Bread - Black Pudding Bread

BLACK PUDDING BREAD

Blood pudding ( also called black pudding ) is an ancient food, it is believed to have been created around the time of Homer in Greece. I'm not sure if this is true or not, just something that i read, but it definitely goes way back and I'm sure a lot of countries try to lay claim to it, just like the hamburger and many other food items. Blood pudding is actually a sausage not a pudding, it is made of course with blood, also a blend of other ingredients like oatmeal, onions, fat and spices. I've eaten blood pudding in Ireland, England and Scotland, mostly in Scotland, as that's where my ancestry is and my wife's even more, as many of her relatives are still living in Scotland. I enjoy most of the blood puddings that I've tried, but my favorite is Stornoway Black Pudding, which is considered to be one of the best. It's made in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in The Outer Hebrides. The blood pudding that i buy made in America by Irish and Scottish butchers doesn't taste anything like what you get in Scotland. I keep buying it from different sources, but I'm never happy with the quality. I recently purchased another pound and ate a small piece and put the rest in the freezer and it sat there for the longest time and my wife was on me to either eat it or throw it away. Then i remembered jotting down a recipe a few years ago from an old lady that was in a butcher shop buying some black pudding, that i struck up a conversation with about black puddings. She told me about a black pudding bread that she makes with left overs. She gave me the ingredients in metric, which i converted and either i didn't write them down exactly or she didn't quite remember them correctly. But in any case when i made it, the dough was too loose almost like a batter, so i added more flour, but i wasn't able to accurately measure the additional, so my recipe may not be exact, until i can do another batch and have all the extra flour measured and sitting there ready to use and record. When i made this i didn't know if it was going to be any good or if i would end up with a lot of bird food. When they came out of the oven, i let them cool and as soon as i could i cut a piece and just added a little butter and was delighted that it was delicious. I offered a piece to the business man next to my store and i was sure he would say no way, but to my surprise he not only tried it, but he liked it. Now I'm taking it home tonight, as i baked this here at work. I'm fortunate to have a kitchen here, as it's hard to make bread at home, because of the length of time needed. I usually do part of it at home, then transport everything to work and let it rise here and bake it here. Now the real test will see if my wife likes it, she usually doesn't care for black pudding, scrapple or things along that line. She'll taste them, but that's about it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. bread flour ( i was told 1 lb., but it was closer 1 1/2, I'll have a more exact amount
on the next batch )
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast ( King Arthur Flour )
4 Tbs. Crisco
2 cups water
7 oz. blood pudding
honey - about 4 Tbs. - 2 for each loaf
sesame seeds - 2 Tbs. - 1 for each loaf

In a medium size mixing bowl, add the flour, salt. yeast and the Crisco. Use 2 knives and cut the Crisco into the flour. Now add the water and use a spoon to start stirring the water into the flour mixture. At a certain point forget the spoon and spray your hands with a little oil and start working the dough by hand to incorporate everything. Kneed the dough for about 5 to seven minutes. Now take a larger mixing bowl and spray it with a little oil and transfer the dough ball. Take a piece of handy wrap and spray it and lay over the bowl, sprayed side down. Set the bowl in a warm area and let it rise until doubled in size about 1 1/2 hours. Then take a cookie sheet and spray with a little oil and dump the dough onto it and press it down and stretch it out. Next add the crumbled blood pudding across the dough and start folding it up and kneading it to work the blood pudding into the dough. Now put it back into the dough bowl and cover it again and let it rise for another hour. After that spray two round cake pans with spray oil and set aside. Next divide the dough in half and work each ball to smooth it out and put into the cake pans, again cover with the oiled handy wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes. After that put the pans into a preheated 425 degree oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes ( keeping in mind that all ovens are different. I have a 10 minutes difference between my oven at home and at work. ) . After the baking time pull the pans out and pour the honey on the top of the loaf and spread it out with a brush, then sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Repeat this with the other loaf and put them back into the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set them on racks to cool. I served with just a little butter. But they would also be good with a fried egg, to make a breakfast sandwich.

Entree - Pasta Provencal

Pasta Provencal

Ingredients:

3 tbs. canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 - 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
12 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp.thyme
1/2 tsp.garlic garnie
1/2 tsp.fennel seeds
1 tsp. orange peel, grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup white wine
12 oz. artichoke quarters, chopped
2 tbs. parsley
7 oz. pasta ( linguine or fettuccine ), this is pasta for 2, sauce serves 4
hot sauce
Romano cheese

First fill a large pot with water and start it boiling for the pasta. Add the oil to a skillet and add the diced onions and cook for about 10 minutes to soften. Take the can tomatoes and drain the liquid into a bowl, then add the tomatoes to the onions and let them cook. Meanwhile add the chopped sun dried tomatoes to the drained tomato juice and microwave for a minute. Then add the sun dried tomatoes and the juice to the skillet and cook for 10 more minutes. Now add the zucchini and the basil, oregano, thyme, garlic garnie, fennel, orange peel, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook for 5 minutes. Around now would be a good time to start the pasta. Next add the wine and the artichokes and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid and heat everything thru. Add the parsley and stir. Serve over the pasta, sprinkle on a few drops of hot sauce and top with some Romano cheese. Pasta serves 2 and the sauce is enough for 4.

Easy Steak Dinner Parcels

EASY STEAK DINNER PARCELS

Ingredients:

2 lbs. round steak 1" thick, cut into 2 portions
foil
barbecue spice - Emeril's or Paul Prudhomme's or any other
dry onion soup pack
2 large onions, cut coarsely
2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
1 can of mushrooms or fresh - optional
1 can of tomatoes, diced - reserve the juice
1/2 cup of reserved tomato juice
1 tbs. cornstarch
2 tbs. Bisto
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. steak sauce
1 tsp. barbecue spice
parsley

Cut four pieces of foil about 10 x 12, set 2 side by side and spray with Pam cooking spray and set the other two aside for now. Lay one piece of steak on each piece of sprayed foil. Sprinkle the steak with the barbecue spice, then sprinkle half of the dry onion soup bag on each piece of steak ( make sure you mix the onion soup bag contents ). Next top the steaks with the chopped onions, then the green peppers and then the diced tomatoes ( last would be the mushrooms, if your adding them ). In a small bowl add the reserved tomato juice and then add the cornstarch and mix that in good, so that it doesn't start to harden. Next add the Bisto, Worcestershire Sauce, steak sauce and barbecue spice and stir to mix well. Pour half of this mixture over each steak. Now spray the remaining two pieces of foil and lay them sprayed side down on top of the steaks. Now start from one side and fold the foil a fold or two, then do the opposite side a fold or two, next the other ends one end at a time, just a fold or two. Once all four sides are started you can continue folding all the way around, but don't fold too tight, you want to leave a little space. Now repeat this process on the other parcel. When both are folded up, lay on a cookie sheet and put into a preheated oven at 350 degrees for two hours. The meat will be so tender from the slow long cooking, and amazed at how good, something so easy can taste. Remove the steak and all the sauce to a plate with a serving utensil and sprinkle with parsley.

Spice Blend - Blackening Spice

BLACKENING SPICE BLEND

Ingredients:

3 tbs. paprika
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil

Mix all ingredients and blend together.

Spice Blend - Garlic Garnie

GARLIC GARNIE SPICE BLEND

Ingredients:

2 tbs. garlic powder
2 tbs. onion powder
1/2 tsp. onion, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper, ground
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground

Add all ingredients together and blend.

Spice Blend - My Barbecue Rub

MY BARBECUE RUB

This is my all purpose base rub that i use for almost everything. Sometimes i will add other spices like thyme, oregano etc, depending on the dish.

Ingredients:

6 tbs. paprika
1 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. red pepper, ground
optional items: thyme, oregano, basil

I literally use this on almost everything in various amounts

Sauce - Marchand de Vin Sauce

MARCHAND de VIN SAUCE

Ingredients:

3 tbs. butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup ham, diced
4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup red wine, Cabernet
2 tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic garnie
1/2 tsp. barbecue spice
1 tbs. parsley

Melt the butter and saute the onion, until soft, about 8 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Next add the ham, cook for 3 minutes, and now the bacon and cook for 1 minute. Now add the flour and blend in, cook 2 to 3 minutes stirring constantly. Add the beef broth slowly, using a whisk to keep it from lumping up, then add the red wine, Worcestershire Sauce, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, garlic garnie and barbecue spice. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes, until it thickens, stirring every so often, to keep it from burning or sticking. When done, check the seasoning and adjust, then add the parsley and serve. This is good over pork, steaks or chicken.

