Friday Fish Dinners

 Now that we have Lenten Fridays , it;s time to start thinking of fish dinners. Any seafood is versatile and can be made into a variety of dishes. They can range from scampi to tacos, from the sophisticated to the fun.

A fish dinner can be both elegant and simple. Salmon fills the bill on both . Try oven baking it  after brushing garlic butter on it. You could add  pinches of oregano and rosemary too for a more herbal flavor or try a brown sugar -soy sauce glaze for an Asian vibe. It can be served with noodles, pasta or rice along with pan baked veggies.A quicker yet just as elegant meal is a salmon salad, This is flaking the cooked fish and adding it to a variety of greens along with grape tomatoes and sliced bell peppers. Dress with a simple vinaigrette made from a mix of white wine vinegar , olive oil and oregano. Another delicate flavored fish is tilapia, This has a sweet, almost no"fishy" flavor which makes it perfect for sauce like the French Meuniere. The sauce is only tree ingredients of browned butter, lemon  juice and parsley.It's also a good sauce for asparagus too.You could also make a Parmesan crusted tilapia too with the fish coated in a mix of the cheese and paprika , the last for color and bite.

Yes ,Friday demands fish and chips too. This British classic can easily be cooked up in an air fryer.For centuries the dis as been made with cod.It's the best to work with because of the firm flesh. The filets would come apart wen being breaded or fried. A traditional batter involves beer which gives it an extra crispy crunch;If you don;t like beer sub  in seltzer just to give it the batter that bubbly texture. Usually a cup is used a long with one and a quarter cups of flour and baking soda (for more lift) Two eggs bind it all together and you can add a dash of cayenne for some zing.The filets are cooked for about twelve minutes at around 400 degrees Farenheit. Chips or fries are a must too.How do you get them crispy and perfect with malt vinegar or ketchup? Dip them into a slurry of cornstarch and water.it's taking russet potatoes and cutting them lengthwise, first into planks and then into plants. After make  a of slurry of three quarters of a cup of water mixed with three tablespoons of cornstarch. Cook them in an oil sprayed air fryer for eight minutes at 375 degrees Farenheit. FLip them over and cook for another six minutes more  or until golden brown.

Friday's are now reserved for fish. There are many recipes to choose from. ENjoy a delicate or a hearty one.

The Perfect Stew

 January is a notoriously cold month. What better than to chase that chill than with a good, well made stew. There's something about the blend of veggies and meat with a good gravy. It's the perfect meal for these bone numbing days.

What makes a good stew? It starts with the meat if you're making a meaty one. Get cuts that are very tender and flavorful.If you can't, use a meat mallet to tenderize the beef. The end result is a tender forkful of melt in your mouth goodness. Chuck meat makes the best stew meat which comes from the cow's shoulder. You could use rump meat too even though it's not as tender. It is flavorful though which is a plus for any stew. Some home chefs prefer a good chicken stew during these frosty days. Use only thighs and breasts because they're the most meatiest. Fish stew is a bit different. Several different kinds of fish make for the most flavorful blend. Think a firm white fish like cod or halibut. if you can;t get these, then use tilapia or  red snapper. Steer clear of delicate fish such as sole and oily fish like tuna. You can also throw in some shrimp, clams and scallops for a brinier flavor.  All good stews need vegetables to round out the mix. Try different amounts of onion, chopped celery, carrots and waxy or boiling potatoes. Peas can be added for color and more nutrition. Herbs and spices can also bring out the flavors of veggies and meat. Oregano and bay leave are the most popular but you can also use parsley , basil and rosemary. It's up to you.

There are two ways to cook stew - with a reduction of  gravy  - sort of like au jus or thick like turkey or roast beef gravy, You can add red wine such as with the fancy beef bourguignon. A thin sauce starts with water and beef broth. A thicker one begins with a slurry made from a teaspoon of flour with a little cold water. How to cook the stew is another matter. The old fashioned way is on the stove top for about one and a half hours for beef and only half an hour for chicken. Fish stew is the quickest for only ten to twelve minutes and three to five for a really quick dish. Beef and chicken stews lend themselves to crockpots and Instapots and you can easily cook them in them as you can with another traditional stew  - lamb. What to serve with stew? A  simple green salad with a few grape tomatoes thrown is your best bet. It's a nice side and doesn't take away from the stew.A must is either a crusty bread like a baguette or sourdough. These are perfect for sopping up the gravies. Another idea is making dumplings to cook on top of the stew. These are a mix of flour baking, powder , sugar and butter or margarine. You can add herbs for a more flavorful one. They're cooked on top of the veggies, meat and gravy, producing a tender and fluffy bite.

