A Bite of Seafood

 One of the joys of summer is a buttery or grilled bun stuffed with seafood.It could be lobster,.It could have a filling of chopped shrimp or tangy spiced crab.These are the tastes of summer to be savored with a side of fries and a tall glass of something icy and refreshing.

Lobster rolls are a classic summer sandwich. The new York Times Wednesday Food section recently published an article by Korsha Wilson about hot and cold lobster rolls.Yes, hot lobster are a thing now.It's actually not new but a century old.It was first created at Perry's in Milford, Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. A dinner wanted a lobster and butter sauce to go so the meat and sauce were put on a bun.Both hot and cold versions are pretty easy fixes. You can buy lobster meat at your local  grocery or  seafood market.The tail meat which is the meatiest and sweetest is always used for the sandwiches..For the hot lobster toast the buns in butter in a skillet. Put them inside part down for a couple of minutes. After that let the pan cool, wipe it and add more butter. Toss in the lobster meat and cook in butter and gently warm it Stuff the rolls with it and sprinkled with  celery seeds.The cold or Maine version has a pound of  chilled lobster mixed with a cup of mayo and four chopped celery sticks. Put this on fried in butter hot dog rolls. This is the one everyone likes and orders .

Shrimp salad is another summery lunch or dinner treat.Keep in mind that you have to be careful when buying fresh shrimp.Its fine if you live in a coastal area and you know the place is reputable. If not then go for  frozen shrimp.They're typically flash frozen once they're caught so this ensures freshness. Boil a pot of water and add the shrimp for two minutes.They'll turn a bright pink when they're done.As for the dressing it's mixing mayo with lemon juice. Dill and parsley are added for color and flavor. You can chop of the shrimp so it's easier to eat. Unlike lobster salad, shrimp salad can go with any bread.It's good stuffed into a pita for a lighter bite or on a sliced croissant for a more elegant meal.Crab meat is also great in a salad. Turn it into a salad for the San Francisco classic sandwich. Crab can be expensive to you can buy imitation crab which is really a paste of Pollock along with other fish pressed into shapes that resemble crab meat. You can also use crab legs too if you want Again use mayo here and mix it with freshly squeezed lemon juice  and diced celery.Fresh dill and chives work well with the crab meat so these can be added too. As for the bread you can use a Portuguese roll, much like the San Francisco version . You can also turn them into sliders too.

It's summer. It;'s the perfect time for a seafood salad. Have one with a tall glass of iced tea for a truly warm weather experience

Robots In Restaurants

 Everyone thought the future would be like the Jetsons.We'd be living in high rise apartments with Rosie the Robot folding our clothes and washing our dishes. That hasn't;t happened - yet - not to the homeowner. However it is becoming a matter of fact in many restaurants throughout the county.

New contributor Meghan McCarron, a James beard finalist in investigative reporting, wrote this fascinating piece in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. AI help is becoming the norm in many fast food chains. They help with bussing food to the tables to helping prepare it.it is cost effective to use machines instead of hiring people. There are no extra salaries along with egos to deal with which can be a plus. AI can also work through anything. There are no snow days to worry about or traffic snarls to make them late.The machines cost but that pays itself off .This is good because it frees up human workers to concentrate on the actual cooking.They can handle heavy lifting where human servers can not. Juan Higueros, chief operating officer and cofounder of  Bear Robotics used his previous experience as a restaurant owner to design their robots.He noticed that this waitstaff had trouble carrying trays and the only solution to help them were trays on wheels. He then designed automated servers who can carry thousands of pounds of food without any effort. This helped tremendously and made the busy times easier.

Yet there is the missing human factor. People want human chefs and waitstaff. They want to know that their food is cooked with love and that the chef has put his or her all into the dish. Diners also want to interact with the server too. A good waiter can make or break a restaurant.  AI can;t really do that for some people. However at that same Long Beach Denny's one customer, Diane Deconnick liked one robot, named LIly by the waiter himself who took Ms. Deconnick's order off the tray. She even tipped it the usual twenty per cent that human help receive. This is rare because most don't like an automated server. Yet everyone does use one form of AI to order food - their phones. Most major chains have apps where customers can order with very little friction. Restauranteurs may balk at the idea of having a robot chef, but they'll embrace robots do menial jobs. Chipotle already has one that not only pits avocados but also peels and slices them. Stellar Pizza is full automated however owner Benson Tsai  believes automation should stay behind the scenes. His food trucks always have one person and that's the one who hands out the orders to customers.