Entree - Blackened Suffed Pork with Marchand de Vin Sauce

BLACKENED STUFFED PORK CHOPS with MARCHAND DE VIN SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 center cut pork chops, with a pocket cut in
blackening spice blend

stuffing:
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Provolone cheese
1/4 cup Romano cheese
1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
1 tsp. blackening spice
1 tbs. basil
1 tbs. oregano
2 tbs. sour cream
-----------
3 tbs. canola oil
Marchand de Vin Sauce

Mix the stuffing ingredients. Stuff the mixture into the pockets of the chops. Sprinkle the blackening spice on the top side of the stuffed chops. Heat the skillet and oil and when hot, add the chops coated side down and now coat the top with blackening. Brown the chops on each side about 2 to 4 minutes per side and then transfer to an oven proof pan. Finish off in the oven, approximately 10 minutes. Serve with a Marchand de Vin Sauce

Bread - Crunchy Peanut Butter, Apple, Pumpkin Bread

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER, APPLE, PUMPKIN BREAD

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1 tsp. nutmeg ground
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves, ground
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 can pumpkin
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup apple juice
1 cup crunchy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium size bowl add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and baking soda, stir to blend and set aside. In a larger bowl add the sugar, the beaten eggs and pumpkin, stir to blend. Now add the apple sauce, vegetable oil, apple juice and peanut butter, blend to incorporate the peanut butter completely. Next add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to blend. Grease 2 loaf pans 5 x 9 and pour in the bread batter equally. Bake for 70 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if the bread is done. Set the pans aside to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove the bread and set on a wire rack for approximately 15 minutes before slicing

Barbecued Bologna

BARBECUED BOLOGNA

This is an unusual dish, and sometimes people give you this look, but if they try it they usually like it. The first time i made this and my wife walked in the door from work and asked what we were having and i said barbecued bologna, she said, I'm not eating that. I said i guess you better figure out what your going to make for yourself. She reluctantly ate it and decided that it was pretty good, said with great surprise. A few weeks later when we were having relatives over and my wife asked what i was making and i said one of the items was the barbecued bologna, she was mad that i was making something that seemed so lowly to her. The relatives like a lot of people had this look, but tasted it, and were very pleased. After that when our relatives would invite us over to picnics etc. they would ask me to bring the barbecued bologna. My wife would get so mad, all the gourmet food that we make, i can't understand why people want you to bring that bologna. Because it taste good, i told her. Now she actually asked me the other night to make it. A convert has been born. Anyway on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

bologna - 1 chunk about 2" thick - sometimes the deli people will say that they can't cut a piece
that big with the slicer and you just have to say use a knife.
barbecue spice - your own rub or Paul Prudhomme's or Emeril's
barbecue sauce - your own or store bought
bread - i use thin sliced sourdough

This is an amazingly simple recipe, take the plastic off the chunk and then use a knife and peel the skin off around the outside edge, all the way around. Now score the chunk around the outer edge and also score the top and bottom. Next heat the grill up. While the grill is heating, sprinkle the barbecue rub all over the bologna chunk, sides, top & bottom. When the grill is ready, set it up so that your cooking by indirect heat. I use a propane grill, the one side is set at medium and the other side is off. I use cooking spray and i spray the grill on the indirect side and then i spray the top side of the bologna. I put it on the indirect side top side of the bologna down. Close the lid and let it cook for 30 minutes. Then spray the top side of the bologna with cooking spray and turn it over and cook for 30 minutes more. Now i coat the bologna with barbecue sauce, top and sides and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Than i turn it over and coat the other side, the bottom side which is now the top and get a little more onto the sides and give it 10 minutes. The bologna will start getting charred. It's now time to take it off and slice it up. You can serve it on bread of your choice or just eat as is. I think you'll be surprised how good this will taste.

Reiview - Cafe Drydock & Inn, Southwest Harbor, Me.

CAFE DRYDOCK & INN

357 Main St.
Southwest Harbor, Maine
207-646-4444
http://www.cafedrydockinn.com/

Located in Southwest Harbor on the quiet side of Mt. Desert Island. It's just a short ride from Bar Harbor, where most of the tourist seem to go. The restaurant has tables and booths and also a bar area. It's nicely decorated in a pleasant atmosphere. The wait staff are friendly and efficient. The menu has a good variety of items to select from and reasonably priced. You can eat lite fare or dinner entrees ranging from a seafood pasta to crab Morney and baked stuffed haddock to several cuts of steak. My wife and i both got the same dish, the Walker Wellington, a Filet Mignon, topped with crab meat, wrapped in puff pastry, baked and topped with a Bearnaise sauce. It was outstanding, perfectly prepared, delicious and a good size portion, bigger than i was expecting. We were so filled after dinner that we couldn't order the dessert that we saw and wanted to try. Neither of us normally order dessert, but they had a Tollhouse cookie pie, that sounded good. So, we made plans to return the next day. We got up and ate a small breakfast and went back for a late lunch / early dinner time, because we didn't want to tie up a table eating just a dessert. We each got a slice of the Tollhouse cookie pie with ice cream and drizzled chocolate and a cup of hot tea. It was worth returning for just dessert. If you want to see more of their menu items, go to their website, http://www.cafedrydockinn.com/ While on that side of the island walk around town and check out some of the other stores and enjoy the area.

Review - Jackie's Too Restaurant, Ogunquit, Maine

JACKIE'S TOO

91 Perkins Cove Rd.
Ogunquit, Me.
207-646-4444
http://www.jackiestoo.com/

Located in Perkins Cove, right at the oceans edge, you can't get any closer without getting wet. This is a great location, you can't get any better. And with this location you also get great food. We went to Jackie's Too in 2008, i was in the mood for fish and chips, and they were excellent, my wife got the swordfish kabobs and told me to take a taste. This was the best fish dish that I've ever tasted and i wished that i had ordered it. Unfortunately we were leaving early the next morning, so i never got another chance to go back. Once we got home i told my wife i want to go back to Maine next year so i can get that swordfish kabob. So i planned the next trip to Maine, so that we would hit Ogunquit first, then hit some new locations and then end up in Bar Harbor. And sure enough we arrived in Ogunquit this year ( 2009 ) and that was were we went for dinner the next night. I have to admit i was worried, some times in a year, a chef could have changed, sometimes food quality can go up or down for lots of reasons, but the quality hadn't changed. We both ordered the same dish, the swordfish kabobs. They had a nice grilled char on the outside and perfectly moist on the inside. The dish came with grilled vegetables and rice. I've eaten a lot of fish dishes over the years and this chef ( he or she ) really knows how to cook fish. I can't think of to many restaurants that i would drive 700 plus miles to eat at. I told my wife the other night that our trip next year to Quebec, I'm plotting out a route to hit Ogunquit on the way home, it only adds seven hours to the trip. The restaurant I'm sure has many other outstanding dishes, but i won't be able to tell you about them, because I'm getting the swordfish again. Just to let you know, should you decide to go there, they are reasonably priced. Lite fare starts around 7. and up, entrees are around 17. to 22. The night we were there, most people were dressed casually, a few were dressed up. I'm not sure if they have a dress code, but you can go to their web site.

Review - Bar Harbor Manor in Bar Harbor, Me.

BAR HARBOR MANOR

Located at 47 Holland Ave. on Mt. Desert Island
207-288-3829
http://www.barharbor.com/

We stayed at the Bar Harbor Manor in 2008 and liked it so much, when we went back to Maine in 2009, we stayed there again. The owners are gracious and friendly. The rooms are clean, spacious and kept up to date, with a good size bathroom. The room we stayed in had a porch so that you could sit outside and it had lattice on the sides, so you had some privacy. A parking lot with free parking. It's conveniently located to everything. A half block walk to Cottage St., which has a number of restaurants and stores to look in as you walk to Main St., about a 3 block walk. When you get to Main St., if you go right you have quite a few blocks of stores for shopping, restaurants, coffee shops etc. If you go left you have a block of the same, and then your at the harbor. There you can catch a boat for whale watching or boats for sight seeing. If you don't want to boat, there's a trail that winds along the coast line for aways, giving you opportunities to photograph various boats and birds etc. You can also jump in the car and have a short drive to the Acadia National Park, Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, or Bass Harbor. There is also a beautiful garden over in Southwest Harbor called the Asticou Gardens ( free, but donations are welcome ). There are nice restaurants all over Mt. Desert Island, from Bar Harbor to Bass Harbor. In Bar Harbor, our favorite breakfast place was Jeannie's, they have much better than the regular breakfast fare, incredible stuffed french toast, their own homemade oatmeal bread, even their own strawberry rhubarb spread, which i would love to carry in my store, but they only sell retail, unfortunately. Just a short drive to Southwest Harbor and you can go to the Cafe Drydock and Inn, it is a very nice restaurant, with lite fare and really good upscale food. We went there for their Walker Wellington, a Filet Mignon, topped with crabmeat, wrapped in puff pastry and topped with Bearnaise sauce. It was excellent, not only one of the best dishes that i had on vacation, but also one of the best ever. They have a number of items on their menu that i hope to try in future years. I hardly ever eat dessert, but they had a Tollhouse cookie pie, that my wife and i both wanted to try, but we were too filled from the dinner. So we came back the next day a little late for the lunch crowd and a little early for the dinner crowd, because we wanted to order just dessert, but didn't want to tie up a table at their busiest times. The Tollhouse cookie pie was worth going back for. The restaurant is clean, well decorated and the service is great, the people friendly. You won't regret the short drive to get here and back.

