Elegant Summer Grilling

In the August issue of Fort Worth Texas Magazine my column moves us toward the end of summer with a lovely outdoor meal that brings a touch of elegance to your outdoor table, Grilled Cornish Game Hens, marinated and cooked on a cedar plank, with Crispy Smashed Potatoes cooked in the oven at high heat until golden and crispy, and good 'ole corn-on-the-cob, cooked in the husks on the grill and then slathered with my brother Gregg's famous lime butter. 

This is a meal you're going to love. I served it all family style on one big lovely platter with a bottle of sparkling Rose. The perfect elegant summer meal.

Watch how simple and easy it is to make my Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Here's the full version of the August column. These Cornish hens are amazing, and so easy. If you don't want to cook them on a cedar plank on the grill, just cook them in the oven. 

And as always, many thanks to Central Market Fort Worth for providing the groceries for my column and videos. 

A Trip to the Farmer's Market

My July Chef Impersonator column in Fort Worth Texas Magazine is titled, A Trip to the Farmer's Market. All the ingredients used in this month's recipes were purchased at the Cowtown Farmer's Market in Fort Worth, Texas.

Supporting Farmers. Supporting Freshness. Buying Local. 

Let's all give that a try.

~Watch me make the Crispy Smashed Potatoes from this issue~

 The final plate

The yellow squash and Red Candy Apple onions

The kale and spinach salad

Chef Impersonator Is Now in Print

This is the happiest blog post of my life. So far.

My dream of actually doing something with my passion for food and cooking has finally come true. In June of this year I became the new Food Columnist for Fort Worth Texas Magazine, the city's glossy monthly magazine. 

It's an absolute dream come true for me. And here's a bit about how it happened. I'm sharing this to encourage all of you to do what you love, and love what you do. And take steps every single day to move toward that dream. It works! Really~

If you're interested in the whole story, just scroll down to the bottom of this post. I hope it provides some inspiration to others who've been thinking and praying and dreaming of doing something special in the world of food.

Here's my very first food column - Mediterranean Flavors.

So here's the story:

I started Chef Impersonator way back in 2009 with the humble intention of trying something new. I loved to cook. I took photos of food everywhere I went (much to the dismay of my significant others). I wanted to share home recipes. So I started to blog. I posted pretty irregularly most of the time, but somehow I knew I wanted to try and do something with my deep and abiding love of food. 

Then back in 2012, together with my sister Sandy, I sent an entry to a Bobby Flay show about Home Cooks, and low and behold, I never heard a word. You can see my entry here in this old post - Dear Mr. Bobby Flay. 

Time passed and all the while I was posting food pics and recipes and restaurants and travel musings to Facebook and Twitter and my blog. In 2013, I decided to attend my first food blogger conference, BlogHerFood, in Austin, TX. I had a BLAST. And I found myself attending all the workshops on food photography and I thought - This Is It! I've found my passion. I'm going to become a great food photographer. I'd always loved to take photos, and I always had a pretty good eye. So I came home, bought a professional Nikon D5300 camera and a macro lens, took some classes and starting shooting food (all the while posting my pics and recipes and rants about food). 

Then in late 2013, I heard about a casting call being held for yet another Food Network home cook competition show. So I dropped everything and created my entry, Moroccan Lamb Tagine. My food was fabulous, but again, no call-back. 

And here's where the miracle occurred. 

A Facebook friend of mine who runs the local culinary school had posted a shot of a dish she made and I decided to call her to talk about taking some pictures for her. I told her all about my background and love of food, and she told me she was retiring as food columnist for the magazine and that they were filling the spot that week! So I dropped everything and called and emailed the editor and associate publisher, who I actually have known for some time. They scheduled me to come in and talk. I poured my soul into my preparation for that meeting, and guess what? I got it. 

So the moral of the story is GO FOR IT. Take steps, no matter how small, to move toward your dream every day. Shed all that FEAR that keeps us from trying new things, and just do it!.  Nancy

Fish Bisque

With a well-stocked freezer, you can have a fabulous fish bisque in no time at all. Bisque and lobster tails from Omaha Steaks

Fish Bisque

2 packages Lobster Bisque (pre-made from Omaha Steaks)

2 lobster tails, cooked (purchased from Omaha Steaks)

8 scallops (frozen, then defrosted

4 pieces Cod Fish, cut into 2" pieces (frozen, then defrosted)

Defrost soup and fish. Combine in a nonstick pot. Cook until fish is cooked, about 15 minutes. Spoon onto your prettiest bowls and serve. 

Can it be that easy? YES!!!'

Soft Shell Crab Benedict

It's hard to believe that we still have one fried soft shell crab left over and that nobody ate it yet....but we did. So for breakfast, I decided to make Soft Shell Crab Benedict, using the crab that had already been fried (from the prior post below), and bread that we had in the pantry. Didn't have any muffins, so I just improvised. In a pinch, I always use Knorr brand sauces in the packets. They're almost as good as homemade and oh so much simpler. This recipe was quick and easy, and serves 2 people.

