Earl Cooks Mango Habanero Tilapia

I start by worrying that this would be a a bit too spicy for my wife, and hence, me (happy wife, happy life), but it was not in the least! I have posted about other "Sea Cuisine" brand seafood products, but this may be their best yet! It was seasoned to perfection. and is an oven baked dish which makes it very simple. I simply made some quick rice and had some sour cream and tartar sauce, if I needed it for the heat, which I didn't.
All I had to do was place it on a baking sheet and wait a few minutes and we were eating!
This will be a regular in our lineup of seafood, in fact, I went back to buy more!

Earl Cooks TJ's Seafood Paella

Even with 64+ years under my belt, there are still some famous dishes I have yet to try. The reasons vary, but I am trying to remedy that. Tonight will be a step in that direction. I will admit here that I am cheating a bit. Neither my wife nor I have had paella, and I saw some in the frozen food section at Trader Joe's and thought we should give it a try. If you have never been to Trader Joe's, I think you are in for a treat. They offer dishes you would normally not find in the frozen food section, and most of them are quire reasonable. This paella has ingredients my wife has never tried like mussels and squid. I have not had mussels but have tried fried calamari, so that counts, right? Now, for bit of a cephalopod detour, when I was quite young, and shopping with my mom at the store we frequented often, I was in for a big surprise...shock really.

This was around the same time Disney re-released 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. Anyway, I walked around the aisle I had walked around many times before and there in all it's glory was a GIANT OCTOPUS, tentacles spread across a 4 foot section of the meat case on top of crushed ice! I was in total shock! I must have been about 8 or so and had never seen a real sea monster, especially in the grocery store. I think my mom knew it was there and wanted to shock me. She did! Okay, back to the paella.

The instructions were simple and it cooks in less than 10 minutes. Just preheat a non-stick skillet on HIGH. When it is fully heated, cut the package open and dump it into the hot skillet and cover. The rice, seasonings, and seafood (shrimp, squid rings, and mussels) are in the bag. The slowest to cook is the shrimp. After 3 or 4 minutes remove the cover, spread everything around and allow to cook just 2 minutes more.

As you can see it has a vibrant color which, in most paella, is from saffron, but my guess is that this is mostly from turmeric. Both are named ingredients on the package.

Results & Conclusions

I liked it, but the degree of HEAT was unexpected, and probably too much for my wife. It said it was 2 servings, but not big servings. They say it is ⅓ seafood, which seems about right. While this was everything it was advertised to be, we won't be buying it again. If I go down the paella trail again, it will be homemade...or at a restaurant, if I can find one that serves it!

Earl & "Turkey" Binge at Red Lobsterfest

We like Red Lobster. As "Turkey" (a.k.a. my wife) commented "we have never had a bad meal here"! It is also the most expensive place we eat. We have celebrated anniversaries, birthdays and now medical procedures at Red Lobster. You see "Turkey" has to fast for a couple of days, so this was a final meal of sorts...until her next meal in at least 40 hours. I was worried. I know she eats to live, and I don't want her to suffer the pangs of hunger without the ability to eat, but fast she must, so I said "let's go to Red Lobster" to which she said "grand" (or something affirmative like that). My reason for wanting to go there was "LOBSTERFEST"! What I didn't know was how much "festing" we would do. It was very nice. Starting with the hostess who ask me my wife's name (we arrived separately) and who called my wife by her name to take her to the table I had already secured. Our server was equally good and the food was more than ample and much more than scrumptious.

