Flavor Expressions: Zesty Lemon Pepper Chicken

 

Trying a new product to see if it's worthy of y'all is one of my favorite things to do!  

Today's experiment is a "shake and bake" type product.

I love lemon pepper anything and this product gives you instructions for cooking either in the regular oven or in the air fryer.  I chose the oven method.

I had about 1.5 lbs. of boneless/skinless chicken tenders.  There are two pouches of seasoned coating mix in each box.  I was afraid I wouldn't have enough so I opened both pouches and placed in a pie tin.  The instructions state to mix one egg with 1 T. of water in another shallow dish.

I preheated the oven to 375 degrees F. and sprayed a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Here's a good tip to share:  when you're breading a protein after having dipped it in an egg wash, use one hand for the egg wash and one hand for the breading.  That way you don't end up with clumps of the mixture on both hands.  Think of it as having a wet hand and dry hand.

I dipped each piece of chicken in the egg wash, placed it in the coating mix plate, and made sure to cover the chicken completely with the mix.  Then on to the prepared baking sheet it went.  Repeat until you have all the chicken coated.

I baked for 25 minutes, turning the chicken over about halfway through.

The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees F. when fully cooked.

I steamed some broccoli and heated some whole kernel corn with butter for our side dishes.

Our verdict?  We thoroughly enjoyed this product and the chicken was delicious.  A super simple meal that would definitely be easy to prepare for an after work/school weeknight meal.

First Chili of the Season Chili

 

After spending last week at the beach, we came home to leaves falling, cooler temperatures, and even a hint that we may have a frost before the week is finished.  

When that first cool snap occurs, or even the hint of a first cool snap is mentioned, I'm ready for chili!

I turned off the AC today, opened the windows, and cooked a crockpot of chili....hence the name:  First Chili of the Season Chili.  You can either cook it stovetop or in the crockpot.  I had a lot to do this afternoon, so slow cooker it was.

2 lbs. ground chuck

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 T. chopped garlic

3 T. chili powder (or more to suit your taste)

1 T. ground cumin

2 cans Rotel (your choice of flavor)

1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

2 (15.5 oz.) cans Bush's Mixed Chili Beans 

Spray the inside of the crock pot with nonstick spray.  Set the heat to high.  Add the Rotels, petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, and the beans.  Cover.

While these ingredients begin to heat, brown the ground chuck, onion, peppers, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  

Stir frequently, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef browns and the vegetables begin to soften.

When the beef is cooked through and browned (not just turned gray), stir in the chili powder and cumin.  Let the spices "bloom" for a few minutes while stirring.  Remove from heat and add to the ingredients in the crockpot.  

Stir to combine everything and cover.  Set the timer for 3 hours on high heat or 4 hours on low heat.

Taste and add a little salt if needed.  Ladle into bowls and top with your favorite toppings, i.e., sour cream, shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, etc.

Dining Out Southeast: Red Elephant, Dothan, AL

 

On the way home from the beach yesterday, we decided to stop in Dothan for lunch.  There were all the usual fast food joints and a few BBQ joints with questionable online reviews.  

We spied the Red Elephant located in a strip mall and observed a crowded parking lot and diners entering and leaving the restaurant.  Decision made.

The interior was welcoming and there were cute red elephant prints hanging on the walls that I couldn't resist snapping photos of to share.

As we expected, the dining room was packed with diners and the staff was hustling!  We were quickly seated and drink orders taken.

We told our server it was our first visit and she recommended several appetizers which are her favorites.

We started with Spinach and Artichoke Dip served with pita chips based on her recommendation.  She was telling the truth.  It was served hot, there was a ton of spinach and artichokes.  The dip was creamy and the extra parmesan topping was just beginning to melt.  The pita chips were sturdy enough to hold up to the thick dip.

After all the seafood we had enjoyed last week, we were ready for burgers!

We both chose the Classic Burger.  American Cheese for Sweet Harold with fries as his side; Swiss Cheese for me and onion rings as my side.

We both agreed this is one of the best burgers we've eaten in a long time.  Large patties, soft toasted buns, and cooked perfectly has we had ordered:  well done for me and medium well for SH.

The fries were okay as were the onion rings.  Nothing special, but served hot and crispy.

Here are photos of the menu.  

Nice place for a quick lunch and a yummy burger.  We saw a variety of salads and pizzas being served to nearby tables.  Everything looked very tempting!

Dining Out Gulf Coast: The Grand Marlin, Panama City Beach, FL

August 2023 we celebrated my birthday here at the Grand Marlin and we've remembered that meal fondly ever since.  While visiting Mexico Beach last week, we knew where we wanted to celebrate our 28th Wedding Anniversary!  

From the minute you enter, you are made to feel so welcomed and are always warmly greeted.  

When Sweet Harold called for reservations, they asked if we would be celebrating anything special.  As for my birthday, they had a special menu printed just for us!

