Thank you, Lobster

In my family, a birthday isn't just one day, it's an entire week. For my husband's birthday, I made him a few extra special dinners and treats. This had to include lobster. Before he met me, my husband never had lobster. He never ate sushi, homemade soup or even peanut butter and jelly. Not because my mother-in-law didn't cook but because he was perfectly content living on cheeseburgers, hot dogs and egg sandwiches. He definitely married the right woman ;) So I introduced him to my all time favorite messy, savory, fresh food to eat...lobster.

When I think about lobster, it brings back great memories from being a kid and going on family vacations to Rhode Island. Every summer, my mom would pack up her 1980 brown Volvo station wagon, manual mind you, with us five kids. Who the hell can possibly drive standard with five kids in the car?!?  My step dad would follow with his old Chevy truck, loaded with five bikes and endless amount of beach toys. It was tradition to take a ride to Point Judith and pick out lobsters. I remember being the only one of us kids that got excited for this. I'd get to go look in the huge tanks, not like the ones you see in the supermarket. These were wide open on the floor and there were hundreds of fresh lobsters ready to be boiled, ripped apart and doused in warm butter.  When we got home with out lobsters, it was also tradition for my step dad to "play" with them first and scare the crap out of my little brothers. He'd stick them in the kiddie pool with them, no elastic bands around their claws.

When it was time to eat and the water was boiling, I always left the kitchen because I couldn't watch them die. As quick as my mom could drop them in, they were bright red and fully cooked. If you've never cooked your own lobster, it's really super easy and fast. Just don't let the guilt get to you and say "thank you."

I have to give my step dad credit for teaching me how to eat a lobster and how to drive stick.  My husband says I only like it because it's really messy and I am an incredibly messy eater. So what?!  It's the only food where it's accepted and encouraged to get messy and use your hands. I mean they give you a plastic bib when you eat it in restaurants! Definitely something I would enjoy.

So I cooked us some lobsters for dinner the other day. Going out for lobster dinner would have cost at least $40 per plate and you don't get to see them ahead of time or know where they came from.  I bought our's at Stew Leonard's for just under $20, for both of em. 

So of course this is the only picture I took realizing after I was done eating, it would make a good blog post. I was too excited to think about taking pictures. Plus, my hands were covered in butter.

Tips for cooking and eating lobster:

A good size lobster should be about 1 1/4 pounds.  Anything closer to 2 pounds is going to be tough and not have as much flavor. If you get one that's one pound, you're gonna wish you had more. I could have probably stepped up my game to a pound and a half.

Buy your lobster a few hours before you plan on eating it. You can stick it in the fridge until your ready to cook it.

A lobster should be boiled 8-10 minutes per pound. I boiled 1 1/4 pound lobster for 9 minutes and it was perfect.  It will be bright red. I run it under cold water right after I removed it to stop the cooking process and cool it off. Since we had two lobsters, I used two large pots so they were ready at the same time. Don't try to fit them both in the same pot. You could cook one at a time but the first one may not be hot by the time the water reboils and cooks the other one for an additional 8-10 minutes.

If you feel guilty about boiling it there's a few things you can do to ease the pain, your's and the lobster's.  Supposedly, you can put it in the freezer for a few minutes before hand. It makes the lobster feel a little "sleepy."  Or you can stab it in the head. Yes, it sounds awful but if you take a sharp butcher knife and pierce it through the back of the lobster's head, this kills it quickly. Immediately put it in the pot of water afterwards, if you have the guts to do it. I know I couldn't. 

I just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. As soon as I got home I put the lobsters in the fridge, never opening the bag. Once the water was boiled, I took out the lobster, cut off the elastic bands on the claws, dropped it in the pot head first and put the lid on. I set the timer and didn't look back until it went off. Done.

Make sure you have the right tools to open up the lobster. You need a nut cracker for sure and a tiny three pronged fork. We had neither of these. The only hard part is the claws. If you have the tools I mentioned, you'll be eating in no time. So we had to "make-do. "Using the back of a butcher knife, I cracked the claw on a cutting board. I also had a fondue fork which actually worked great. It's perfect for reaching inside the knuckles. You can even suck out meat from all it's tiny little legs. But the best part, as my mouth waters, is the tail...the meatiest, most delectable part of the lobster.  To get to this, rip apart the tail from the rest of the body. Discard the upper part of the body once you've removed the claws because there's nothing really in there.  You can use a knife to carefully cut vertically down the under side of the tail, but I usually just use my man hands and break it open.  My husband likes to use two fingers or a thumb and push out the meat from one end. It comes out in one huge piece.