This is the coldest time of the year. Warm it up with a good hearty stew. Enjoy the savory blend of meat , veggies and hebs.It will warm your heart as well as your stomach.

Ease Into Fall Cooking

The temps may not be as hot as they once were. The days are starting to get shorter. Autumn is coming and it's time to ease into cooler weather cooking. What does that mean? Adding different ingredients and thinking about more complex cooking.

One thing to do is take advantage of the harvests out now. Tomatoes plants are still yielding an amazing amount.It's a great time to make sauce and freeze it. You can also use herbs from the garden, such as oregano and rosemary as well. Tomatoes can also be turned into salsas and chili too and these can be frozen for later.If you want to be more adventurous try making ketchup. Many are put off by the idea of making  a condiment in their kitchens but it's pretty easy. It can be done in a slow cooker and you could easily have a bowl of ketchup for dinner that same day. Also take advantage of other harvests such as eggplants and onions. Again late summer and early fall is the perfect time for ratatouille, the mix of those veggies plus tomatoes. It has a fresh summery taste yet warming on nippy nights when the temps drop. Have it with warmed, sliced French bread and olive oil. Eggplant is also good sliced , breaded and air fried . You could slice it into sticks for a different and fun lunch or dinner.

Cooler days mean more elaborate yet still fun meals. Think tacos with different fillings. You can still have barbecued beef but shred it and use it as the main filling. The same with barbecued chicken. You can also grill salmon or tilapia for a different variation.A vegetarian option would be mashed kidney beans topped with  shredded cabbage instead of lettuce or even broken cauliflower or broccoli florets. This is nice way of using up the first of the fall harvests.Hamburgers can still be made but why not turn them into Salisbury steaks with gravy? They can be served on toast or with a side of homemade mashed potatoes.Ground beef or even vegan beef crumbles can also be turned into the Szechuan classic Ants Climbing A Tree. This is an exciting combo of cellophane noodles cooked with beef and soy sauce, zinged up with scallions. Kids will love this variation of hamburger and a fresh take on takeout food. It's also a time to start those sheet pan dinners. You can follow recipes or make up some combo of meat and veggies or just veggies for dinner. Try chicken with potatoes and sliced Brussels sprouts or  salmon with bok choy and green beans.

Ease into fall cooking with fun dishes that are warming and delicious. You can use the last of the summer harvest for ingredient as well as the first of the autumn ones. It's time for some serious cooking!

Little Luxuries

These days deserve treats. We all need to reward ourselves with something delicious and even lush. It could be a cupcake, it could be a flavorful meal. Just have something that's lifts you and brightens your day.

One of the best ways of jazzing up any dish is a sauce. One of the most luxurious is Hollandaise sauce. It is a fancy sauce used to grace asparagus spears and Eggs Benedict. This silken concoction is a combination of egg yolks , melted butter, Dijon mustard and lemon juice. I made a vegan version for my Easter dinner asparagus. Instead of yolks, I used The Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk, a mix of fortified yeast , black salt and beta carotene. It was then mixing in a tablespoon of lemon juice, a small dollop of Dijon mustard and half a cup of melted I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.It was just as rich as the ones I've had at restaurants in the city. It was the perfect lift for the holiday and I plan on making a vegan version of Eggs Benedict - another luxury bite. Another little luxury is homemade Mornay sauce. This is a simple Bechamel sauce enhanced with Gruyere and sometimes Parmesan. Fancy eateries usually serve it over chicken breasts and sole and you can do the same. If you can't find sole , then use tilapia. The base is easy , Just use milk and flour along with an onion, cloves and bay leaf to flavor it. A pinch of nutmeg is added at the end.

Another luxury  that might perk you up is a shrimp cocktail. You can buy what's known as a shrimp ring at the seafood section of your grocery store. Sometimes there's a cup of cocktail sauce in the middle although you can make it at home. It's a simple mix of ketchup , horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of lemon juice. You can add a dash of hot sauce for bite. Lobster and crab are other luxuries that can be a real boost. Buy them frozen or at Omaha Steak Company. Another idea is supporting your local seafood restaurant and ordering a complete dinner. This will also include a side like cole slaw and fries along with melted butter. It's just a fun way of celebrating getting through this  and a take out dinner nowadays is a big deal.Sweets can be a luxury too. There is time now to bake fancy tortes such as Black Forest cake. This decadent bite is homemade chocolate scratch cake  soaked with cherry liqueur and frosted with whipped cream. Fresh cherries and chocolate bark decorate it, upping the flavor a notch. Want something equally rich? Try baba rhums. These are small homemade cakes that's sopped up rum. They  can be garnished with whipped cream and raspberry too.

