large skillet, sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in EVOO until translucent then add the diced eggplant and continue to sauté until the eggplant is softened. Then add the Merlot wine and continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the jar of marinara sauce then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Once the spaghetti squash is done, remove from the oven and rake the inside of the squash with a fork. Place the spaghetti squash on a plate and top with the eggplant marinara sauce then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with a glass of Merlot and a slice of garlic toast.

Corn & Crab Bisque

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Onion (minced)

1/4 cup Carrots (minced)

1 stick of real butter (salted)

3/4 cup of All Purpose Flour

3Tbs Tomato Paste

1can of Whole Kernel Corn (drained)

2 cans Crab meat (approximately 16oz)

1 1/2 cups Seafood Stock

2 cups Chicken Broth

1/4 cup Cooking Sherry

1tsp Worchestershire Sauce

1tsp Lemon juice

1/2 pint Heavy Whipping Cream

2Tbs Old Bay Seasoning

1tsp Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)

Pinch of Kosher Salt to taste

Directions:

In a sauce pan, sauté the onions and carrots in 2 Tbs of butter, till tender then set aside. In a 6 quart pot, melt the remaining butter then add the flour to make a light roux. Once the flour begins to lightly brown, gradually whisk in the seafood stock and chicken broth. Once you have the desired thickness, whisk in the tomato paste, Old Bay seasoning, Cayenne pepper, cooking sherry, Worchestershire sauce, lemon juice, and the sautéed onions and carrots. Then add the can of corn and let simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Then add the crab meat and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir in the heavy cream until well combined and heated through. 

Enjoy!

Serve with toasted, garlic French bread & a nice glass of wine. 

Broiled Flounder Filet With Clarified Butter

Ingredients: 1 Flounder (bones removed)

                   Kosher salt

                   Black pepper

                   Lemon pepper seasoning

                   Onion powder

                   1 stick of real butter          (unsalted)

                   Parsley Flakes

Recipe: Buy a flounder in which the bones have been removed. Season lightly with kosher salt, black pepper, lemon pepper seasoning, onion powder, and parsley flakes. Place the seasoned fish on a foil lined baking sheet that had been prepared with a non stick cooking spray. Set the oven to broil. Place the fish in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. The fish is done when you touch it and the fish begins to flake. If the fish is firm to the touch, cook a few minutes longer. 

To make the clarified butter, cut the stick of butter into several smaller pieces and place in a sauce pan. Begin to melt the butter on low heat. A white foam will develop on top of the melted butter. Remove the foam by using a spoon. Then strain the butter through several layers of cheese cloth, lined in a strainer. Place the clarified butter in a small sauce cup and serve on the side of the fish, for dipping. Enjoy!

Shrimp Po-Boy

There is nothing better than Gulf Fresh Shrimp, fried to perfection and served on a fresh loaf of New Orleans style French bread, with all of the fixins.This is what makes a great Po-boy sandwhich, that everyone should enjoy. Once you have one, you will want to move close to the water so you can get that Gulf Fresh Shrimp anytime that you like.

Ingredients:

2lbs Fresh Shrimp 110-130 count (small shrimp) peeled.
1 box Zatarans Seasoned Shrimp Fry
1 Large loaf of French bread

Recipe:

In a mixing bowl, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Zatarans Shrimp Fry and mix with water until it is a thin mixture. Place the remaining shrimp fry in a large bowl. Take the shrimp and place in the wet mixture of the Zatarans and coat them, then place the shrimp in the dry Zatarans shrimp fry and coat them well. In a large skillet or deep fryer, heat vegatable oil to 350 degrees. Place the shirmp in the hot oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes and remove to a platter lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Place the French bread in a 400 degree oven for 3 minutes, to heat. Slice the loaf open and dress with mayo, lettace, dill pickle, tomatoe, and then pile on the shrimp and enjoy.

Can be served with onion rings or french fries. I hope you enjoy your shrimp po-boy.