Soup - White Cheddar and Ale Soup with Andouille Bruschetta

White Cheddar and Ale Soup with Andouille Bruschetta

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter
1 onion, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
6Tbs. all purpose flour
1 can chicken stock
1 cup Genesee Pale Ale
8 oz. Amish white cheddar
1/2 cup fat free evaporated milk
salt - to taste
pepper, ground - i use black, but white looks better
-----------------
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 Andouille sausages, diced
1 can tomatoes, diced and drained
1 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp.black pepper, ground
1/8 tsp. salt
loaf bread - French, Italian, baguette or your choice - slice and toast

In a medium sized pot, melt the butter and add the onions and saute until soft, about 12 minutes on medium heat. Next add the flour and stir will cooking, so as not to burn the flour. Cook the flour for 2 to 3 minutes. Now add the chicken stock gradually, while stirring to keep it from lumping up. Next add the ale and bring it to a boil and lower to a simmer and let it cook for approximately 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Now add the cheese while stirring until the cheese melts and is fully incorporated into the stock. Add the evaporated milk and stir and let it heat up. Taste the soup and add the salt and pepper to your desired taste. While the soup is cooking add the olive oil to another pan and add the diced Andouille sausage and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the tomatoes, diced and drained and cook for 2 more minutes. Now add the balsamic vinegar, oregano, thyme, basil, pepper and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes and than put on low to keep warm. Slice the bread of your choice and toast it a golden brown. Put 2 slices of toast in each soup bowl, top with the Andouille mixture and ladle the cheese soup around the bread. Serves 2 to 4 people.

Side Dish - Corn and Stilton Fritters

Corn and Stilton Fritters

Ingredients :

1 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 lg. eggs, beaten
1 ( 16 oz. ) can corn, drained
1/4 cup milk
4 oz. Stilton cheese ( use more if you like it cheesier )
1 can Pam spray

Preheat griddle. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and add baking powder, salt and pepper and mix. Then add the beaten egg and stir. Now add the milk and corn and stir into the flour mixture. Last crumble the cheese and fold into the batter. Spray the griddle with Pam and drop fritter batter onto the hot griddle with approximately 1/4 cup of batter and fry until golden and turn over and repeat. Serves 2 to 4
Variations : you can change the cheese or you can add bacon or jalapenos

Appetizer - Chesapeake Deviled Eggs

Chesapeake Deviled Eggs

12 eggs
water dash salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp hot spicy pickle relish
1 tsp. pickle juice
1/2 lb. cooked crab meat
1 tsp. garlic, minced
dash salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. old Bay seasoning
sprinkled Old Bay seasoning

Place the eggs in a pan, cover with water and add a dash of salt. Bring the water to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for 1o minutes. Run cold water over the eggs to lower the temperature gradually. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for a few minutes. Then peel off the shells, cut the eggs in half and remove the yokes. Put the yokes in a bowl and break them up, add mayonnaise, hot pickle relish, pickle juice, crab meat, garlic, salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Mix well and add the mixture back into the egg whites ( shell ). Sprinkle with a little Old Bay seasoning and put in the refrigerator to chill. Makes 24 egg halves.

Appetizer - Buffalo wings lite

Jim's Buffalo wings lite

Ingredients:

12 to 16 wings ( to serve 2 )
Pam spray
1/4 cup hot sauce ( 25% African Peri Peri and 75% Georgia Peach Vidalia Onion Sauce )
1 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tsp. paprika
1/4 Tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tsp.Barbecue rub ( Paul Prudhomme's or Emeril's )
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing, fat free
3 stalks celery, cut into sticks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put the chicken wings in an oven pan with a wire rack. Spray the rack with Pam and the wings also ( the side that's going on the rack ). Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes and than spray the top side of the wings with Pam and turn them over and bake for another 30 minutes. While the wings are baking make the sauce, adding the hot sauces, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and Cayenne pepper, blend together and set aside. After the wings have baked, switch the oven to broiler, sprinkle with 1 Tsp. of the barbecue rub and put under the broiler to brown and crisp up. When this is done spray the wings with Pam and turn over and sprinkle this side with the remaining 1 Tsp. of barbecue rub and put back under the broiler to brown and crisp this side too. Next plate the wings and pour the sauce equally over both servings of wings. Serve with the blue cheese dressing and celery sticks. Serves 2.

Side Dish - Country Corn Casserole

Country Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

8 oz. bacon
1 medium onion, chopped coarse
1 - (16 oz.) can shoe peg corn, drained
1 - (16 oz.) can creamed corn
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp. barbecue spice ( Emeril's or Paul Prudhomme's )

Fry the bacon and set aside to drain. Using the bacon grease saute the onions until soft about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the shoe peg corn and saute for a few minutes. Now add the creamed corn and stir in, add the salt and pepper and about 1/2 tsp. of the barbecue spice and let it cook for a couple of minutes to heat thru. Meanwhile crumble the bacon and add into the corn casserole.
Serve as soon as everything is warm. Serves 4.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Last year in 2008 i decided to put a garden in for the first time in about 25 years, and decided to start from seed, which i had never done before. When i had a garden previously, i bought plants from a store and just had 2, maybe 3 plants. This time i planted 39 plants with 5 different species, which gave me a ton of tomatoes. I gave a lot to neighbors and i also blanched, peeled and seeded a bunch and put them in the freezer, which was great except for the fact that my wife wasn't a happy camper, there wasn't a lot of room for her to put in the meats etc. I had a total of 1,200 tomatoes in the freezer. The upside is my wife loves soup, specially tomato soup, which i made all winter long. She told me don't do that again this year, but of course being a typical male, did i listen. This year i refined my selection from last year and added some new species. This year i have 45 plants with 12 different species. I've managed to fine some interesting tomatoes and some unusual and some not so interesting. I laid out a plan so that i would have early season, mid season and late season, cherry to medium to large size, yellow to red and to green and even striped. My wife says, what's wrong with you, can't you put 4 plants in like most people. Anybody can do it that way. Here is the list of what i put in:

1- Piccolo - A small sweet red tomato 3/8", mid season producer ( about 78 days ). Good for
salads or as a garnish. I won't be planting this next year.
2- Ildi - An early high yielding grape tomato that is 1" yellow oval. It has a great taste with nice
sweetness. Early season producer ( about 54 days ). This will be a definite keeper for
next years garden.
3- Slava - A small 2" red tomato from the Czech Republic. Early season producer ( 65 days ).
It seems to be pretty much done in about 30 days. I will put a couple of these in
because they had a great taste and they were bigger than the cherry tomatoes. And
they were ready long before any of the large tomatoes.
4- Sweet pea currant- This is the smallest tomato that I've ever seen, it's the size of a pea.
It's really prolific, it produces thousands. I put them in salads and they
also make a good garnish. I will probably put one plant in next year.
5- Charlie's Green - A green beefsteak tomato that has some yellow hues in it when it's ripe.
If it turns completely yellow, eat it or give it away. They seem to be
somewhat mishapped, but they taste good. A mid season ( 76 days ). I'll
probably put one or two in next year.
6- Carmello - It produces a medium to large red tomato and bears a good amount of fruit, with
a great taste. A mid season ( 75 days ). I'll plant a couple of these next year.
7- Italian Tree - This plant was a big disappointment for me, but I'll give it another chance
next year, but I'll cut back from 5 plants to 2 plants. The plant is suppose
to get 15 feet tall and produce large amounts of tomatoes, put mine only got
7 feet tall and didn't produce hardly anything. A late season ( 81 days ).
8- Polish Giant - This is one of my favorites, it was new this year and will definitely be in my
garden next year. It produces a huge tomato with great taste & i mean
big, most of them 1lb. 4 oz and my biggest 1 lb. 7 oz. Late season ( 81 days ).
The number of plants will be increased next year.
9- Striped Cavern - This is an unusual tomato that i will not put in again. It's a 2 1/2 " tomato
shaped like a pepper, red with orange stripes ( kind of pretty ), put hollow.
It's meant to be stuffed with something, like shrimp salad. A mid
season ( 79 days ). I won't be planting this next year.
10 - Big Beef - An old fashioned beefsteak tomato, red and delicious. Grows a good crop.
A mid season ( 70 days ). This is one that i will plant again and increase the
number of plants.
11 - Mortgage Lifter - This yields large quantity's of big red beefsteak tomatoes. This is also
one of my favorites. It will be in again next year and i will increase
the number of plants.
12 - Honeybunch - A high yielding red cherry tomato about 1/2". It produces all season.
Great for a salad or snacking. This was in last year as well and will be
next year also. An early season ( 60 days ).

