The Yummiest Fish EVER!

Summertime, sweet summertime!  We just love summertime in South Texas.  A few of the BEST things about living down south near the Gulf of Mexico are the beach, the fishing, and the seafood.  Having friends who own a boat and lodge is always a benefit too!   

On a recent vacation to the gulf coast, we were lucky enough to be invited to the Horn, Fin, and Feather Lodge, operated by the parents of some dear friends of ours, and part of the El Sauz Ranch, which is located near Port Mansfield, a cute fishing spot.  On the first evening of our visit, we drove to a bay-area waterway where we fished off the bank.  Holy Moly!!!   The kids would cast their line and within MINUTES there would be a huge tug! 

Here I am reeling in something...  I'm sure it was an alligator gar.  We caught lots of those prehistoric-looking fish that have a head like an alligator.  They are really ugly, and have a face that only an alligator gar Mama would love!! 

We caught a channel cat or two... 

We also caught several BEAUTIFUL redfish, one that was somewhat of a prize.  Little did I know that lots of spots on a fish are a prize to reel in.  And little did I know that a 32” redfish was a big fish to catch!  Beginner’s luck, I guess!  We all had so much fun that evening, we weighed and tagged “The Big One”, and the men filleted and bagged the fishy for the next day’s dinner.

And in true South Texas fashion, we made a new friend. 

YIKES!!!

NOW FOR THE YUMMIEST FISH EVER::::

Let me introduce you to Bob.  Here he is with his beautiful daughter and the 48" alligator gar they just rescued from the bay water.  Bob is a rancher, fisherman, farmer of “chuckers”  (that’s a story for later!), AND Bob’s a fireman.  (Firemen like to cook, or so I’ve heard.)  Bob had a recipe for cooking the redfish that did not disappoint us at all.  So yummy!!!

Here’s what he did: 

Bob took the redfish and laid it skin down on heavy duty foil.  Using a sharp knife, he scored the fish all the way to the skin, but not through the skin, leaving it intact.  He smeared butter all over the fish, even down into the cuts he had just made.  Then he topped the fish with Pico de gallo with chopped avocado.  (Pico de gallo a mixture of tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, with a shake of salt.  Bob added lots finely diced avocado to his pico.) Finally he took the foil with fish on top and put it on the grill over hot coals, cooking it until it was flaky and cooked through.

I’m not a true fan of redfish, but this stuff was over-the-top delicious.  Even my picky “I don’t like fish” teenager thought it was some good chow!

I can’t wait to visit El Sauz ranch again.  It was a piece of South Texas heaven. 

I also want to share this beautiful photo of a plant I found growing on the property.  I was told this is called a “Love Vine”.  I have to have one.  I'm going to start hunting for one today, so I can look at it and think of the day we reeled in the yummiest fish ever!

And finally, I leave you with these photos.  Sunsets and nights on the coast are just amazing.  Can't wait to experience this again!

Peace and Joy!

The Menu Maker Mom

Feeding the family ~ One menu at a time

FUN FOODS :: Marshmallow Cupcake on a Stick!

My daughters went to the birthday party of one of their friends yesterday, and this is one of the favors they received. 

IT'S JUST TOO STINKIN' CUTE!!!!

I'm going to have to try making these.  It's simply a very large marshmallow drenched in colored sugar, then topped with colored icing and sugar candy decorations.  Set inside a colorful cupcake wrapper, then impaled on a skewer, it becomes a Marshmallow Cupcake on a Stick!

Here it is in a cellophane bag and ribbons:

Friday FUN Day: The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Even though they have cell phones, computers, music galore, wii games, movies, trampolines, bicycles, a golf cart to drive, etc., etc....

Teenagers get bored easily.

Hmmmmffff...

My girls were sitting around one afternoon, saying "We're bored!". 

Yes, teens love to say, "I'm bored".  Actually, it's not a statement.  It's sort of a whine. 

Teens love to whine.

And smart mom's love to reply to a whiny "I'm bored" with "If you're bored I have some chores for you to do". 

That reply ALWAYS shuts 'em up and gets 'em busy real fast!!!!