We were seated at the same cozy table as last time.  It's in a small alcove and is out of the busy section of the dining room.  I asked and this table is Table #10.  I put this information specifically in this post so if you ever want a semi-private table, you'll know which one to ask for when making your reservations.

The view is lovely overlooking St. Andrews Bay.

Christopher was our server for the evening and he made certain everything was perfect from beginning to end of our meal.  

I was attempting to select what I wanted to drink and he told me if I ordered something and didn't care for it, not to worry.  He'd make sure I received something I'd enjoy.

I selected the Watermelon Lemon Drop:  Absolut Watermelon Vodka, Triple Sec, lemon juice, and a splash of grapefruit juice.  No need for me to try something else.  The drink was light and refreshing and the watermelon flavor was center stage.  I loved this one.

Sweet Harold had the Dirty Blue Martini:  Absolut Vodka, Lillet Blanc, splash of olive juice, and bleu cheese olives.  He ordered this same one last year and he agreed this one remains a favorite.

We started the festivities with Sweet Corn Hushpuppies with cinnamon butter.  Now for someone who grew up eating savory hushpuppies with ketchup, the idea of a hushpuppy with powdered sugar on top and served with a cinnamon butter, seemed different.  But, these were expertly fried in that the outside was crispy with a nice crunch, there were tender pieces of corn inside, and the interior had a sweet flavor.  The cinnamon butter was the ideal accompaniment.

I love She-Crab Soup and last year's cup was delicious.  I knew I had to enjoy it once again.  The soup is made with local blue crab, cream, sherry, and a drizzle of chive oil to top.

It was served hot (!) and the chive oil is a nice addition.  There was a nice amount of crab and this cup of soup well be fondly remembered again!  

Sweet Harold compares every wedge salad he orders anywhere to the Grand Marlin version.  I swiped a bite or three and agreed that the blue cheese is the star.  As you can see, this is a LARGE wedge of iceberg covered with blue cheese, bacon, scallions, grape tomatoes, and a creamy dressing.  It definitely deserved two photos.

If we were locals, I could see us being weekly regulars just for the she crab soup and this wedge salad.  Both are that special.

Now we'll move on to the main course.

Sweet Harold chose the Grilled Mahi with a caper brown butter sauce which was served with whipped potatoes and green beans.

Now any menu description that has browned butter will get my full attention.  This was a nice sized portion of mahi and was expertly grilled.  The little crispy capers were yummy.

The potatoes and green beans were more than a filler on the plate.  Both were delicious as well and the entire entree was a nice change from deep fried fish and fries.

A beautiful presentation isn't it?

I had been craving crab in all the varieties, hence the She-Crab Soup.  I wavered between the crab cakes listed on the regular menu and the crab claws on the appetizer portion.  I made up my own entree in that I ordered the fried crab claws from the appetizer menu and the Parmesan Truffle Fries from the "Sharable Sides" portion of the menu.  

First the fries.  They were definitely a sharable size and, yes, I shared!  Not greasy at all, they were fried to a gorgeous golden brown and topped with parmesan and truffle oil.  Decadent AND delicious!  I was offered a choice of ketchup or homemade ranch for dipping.  I selected the ranch and I can assure you, it was definitely homemade.  Yummy, yummy.

And now to the crab claws!  These beauties were large in size and flavor.  They were served with both cocktail and tartar sauce.  Thank you for the lemon wedge for squeezing over these pieces of heaven for the added zip.  There were 32 of these crab claws.  To say my crab craving was satisfied is an understatement.  

 Look at the size of this crab claw!

The Grand Marlin wanted to assure that our Anniversary was celebrated perfectly.  They gifted us with an amazing dessert complete with a candle!

The Praline Basket is filled with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauces, then topped with blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.  

Trust me, this was as yummy and decadent as it sounds!

Here are pictures of the menu.  I don't think anyone can read over this menu and not find several things you'd love to try!

Atmosphere:  10/10

Service:  10/10

Food:  10/10

Dining Out Gulf Coast: Italian Kitchen Supper Club, Port St. Joe, FL

 

Well.  This blog post will be difficult to compose.  Y'all know I have always attempted to find the positive aspects of our dining out meals.  I will do the same with this review.  

First, I'll state that our food was delicious.  I should say, what food we received was delicious.  

Next door to this establishment is the Italian Kitchen which was the original restaurant.  I believe their menu is mostly pizzas and sandwiches.  The owners, at some point, decided to open this adjacent restaurant separated with a courtyard with picnic tables with umbrellas. 

Our first mistake was thinking with "supper club" in the title, this would be an intimate, low lighting, just a few tables cozy restaurant.  We were correct on one thing; there are just a few tables.