We tried something we had never tried and rather than order a large, pre-assembled dish we ordered everything à la carte. You see I was just going to eat light, since I didn't have to skip and meals...boy did that not happen! I wanted to try their Lobster Roll. I have heard a bunch lately about lobster rolls and how people love them and can't live without them. Having never had one, that was my starter. Of course, they brought out their famous, delicious, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, which was my REAL starter. "Turkey" started off with fried clam strips and lobster & seafood stuffed mushrooms. The lobster roll was good, but the mushrooms and fried clams were GREAT. "Turkey" has loved fried clams since she traveled to the east coast in high school. For me it was their dipping sauce, oh, and they're FRIED! Next came the soup course. "Turkey" ordered New England Clam Chowder. I wanted the Lobster Bisque. The biscuits dipped in the bisque was SOUPER! Next up for "Turkey" was Wood-Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Creamy Langostino Lobster Mashed Potatoes. She ate the lobster, then had me eat the potatoes. I guess the shrimp was good, it was the only thing she didn't try to share with me! For my final course, Loaded Seaside Fries. This was the bargain of the night. An order of french fries topped with clam chowder, topped with fried clam strips! It was the least expensive thing on their new Tasting Plates menu and was a great way to finish my courses. Take that poutine! We probably spent too much and it was worth every penny!

By the numbers
Food ✰✰✰✰½
Service ✰✰✰✰½
Price 💲💲💲💲½

Earl Eats Porterhouse Pork Chop at Outback

I should start by saying that I have never cared for Outback Steakhouse. I have always felt a bit disappointed by their offerings. In fact, while checking my journal (facebook) I found it had been 5 years to the day since we ate there last! But my wife A.K.A "Turkey", got a gift card and that was enough to make me be less disappointed no matter the food, so off down under we went. Let me begin by saying that the staff was great! We went early enough (5 p.m.) to eat and get back in time to watch the Utah Jazz. We were seated right away with no waiting. The whole restaurant was spotless. The lighting was of particular interest because it gave us plenty of light without being harsh or overly bright. On to the meal...

They started off by letting us know that they were out of "their" bread because of the successful holiday traffic (it was 2 days after the New Year) which surprised and disappointed me (there's that word again). Bread is something that can be made in-house or purchased from a commercial bakery fairly easily. They probably have some special recipe they have shipped in frozen since they are a chain, but that's no excuse. However, they did not let us down! They offered their Bloomin' Onion appetizer rather than bread at NO CHARGE! Great save, Outback! It was a great way to save the day👍, and the onion was zesty and hot and their dipping sauce delicious, even though not quite enough, but they brought more upon request.

I ordered what they call their Porterhouse Pork Chop after seeing this picture from their menu. It was very tasty and cooked just right. It was fork tender and came with 2 sides (mashed potatoes and broccoli, which were just okay), and I found myself picking it up to get the last of the meat from the bone. It was reasonably priced and worth the money.


My wife ordered a seafood trio which included a lobster tail, a crab cake, and 1 grilled shrimp skewer. She also upgraded her side salad to a lettuce wedge, which she shared with me. She enjoyed the crab cake. She would not let me tell them that the lobster tail and shrimp were a bit rubbery, so I didn't. The salad was the star of her meal and we do like their bleu cheese dressing. Rather, let me say I LOVE bleu cheese, and she likes it on this wedge.

Conclusion:
While there were disappointments, we were not disappointed with the overall experience. I am not sure what the significance of going to a restaurant with "steakhouse" in the name and not wanting a steak is, but we would go back, just for the Lettuce Wedge and Bloomin' Onion!
By the Numbers:
Overall Experience ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Price 💲💲💲

Earl Cooks Potato Crusted Cod with Asparagus

Another first for me...Cod! I wasn't raised around home cooked fish. Indeed the only seafood restaurant I knew of was many miles away, in the heart of the city called Bratten's. They were famous for their clam chowder, but I was too young to appreciate the rest of their menu. My only other exposure was the fish sticks we were served every Friday for school lunch (not a great seafood memory). Of course, we had tuna sandwiches, which rocked the way mom made them, and my mom's dad loved fishing. I remember the emptied cartons of Lucerne Milk that had the cleaned and beheaded fish, usually trout, tail-up, frozen in water and soldiered in her deep freeze. I don't remember grandma ever cooking them, but I'm sure she did because she wasted NOTHING!