Most of my tomato seeds i get from www.tomatofest.com , and a few from www.burpee.com
I hope that my tomato trials are of some help.

Review - T-Bonz Grille and Pub

T-Bonz Grille and Pub

Located at 4910 Waterloo Rd., Ellicott City, 410-461-4748

My wife and i have eaten here 4 or 5 times over the last several years, and we always thought the food was pretty good. But when we went back just recently, they had changed their menu slightly, which wasn't any big deal to us, but they also enlarged the bar area, which use to be enclosed and is now open and encroaching into the dinning area. Neither of those two things in itself would bother me, but they seem to have increased prices, decreased portion size and decreased quality. My wife's prime rib was tough and had a quite a bit of grizzle. My hot roast beef was kind of pricey for the Baltimore area, most places this dish runs from $ 6.95 to about $ 9.95, they were charging $ 14. I still didn't give this a lot of thought, because i assumed it was going to be a substantial order, but i was wrong. When it came out it was one piece of really thick bread and there was so little beef and gravy, you could actually see the bread and that it was white. Again if they had put enough fries i might have left happy, but there were only a few french fries and they were the frozen crinkle cut. And to top the whole thing off the beef was chewy and had gristle. I don't mind paying for a good meal, but for an inferior one, it's very disappointing. I was hungry when i left and had to drive home and make dinner. I'm always willing to cut some slack to restaurants, people do have off days, but when the food is so small that i leave hungry, that's a deal breaker for me.

Recipe - Side Dish

Zucchini Patties

Ingredients:

3 cups zucchini, grated
1 medium onion, chopped small dice
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. barbecue spice ( Paul Prudhomme's or Emerils, i use my own blend )
1/2 tsp. garlic garnie
1/2 tsp. thyme, dried
1 tsp. oregano, dried
1 tsp. basil, dried
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground
1 large egg, beaten
olive oil
barbecue spice
Gruyere cheese

Start out grating the zucchini and chopping the onion and add it to a mixing bowl.Now add the breadcrumbs, flour, garlic garnie, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and the egg. Using your hands mix all of the ingredients together, so that the spices are even through out. Next shape into patties and lay on a tray sprayed with Pam and put into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set up. After that put your griddle on the stove and heat to a medium low setting and spray the griddle with Pam. Take your patties and sprinkle a little barbecue spice on top of the patties and lay on the griddle spiced side down, than sprinkle the top side with a little barbecue spice also. Fry the patties about 4 to 5 minutes or until golden and than flip and top with a slice of Gruyere cheese and fry the bottom side. When done either put in a warming oven or plate and serve.

Recipe - Soup

Cream of Zucchini and Blue Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini, about 8 inches long ( leave a small amount diced for garnish )
2 cups evaporated milk, fat free
2 cans of corn, drained
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper, ground
1/4 tsp. hot sauce ( i use my own private label, but any hot sauce that you like will work )
9 oz. blue cheese, crumbled ( save a little for garnish )

Rinse the zucchini and cut a little into dice to reserve for garnish, the rest cut into chunks. Put the chunks into a steamer and steam until tender. Puree in the blender in small batches with a little of the milk in each batch. Pour the pureed zucchini into a pot, add the remaining milk, the corn, salt, pepper and hot sauce. On a medium low setting heat the soup up and when hot add the cheese. When the cheese is melted and the soup is hot, serve in bowls and top with the reserved dice zucchini.

Recipe - Arbroath Smokie Loaf

Arbroath Smokie Loaf

This can be served as an appetizer or as an entree.

Ingredients:

12 oz. Arbroath Smokie ( you can use other smoked haddock or other smoked fish )
3/4 cup evaporated milk, fat free
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 oz. mushrooms, chopped ( button or your choice )
1/2 tsp. barbecue spice ( Paul Prudhomme's or Emerils )
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. barbecue spice
1 Tbs. parsley, dried
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. basil, dried
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried
1/2 tsp. garlic garnie
2 eggs, large - beaten
3 Tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk, fat free
1 Tbs. butter
parsley, dried
chives, dried

Pour 3/4 cup of milk into a pan and put the Arbroath smokie in it and heat up to almost a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the fish and set it aside to cool. Reserve the liquid. While the fish is cooling, add the oil to a pan and heat up, than add the chopped mushrooms, fry for a couple of minutes and than season with barbecue seasoning and set aside. Now flake the fish, removing bones and skin and put the fish into a bowl. Next add the breadcrumbs, barbecue seasoning, parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, garlic garnie, salt, pepper and eggs. Using your hands blend the mixture together, so that all of the spices are incorporated. Pack the mixture into a one liter pudding tin or loaf pan ( that is sprayed with oil ). Cover the tin with greased parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. While this is baking make a white sauce: by blending 3 Tbs. of flour and 1/2 cup of milk and than slowly stir in the reserved fish milk and add 1 Tbs. of butter. Bring to a boil and cook for several minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens. Than season the sauce to your taste with salt and pepper. Remove the loaf when done to a serving plate and spoon some of the white sauce over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with a little parsley and chives.

Reviews in Severna Park, Md.

The Breakfast Shoppe

342 Ritchie Hwy, Severna Park ( in 1st Mariner shopping center )
410-544-8599, open daily 6 AM - 2 PM
http://www.thebreakfastshoppe.com/

As your driving south on Ritchie Hwy, their on the right in a shopping center just a little pass the Earleigh Heights fire station. I know that a lot of people avoid eating at restaurants in strip centers, but don't let that keep you from trying this place for breakfast. My friend Ray and i get together about once a month or so, to catch up on things and we drove there to give it a try. I thing it was worth it. When we first got there, it was a line and we waited about 15 minutes to be seated. I know people don't like to wait, but to me that's a good sign that a restaurant is serving good food, I'd be more concerned if i could just walk in and sit down. When you first enter as your looking to the back of the building you see a nice brick wall with arches and a counter seating area. To the right the wall is a plaster wall with exposed bricks. They have tables and booths, i didn't count what their seating capacity was, but it's a relatively small place, maybe 25 tables / booths. They have a nice menu, they carry the usual breakfast items, but they also carry some creative and different items that you won't find in the average restaurant. They have a backpackers pie, which i didn't order this time, but i will on my next visit. It's an iron skillet with eggs, ham, sausage, potatoes etc., it sounds really good, but they had several items that i wanted, so i had to make a choice. I went with the Philadelphia Benedict, an English muffin topped with sauteed beef tenderloin and onions with Swiss cheese, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, it also came with home fries. My friend Ray got a dish called The Whole Nine Yards, 2 eggs ( any way ), meat ( your choice of bacon, ham, sausage, scrapple or turkey ), home fries, toast, 2 pancakes, juice and coffee. Everything was very good and the service was excellent. I look forward to trying some of their other items in the near future.

Bread - Pineapple Cheese Bread

Pineapple Cheese Bread





Ingredients:


2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cups sugar
--------------
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup pineapple slices, chopped small
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbs. pineapple juice
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
---------------
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to blend the dry ingredients. In another bowl add the eggs, and lightly beat. Than add the chopped up pineapple, pineapple juice and the vegetable oil and mix to blend together. Next add the wet to the dry and stir blend all together. Now add the nuts and cheese and fold in to the batter. Oil a loaf pan and pour the batter in, spread with a spatula to smooth the surface. Bake for 55 minutes and check with a toothpick to see if it needs more time. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes than remove from the pan and set on a rack and let cool another 10 minutes before cutting.