Treat yourself to little luxuries during these hard times. It could be as something like a sauce or a slice of decadent cake. Enjoy them making them and eating them.

A Quick Herb Guide

Spring brings the urge to plant an herb garden .Home chefs want to add a sprig of this or a few leaves of that .Yet many have no clue as to herb usage. The will add bay leaf to pizza or dried rosemary to ice cream.A good knowledge of herbs is vital to cooking good meals.

Rosemary and oregano are the most popular and most used.Rosemary is a fragrant plant with a variety of uses, from cooking to the medicinal.It is one of the pillars of Italian cooking, going into everything from sausage to pizza.A flavorful tomato sauce relies on its sprigs for some depth.It can also add zing if added to pizza or calzone crust.Oregano is another staple of not just Italian but also  Greek and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.It gives marinades an earthy green flavor.It can also be put into olive oil for a fragrant oil , perfect for drizzling over slices of French and Italian bread.it can also be used in Eastern Mediterranean dishes too such as the trendy za'aatar along with savory and thyme.Surprisingly these versatile sprigs can also be used in various desserts.Imagine a coffee cake sprigged up with both oregano and thyme.Honey paired with it makes an awesome ice cream, both subtly sweet and herbal.They can even be baked into lemon cupcakes for a jolt of fresh springy flavor!

Tarragon is the herb most used by the French.It is one of my favorites and I use it in both my chicken and egg salads.It's flavor is a milder version of the stronger anise.It also is vital in creating the perfect Bernaese sauce along with herb rice and broiled fish such as tilapia and halibut.Cilantro is an easy herb to grow as well as being versatile.The sassy green leaves add dash to any salad and would be great in a chicken marinade.It can also add some zing to grilled veggies too as well as being a staple in Mexican cooking.Cilantro is actually the younger version of coriander, another versatile and necessary kitchen herb.It's excellent in exotic cuisines such as Indian and Morroccan, giving color and zest to curries and tangines.One of the sweetest and most delicious is chive. This is the season for them, as they grow abundantly in yards and even parks. The wild variety has an onion-y sweet taste . Yes , freshly chopped chives are good on baked potatoes , add color and flavor to sour cream but they're also good mixed in with cream cheese and dressings. Try cooking them with carrots in a yummy butter sauce.

Grow herbs.Just understand their uses and what foods they'd enhance.Use them correctly and you'll create deliciously tasty meals.

Culinary Iconoclast Ruby Tandoh

Cooks, bakers, and even food bloggers tend to be sheep. They follow and write about what's trending, trying to keep up with the culinary hipsters who make our eating rules. Luckily, there is a rebel, the famed British chef, baker and blogger Ruby Tandoh to break the rules. She believes in eating what mothers and grans have said for centuries  -eat what you like. The heck with what everyone else tries to tell you.

Ruby Tandoh's name may sound familiar to fans of The Great British Baking Show.Times contributor, Tejal Rao, a regular contributor and food blogger herself., wrote about this phenomenon in today's New York Times  Food section. She was one of the final contestant on the Season Four competition. This former art and philosophy major turned to cooking and baking as not only a passion but as a way of life. She has written food centered essays for The Guardian, British Elle, and other magazines along with two cookbooks. Her latest book, "Flavour: Eat What You Love" is due out here in the States next month. It was first published in the UK last August  It's a celebration of a skilled home cooking enthusiast. The book also touches upon on the feminist concept of "shine theory"  which values female friendship over competition. She eschews diets and wrote a lament in an essay  that food writers have gone from feasting and flavor to cleanness and lightness. Chef Tandoh has created a dialogue and somewhat of a revolution in Britain. She also has misgivings about the benefits of some diets and their promises too.

What does she cook and bake? She has been exploring her Ghanian roots. Her grandfather had immigrated from there, bringing a wealth of recipes.There is ground nut  or peanut soup spiked with chiles along with tilapia in a garlicky marinade. Fried plaintains round it out this a meal full of memories and flavor Her blog is full of yummy recipes for cakes , doughnuts and creme brules.made with raspberries. She has recipes for rye rolls and a mouth watering banana upside down cake. The new cookbook is a reflection of this as well. There's a creamy English fish pie, made with smoked haddock and peas topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes.Lentil soup is sparked with lime . She includes an opulent meringue, rolled up with cherries and cream. As we all saw on The Great British Baking show, she is an excellent baker. She relies on everyday sweeteners such as honey, sugar, dark brown sugar, golden syrup and treacle or molasses to create amazing sweets such as a marbled chocolate almond Bundt cake and steamed panettone.


Cooking and baking need rebels to keep it fresh . Ruby Tandoh is just that iconoclast to make us break the bonds of all these  diet recipes and fads. She setting us free in a very delicious way.

