DeLAND MUSHROOMS

Years ago my wife and I restored an old Victorian home in downtown Ocala.

                                      (before and after)

In our quest to find needed antique lumber, we stumbled upon 'Florida Architecture' in Deland Florida. It was a treasure chest of old windows, doors, and flooring.

During one trip to Deland, we ran right into BIKE WEEK

 So what the hell does this have to do with food? Ah, PATIENCE my friend.

During one of our outings, we asked the owners if there was a good restaurant nearby. They suggested the Mainstreet Grill just a block away. 

Long known as Mainstreet Grill, the restaurant opened in 1993. Martin came on board in 2005. For most of its run, the restaurant offered dining out of the basement of the Dreka Building. In 2014, it changed its name to Mac’s on Main — named after Martin’s grandmother — and expanded to the building’s ground floor.

I am sad to say that they recently closed. Bummer. But at least I got a great recipe. They called it the 'Iron Skillet Mushrooms' and it was only $6.99.

“Iron Skillet Mushrooms $6.99 small mushroom caps sautéed in garlic butter, topped with Provolone and Parmesan cheeses. Served sizzling in a cast iron skillet.”

We changed the name in honor of one of our favorite places.

Now as you know, I love mushrooms, and “some cheeses”. But they served their version with Provolone and Parmesan cheese. I tend to be careful of Parmesan, because if I actually smell it, my appetite goes right out the window. So I used Mozzarella. But you can use whatever cheese or cheeses you desire. (Is cheeses a word?)

So we made a few changes. This is one of the easiest things we make at our house.

FIRST : Make sure to use a cast iron skillet

Take 8 OZ OF NICE white mushrooms. Clean and remove the stems.

Saute 2 closes of garlic in pan with ½ stick of butter sliced. (do not burn)

Add mushrooms and saute (round side up)

Turn over and continue to saute

All you have to do is warm them up and get them coated in butter.

(Oh boy...butter)

Bake in 350 degree oven for 12 minutes 

Remove from oven. Drain any butter inside the mushrooms

Now comes the good part.

Cover with cheese (Mozzarella) and broil until golden brown

We serve these to company as appetizers. Everyone loves them.

And yes, I served mine with a beer.

Enjoy !!

Live long and prosper

BREADED TENDERLOIN SANDWICHES

BREADED TENDERLOIN SANDWICHES

As many of you know, I grew up in Indiana. A job landed me in Florida in 1989 and I never looked back. I love my new state, and can not imagine living anywhere else.

However, there are a few things I miss about the Hoosier State. The top of the list is High School Basketball. I came from a school with a total of 8 State Titles. 

 

 And one of the “losses” in the final game became the inspiration for the movie “Hoosiers”. (A great sports flick, even though we lost)

The other thing I miss has to be the Indy 500. Every May, I get that urge to feel the crowd and hear the roar of those 33 cars as they speed around that two and a half mile oval at speeds of 230 miles per hour. But I digress.

The thing I REALLY miss is the Breaded Tenderloin Sandwiches. I grew up on those, and they are a mid west delicacy. I have found a few places in Florida that serves something similar. 

 

There is a Shell Gas station in The Villages that has a restaurant owned by some transplanted Hoosiers (like myself). And although they went to Anderson High, they served me anyway. (My Muncie friends will get it)

They serve up a great rendition of what I ate as a kid. 

 We have a Bistro/Pub here in Ocala that makes what they call a “Midwesterner” that is also close  to sandwich that I remember.

 And we found a restaurant outside of Ocala that has a reasonable facsimile. 

But nothing says it better than HOME MADE. Right? So lets go on our quest for just the right recipe. This is only the beginning.

First of all it HAS to be a Port Tenderloin. Don't settle for anything else. Period. I have warned you. Any good meat market can set you up with the correct one. Or talk to your guy at the supermarket.

Cut tenderloin into 4 pieces

Place plastic wrap on counter

 (See, I did this incorrectly- Loins should be turned 90 degrees)

Put one piece on plastic wrap and top with another layer of wrap

Pound loin down to about ¼ of an inch thick. Now you are not hitting this with a sledge hammer. I hit the first one way too hard. Take it nice and easy. You'll get the hang of it.

Salt and pepper each side. Set on paper plate

Using 3 pie pans, place ½ cup of flour in pan one

In pan two, take 2 eggs and ¼ cup of Mayonnaise. Whisk well

In pan three, place 3 slices of bread and 16 Saltine crackers that you have mixed in the food processor

Using the wet/dry hand process, mix a piece first in the flour, then the egg mixture and finally in the breading. Make sure you “pat” each one to get rid of the excess breading. 

Set in the fridge to cool for about 2 to 3 hours.This is an important step. Make these early, so they have time to chill.

Another idea is to make a whole gaggle (southern word) of them and freeze them. I have not tested this idea. (yet)

A word here about the wet/dry hand idea. It never worked for me. Plan to rinse off your hands occasionally. Or use one hand to mix the loin and the other to hold your beer.

Now you can play with the dog and have a beer.

( If you're an old fart like me, you'll get this)

OK, it's been a couple of hours and you are really getting hungry.

Set your deep fryer to 375. When the fryer is up to temperature, set two pieces in the basket and lower.

 If you are used to deep frying just gently lower the loin into the basket. (Hey it works on Diners, Drive Inns, and Dives)

Now, do I have to tell you to be careful here ???? This stuff is hotter that the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Shameless plug here) Don't burn yourself. It takes all the fun out of it.