After I made my obligatory reply to their sighfully made boredom statement, creativity kicked in.  The bored teens decided they wanted to plan a Mad Hatter's Tea Party.  They asked, I gave permission, and I told them that this would be THEIR party, not MINE.  I gave them a budget of $20.00 and promised my help and support.  Of course, Nana purchased a few decorations.  (Grandmas always like to help out!) 

What an awesome experience!  Along with having a GREAT time, the girls learned to plan something from beginning to end and stuck to their budget.  They made their costumes, as did their friends.  We even fashioned a Mad Hatter's hat from an old cowboy hat and paper mache!  They did the shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, made invitations, did the decorating. 

This Mama is proud of what they did!

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The Mad Hatters Tea Party

The cast of characters:

Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Alice, White Queen, Chesshir Cat

Menu

Finger snacks

On the table:  bowls of Gummy Worms, Skittles, and M&Ms

Main Menu

Missie’s Marvelous Devilled Eggs

Chicken and Cheese Sandwiches

Skewers of Cantaloupe, Strawberry, and White Grape

Relish Tray of Cucumbers, Carrots, and Pickles with Creamy Ranch Dressing

Potato Chips

Sammie’s Lucious Lemonade

Dessert

Mini Cupcakes made of spice cake and cream cheese frosting.

Cupcakes have "Eat Me" written on them just like the little Petit Fours in the movie!

Mad Hatter’s Tournament

Bubble Blowing Contest

Pin the Tail on the Rabbit

Flamingo Croquet

Frisbee Toss

Spoons card game

Wii: Alice in Wonderland

Father's Day Shrimp Boil

Hello, my old friends! It's me, Menu Maker Mom!!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've shared. As an apology, I offer you my recipe for our shrimp boil!

This is such a fun party, and everyone has a great time. You can never go wrong when you offer shrimp and cold beer to your family and friends! Oh, and don't forget the mimosas... That's what we had, and they were so very refreshing!

This is a fun activity for a summer evening, and really pretty easy to do.  The aroma is very strong, so I recommend that you do this outside in a turkey fryer, and not in your kitchen with a large stockpot.  The most important part of the process is the timing.  Follow the timing that I list and it will all be cooked to perfection!

SUPPLIES:
Gallon-size zip lock bags
Kitchen Timer
Boiling Basket
Turkey Fryer
















INGREDIENTS (I put the meat and veggies into large Zip-Lock bags, so they are ready to be emptied at the right time) :

2 Crab 'n Shrimp Boil bags by Zatarain
1 bottle Crab 'n Shrimp Boil oil by Zatarain
1 cup salt
3 large onions, peeled and cut in half
2 bulbs garlic, top cut off (don't separate the cloves, leave whole)
2 lemons, cut in quarters
10 ears corn, shucked and cut in half (can use frozen halves)
3 pounds link sausage (down here we like Polock's Wedding Sausage!)
4 pounds raw shrimp, large size without heads
3 pound bag small red potatoes

FOR SERVING:
Cocktail sauce
Lemons, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Set up the turkey fryer with the boiling basket. Fill with water and set it on the fire. Bring water to a boil.
2. Once water boils, add the 2 bags of Crab 'n Shrimp Boil, the bottle of Crab 'n Shrimp Boil oil, the salt, and the garlic. BOIL 15 MINUTES.
3. Add the potatoes. BOIL 7 MINUTES.
4. Add the corn. BOIL 5 MINUTES.
5. Add the sausage. BOIL 5 MINUTES.
6. Add the lemons and onions. BOIL 3 MINUTES.
7. Add the shrimp. BOIL 3 MINUTES.
8. Strain out the water and empty all the goodies in one of the following two ways:
     (a) If you are serving from a buffet-type table, pour the shrimp and goodies into the aluminum turkey pan. You can see from our photo that we served this way, as we had other salads and sides that required a plate and fork.
     (b) If you are serving the traditional way, cover a table with several layers of newspaper. Pour the shrimp and goodies down the table. Everyone eats with their hands! When done, wad up the paper and all the mess and toss into the garbage can! Easy!

Be sure to have cocktail sauce and fresh lemon wedges on the table.  A little Tobasco sauce is good too!

Hope you have a chance to try this out. It is so much fun and gets everyone involved in some way. Be sure to have lots of ice cold beer on hand and take plenty of photos.
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Menu Maker Mom ~
Makin' Yummies... Stuffin' Tummies