Will robots take over the food industry. They will and this will benefit both customers and workers. It may make for a better dining experience after all.

USA's Other Medalists

 America has other  medalists - top stars  -not in athletics but in baking.Our state fairs bring out the best in home bakers. There are delicious pies and cakes , on a par with any award winning sweet. These  show the best of the state's bakers  and like any medal winner they are proud of this achievement.

Regular contributor Kim Severson interviewed them in yesterday's New York times Food section.State fairs have always been known for their different and fun foods. They're the place to munch on cotton candy and corn dogs.They're also the places to sample good homemade baking, a throwback to a simpler time.One superstar is Karen DeLawder from Rockingham County , Virginia has won one thousand (!!!!!)blue ribbons from local and state fair.s Her most notable win was sponsored by the local Egg Council for her magic flan cake. It took her five years to win that one. She even took a class in juding that gave her tremendous insight on how judges decide which entry is the best. Then there's seventy- two year old Jim Austen who has been baking for state fairs in his native California for fifty five years. His first medal was for a lemon meringue pie but he has also won for his Prickly pear jelly and brandied cherries.Strategies are important in winning any contest and that's certainly Elaine Reilly's plan. She first tries out her recipes at New York State state fairs and then sends the recipes into food companies contests.

Every contest has an MVP and that title belongs to Pamela Koiber.She has surpassed Karen deLawders medal count and won a phenomenal 1,607 medals in her  native.Oklahoma. her notable win was the Oklahoma Ste Fair cookie jar contest in which four to seven types of cookies are stacked in a gallon jar . She was undergoing breast cancer treatments along with caring for a dying mother. She won and was able to share the win with her mom. Her chocolate cake won five times as well. One of the youngest is Anna Sattler.of Wisconsin. This twenty-five year old has won twenty medals so far. her first came at age seventeen for her five spice cinnamon roll. There there is the rookie HansLieven from Lake Oswego Oregon,He never heard of state fairs , living abroad with a Taiwanese mother and Flemish father. His American wife encouraged him and he won for his version of a not that sour sourdough made with different flours .Of course there has to be a coach.Resa Romero has never won any blue ribbons for her dishes but she has coached her six kids. Her youngest eighteen year old Joshua has won for seventy-five different items including canned yarms and an all natural insect ointment. Her kids have had two generations, from their parents to their grandparents helping them. Her husband Sam taought them cooking while his mother Eunice taught them to cook Mexican dishes. Ms. Romero;'s mother  LaDean Silberhorn was the queen of canning. The kids have even contributed to a cookbook.

Winning is everything, especially when it comes to state fairs. These are the best of the best,They can turn an ordinary pie, bread , cinnamon bun or preserves into an an warding winning recipe.

Isabella's Cookies Sweet Treats For A Hot Day

 Let's face it.It's too hot to bake. yet what do you do when you want a homemade cookie on a hot August Day?You get Isabella's Cookies. These chocolate chips come in so many different varieties of one cookie. They're the perfect accompaniment with a tall iced coffee.

These are definitely my new favorite cookies. The company comes from sunny Redondo Beach,California and some of the cookies do have a laid back SoCal vibe to them. Jennifer Palmer founded the company in 2001 and brought forth all natural  baking. The cookies have no preservatives in them and only pure ingredients like Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and pure chocolate chips along with creamy peanut butter ones

She offers a whopping thirty !!!!!!! different types of chocolate chips that range from the Muffie which has white chocolate chips and chocolate covered blueberries to the Matinee which is studded with both chocolate covered raisins and plain ones.

There are also the V-chip one of the many vegan cookies offered.

That and the Muffie are my favorites. A close second is the Aloha which not only has white chocolate chips but everything Hawaiian fruit like coconut, macadamia nuts and pineapple. I like the V chip which has a swirl of peanut butter through each cookie. Right now you can find them at Whole Foods or buy them on line.

It's hot.It's mid August. Why bake when you can have one of Isabella's chock full of chocolate chips cookie. Have it with your favorite iced coffee or iced tea.

Extra Veggies, Extra Recipes

 This is the season where you could find a stray tomato or zucchini in your fridge. What to do? There's a lot of veggie recipes out there you can have fun with. It clears out the fridge and veggie drawyer along with providing a tasty dish.