Potato - Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes

Greek Oven roasted Potatoes


Ingredients:

4 Lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks ( about 3 pieces per potato )
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. oregano, ground
1 tsp. basil, ground
1 tsp. thyme, ground
1 tsp. parsley, ground
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup water
1 chicken bullion cube
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Dissolve the bullion cube in a small amount of hot water than fill the measuring cup the rest of the way with room temperature water, add the lemon juice and stir and set aside. Mix all of the spices together and blend and set aside. Peel the potatoes and cut them up, rinse them and put into a 13" x 9" glass oven prove pan. Add the spice mix to the potatoes and the oil, use you hands to toss them to get them coated. Now pour the lemon water mix into the pan, but not over the potatoes, that way the spice will stay on the potatoes. Put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes, than baste them and put back for another 15 minutes. Pull the potatoes out of the oven and turn the potatoes over and put back for 15 minutes, than once again, pull them out and baste them and put back for 15 more minutes. After this test the potatoes with a fork, they should be ready. Depending on how big or small you cut your potatoes compared to the size I'm cutting mine. your times might vary a little, so you might want to poke them at 45 minutes and at an hour. If you notice at any point the pan is going to go totally dry, just at a little bit more water. The potatoes should be a little golden brown.

Entree - Pecan Crusted Catfish

Pecan Crusted Catfish

Ingredients:

catfish spice mix
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. garlic garnie
1/2 tsp. basil, ground
1/2 tsp. oregano, ground
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, ground
1/2 tsp. coriander, ground
1/2 tsp. thyme, ground
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp anise seed, ground
----------------------
1 catfish fillets, 9 to 12 oz.
2 large eggs, beaten
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup pecan meal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
-----------------------
1 tsp. all purpose flour
1/3 cup lemon juice
white wine

First add all of the different spices to a bowl and blend together, than set aside. Next beat the egg in a bowl, large enough to accommodate the catfish fillets and set aside. Take another bowl large enough to hold the catfish fillets and add the pecan meal, flour and 1 Tbs. of the catfish spice mix ( the rest keep for later meals ). Stir the dry ingredients to blend. Now take a catfish fillet and dip it into the egg mixture and get it coated and than dip it into the pecan flour mix and coat it all over, set it on a plate and repeat to the other fillet. Take the fillets and put them in the refrigerator to set up. When ready to cook, put the oven on to the warming setting. Add the olive oil to the frying pan and heat up to a medium heat, add the fillets and put a lid on and cook for 5 minute, than flip and fry the other side for 5 minutes with the lid on. Now take the lid off and reduce the heat a bit and fry for 5 more minutes, than flip and fry the other side for 5 minutes. Total fry time 20 minutes ( your times may vary depending on your stove ). When finished frying the fillet, put on a plate and into the warming oven. Now add the flour to the remaining oil in the pan and stir it to make a roux for a few minutes, than add the lemon juice. If the sauce starts to get to thick you can add more lemon juice or a bit of white wine. When the sauce is ready plate the catfish and ladle a couple spoons of the sauce over each fillet.

Entree - Salmon Cakes

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

1 - 16 oz. can of salmon, drained
3 Tbs. bread crumbs
3 1/2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1/2 pack dry onion soup mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
4 Tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. barbecue rub ( Paul Prudhomme's or Emeril's or your own )
1 Tbs, parsley, dried
----------------
barbecue rub
2 Tbs. olive oil

Drain the salmon and flake the fish into a bowl. To the salmon add bread crumbs, mayonnaise, onion soup mix, egg, flour, barbecue rub and parsley. Mix well and shape into patties ( 4 or 6 depending on how big you want them ). Now put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set up a bit. When ready to fry sprinkle barbecue rub on both sides and add to the frying pan that is preheated with the olive oil. Fry the the salmon cakes approximately 5 minutes per side until golden brown.

Beverage - Homemade Chai

Homemade Chai

This can be served hot or cold

Ingredients:

1 can of condensed milk ( small )
1 tsp. cardamon, ground
1 tsp. ginger, ground
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp. cloves, ground
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground

Add the can of condensed milk to a storage container, than add all of the spices in any order. Stir the milk to fully incorporate the spices into the milk. Now put the container in the refrigerator. When ever you want Chai, make a cup of hot black tea and add 1 Tbs. of the milk mixture and stir it into your tea and add a little bit of honey to bring it to your sweetness taste. If you want ice Chai, do the same thing, but make it early enough so that you can put it in the refrigerator long enough to chill. If your a little short on time put it in the freezer for a bit.

Beverage - Tea Sangria

Tea Sangria

This is a tasty beverage and great to take to a party where people are going to be telling you come on , just have a drink or 2, you'll be OK. Take a wine glass and they'll think your drinking wine or sangria.

Ingredients:

4 cups boiling water
5 teabags, either English or Scottish breakfast tea
2 cups sliced fresh fruit, any assortment ( we even sometimes use can tropical fruit, it works fine )
2 Tbs. sugar
2 cups white grape juice

Boil the water and measure the quantity needed, add the teabags and let it brew. Than pour into a pitcher, add the sugar and stir to dissolve and add the grape juice. Next put the pitcher in the refrigerator to cool down. When it's cool add the fruit and return to the refrigerator so that it has plenty of time to get cold. Serve in sangria glasses.

Recipe - Blueberry Low Fat Muffins

Blueberry Low Fat Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup oat bran
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
6 oz. blueberry low fat yogurt
1 Tbs. sour cream lite
2 Tbs. milk, fat free
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl add the flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda and sugar, stir to blend. Now add the yogurt, sour cream, milk, egg whites and vanilla and stir to incorporate everything so as to moisten all of the dry ingredients. Next fold in the blueberries. This batter is thick, it is not a pourable batter. You'll have to use to spoons, one to push it off the other spoon. I use the silicon muffin cups and insert into the opening of the muffin tin, but you can use the muffin tin without the inserts. If you use the tin only fill the openings 3/4 full, if you use the silicon inserts, fill to the top. My baking time is 30 minutes for the silicon inserts, for the tin it will be less, maybe around 20 to 25 minutes. When done remove the muffins and check doneness with a toothpick. Let them cool for around 10 minutes before removing them from the tin or silicon cups.

Recipe - Gruyere Stuffed Sourdough Mini Loaves

Gruyere Stuffed Sourdough Mini Loaves

Ingredients:

Dough

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. instant yeast

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. warm water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. oregano, dried

1 tsp. basil, dried

1/2 tsp. garlic garnie

1 1/4 cups starter

Filling

1 tsp. oregano, dried

1 tsp. basil, dried

1/2 tsp. garlic garnie

10 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated

Dough: Combine the flour, yeast, water, salt, oregano, basil, garlic garnie and the starter and stir with a wooden spoon to begin and once you have it tightening up, spray your hands with a little cooking spray and start kneading until you have everything worked in and it feels smooth. Now spray a bowl and place the dough in it and cover with a clean towel leaving a little opening, so that it's not tight fitting. Let it rise until it doubles in size, which might be anywhere from 1 to 2 hours or more if it's cold weather.

Once it's doubled, lay it on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and stretch the dough to fit the tray. Drizzle a little water on the dough and sprinkle the oregano, basil and garlic garnie over the dough. Next spread the cheese across the dough as evenly as you can. Now use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife and cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Next take four layer cake pans and spray with cooking oil. After that take one piece of the dough at a time and pull the sides up to try and make a ball and put into one of the cake pans. You don't have to seal the ball of dough completely, if it has an opening, some of the cheese will run up and down the loaf giving it a nice crusty cheesy texture. Repeat this for the other 3 pieces of dough, to end up with 4 loaves. Cover these with a piece of handy wrap loosely and let rise till doubled again, 1 to 2 hours. Just before the dough is ready, turn the oven on to 425 degrees and let it preheat. When the oven is ready, remove the handy wrap and drizzle a little water over each loaf. Place in the oven and bake for about 18 to 25 minutes. The variation is due to oven differences. When their golden brown, remove from the oven and put them on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. You can serve these right away warm or you can freeze these with no problem. I make 4 loaves and keep one out for that day and freeze the other 3 loaves. I usually take them out of the freezer in the morning of the day that i want them for dinner.