Earl Cooks Mediterranean Crusted Salmon with Spinach/Artichoke Riced Caulifower

Salmon has become the go-to seafood in our house. I originally started serving it because of it's health benefits, but now it is for it's versatility and flavor. It seems to be readily available year-round, and while not cheap, it is rather reasonable. I try to have it once a week, so I am always looking for new ways to season and serve it. While shopping a my local fishmonger (the seafood area in the butcher section at the chain grocery store), I spotted some salmon fillets that were pre-seasoned with a Mediterranean herb crust, so home they came! Now all I had to do was find a side that wouldn't negate the health benefits of the salmon, so I created Spinach/Artichoke Riced Cauliflower...what a MOUTHFUL. And yes it was a mouthful, but easy and per my wife's instructions, cleared a bit of cupboard space! The details follow...
Ingredients
̶  for the Spinach/Artichoke Riced Cauliflower

• 1 pkg Riced Cauliflower (frozen)
• 1 can Artichoke Bottoms
• 1 can chopped spinach
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper
• 1 TBL real butter

 ̶  for the fish

• 2 Mediterranean Herb crusted Salmon Fillets (5 oz). I bought mine at my local Smith's, a Kroger grocery subsidiary, but have seen them elsewhere and even in the frozen food section. You can also find crust recipes all over the internet
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon
• 1 tsp real butter 

Instructions

̶  for the Spinach/Artichoke Riced Cauliflower

• Drain canned spinach and artichokes and rinse thoroughly
• Chop Artichokes
• Cook Riced Cauliflower per package instructions and drain any excess liquid
• Combine all and heat through
• Add butter, salt pepper and lemon juice to taste

 ̶  for the fish

• Cook per recipe instructions. If you are cooking fresh salmon, I recommend a skillet to give the skin the necessary crispness, but I cooked mine in the oven because the skin had been removed

Results/Conclusions

The salmon was good, though not as good as I have made before. I love artichokes, but the canned variety lacked the savory goodness of fresh. My wife likes canned spinach, or spinach in any form, so it was fine and we have come to enjoy riced veggies of all kinds. All-in-all it was a satisfying  weeknight meal, though next time, I will make a few changes.

Earl Cooks Fresh Honey Garlic Salmon

Fresh Salmon Fillets

Tried something new last night...new for me at least, I cooked Fresh Salmon Fillets! We have been trying to eat more Salmon, but I have been cooking frozen portions in the oven for convenience and price. Well the other night my wife said she would like to try fresh, so at the market, I saw some some great looking fillets and had the butcher wrap them up. I had never cooked fish with the skin on, and as you can see, when displayed flesh side up, they didn't look like they had any skin...my mistake. I found a recipe that sounded good AND my wife liked, then modified it to match our fillets, which were 8oz. I found the recipe on RecipeTin Eats, a site I visited for the first time. My recipe follows:

Ingredients

Sauce

• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (We use Kikkoman's)
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed

Salmon

• 2 salmon fillets,  (8oz each)
• Olive oil
• Freshly ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper(a must in our house)

Instructions

1. Take salmon out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Pat salmon skin dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Whisk together the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Drizzle oil in a non stick fry pan and heat over medium high heat (or just under, if your stove runs hot). Place salmon in the pan, and cook the first side (skin side) for 4 minutes. Turn, then cook the other side for 3 minutes, or to taste.
4. Flip so skin side is DOWN again. Pour Sauce over salmon. Cook for 1 minute or until it starts to thicken slightly. Look at the SIDE of the salmon to tell how cooked through the center is.
5. Remove onto dinner plates.
6. Serve salmon drizzled with Sauce.

How it turned out

It was tasty and tender and came right off of the skin (a worry I had). 8 oz. is a large fillet and I probably could have used just one cut in half for a portion. From a flavor standpoint, the Honey/Soy/Garlic mixture was something I probably won't try again. I prefer a more savory taste that doesn't overpower the salmon.