Lobster Saucier

WOW! This is fantastic. It so easy to do. I got the lobster ravioli from Sam's Club. The ravioli is stuffed with real lobster and cheese, all I had to do, was to make the sauce. I made the same type of sauce as the Chicken D'Iberville, but with a couple of lobser tails. If you want to do some entertaining, this is the perfect meal to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 1lb Lobster tails (Steamed)
1 Package of Lobster Ravioli
2 Cups of heavy cream
1 Tbs. Sundried Tomatoes (Diced)
1 Tbs. Fresh Basil (Chopped)
1 Tbs. Sundried Tomatoe Pesto
3 Tbs. Fresh grated parmasian cheese.
2 Cloves of minced garlic
1/4 Cup Pinot Grigio wine


Recipe:

Either steam the lobster tails yourself or have the seafood department of your store steam the tails for you. Once the lobster is steamed, remove the meat from the tails and dice the meat. In a sauce pan, coat the bottom with evoo and a pat of butter, then add the minced garlic, diced sundried tomatoes, chopped basil, and the diced lobster meat, and saute' for a minute then add the Pinot Grigio, the heavy cream and the sundried tomatoe pesto, and stir until everything is mixed well, then reduce the heat, add the parmasian cheese and simmer, stirring ocassionally.
In a seperate pot, of  boilong water with about 3 tablespoons of salt in the water, add the lobster ravioli and boil for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, then remove the ravioli from the water and place in the sauce to coat the ravioli, then serve.

Chicken D'Iberville



This is a great pasta dish that anyone can do. This takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and everyone will think that you spent hours in the kitchen. I will show you how easy it is and that there is no need to feel intimadated about cooking fantastic pasta. With a little inspiration from Sandra Lee with her Semi Homemade and Rachel Ray with her 30 minute meals, you will be ready to Throw Down with Bobby Flay and invite Guy Fieri over for his Big Bite. 

Ingredients:

1 Package of Fresh Chicken Ravioli (Found in the fresh pasta section in your grocery,)

2 or 3 Boneless and skinless chicken breast

3 Sundried Tomatoes (Diced)

1 Tbs Sundried Tomatoe Pesto

2 Cups of Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

5 or 6 Fresh Basil Leaves (Chopped)

1/4 Cup of Pinot Grigio Wine

Fresh Parmasian Cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Recipe:

Season the chicken breast on both sides with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Cook the chicken in a skillet using EVOO. Once the chicken is done, remove from the skillet then add the minced garlic, sundried tomatoes, and the fresh basil. Then add the Pinot Grigio wine to deglaze the skillet. Then add the 2 cups of heavy cream and about 2 tablespoons of the paramsian cheese, and the tablespoon of sundried tomatoe pesto, and stir to mix everything well. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. While the chicken is cooking, in a large pot, bring about 4 cups of water to boil and add 3 pinches of kosher salt to the boiling water.

When you begin to simmer the sauce, place the fresh ravioli pasta into the boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes. Then remove the ravioli from the water, using a slotted spoon or stainer and place directly into the sauce. Coat the ravioli with the sauce and then plate it. Take the chicken breast and cut into about 1 inch squares and place on top of the pasta, garnish with fresh grated parmasian cheese and serve.

Seafood Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

You just thought the crab cakes were good. Now try this. Get some portabella mushrooms and stuff them with the crab cakes that you just made and top it with a creamy seafood alfredo. Man, talk about good eating. Be prepared to loosen the belt and un buton your pants after you have this. It is great with a glass of your favorite wine. This is a meal all in itself.

Ingredients:

Portabella mushroom caps
Crab cakes
1/2 lb of  Shrimp
Package of crawfish tails
Jar of roasted garlic alfredo sauce
Zataran's Jazz It Up for Seafood
1/2 cup Pinot Grigo wine
Fresh grated Parmasean cheese


Recipe:

Remove the stems from the portabella mushrooms and wipr the mushrooms clean. Then drizzle the mushroom caps with evoo (extra virgin olive oil) and grill them until they are tender. Remove from the heat and place a crab cake in the center of the mushroom. Place the mushrooms with the crab cakes in a 325 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. While the mushrooms are in the oven, make your seafood alfredo sauce. In a skillet, saute' the shrimp and crawfish tails in evoo and sprinkle in some of the Zataran's Jazz It Up for Seafood. As the shrimp began to turn pink, add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the jar of alfredo sauce. Stir until everything is combined well and the sauce begins to thicken. Then add a couple of tablespoons of the grated parmasean cheese. Remove the mushrooms from the oven, place on a plate and cover with the alfredo sauce, and enjoy.