Soft Shell Crab Benedict 
One fried soft shell crab (made from recipe in my prior post below), reheated
2 pieces of 45 calorie wheat bread, toasted (or an English muffin, halved)
4 poached eggs
1 packet Knorr Hollandaise sauce (made according to package directions)

Reheat the already-fried soft shell crab in a small skillet on low heat, turning until hot
Make Knorr Hollandaise according to package instructions.
4 poached eggs  How to poach an egg
Toast the bread in the toaster.

To make 2 plates: Place one slice of toast onto each plate. Cut the heated soft shell crab in half and place 1/2 onto each piece of toast. Place two poached eggs onto the crab and top with 2 tablespoons of Hollandaise.

And VOILA! Simple. Easy. Delicious.

Soft Shell Crab BLT's

Thanks to the Wall St. Journal for the inspiration to buy the soft shell crabs. And thanks to #GailMonaghan for providing the wonderful story in the weekend journal that inspired tonight's dinner. Read it here. online.wsj.com/articles/stress-free-soft-shell-crab-recipes-1401477474 

I used the flour and cornmeal mixture from Gail's recipe in the Wall St. Journal to create my Soft Shell Crab BLT's.

6 soft shell crab

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs 

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix eggs and buttermilk in separate bowl. Dredge crabs one at a time in flour then buttermilk, then flour again. Fry in 1 inch of canola oil for 3-4 minutes per side. 

Fried soft shell crab, mayo, applewood smoked bacon, butter lettuce and tomato. Yummy. 

Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. 

Sizzling deliciousness. 

The Soft Shell Crab BLT.

These guys sure liked it. A lot. 

Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

I got this recipe from Pinterest, where I spend a good bit of time searching for great recipes. First off, anyone who knows me knows I'm not a baker. Something about all that precise measuring makes my baked goods less than perfect. But I decided to give it a try, and with the right equipment, the right ingredients and MUCH attention to detail, I did it!

The recipe says these rolls are just like the King's Hawaiian Rolls you buy at the grocery store. And guess what? They were right!

So this is my first foray into baking homemade rolls. I borrowed my BFF Angela's professional mixer and they turned out amazing.

I loved it so much that I asked my hubby for a mixer for my birthday, and his response was, "No way. I don't want you making great bread. That would be very bad for us." (not really a direct quote, but you get he idea. He doesn't want to eat all those carbs.)

The pineapple juice and yeast will bubble.

You'll know it's mixed when the dough removes itself from the sides of the bowl.

The dough rises twice. Once now in the bowl until it's doubled in size, and again after you form the rolls.

Rolls will smooth out in the oven.

I was so proud! My very first homemade rolls.

Then of course, I had to put them on a pretty plate and eat 2 or 10 of them with a half pound of butter. haha

Don't skimp on the butter. If you're gonna eat hot rolls, EAT HOT ROLLS.

Buttery, sweet deliciousness.

Here's the recipe!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Ingredients

1 ½ c. pineapple juice

4 ½ tsp. active dry yeast

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature, plus extra for brushing rolls

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

5-6 c. bread flour

1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat pineapple juice over medium-low temperature until juice reaches about 105 F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
3. Once the pineapple juice is at temperature, add to the bowl. Stir, and let the yeast mixture stand for 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
4. Once the yeast is foamy, add the remaining sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs; stir to combine.
5. Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook, and add 3 cups of flour and salt. Stir on low.
6. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough will feel slightly sticky. It takes 5 1/2 cups of flour for my rolls.
7. Once the dough comes together and clears the sides, continue to knead for about 1 minute.
8. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
9. Shape dough into rolls. If you would like smaller, dinner-sized rolls, shape into 24 rolls. If you would like larger, bun-sized rolls, shape into 12-18 rolls depending on desired size.
10. Cover rolls with plastic wrap, and let rolls rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
11. Toward the end of the second rise, preheat oven to 350 F.
12. Bake rolls for about 20 minutes (for dinner-sized rolls), or until rolls are golden brown.
13. Immediately brush rolls with butter.
14. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Red Farm NYC

Pac Man Dumplings and Crispy Crab. Delicious. And so cute. 

Shrimp Diablo Enchiladas.

Photo shoot today at Los Vaqueros Stockyards.

My Food Photography

I've finally found my one true love. Food Photography. Take a look. I'm just getting started, but I really do love it. Shooting with my Nikon D5300 with a Tamron 90 mm. marcro lens.

Ingredients for my Meyer Lemon Soufle:
Sugar, lemon juice, egg yolks, lemon zest, and of course, the lovely Meyer lemons.

Meyer Lemon: A cross between a lemon and a tangerine.

I have the most beautiful light coming in through my kitchen windows. Almonds and dried cranberries.

Fig jam, apple and walnut flat bread. This was left over from dinner at Kona Grill in Fort Worth. Shot in my kitchen inside the black Styrofoam take-home box.

I got this lovely bowl at the BlogHer Food Conference in 2013.

This is a spice rack located inside a specialty grocery store in New Orleans.

The Pescado Vera Cruz at Los Vaqueros in the Fort Worth Stockyards. The fish was covered with onion and avocado so you can't really see it here. But I love the light and the depth here.

Shrimp Diable Enchilladas, also at Los Vaqueros in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Tangy red sauce with tender, delicious little shrimp inside.