Tomatoes are one of the most versatile veggies/fruits out there. They can star in a lot of tasty recipes. A favorite is the Piedmontese tomatoes and eggs.This is taking two or three Roma or Capri tomatoes  chopping them and then stirring them in a beaten egg mixture. A minced garlic clove is added for more flavor. Everything is then cooked up and served with sliced Italian bread.You can also make it Sicilian style by subbing in a chopped green bell pepper and cook the same way. A panzanella salad is an easy way of getting rid of any stray tomatoes. Just chop and add torn pieces of Italian bread. Drizzle with oil and you can add garlic and onion powder for more flavor. You could also add croutons instead of bread for a crunchier version.A fun salad is one made of all sorts of different tomatoes. If you had some cherries and grape along with vine ripened. ,slice and mix these together . Add a simple vinaigrette for a memorable and colorful side dish.You could also add a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan too.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of hot dishes to use on those extra vegetables. Use your grill for tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini, This makes for a nice side to any barbecue, especially if you're grilling chicken or fish like salmon. Just brush with olive oil and lemon juice and season with only sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Of course there's that year round classic ratatouille you can easily make on a stove top.It;s just taking those smaller eggplant or even zucchini, and cooking the  slices with chopped green peppers and tomatoes.You could  double the amount and freeze it for later on. It's also good reheated as the next day's lunch. Stuffed peppers are usually a winter dish but you can easily make them in your air fryer.Even if you just have one lying around you can create a tasty cooked meal with it. Add crumbled beef or plant based crumbles rice and whatever else you fancy. If you have some extra broccoli and cauliflower florets chop them and add to the stuffing along with olives and rice.It's an easy cook in the air fryer and a great way of getting rid of extra peppers.

Extra veggies lying around can be turned into tasty hot and cold dishes.It's a good way of using them up .It' also a great way of reducing kitchen waste/

Zesty Zucchini Fries

 Mid August is the season for zucchini.It graces gardens and farmers markets. Its also on e of th e more versatile squashes and can be used as ingredient in ratatouille as well as turned into crunchy fires. If you haven/ yet then do so. It;s time to enjoy zucchini fries.

I made them for a fun Sunday lunch yesterday.It;s more about prepping them.It starts with a vegan batter.

I used the recipe I found on Nourished By Nic site and modified it. There were no measurements so I had to figure them out myself. One cup of flour beaten with a half of cup of almond milk makes for a pancake like batter. I added pinches of salt ,pepper and garlic powder. The sticks would be dipped into this first them rolled in bread crumbs for a really crunch coating.

These are the spices .If you want some zing, the add a pinch of cayenne pepper.You could also try cumin or turmeric too 

It was then slicing the zucchini.First slice it in half.

Then cut in half again

/

Now cut those in quarters .They'll look like pickle spears.

It's then dipping and rolling until they're all completely coated.

Fry in small batches (about six to eight ) for fifteen minutes at 380 degrees Farenheit. Cook for seven minutes first , then flip them over and cook for another eight. They should be golden and crispy.

These were way too good and all five batches went quickly I would add more garlic powder  though for more flavor along with more salt and pepper. I plant on making these again very soon.

It's zucchini season . Make these crunchy fries for a fun meal, side or even snack. They 're good for you while being deliciously crunchy and crispy.

Tabitha Brown At Target

 Vegan food can be hard to come by.It's hard to find good dips and snacks that satisfy the meat and dairy less lifestyle. That's where Tabitha Brown , a social media star and comedian comes in. A vegan herself she has created not vegan food for Target but a whole slew of other products.

I recently got to try her onion and garlic vegan spread. The  main ingredient is chickpea protein and two different yeasts.

I liked this.It was more of a cream cheese in texture than a dip.I spread it on a sliced roll for a tasty lunch.

It was very creamy and works both as a dip and as a spread. I am planning on buying her strawberry vegan cream cheese. I can see this on a croissant for a lovely dessert or even breakfast. Ms. Brown also has a caramelized onion one that again would be a good spread on a focaccio.Other products include flavored popcorns, flavored hummus , pickled okra (!!)  vegan potato salad  and a polenta and mushroom ravioli - which is definitely on my radar. Ms. Brown also has a line of kitchenware, stationery , home decor and gifting essentials. I have my eye on her blender and mini spatulas which will be a great addition to any kitchen,

Thanks to Tabitha Brown. Target has more vegan food choices. Check them out whether you want a pasta dish or a tasty spread.