You can also pan fry these in some oil. I don't like the idea because I have a hard time maintaining the proper temperature. Deep Fryers are much safer. (Penny says if you are pan frying, to use a CAST IRON skillet)

Cook your tenderloins until golden brown. Mine floated to the top when they were ready. BUT, keep your eye on them. This is not a 'throw them in, then walk away' type of cooking

When they are done, place on a rack and keep warm in the oven

Repeat for the last two pieces.

When the four pieces are done, MAKE SOME FRIES and ONION RINGS !!!

I was concentrating only on the sandwich, so I used pre made fries. (Shame on me) But they came out just fine.

I ate mine with JUST lettuce, mater, and mayo. But you can play Burger King and have it your way.

 Don't they look good ??? Damn right they do.

And they are easy to make. You can prepare the loins ahead of time, then pop them in the fryer.

WARNING: Do not try to bake them. Well, if you must, OK. But I am not responsible.

Don't forget to save a piece for the dog, OR THE President.

                        (P.O.T.U.S. 22 & 24 Grover Cleveland)

POST SCRIPT:

Had a left over the next day for dinner. Heated in the Nuke Box for two minutes. The breading came out a little too moist, but was right tasty. Could have used a toaster oven instead.

I did not talk about the oil I used. 

I guess you could use peanut oil, but we used regular old MAZOLA.

See you all next time for another exciting trip to the kitchen.

Live long and prosper.

CHILI SPAGHETTI

      Today, we are delving into the comfort zone. And for me, that means SPAGHETTI.

      I love it in many ways and this one is perhaps one of the two best recipes I have. The best of course is my wife's Spaghetti and Meat Balls, but I digress.

     Second has to be from “Cooking With Carolyn”. I found her on my ROKU app and have been trying out some of her recipes. See - http://killitcutitupandcookit.blogspot.com/2017/11/ and

http://killitcutitupandcookit.blogspot.com/2017/12/

     This recipe has a bit of a “bite” to it, but I found it to be reminiscent of a Jamaican Restaurant we used to have down the street.

      Check out her version of Chilli Spaghetti at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6AVHSnhRqQ

     Doesn't that look SPECTACULAR ? TRUST ME, IT IS.

     Ingredients – (I made just a few slight changes)

     I know it looks complicated - don't panic.


     I forgot to show the ground beef - Take 2

     Here, I have taken all the spices and measured it all out into one bowl. Makes it look easier - Right?

3 to 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil, or your choice of oil

1¼ Pound Lean Ground Turkey, 93%/ 7% (I used Ground beef)

½ Cup Onions, diced

1/3 Cup Bell Pepper, diced
(I left this out due to dietary issues - Replace with a small can of HATCH CHILLIS)

1/3 Cup Celery, diced

3 to 4 Cloves Garlic, finely minced (3 Cloves was perfect for us)

1 Bay Leaf

2 Tablespoons Grand Diamond All Purpose Seasoning (We used one TSP of REGULAR and 1 TSP of MILD) 

If you have not ordered Carolyn's seasoning yet---- Get off your BUTT.

Here is the link - https://granddiamondseasoning.com/products

You can thank me later

Let us continue
 
1 to 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

3 Tablespoons Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoons Ground Coriander

2 Teaspoons Oregano

1½ Teaspoons Mustard
(I used 1 TSP of dried mustard)

2 Teaspoons Light or Dark Brown Sugar, lightly packed

1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
(We left this out)

1-14oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
(I am not a fan of diced tomatoes, so we used sauce instead)

5 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire

2½ Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock/Broth 
(You did make home made, right?)

To Taste Shredded Cheddar Cheese
(As you will see. We went half Cheddar and half Motzerella)

1- 15 Ounce Can Beans, drained and rinsed, pinto, kidney, or black beans (use beans if you’re not going to serve the chili over spaghetti)

     (We left this out as we were serving it on top of spaghetti. 

     Remember this one?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPHtD1132JE


     DIRECTIONS - Now her directions are better than I can write, so let's hear from her. (The pictures are mine. But first, let's have a grown up beverage.

      First, chop the onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. In a large skillet, or medium size pot, add the oil and turn the heat to medium-high. 

     Once the oil is hot, brown the ground turkey (or beef) for about minutes. 

     Next, add all of the ingredients into the skillet. Stir well. 

     Bring up to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. (Tip: If you like the consistency of the chili at the 15-minute mark, turn off the heat. If the chili becomes too “tight”, or thick, just add a few more tablespoons of chicken stock.) 

      Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water, 3 to 4 quarts, to a boil over high heat. 

 
     Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt to the water. Add the pasta and boil to the desired tenderness. Drain the pasta in a strainer/colander, do not rinse it.

      Once it’s done, serve any way you like. Ladle the chili over each serving of pasta or toss the chili and pasta together, top with cheddar cheese, bake at 400 degrees, or place the casserole under the broiler just until the cheese melts. 

      OK, boys and girls. This is one of the best things we have ever tasted. Really. NO kidding.

      This is not as hard as it looks. There are a TON of ingredients, but once you get those in a bowl, it looks a lot easier.

      After I drained the sketti, I put it back in the pot and ladled the chili sauce on it and mixed it up. Then I put it in the casserole dish. 

    Penny likes Cheddar and I like Mozerella, so I used both. Just stick it in the oven long enough to melt the cheese. 

      Thanks Carolyn for another GREAT recipe.

      See you all next time. 

      WAIT !!! .. I forgot the cute doggie picture. From yesterdays Easter Egg hunt. (He got em all)