The Great British Baking Show

Cookbook #487

I was going to call this blog 484 Cookbooks, but then I bought a few more cookbooks and changed the name to 489 Cookbooks.  I have this thing where I like a thing, so I need all the things.  If Gap makes my favorite shirt in 7 colors, I need 7 colors.  If Ina Garten has 10 cookbooks, then I need all 10.

The Great British Baking Show is truly great.  My daughter Stephanie told me about it and I thought how exciting can that be to watch people baking?  I started watching it on Netflix, and I was hooked immediately. It is the happiest baking show on the planet! I watched all 4 seasons and was sad when it was over.  I found these on Amazon used for $3, with $3.99 shipping from the UK. How could I not buy them?  And they came Royal Mail!

Here are 487, 488, 489 which I will be using soon... because I want to make good bakes.

Cookbook #488

Cookbook #489

Ghirardelli Caramel Chip Pecan Cookies

Ghirardelli Caramel Chips

This recipe is not from one of my cookbooks, it is from the back of a package.  I was at Giant, and saw new Ghirardelli caramel chips and had to have them.  I purchased them along with a large bag of pecans and baked them that night.  Wow, those cookies were good!  The caramel chips were very large and tasted like buttery brown sugar, and the cookies turned out soft and chewy and delicious.  I make my own vanilla and that added to the flavor as well.  I'm pretty sure it's the best vanilla on the planet.  In fact, these may have been the best cookies on the planet.

The Florida Keys

Extraordinary Recipes From Florida Keys & Key West Chef's Table

Last weekend I made a recipe from a cookbook we first saw at Keys Fisheries in Marathon, Florida. It's on our list of favorite spots. They have an upstairs bar right on the water with a fabulous view, and an unbelievable stone crab claw special during happy hour. I think they were $2.50 each and up north they are $6 or $7 each.  Our first time there they passed out shots to every one, and we drank them before we realized we were supposed to wait for the sunset.  We quickly made fake shots from our own drinks so we could toast the sunset with everyone else.  RJ found the cookbook called Extraordinary Recipes From Florida Keys & Key West Chef's Table online a few months later and gave it to me for Christmas.

Stone crab claws at Keys Fisheries

The upstairs bar at Keys Fisheries

The recipe I chose was from the Castaway Waterfront Restaurant and Bar, another place we like to visit.  It is also on the water, but more like on a marina.  I find there are several different types of "one the water" restaurants in the Keys.  I'm pretty sure if a restaurant was next to a hot tub it would call itself on the water, but who cares you are in the Keys.  Castaway is known for its honey buns.  They are little pillows of fluffy baked goodness, and you are given a pitcher of honey to pour inside them.  What's not to love?? RJ doesn't even like honey but somehow they all disappear.

I decided to make Castaway's Wreck Diver Style Lionfish.  A. I don't know what wreck diver style means.  I googled it and found lots of info about the dangers of wreck diving and how to plan an elegant wedding in six months or less wreck diving on your honeymoon, but nothing about "wreck diver style".  Maybe it means it looks like a wreck.   And B. You can't buy lionfish anywhere around here.  We first heard of lionfish two years ago on our snorkel trip to Looe Key.  Our captain said if we saw any to let her know and she would catch it with her spear gun.  It is invasive to the Atlantic, has no natural predators, and is apparently good eating.  The recipe said I could substitute a sweet white flaky fish, so I went with two giant pieces of cod. I also purchased capers which I have never used before. I bought the larger ones, and they were very  acidic.  After reading about them and tasting the recipe, I probably should have gone with the smaller ones which are not as strong.

The recipe was quick to put together, I think I actually spent more time at the grocery store than I did cooking.  First coat the fish in a mixture of flour and Old Bay, and cook it in melted butter for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.  Mix chopped tomatoes, capers, garlic, white wine and lemon juice, pour over the fish and cook another minute or so until the fish flakes.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil.  I skipped the parsley because it tastes like the back yard to me.

We both thought this was really fantastic, and the leftovers were even good the next day which is rare for fish. The fish was flaky and buttery, and the sauce was full of garlic and lemon. RJ does not like tomatoes, but just like the honey buns they all disappeared.  This one will definitely be a repeat.

Emeril's Potluck

Two weeks ago we had game night with my grown children and their significant others (also considered my children) Steph and Alex, and Nick and Steph.  Yes, my daughter's name is Steph and my son's girlfriend's name is Steph.  Alex said he is going to change his name to Nick, which would definitely make it easier for everyone.

And by game night I mean the most inappropriate games ever to play with your kids.  So far we have played Disturbed Friends, Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens  On the agenda for this game night was What Do You Meme which is similar to Cards Against Humanity and just as awkward and hilarious, if not worse.

For each event so far,  RJ and I have been cooking something good.  We have made his mom's lasagna, short ribs in the crock pot, and for this evening I decided on Penne A La Vodka Casserole from Emeril's Potluck cookbook.  I have always loved Emeril, I met him in 1998.  He came to the local BJ's to sign his book Emeril's TV Dinners, and Steph and I waited in line for 4 hours. He was only supposed to be there for 2 but he stayed for the entire 4 so that everyone could meet him. The autograph says "Sherry Bam, Emeril."

Emeril's Potluck

Game night was on a Friday, so I needed to assemble on Thursday night to put it in the oven Friday.  I purchased all of my ingredients from the the grocery store a few days earlier, all easy to find. The recipe uses hot and sweet Italian sausage, but I only used sweet because I wasn't sure if anyone liked hot except me. The recipe also uses onions, fresh basil, Emeril's original essence, lots of garlic and crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, penne pasta, ricotta, grated parmesan, mozzarella and of course the vodka.  I have a thing for vodka.  Love.it.so.much.  You can make it taste like anything, mango, pear, cherry, vanilla, and in this case garlic, tomatoes and cheesy goodness!

I followed Emeril's recipe, and it was so easy.  Slice the sausage and onions, cook until browned.  You mix the ricotta into the pasta, instead of layering it like you normally do.  I really like how that turned out, very cheesy.  RJ doesn't like ricotta, I'm not sure if he even knew it was in there.  I used the Rachael Ray lasagna pan I gave him for his birthday.  All the cookware I have, and I didn't have anything big enough for lasagna, and he has made his mom's lasagna at least twice.  Zero times since I gave him that pan,  but I'll keep it safe with my cookware collection until he needs it.

Everyone loved the chunks of sausage, it seemed to be a big hit.  It was a little crispier around the edges than I would have liked but my oven is a jerk. Not too much left over though, which is always a good sign.  It was very garlicky, and the vodka sauce was absolutely fantastic.  Game night and Penne A La Vodka was a success!!