Crispy Fried Shitake Mushrooms

This may come as a shock to you, but I don’t have a ton of extra time in my day for many extracurricular activities. So there are very few television shows that are on my must watch list.

But I am human. And I do have a few shows that I can’t live with out. I would share the list with you, but I don’t need you to judge me more than you already do.

However, I will tell you that Top Chef is on the top of my can’t miss list.

I anxiously a wait every new season, then proceed to fall in love with chefs and spend a lot of time trying not to drool all over the place.

The upside is that I get super inspired to try new things.

And sometimes… not always, but sometimes… some of the crazy things I try are just crazy enough to work.

You will need…

1/3 cup canola oil

6 large shitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons water

½ pound panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the molasses and water in a medium bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Toss the mushrooms into the marinade and stir them around until they are coated.

Remove them from marinade and toss them into the panko breadcrumbs. Stir the mushrooms until they are coated with panko.

When coated, remove the mushrooms from the breadcrumbs and set them aside.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is very hot, add in the mushrooms and cook until crispy and browned on both sides. About 5 minutes a side.

Remove the mushrooms from the oil and place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Crispy Fried Shitake Mushrooms

1/3 cup canola oil

6 large shitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons water

½ pound panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the molasses and water in a medium bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Toss the mushrooms into the marinade and stir them around until they are coated.

Remove them from marinade and toss them into the panko breadcrumbs. Stir the mushrooms until they are coated with panko.

When coated, remove the mushrooms from the breadcrumbs and set them aside.

Heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is very hot, add in the mushrooms and cook until crispy and browned on both sides. About 5 minutes a side.

Remove the mushrooms from the oil and place them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Garlic Chicken Schnitzel

As I’m closing in on the end of my second year of cooking regularly, I’m finally getting comfortable with making up my own recipes.

I spent the first year diligently following recipes. Learning that mustard is good on almost any meat and at what temperature to cook chicken so that is completely cooked but still completely moist.

The second year was spent taking other peoples recipes and tweaking them so they were more appealing to my audience, my family and myself.

Now, many of the recipes I cook and post are things I’ve come up with myself.

It is an amazing feeling to get creative in the kitchen and an even better feeling when the thing comes out tasting delicious.

This is the first recipe I ever came up with on my own. It started out simple, but I think I am finally ready to share it with all of you.

It’s simple, its tasty and pretty much everyone loves it. Hopefully you will too.

You will need…

4 thinly sliced chicken breasts (or pounded thin if you can’t find ones that are already cut thin)

¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons for cooking

6 green onions, roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons whole grain or Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sherry, brandy or white wine (whatever you have in the house)

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the green onions, garlic, mustard, ¼ cup olive oil and the alcohol in a food processor or blender.

Pulse the mixture until it is completely combined and smooth.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour it onto a plate or shallow dish.

Pour the panko onto a second plate and set out a third empty plate.

One at a time, drunk the chicken into the sauce so that both sides are coated.

Then, dunk it into the panko so that all sides are breaded.

Continue until all the chicken is breaded.

Then, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken and cook until browned on one side. About 3 to 4 minutes.

Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Garlic Chicken Schnitzel

4 thinly sliced chicken breasts (or pounded thin if you can’t find ones that are already cut thin)

¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons for cooking

6 green onions, roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons whole grain or Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sherry, brandy or white wine (whatever you have in the house)

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the green onions, garlic, mustard, ¼ cup olive oil and the alcohol in a food processor or blender.

Pulse the mixture until it is completely combined and smooth.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour it onto a plate or shallow dish.

Pour the panko onto a second plate and set out a third empty plate.

One at a time, drunk the chicken into the sauce so that both sides are coated.

Then, dunk it into the panko so that all sides are breaded.

Continue until all the chicken is breaded.

Then, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken and cook until browned on one side. About 3 to 4 minutes.

Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve hot. 

Shrimp Cakes

It has been two years, but tonight Sin City and I are having a very special reunion.

This weekend, five of my best girls and I are headed to Vegas to for Jaci’s last big night out as a single lady.

The plan is soak up some rays by the pool, dance our booties off and find Lindsey B a man. Since Vegas is where Jaci met her future husband.

On the day I leave for Vegas, I needed a dish as exciting, bright and interesting as the city itself.

Nailed it.

You will need…

½ cup heavy cream

1 shallot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

½ pound raw shrimp finely chopped, shelled, deveined and tails removed

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 large egg

2 cups panko break crumbs

¾ cup peanut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the cream, shallots and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

When the liquid begins to simmer, reduce the heat so that it is barely simmering and reduce the cream until it is about ¼ cup of liquid. About 4 to 6 minutes.

Pour the cream through a strainer over a small bowl and allow the liquid to drain and cool.

Then, combine the shrimp, onion, celery, all but 1 tablespoon of the parsley, and 2 tablespoons of the remaining shallots and garlic in the strainer into a large bowl.

Season well with salt and pepper and combine the mixture well.

Once the cream has cooled, add in the egg and whisk well.

Stir the egg and cream mixture into the shrimp mixture and then add in ¾ cup panko into the bowl.

Mix completely.

Then using 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture at a time, form the mixture into little cakes.

On a plate, add the reaming 1 ¼ cups panko and coat the cakes in panko.

Place the cakes on plates or a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When the cakes have cooled, heat the oil over medium high heat in a large pan.

When the oil is very hot, add the cakes to the oil a few cakes at a time. Fry the cakes until they are golden brown on both sides. About 4 minutes a side.

Serve with the remaining parsley as a garnish and dipped in the new old tartar sauce.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Shrimp Cakes

½ cup heavy cream

1 shallot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

½ pound raw shrimp finely chopped, shelled, deveined and tails removed

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 large egg

2 cups panko break crumbs

¾ cup peanut oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining the cream, shallots and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

When the liquid begins to simmer, reduce the heat so that it is barely simmering and reduce the cream until it is about ¼ cup of liquid. About 4 to 6 minutes.

Pour the cream through a strainer over a small bowl and allow the liquid to drain and cool.

Then, combine the shrimp, onion, celery, all but 1 tablespoon of the parsley, and 2 tablespoons of the remaining shallots and garlic in the strainer into a large bowl.

Season well with salt and pepper and combine the mixture well.

Once the cream has cooled, add in the egg and whisk well.

Stir the egg and cream mixture into the shrimp mixture and then add in ¾ cup panko into the bowl.

Mix completely.

Then using 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture at a time, form the mixture into little cakes.

On a plate, add the reaming 1 ¼ cups panko and coat the cakes in panko.

Place the cakes on plates or a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When the cakes have cooled, heat the oil over medium high heat in a large pan.

When the oil is very hot, add the cakes to the oil a few cakes at a time. Fry the cakes until they are golden brown on both sides. About 4 minutes a side.

Serve with the remaining parsley as a garnish and dipped in the new old tartar sauce.