Melt plenty of butter before hand. I put a stick of real butter, not margarine or any other fake crap, in a small sauce pan on low while the lobsters were cooking.  Oooh and I added a squeeze of lemon to the butter too.

Have a large bowl on the table to collect the juices and shell.  This is messy! I break apart my lobster over the big bowl because you may have some suprises inside. Eggs or leftover lobster poop may be something you find.  If you see bright red or orange pieces inside the tail, just take them out or eat em! They are eggs that haven't been released yet but some people think they're pretty tasty.  If you see a greenish substance, just rinse it off or leave it and eat it too!

I served my lobsters with Garlicky Roasted Green Beans and Twice Baked and Loaded Potatoes. Dessert was Strawberry Shortcake with homemade sweet biscuits and fresh whipped cream. 


Here's a link to some photos of someone painstakingly waiting to eat their lobster in order to get each shot of what I described above.  It's alot of work but that's the fun of eating it and there's no one there to stare at you while you eat with a silly plastic bib tied around your neck. And it beats paying close to $100 for lobster dinner for two.


Seriously, don't forget your bib. And napkins. Lots of em.


You're Welcome.

Chinese...No Take out Necesary

I have a love/hate relationship with Chinese food. I love love love to eat it. I hate the feeling after I've only been able to finish half of my container full of General Tso's Chicken and remain planted on the couch the remainder of the night. I love opening the fridge the next day, knowing my leftovers are there so I can eat the rest... and feel like shit all over again.  My solution was to make Thai food. Check out my Coconut Curry Chicken. My last bout with that didn't go so well considering I had to throw away an entire dinner due to overcooked rice noodles. I'm a rule breaker and extremely impatient so this is the result of cutting corners. I'm slowly learning my lesson. I tried to salvage it by adding my freshly cooked veggies and peanut sauce. We couldn't get past the slurpy gooey texture. This one went in the garbage.

This week is my husband's birthday so I figured I'd make him something he really loves to eat.  I don't believe he ever had Chinese food before he met me. I had him eat it once...he was hooked. I found a recipe from i heart naptime. Why didn't I name my blog that?!  Naptime is my favorite. I've made this recipe before and it came out awesome. We will probably never order Chinese again...unless I really want an eggroll which would go perfectly with this, and only partially make me feel like crap. I had to alter it due to our addiction to any and all things spicy. I'm not really even sure what to call this. It's sweet, sour, spicy and salty and super easy!

Sweet 'n Sour n' Spicy Sesame Chicken
Serves 4

• Two large chicken breasts
  
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• some squirts of Siracha
• 1 tbs of rice vinegar
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• oil for frying

Cut up your chicken into small pieces, about the size of a half dollar.  In a bowl, toss your chicken, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and cornstarch.

Heat up a small amount of oil in a pan, about 1/4 inch. I used vegetable but sesame would be awesome.

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs. When the oil is hot enough, coat your chicken in the egg then drop carefully in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. You are only frying them quickly just to get a crunchy outside. They will finish up in the oven. Have a pan ready with a paper towel on it to soak up an excess grease. I worked in batches.

When your chicken is done frying, put it on a foil lined pan and bake for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your sauce.
 
In a bowl, combine ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Siracha, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, minced garlic and brown sugar. This sounded so unbelievably gross to me the first time I read this because I hate ketchup, but it does work really well. I would love to try it with chili sauce though.

After the chicken has been in the oven for about 20 minutes, take it out and toss with your sauce. Throw it back in the oven for about another 15 minutes while you cook your rice and veggies.
I serve over brown rice and broccoli.

Tomorrow I will open my fridge and eat my leftovers and my stomach will feel happy.


You're Welcome.

A Mother's Day Miracle...

So unfortunately, I have barely any pictures to go along with this post. I swear I should just have a camera recording in my kitchen at all times. I make lots and lots of meals, usually in a matter of minutes, scarf it down thinking how good it tastes then realize... wow, that was delicious, other people need to eat this... then Shit! I didn't take any pictures! 

I do have a legitimate excuse for this because I was cooking for non other than... my in-laws. I was a bit of a crazy person that morning and didn't even have a chance to drink a Bloody Mary, my all time favorite any time of day drink.  But I did cook a bangin' ass breakfast after drinking about 5 cups of coffee.