Recipe - Sourdough Bread Starter

Sourdough Bread Starter

Ingredients:

2 cups water, ( 105 degrees )
1 tsp. sugar
1 pk. dry yeast
2 cups all purpose flour

In a glass bowl, add, sugar, yeast, flour and than gradually add the water while stirring to come up with a batter. Cover the container with a clean cloth and let it sit in a warm place ( between 70 - 80 degrees ). Bubbles will start appearing. You need to stir the, mixture once a day for 4 to 5 days. Once it is covered with bubbles, you'll need to feed it every day if your leaving it on the counter. You do that by removing a cup of the starter and discarding it or giving it to a friend, than add 1 cup of flour and one cup of water ( 105 degrees ) and stir and let it sit on the counter for approximately 2 hours. You can than bake with it, refrigerate it or let it sit on the table ( if you do let it sit on the table, you'll have to repeat the feeding the next day ). If you keep your starter in the refrigerator, you have to take it out of the fridge, let it come to room temperature over night, than add 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water ( 105 degrees ) and let it sit for about six hours, than you can use it to bake your bread. Than you have to replace the amount of starter you used. If you used a cup, than you add a cup of flour a cup of water and stir, let sit for about 4 hours and than back into the refrigerator until the next time or when it needs to be fed. The starter if not being used for baking, it will need to be pulled out of the fridge about every 4 days and fed ( 1 cup flour & 1 cup of water, stir and let sit ), before returning it to the fridge. If you forget about your starter for awhile, you'll need to add a cup of flour and water and sit on the counter for a day and you'll need to repeat that for 3 or 4 days until it gets back to strength. If you know that your not going to be using it for awhile because your on a business trip or vacation, put it in the freezer and pull it out 2 days before you want to use it, let it defrost than feed it and let it sit over night. If your starter gets a pinkish color, throw it away and start all over making a new starter. Yes a starter is a lot of work, but i think it's worth it in the long run. My wife doesn't think it's worth it to her, but she says, if you don't mind doing it, than i don't mind eating the bread. This starter can be used for any bread calling for a starter. I use it in my sourdough breads, my Amish dessert breads, etc.

Recipes - misc

Cumberland Sausage

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork shoulder
3/4 oz. rusk, crumbled up ( or toast, that you bake in the oven to dry out, don't let it burn )
1 Tbs. salt
1 1/2 Tbs, black pepper, ground
1 Tbs. sage, dried
2 Tbs. oregano, dried
1 Tbs. mace, ground
3/4 tsp. nutmeg, ground
1 tsp. white pepper, ground ( if you don't have, increase the black pepper )
1/2 tsp. dextrose ( it's a sugar, if you can't find, substitute other sugar )
1/2 cup ice cubes

Wash your casings if your doing links rather than patties. Than soak in salted water overnight. Rinse before using to wash off the salt water.
Mix all dry ingredients and set aside. If your buying your meat ground from the butcher ask for a medium grind. If your grinding it yourself, grind it the first time adding 1 cup of the ice cubes to the meat, grind with the coarse attachment, than add all of the dry ingredients. Now add the remaining ice cubes and grind it the 2nd time with a medium attachment. You don't want a fine grind because Cumberland sausages have a coarser grind than most sausages. Before stuffing the mix into casings or making patties, break off a small piece and fry it up and taste it to see if you need to adjust the seasonings. When ready use your stuffing attachment and stuff the casings and twist about every 6 inches to make your links or make into patties. Either wrap and freeze or put into the fridge until your ready to prepare today or tomorrow. posted 7/8/09


Lorne Sausage ( also known as square sausage or steak slice )

Ingredients:

2 1/4 lbs. ground beef ( i use 75/25 or 80/20 )
4 oz. rusk soaked
1/2 lb. water
2 oz. rusk dry
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper, ground
3 tsp. oregano, dried
2 tsp. thyme, dried
2 tsp. sage, dried
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground
3 tsp. coriander, ground
2 tsp.onion powder
1/2 tsp. barbecue rub ( i use my own, but you can use Paul Prudhomme's or others )

For your rusk, if you can't find it in the store or if your like me, you just want to make your own. Cut the crust off and weight the bread to get a total of 6 oz. Put the bread in a low oven and bake until their dried out, but not burn. Take 4 oz. of the rusk, and break into small pieces about the size of a pea. Pour the water over the rusk and set aside to let it absorb the water. Rusk should be able to absorb twice its own weight. The other 2 oz. of rusk crumble up to make crumbs, but not as fine as store bought crumbs and set aside. Put all of the spices into a small bowl and mix together to blend and set aside. Now take a cookie sheet, spray it with cooking spray and crumble up the ground beef and spread it across the sheet. Next sprinkle the spices over the beef as evenly as you can and then the crumbled dry rusk and last the moist rusk. Take a loaf pan and put handy wrap going the long way and another piece the short way, so that the pan is completely covered, with a little over hang all around and set aside. Now work your meat to incorporate the spices and rusk into it, but don't over work it. After that put the meat into the loaf pan and press the meat mixture down into all the corners and pack it down. Take the over hang handy wrap and bring it up and over the meat mixture so that it's completely covered and place it in the freezer for about two hours so that it can set up. Once it's cold enough use the handy wrap to easily lift the sausage out and put it on a cutting board. Take a sharp knife and spray it with cooking spray and start slicing the sausage into about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices and set them on wax paper. Periodically you'll have to wipe the knife and spray it again, to keep it from sticking. After it's all sliced, put each slice into a sandwich bag and once that is done, put the bags in the freezer, laying flat for about an hour, so that they set back up. Than put as many as will fit in a large freezer bag and into the freezer. Doing it this way they don't break up on you. Now whenever you want a sausage you can pull out just one or 2 or how ever many you want. When your ready to make them, put on a hot griddle sprayed with cooking spray and cook through. posted 7/9/09

Books

Books: All books available thru: International Art and Gift Market
5306 East Dr.
Baltimore, Md. 21227
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Hometown Favorites
A Taste of Maryland
By Jim Vain and Friends

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Getaways For Gourmets In The Northeast
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A Guide to Dining and Lodging
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Food
True Stories of Eating Around The World
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England, Wales & Scotland
Charming Hotels & Itineraries
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More Top Secret Recipes
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Life's Uncertain...Eat Dessert First!
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Recipes - Sandwiches

Baltimore Crab Dog

Ingredients:

1 bottle of beer ( your favorite - i use Genesee )
2 hot dogs
2 hot dog buns
4 crab cakes ( store bought or make your own ahead of time )
Old Bay Seasoning
1 can Pam spray
coleslaw ( store bought or make your own ahead of time )

Put the hot dogs in a pan and pour the beer over them. Bring the beer to a boil and than lower and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Take two of the crab cakes and mold into one and shape into an oblong shape like a hot dog, repeat with the other two crab cakes. Now lay a hot dog ( dry the dog ) on top of each crab cake and fold the crab cake around the hot dog to encase it. Sprinkle them with Old Bay and lay on a sprayed oven pan and put under the broiler to cook the crab cake and brown them. Turn after a few minutes to brown the other side. Meanwhile toast the buns and slather with some mustard. When the crab dogs are ready, put each one on a bun and top with some coleslaw. Serves 2

Recipes - Desserts

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:

1 can Pam spray
4 eggs, lg.
1 ( 16 oz. ) can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup 100% bran cereal
1 ( 6 oz. ) pkg. chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 Tsp. baking powder
1 Tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. cloves, ground
1 1/2 Tsp. cinnamon, ground
1/4 Tsp. ginger, ground
1/4 Tsp. allspice, ground

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with Pam cooking spray and set aside. Beat the eggs, then add the pumpkin, oil and bran and mix together. In another bowl add all of the other ingredients and mix to blend. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together. Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 60 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Recipes - Beverages

Peanut Butter Coffee

Ingredients:

1 generous Tsp. of instant coffee ( to make a strong cup )
1 cup of water for the above coffee
1 cup milk
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. peanut butter

Boil water, add the instant coffee granules to the cup and pour in the water to make a strong cup of coffee. Pour the coffee into a blender and add the milk, sugar and peanut butter. Now blend the coffee, it will get nice and frothy. Pour into a pan and reheat and serve. I usually serve this in expresso size cups. People who like peanut butter will love this. I also find that people who don't like peanut butter or coffee will sometimes like it.

Recipes - Soups and Salads

Crazy Jim's Inner Harbor Chowder

Ingredients:

1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. basil, dried
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1 tsp. oregano, dried
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme, dried
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs. olive oil
4 medium potatoes, peeled, chopped the size of home fries
1 1/4 cup water
1 lb. fish ( Haddock, Cod, Pollack or Catfish )
1 ( 16 0z. ) can creamed corn
2/3 cup evaporated milk, fat free
1 loaf bread, Italian or French

Mix the salt, basil, paprika, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and dry mustard to make the spice blend and set aside. In a soup pan saute the onions in the olive oil until their soft, approximately 15 minutes on low. Add the potatoes and 2 tbs. of the spice blend along with the water. Bring to a boil and than lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the fish on top of the potatoes and add another tbs. of the spice blend, cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Now stir in the cream corn, milk and the rest of the spice blend. Cover and heat up , but do not boil. Serve with a crusty bread. This is a hearty chowder. Serves 2 to 4.