A Deep Cleansing Diet

We're always told to take deep cleansing breathsDoing such refreshes us, calms us down and even prepares us for a restful night of sleep.However we can do the same with our diets and our lives.There are several cleansing diets out there.Theynot only improve our lives but our diets as well. Cleansing diets require a great deal of discipline.Some last only last for two weeks,some last for longer usually a month.It is rigorous where you have to give up all the bad but yummy stuff.Gone are any kind of meats,candy,dread, salt ,soda, along with anything dairy.The food also has to be raw and it"s mostly a raw veggie mix.Water is the only allowed beverage along with decaf teas and coffees.The water used should be filter and drunk from on BpA bottles.This last means that they're made without the chemical Bisphenol A , a xenon estrogen that can screw up your hormone system. whoever is issuing the diet will prescribe a series of supplements to fill you up on fiber and minerals. is a cleansing diet for every one? That depends on the person and his or her willpower. as someone going through this diet bright now, I have to admit it is tough. You can fall off the wagon.Let's face it, a chunk of forbidden bread and butter or even a forkful of breaded tilapia is heavenly after a few days of going without. I am appreciative of all the chemicals and bad stuff leaving me. according to the administrator , most of the inflammation will leave my body. I will feel better and I will be more cautious picking up old food habits like soda, and cookies.Most of my diet is already heathy, with eating brown flour and forgoing fried foods.This will keep me in tune though with making the internal better. Are you up for a cleansing diet? if you're concerned about your health and diet ,you will. it's a good way of Making the right choices.

Fishy Business

Yesterday's New York Times Food section had an interesting article about fish. The renowned chef and foodie, Mark Bitman wrote about the different kinds out there. Thanks to more international fishing we have exotic breeds such as tilapia and orange roughy along with our regular cods and scrod. these have helped us expand our knowledge and and our palates.

Bitman also believes in kinder fishing methods (a plus in my book) where "fish friendly" implements are used. If you're on this bandwagon too, then the next time you buy fish ask about the capture methods. Inquire whether it was caught by a set gill net, a type of seine specifically used to capture that particular fish while others are let free. If you're still feeling guilty about eating ocean caught fish you can buy the ones from fish farms although they're not up to the quality of "wild" ones.

Bitman also write about shying away from the farmed mussels and other bivalves. Their taste is not as deep or as rich as the ones mined directly from the sea he writes. This is true.Anything from lobster to cod is better if it was caught in the wild. Somehow it's brinier but also sweeter at the same time.


Fish is a wonderful dish for any dinner. However there are choices out there that fish lovers have to consider. First involves the catching, the second regards whether to choose farmed or fresh. You have to weight out all these decisions when you make your catch of the day.

The Flying Cloud Cafe - Atlantic City's Best Kept Secret

Mention Atlantic City dining to anyone and they'll tell you all about the great restaurants in the casinos. This is true. Recently AC has lured some big names such as The Old Homestead, McCormick and Schmick and Wolfgang Puck. However there is a perfect little gem situated on Brigantine Bay in North Atlantic City. It's called The Flying Cloud Cafe, named after one of the fastest schooners in the 1800's.

First of all the atmosphere is charming - certainly not what you'd expect in this gambling mecca. Located in a small circle of crafter's booths and restaurants, The Flying Cloud Cafe is isolated from all the glamour and glitz. It's more like a spot in Old Cape Cod or Cape May. Masts sway back and forth, gulls cry as they swoop down on the docks. There is the smell of the ocean here along with the aroma of good food. Of course The Flying Cloud specializes in seafood. My Mom and I had two wonderful dishes. She ordered the fish and chips while I had the broiled crab cake. The portions are generous, The fish doesn't have that usual cloying fishy taste associated with seafood. Her breaded tilapia was sweet and light while my crab meat was delicate and tender. We also received a large side of julienned fries which were perfectly crisp and browned. The Flying Cloud Cafe also gives this awesome cole slaw made with horseradish. This is not the usually sugary stuff but a crunchy mixture of sliced cabbage , dressing and zing. We saw other diners who enjoyed seafood salads and one who had a whole, perfectly boiled lobster.

Usually seafood restaurants have meager desserts. Not The Flying Cloud Cafe . We split a wonderful chocolate cake laden with warm fudge , caramel and walnuts. It was flanked by two chocolate drizzled clouds of whipped cream. This was a decadent end to an already rich lunch.

The Flying Cloud is located at 800 North New Hampshire Ave Number 3. (you can't miss it really),directly to the west of the Atlantic City Aquarium. Don't bother with the car. Take the number 3 jitney over there for a day of relaxation and good food.