There was seven of us total and everything came out excellent, on time and most importantly hot! We all sat at a set table complete with flowers and vintage floral table cloth napkins freshly purchased from XOVintage. Right next to the baby chickens, which are currently renting a space in our dining room while they await the construction of their beautiful new coop!  But anyways, it was a miracle to get all of us together, for more than an hour to sit down to a homemade meal, not purchased or made by the guest of honor, my mother-in-law.

~The Menu~

Nutella and Brie &

Peach Preserves and Brie

Breakfast Croissants

Scrambled Eggs and Cheese

Slow Cooker French Toast 

Homemade Waffles with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

Buffalo Home Fries

Bacon and Sausage

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes

In addition, my brother in law made some mini quiches in wonton wrappers which were really yummy and my mother-in-law brought fresh strawberries and made creamy marshmallow dip and Eclair Cake. Yep, we're Italian.

Breakfast Croissants:

Makes 16

• One container of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• Whatever filling your little heart desires...in this case, it was a schmear of Nutella and a dollop of Brie in one batch and a scoop of Peach Preserves and Brie in the other

I prepped these the night before so I was able to just pop em in the oven the next day. 

Preheat oven to 350. Line a pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup. 

Assemble croissants and give it your best attempt to make it look like they do on the package. But don't worry, because they probably won't!

Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. They might ooze out a little but it's just more dipping for your croissant! Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker French Toast:

Serves about ten

• One loaf of any old bread. Yes, literally any old bread. I prefer a heartier bread that can handle soaking up all the eggs and milk. I  go to the "day old" baked goods section of the grocery store.
• 8 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• Half a stick of butter
• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• 2 Tbs vanilla
• 1/4 brown sugar

The night before you plan to serve this, spray your beloved crock pot with some cooking oil. I forgot to do this step so my pot will be soaking for the next few days or even weeks.  

Layer your bread in the crock pot.  

Combine the eggs, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar.

Pour over the bread. Use your hands to make sure all the bread is soaked. Cut up your stick of butter into chunks and throw it in too.

Cook all night on low temp. Don't cook more than 7 hours or it may burn, depending on your crock pot. If you have one with a timer, I'm jealous.

Serve warm with real maple syrup. Any maybe some more brown sugar.

Homemade Waffles with Blueberry Sauce
Makes about 10-12 waffles

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

I prepped the dry ingredients the night before so all I had to do was add the wet in the morning...and ask my mother in law to bring more eggs because we used the rest.

Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. 

In a separate bowl, combine your milk, eggs, vanilla and oil. Add this to the flour mixture.

You know the rest. I am assuming you know how to use your waffle iron.

Blueberry Sauce:

In a small saucepan, cook about a pint of blueberries over medium heat. Add about 3 teaspoons of sugar. When the blueberries start to break down and there is a good amount of liquid, add 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch.  Should take about 8-10 minutes. If it seems to be too thick, you can a tiny bit of water. Keep stirring until it is the consistency you want.

Serve on waffles and/or eat out of the bowl.

Buffalo Home Fries:    

Already blogged! Ooooh a photo!

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes:

Makes 12

For Cupcakes...

• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/2 cup King Arthur's unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp real lemon extract 
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1 tsp vinegar, fill up to 1/2 cup with milk)

Preheat oven to 360. Yes, this sounds strange but for my oven it works perfectly! 

In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder and lemon zest. 

In a stand mixer, beat the eggs. Add the sugar then oil. Add lemon extract. 

On a slow speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk. I always scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything has been incorporated. 

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way and bake for about 18 minutes or until edges are just turning golden brown. Set aside to cool.

For Filling...

Make a package of lemon pudding pie filling according to directions on the box. I would never normally use this if I were selling these but I knew for certain it would taste good. It's the way my Noni does lemon meringue pie and I made the cupcakes for her. And I had no time to experiment and play around.  The in-laws were coming...

For Meringue Topping...

This was also on the box of the lemon pie pudding filling!  Over a double boiler on low heat, beat three room temperature egg whites and 1/4 cup of sugar. Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. I use my emulsion blender attachment for this.

Beat for about 10 minutes and egg whites are white and frothy. I also add this to my Kitchen Aide mixer with the whisk attachment for extra fluffiness.

Assembly...

Cut out the centers of your cooled cupcakes with a smooth edged sharp knife. Kinda like a cone shape. Fill your cupcake with about a teaspoon of lemon filling.  Use a star tip and pastry bag to pipe on your frosting. Then whip out your blow torch and make a toasty top.

Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes:

Makes 12

For the Cupcakes...

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 Tbs butter
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking power
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Using the stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.

In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder.

Add your eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter and sugar. Scrape the bowls to make sure everything is incorporated.

Slowly add you flour mixture and milk alternating each one at a time.

Beat until ingredients are just blended.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way. I always use my ice cream scooper. 

Bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the Filling...

Whip about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream in a mixer until thick and smooth. Put in fridge for later.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt 4 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips and about 2 tsp of heavy cream. 

Let cool about 5 minutes. Add a heaping spoonful of whipped cream to the chocolate and gently stir. Add the remainder of the whipped cream and fold carefully into the chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Frosting...

Follow the directions on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa Powder box. Seriously, it's the best chocolate frosting ever.  Melt a stick of butter. Add 2/3 cup of cocoa powder and stir. Dump in a mixing bowl and add about 3 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time, along with 1/4 cup of milk. You may need to adjust according to the consistency you want.

Assembly...

Cut out the middle of the cupcake with a smooth sharp knife. Pop the middle in your mouth. Use a spoon or pastry bag to fill the cupcakes with the mousse. Use a fancier tip and pastry bag to frost. top with a raspberry. Indulge.

You're Welcome.

Bumble Bee Bullies

If you don't know already, I am completely in love with my dogs. My life would not be whole without them.  I would take them with me everywhere if I could, and if Sunny didn't make the weirdest high pitched, whiny sound when she sees other dogs, just because she wants to play with them so badly. For the past few years, my fabulous friend Marisa, owner of Sassymouth Photography, (check out her site, seriously, she's an amazing ninja photographer with mad skills) gets a whole bunch of her favorite people to march in the Daffodil Festival Parade. We are lucky to be on that list! She was our wedding photographer and we just bonded instantly. The first year, my husband drove his big ass Jeep and pulled her sassy float. I rode shot gun along with my two meatballs, Zoe and Sunny. It was great. So many more photos! http://www.sassymouth.net/blog/archives/2770

This year, she came up with an awesome theme of bumble bees like in Blind Melon's "No Rain" video, complete with cute little bumble bee girls, tutus and ribbon twirlers. Too bad we couldn't convince my husband to wear one.  Unfortunately, it effin rained. All morning. But we got to dress the pups up as bees so it was totally worth it to see everyone's faces light up when the girls went marching by.

Since I like to do things myself and try to save a few bucks, I made their costumes. It was super easy and only took a few hours.  All together it cost me about $10 for both of em. And you could totally make one for your kids! DIY Halloween for sure...

I bought two yellow kids size shirts at Goodwill.  I got some black cloth from my Noni, who has an abundance of it in every color and cool neon pattern from the 80's you can imagine.  Tuille was buy one get one at the craft store...with a coupon, only a few dollars for two big rolls of black and glittery yellow.  I already had hem tape at home...  the greatest invention ever.  It's pretty much like glue for fabric. And for people who can't sew.   Onto assembly...

I  cut the black fabric for the stripes to fit all the way around the shirt. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go with material with a little more give. Once I put the stripes were on, it was a little harder to get the shirts on the girls because it didn't stretch...they're a little chunky.


Measure the hem tape to be just about the same length as the stripes. Line them up on the shirt and use your iron to "melt' the pieces of fabric together. Seriously, it likes glue but without the mess. Work in small sections at a time.

Once you have the stripes on, make the tutu at the bottom of the shirt. You can do it on the inside or outside of the shirt.  I had never played around with tuille before but it's kinda fun. Again measure a piece of hem tape that will go around the bottom of the shirt and place it there. Bunch a little but together to get the look you want. Work in small sections to iron it in place, making your way completely around the entire shirt.

To make wings, I started with a really long piece of tuille and started at one end to make the bow. I folded it over, then did it to the other side.  Kinda like "bunny ears" when you're tying shoelaces. After I had the two bows, I tied them in a knot, just like laces. I wrapped the excess around the middle of the knot to thicken it up. If you have too much, you can cut it off. Just secure the end by tucking it in the middle of the knot.  You can make two sets of these for wings or just leave it at one. Attach this with a safety pin to the back of the shirt. They also make tuille with wire on the edges if you want the wings to be "perkier."  By the time the parade was done, the wings were a bit saggy...

Definitely check out the rest of the soaking wet pictures on her blog! And buy some hem tape!


You're Welcome.