Downton Abby's "spicy fish n chips"

Totally made some awesome fish n chips for dinner tonight.  Beer battered in my own brew (Maggie Moo Slobber) and soooooooooo tasty!

I used a recipe from my "Downton Abby" Cookbook.  

And though the true Brit would serve it with mushy (pronounced m-uh-she) peas, I don't particularly care for them that way ... but I do LOVE fresh (or frozen) peas with my fish n chips!

I cooked it at my folks place - for me and them - and it was nice enough (and cool enough) that evening to eat alfresco ... woot woot!

Tzatziki

God I love tzatziki (I love it so much that once it's in my bowl, and this is the truth, I will totally lick the bowl / drink the last few drops, before washing the bowl ... hahaha).  At any rate, I made a bowl of it today, and though I accidentally used my folks "fine" zester for the cucumber (which made it a bit soupier than I meant) it was/is true DELICIOUSNESS!!

I also bought a package of small pitas to go with it, and tried my hand at making "toasted pita" bites.  I put a bit of oil in a frying pan - with some Penzy's "sandwich sprinkle" - and "toasted" them for a few minutes on each side, then I sliced them into bite size pieces to dip and munch.

Yummo!

It is a very easy dip to make.  (I may have put this recipe on here before ...)

Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber
1 Lemon
Fresh Dill
2-3 Cloves Garlic
Plain Greek Yogurt (I use Fage)
Black Pepper - optional

How to make it:
Pour yogurt into a medium sized bowl.  Peel and grate the cucumber into the bowl.  Add the juice of 1 lemon (and some zest too, if you'd like).  Peel and chop the garlic, add to the bowl. Wash and snip a fair amount of fresh dill into the bowl.  Add a bit of freshly grated pepper.  Mix ... and viola!

*This is a "recipe" that a Greek friend of mine gave me.

I recently saw a recipe that says to add fresh spearmint, which I think I'll try net time

Pantry Staples

Everyone culminates "their" pantry staples, right?  I mean, as you learn what you like to eat and cook, your pantry becomes distinctly "yours."  When new members of your family come along, pantry needs shift ... and as ones tastes evolve the pantry does the same.  I also believe that pantries betray the season, don't you?  Hot chocolate is much more prevalent in mine during the winter than in the summer, but I digress.

Some of my staples are:
Fluff
Grits
Oatmeal
Golden Syrup
Maple Syrup
Cous cous
Tuna Fish 
Beans - for chili, hummus, English Breakfasts etc...
Tomato Sauce
SPICES!!!  :o)
Pasta - usually elbow noodles
Veggies
TEA - Lady Grey, English Breakfast, MInt and a few others
White Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Brown Sugar
Brownie and or Cake Mixes
and
Cereal - usually Honey Nut Cheerios

I mean, it's pretty much a guarantee that you'll find these things on my shelf.

At certain points in the year Cream of Mushroom Soup is there.  And there are times when I've got my "Greek" on, and you'll find Dolmas in there too.  And of course ... the things that come and go when the mood strikes...but staples are staples and you can almost ALWAYS find them in my closet!  ;o)

What about you?

Peppercorn Fish

For dinner tonight I made Peppercorn Swai Fillets ... yummo!  The fillets are lightly breaded (in a flour creamy peppercorn spice mix - thank you Penzy's) and fried in olive oil.

And for dessert ... the final two (small) leftover cupcakes and frosting. 

Summer Salad

This salad is something that a friend of mine taught me while I was living in London.  She's from the Middle East, though I don't know if this is a "traditional" dish or just something she made ... at any rate, I love it ... it's simple, spring/summery and delicious!

Ingredients:
Celery, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Parsley (large leaf), chopped
Tomato's, chopped
Fresh Lemon Juice
Fresh Ground Black Pepper & Salt to taste
Olive Oil

Combine ingredients in a bowl ... mix ... eat.

Black Bean Salsa

This is one of the best things I've made in a while ... YUM!  I used a recipe that was in a Penzy's spice catalog.

Black Beans
Corn (fresh from the cob)
Red Bell Pepper
Sweet Onion
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Parsley
Cumin
Crushed Black Pepper
Fresh Lime Zest & Juice
Olive Oil

Chop, spice, mix ... DEVOUR!!!!

4th of July "BBQ"

This years 4th of July was SUPER low key for me...as in, I'm the lame-o who didn't do anything or go anywhere.  But I digress...it was the 4th of July, so I made some summer salads, corn on the cob, a "grilled" Portobello Mushroom and "BBQ'D" Chicken.  Tasty!

Red Potato & Rosemary Salad, Tomato Salad & Deviled Eggs

This is how one grills (and slightly burns) a piece of chicken when they don't have an outdoor grill...