Recipes - side dishes

Baked Sweet Potato Home Fries

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sweet potaoes, peeled, cut into chunks
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ginger, ground
1 can Pam spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes, drop into a pan of water and set aside. Add the spices to a bowl and mix together. Now spray a 13" x by 9" bowl with Pam. Dry the potatoes and put into the oven bowl, pour on the olive oil and then sprinkle on the spices. Use your hands to toss the potatoes to cover them with the oil and spices. Put in the oven and bake for 25 minute. About half way thru the cooking time, take out of the oven and use a flipper to get under and toss again to coat them with the oil once more and put back in the oven.

Bread, muffins, scones

Pumpkin Pecan Low Fat Muffins

Ingredients:

Topping:
2 Tbs. pecans, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. brown sugar
-----------

Muffin dry ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup oat bran
1 Tbs. baking powder
----------

Muffin wet ingredients:
2/3 cup can pumpkin
2 egg whites
1 cup milk, fat free
1 tsp. vanilla
----------
1 can Pam spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First make your topping, breaking up the pecans and mix the sugar and combine and set aside. Next for your dry ingredients add the flour, sugar, oat bran and baking powder, blend together and set aside. Now mix the wet ingredients, pumpkin, egg whites, milk, and vanilla, blend together and add to the dry ingredients and mix to moisten everything. Take your muffin tin and spray it with Pam or do as i do, use the silicon cups, which set inside the muffin tin openings. If your using the tin without the inserts, fill about 3/4 full, if your using the silicon cups, fill to the top. Next sprinkle the topping mix on to the the muffins and bake in a 350 degree oven. The cooking time for the tin is approximately 15 minutes, the silicon cups are filled more, they will take approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and test with a toothpick. If done, let cool for a few minutes. Than remove and serve or store.


Strawberry Oatmeal Low Fat Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup fat free milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/4 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 tbs. strawberry butter
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup fresh strawberries
sugar for coating the muffins



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure milk and add the lemon juice to it and set aside for about 10 minutes. This will create a butter milk. While that's waiting, in another bowl measure out your flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl measure out your oatmeal and add the buttermilk, stir to moisten and let sit for five minutes. While that is sitting get your muffin tin greased or in my case i put silicon muffin sleeves in the tin. Cut your strawberries into bite size pieces and set aside. Now add your buttermilk and oat mixture to your flour mixture and stir. Next add the strawberry butter, egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir to get everything incorporated and moistened. Fold in your strawberries and now your ready for your tin. Fill your muffin tin approximately 3/4 of the way, if your using the silicon sleeves, you'll fill them to just about the top. Now sprinkle a little sugar on top of each muffin. Put the muffins in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes if you using the silicon sleeves, if your using the tins without the sleeves, the volume of batter is less and will cook for about 21 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, slide a toothpick into one to make sure they are done. Let them cool in the pan, before removing. This will make 12 muffins.
posted 6/17/09

Recipes - entree's

Slow Roasted Leg Of Lamb

ingredients:

5 to 7 lb. leg of lamb
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. garlic garnie
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 can beef broth
1 can of beer, Genesee Cream Ale ( or your favorite beer )
Bisto or instant roux

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Mix together the salt, black pepper, rosemary, garlic garnie, thyme, oregano and basil. Coat the leg of lamb with the spice blend and put in a large roasting pan. Mix the beer and beef broth and pour into the roasting pan around the lamb not over it or it will wash the spices off. Put the lid on ( or cover with foil ) and let it roast for 5 hours, than take the lid off and baste with the liquid. Bake for 1 more hour basting every so often. The last 10 minutes turn the broiler on to let it get a bit of a crust. After this take it out of the oven and put the lamb on a plate to rest and put the roasting pan over top of a burner and add Bisto or instant roux and stir into the broth until comes to a boil and thickens up. This will give you a nice gravy to pour over your lamb. The left over gravy put in the refrigerator and the next day you can remove the fat that floats to the surface and sets up.
posted 6/16/09

Recipes - Appetizers

Cajun Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

2lbs. baking potatoes medium size, peeled & cut into wedges
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 Tbs. parsley
1 Tbs. barbecue rub ( you can use Emeril's, Paul Prudhomme's or any other brand )
barbecue sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges ( i get 4 per potato ) and drop into a pot of water, and than set aside. In a small bowl add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano and parsley and blend together and set aside. Now rinse and drain the potatoes and pat dry. Lay the potatoes in a 13" x 9" pan, pour the oil on and than the spices, toss by hand to coat them as evenly as possible. Spread the potatoes out as much as you can, so that their not laying on top of each other, and sprinkle with the barbecue rub. Bake for 50 minutes, but at 25 minutes toss them around with a flipper to coat with oil, trying not to break them up. Cook for the last 25 minutes. Serve with a barbecue sauce for dipping, either store bought or your own homemade. posted 6/12/09



Scotch Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. sugar
salt, pinch
1 egg, large - beaten
1 tsp. Mrs. Buttersworth syrup or golden syrup
5 Tbs. ( or more if needed ) milk, fat free
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
margarine, lard or suet to grease the griddle ( i use Pam spray )

To a large bowl add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sugar and salt, stir to blend. In a smaller separate bowl add the egg and beat it, add the Mrs. Buttersworth, milk and the vanilla and blend. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix. This should be a pouring batter, but not to thin. Heat your griddle to a medium heat and grease the griddle. Pour on the batter, i use a soup ladle, but not completely filled to do one first. You want them to be about 3" in diameter. Once you have your heat level and ladle quantity, go ahead and start doing a few at a time. As they get done, put them in a warm oven, if your going to serve them now, or on a clean cloth to cool down , if your serving them later. These will be a little more cake like and thicker than American pancakes. You can serve with just butter, or jam or both. We use strawberry butter on ours. Their good served at room temperature or warmed. posted 7/6/09





Scottish Crumpets

Ingredients:

1 egg, large
4 oz. milk, fat free
1 oz. milk, fat free
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
salt, pinch


Beat the egg and than add the sugar and beat to blend. Now add the 4 oz. of milk to the egg mixture. Than measure the flour and add to the wet ingredients and blend. After that take the 1 oz. of milk and put into a small bowl and add the baking soda and cream of tartar so that it can dissolve, add to the wet mixture and add a pinch of salt and blend. Heat up a griddle on medium heat. When the griddle is hot pour a small scope of the batter, about a 5" diameter. Cook until the bottom surface is golden brown, there should be lots of bubbles on the top surface. Flip and cook the other side and brown. The crumpets should be thin similar to a crepe. If your serving them now,put on a plate and keep in a warm oven, until their all done. If their for later, lay on a clean cloth to cool. Serve with butter or jam or both. These are excellent for breakfast, a tea, a brunch or as a snack. Their good served at room temperature or warmed. posted 7/6/09



Steak and Sausage Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef cubes
1 lb. Scottish bangers ( or sausage of your choice )
4 Tbs. all purpose flour
1 Tbs. barbecue rub ( i use my own, but you can use Paul Prudhomme's or Emerils etc. )
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 can of beer ( i use Genesee Cream Ale, but you can use other kinds )
1 can beef broth
water
3 tbs. Bisto ( a British item, gravy granules )
1 sheet of puff pastry
2 Tbs. milk
mashed potatoes



Mix the flour and barbecue rub and coat the beef cubes, than set aside. Add the 2 tbs. of oil to the frying pan and heat to medium, than add the beef cubes a few at a time so as not to crowd the pan and brown them, setting them aside until all are browned. Add the beef cubes and the bangers to a crock pot and set aside. Add the other 2 tbs. of oil to the pan and heat up, than add the onions and saute until their soft, approximately 10 minutes, than add to the crock pot. Next pour the can of beer and the can of beef broth into the crock pot. Now add water to bring the level up to 2 inches below the rim and add the Bisto. The Bisto at this point is not going to stir in so don't worry about it floating. Turn onto high for about 1/2 hour, than you can stir the Bisto and it will go into the liquid easier, than turn it to low and let it cook all day, about 8 hours. You can also wait until it's done and add the Bisto at the end and let it cook for another 10 minutes. At this time turn the oven on and set it for 400 degrees and while it's heating up roll out one sheet of your puff pastry to fit either one big pan or 2 small pans. I use to pans about 2 inches deep and about 6" x 8". Now turn off the crock pot and use a slotted spoon and remove the beef and sausage from the crock pot and divide between the 2 pans or put in the one big pan and than use a ladle to put some of the gravy and onions in each pan. Don't put so much that you cover the beef. Now put your sheets of puff pastry over the 2 pans or the one and brush the pastry with a little milk and put them in the oven and bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Since i do two i set the one aside to cool and put it in the refrigerator to eat another day. Turn the crock pot back on and let it heat the rest of the gravy. While the pie is baking i either have my mashed potatoes already cooking or they may be almost done in which case, they'll sit until the pie is almost ready and I'll warm the the potatoes up in the microwave. If you do 2 pans, each pan will serve 2. Divide the pie and plate it and put a serving of mashed potatoes along side and ladle some of the gravy on the potatoes and i also put some of the gravy on top of my pastry, but my wife doesn't. posted 6/11/09


Tropical Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs. lime juice
2 cups cantaloupe, cut into small chunks
1 loaf bread - mini Italian ( you can also use baguette or your choice )
10 to 12 0z. brie, cut into slices

Chill the brie in the freezer. Preheat the broiler. Add the red bell pepper, onion, sugar, cayenne pepper, cilantro, lime juice and cantaloupe to a bowl and mix. Put in the refrigerator to chill. Slice the bread and lightly toast the bread on one side, turn and top with the brie. But the toast back under the broiler to melt the brie. Than top with some of the salsa and serve. Serves approximately 4. posted 6/15/09


Welsh Rarebit

Ingredients:

2Tbs. butter
1 1/4 tsp. mustard, brown
salt, pinch or to your taste
black pepper, a couple of grinds
1 Tbs. breadcrumbs
1/4 cup beer ( i use Genesee cream ale )
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded ( sometimes I'll switch to a different cheese for variety )
1 egg yoke
3 pieces of bread for toasting

Take a pan and add the butter on a medium heat and when melted, remove from the heat. Add the mustard, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and beer, stir to blend. Now add the cheese and the egg yoke. Put the bread in the toaster. While the bread is toasting, put the pan back on the burner at a medium heat and continue heating up, but you have to stir continuously so that the egg doesn't scramble. When the cheese melts and it starts thickening up, remove from the burner. Plate the toast and ladle the cheese over top of the toast and spread to cover. Serves 1

Reviews in Ocean City, Md. by Jim

BJ'S On The Water

75th St. and the bay, Ocean City, 410-524-7575, open 7 days a week 11 AM to 1:30 AM
They have a great view out onto the bay and one of my favorite places to watch the sunset. They have an excellent menu with a lot variety, the prices are reasonable and the food is very good. The seafood potato skins is a huge order and they don't skim on the seafood. The staff is friendly and accommodating to your needs.
posted 5/27/09


Sunset Grille


Sunset Marina, 12933 Sunset Ave., West Ocean City, 410-213-8110
They have a great water view of the marina, what more could you want. We had lunch on the ground level looking out onto the water. We had a tempura battered soft shell crab entree with fries and a drink. We only wanted a light meal to tide us over, because we had a big dinner planned, but this is a great location to do dinner at, which we will on our next visit. They also have an upstairs dinning area, plus a bar outside separate from the restaurant. An excellent menu. It's a casual fine dinning restaurant, by my description.
posted 5/27/09

Reviews in Maine by Jim

Amore

309 Shore Rd., Ogunquit, 207-646-8661, open Fri. thru Tues. 7 AM to 1 PM

When you first see this place and the crowd of people waiting, your first instinct is to you somewheres else, but don't. It's worth the wait, although it turns out to be not that long, and it may be faster in this location, which is the new spot. We ate in the old location. They have some interesting menu items and i wish that i could have stayed in the area longer, so that i could go for another breakfast. My wife got the decadent pecan encrusted french toast stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a bananas foster cream sauce. This was more than excellent and a surprise choice for my calorie and fat gram counting spouse. I ordered the lobster benedict with herb home fries ( a different type of home fry for me, but very good ). I enjoyed the benedict very much, i don't normally order lobster, but after all this is Maine and I'm glad that i did. posted 5/28/09

We just went back to Amore's in Sept. 2009, in their new location. This is a nicer place and a lot bigger, but there's still a 20 minute wait for breakfast. But it is worth waiting, their food is excellent. Some of the dishes we got this time were the lemon bread French toast stuffed with cream cheese and blueberries. Another dish was the "Be Still My Heart", German pancakes that were greaseless, topped with bacon and sausage and finished off with melted cheddar cheese. We also got the "Oscar de la Renta" a benedict, with asparagus & crab on an English muffin topped with a dill hollandaise sauce. The service is excellent and friendly. posted 10/1/09

Bessie's

8 Shore Rd on the corner of Shore & Main, Ogunquit, 207-646-0888, open daily from 7:30 AM

This corner restaurant turned out to be a surprise for us, we had been walking around looking for someplace to get a small meal and not spend a whole lot and not having much success, when we spotted Bessie's. The restaurant is larger than it appears and has very good food. My wife got a bowl of haddock chowder, which was a very large portion and excellent quality. I got a turkey club sandwich, which was made with their homemade slow roasted turkey. This was a great club sandwich. Well worth visiting if your in the area. posted 5/28/09

We returned to this restaurant several times this year. Their a short walk from our hotel and their food is not only good, but their prices are affordable. One of items we got this year was a Cajun salmon wrap, it had great flavor and was reasonably healthy. A couple times we just stopped in for their haddock chowder, it's a filling dish that isn't so rich, that your worried about gaining weight. posted 10/1/09

Bintliffs

335 Main St., US Rt. 1, Ogunquit, 207-646-3111
Brunch 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM, Dinner 5:30 PM till closing

Located in the lovely little seaside town of Ogunquit, although the restaurant is not near the ocean or inlet, it's a bit of a walk from the restaurant. If your a walker like we are, it just works up an appetite. This is a really nice restaurant, beautifully decorated and the food is outstanding. I got the homemade corned beef hash, which i would never get back in my state, i figure this is a Northeast dish and probably be the best that it's going to be here and i was right. It was a good sized portion, more than i really wanted, but i took the leftovers back to the room and iced them down and had a great lunch later. The corned beef was slow cooked over night, blended with potatoes and onions, seasoned nicely and topped with poached eggs. My meal came with apple cinnamon toast ( great bread, i would love to have that recipe ). My wife got Eggs Florentine, an English muffin topped with poached eggs, with a Florentine cream sauce of smoked bacon, spinach, onions and herbs, finished off with Asiago cheese. The food, service and atmosphere is so good here that we decided to visit again next year. posted 5/27/09

We've been looking forward all year to going back to this restaurant. The food is excellent of course and service also, and to top it all off, the decor is really top notch. My wife got the Tenderloin Benedict, two char broiled filets, with poached eggs on an English muffin, topped with an asparagus pesto sauce. I'm afraid i ordered the same thing as last year, the corned beef hash. I don't normally order this anywhere, but i do here, they slow cook their own Angus corned beef on the premises. I don't regret getting the same dish, i left stuffed and happy . posted 10/1/09

Blue Water Inn

111 Beach St., 207-646-5559, Ogunquit, lunch and dinner daily

They are located a short walk from the Atlantic Ocean and from the dinning room you have a view of the inlet. The food is very good and the service friendly. When we ate here our appetizers were lobster bisque and the seafood chowder, both were very good. Our entrees were haddock almondine with a Vin Blanc sauce, served with brown rice, broccoli, string beans and mashed sweet potatoes and also a warm vegetable salad with blackened tuna. Both entrees were very good. It was an enjoyable place to sit and eat well prepared food while watching the herons sitting in the inlet. posted 5/28/09

Jackie's Too

91 Perkins Cove Rd., 207-646-4444, lunch and dinner 11 AM to 10:30 PM

Here you will have a magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean while eating your meal and an outstanding meal at that. We skipped the appetizers and went straight to the entrees. I ordered the fish and chips which were excellent, but when my wife kept raving about her swordfish kabobs and i took a taste i wished that i had ordered that also. They were just perfect, charred on the outside and moist on the inside. Who ever is doing the grilling knows what their doing. This dish is so good, that were going back to this town next year, so we can get this meal again. posted 5/28/09

McSeagulls

14 Wharf St. at Pier 1, 207-633-5900, open 7 days for lunch and dinner 11:30 to closing

The menu has a large selection for you to choose from, unfortunately i was in a strange mood that night and missed out on trying some interesting menu items and went sort of healthy. I ordered the Hawaiian tuna burger, it was very good, but i regret not trying something else, you can eat healthy when you get home. I also got a cup of crab, asparagus & mushroom soup, my wife got the clam chowder for her appetizer, both soups were very good. Her entree was great, a macadamia encrusted halibut with a mango salsa & a cream sauce. Their located on the pier so you have a view of the inlet from some of the seats. posted 5/29/09