Our second mistake was when we entered the small (very small) dining room and realized there was either a wedding rehearsal group or a we just got married group of about 15 people taking over half of the restaurant.  We SHOULD have realized that this was going to overwhelm kitchen and staff, but we had our hearts set on trying this place.  We discussed and decided we could wait patiently and sip some wine and relax.

No, we couldn't.  There is no wine or alcohol served here, but it is BYOB which is what the wedding party had done.  In a cooler with lots of Ultras and White Claw and a few bottles of wine.  You ask how does she know what was in the cooler?  It will become obvious as you continue reading.

I glanced at the (uncomfortably close to us) table beside ours and noticed a 20 oz. bottle of coke and a bottle of Milo's tea.  So if we order tea, it's going to be in a plastic single serving bottle?  We'll have water, please.

Finally a server appears and tells us that things are hectic, but she'll do the best she can.  We decide we'll order some meatballs to start and maybe let the wedding party order and get situated.  We'll order our meal after the meatballs.  

The homemade meatballs can be ordered three, six, or twelve.  We ordered three.  It took about 15 minutes for them to arrive at the table.  We inquired if there was any bread available.  We were told that it was being baked.  

Again, let me repeat, the food was delicious!  From my seat, I could see directly into the kitchen.  The young man (chef) was working like crazy in that kitchen.  But during the 15 minutes we waited on the meatballs to be delivered to our table, I watched them sit on the counter while the server(s) did their best to handle the wedding party's situation and also the tables in the courtyard area.  I literally could have taken 10 steps and brought them to our table myself, but I figured that would be frowned upon or maybe no one would have even noticed.

The meatballs were large and very flavorful! The marinara sauce had a touch of heat flavorwise, but unfortunately not much heat temperaturewise due to hanging out on the counter before being delivered to us.  

As we attempted to eat the remaining sauce with our forks due to no bread at the table, I heard the next door table inquiring as to where THEIR bread was.  In the oven still baking along with ours.  

As our now empty meatball bowl was being removed from the table, the bread was delivered.  Yes, now we had bread.

The bread was HOT (it just came out of the oven remember) and the herbed olive oil was very good.  

We took the opportunity of having our server at the table to order the remainder of our meal.  

We chose a caprese salad to share.  More on this later because it came out AFTER my meal was delivered to the table.  My meal?  What about Sweet Harold's meal?  More on THAT later.....

At this point, our next door neighbors' table was having their own fun issues.  One diner's entree was delivered, but he hadn't received his salad yet.  They still didn't have any bread.  The other diner didn't have his entree at all.  I'm sensing a theme here.

Meanwhile, the wedding party is hitting the cooler hard and beginning to party.  More power to them, but I really don't need to hear that kind of foul language while I'm wondering where my salad is, you know?  

The server at their table is trying her best and at one point I thought she was the one in charge of the dining room.  But then I heard her tell them it was her third day and she was doing her best.  Alrighty then.  

On one of her trips to the kitchen, she asked if we would like a dessert.  Well, ma'am, considering we haven't had our salad or entree, not yet.

Next door table's problems continue.  Diner #1 is finished with his meal as Diner #2's entree is delivered.  Still no salad for Diner #1 so they request that it be boxed to go. And can they please having their bill?  

About this time, wedding party's salads are being delivered and that appeases them for a few minutes.  

And we wait.

And wait.

Next door table finally gets their bill, but they wait and wait for server to come back to get their money.

About this time some of the parents with small kids with the wedding party decide it's time to take the kids home to go to bed, so there's an exodus of parents and kiddos out the door without their main course.  But they did have salad so there's that.

About this time, next door table tells us goodbye and wishes us luck.  We thank them and realize we do need that luck.

My entree is delivered!  Shrimp Scampi over Fettuccine.

The flavors were balanced and there were six shrimp which could have used a little more time in the skillet (they were a tad pale), and I believe those are spaghetti noodles?  But at this point, I would have eaten this dish if there had been elbow noodles in that bowl.  

Wait?  Sweet Harold's lasagna?  The server tells us the salad will be right out and his lasagna is almost ready!!  

12 minutes later our salad finally appears.

Beautiful presentation, but those tomatoes could have used about 2 more days of ripening and Sweet Harold did have to go in search of a salt grinder, but by this time, everything odd was beginning to seem normal.

One of the wedding party goes in search of their food.  She's very adamant that they are starving and need their food.  I wanted to point out she had her salad delivered 40 minutes ago along with extra bread, but decided to stay out of that situation.  

Still no lasagna.

Then we notice that there are several people over 15 minutes or so that are bringing in pizzas in boxes from the establishment next door.  They are taken to the kitchen and within minutes, they are being delivered to the wedding party group.  So, if OUR kitchen isn't preparing their food, what it the problem with OUR food?

Still no lasagna.

By this point, I have retrieved an unused salad plate from our next door neighbor's table and give Sweet Harold half my Shrimp Scampi spaghetti.  

Wedding party is really having fun now with one of the diners rising from his place at the table and is regaling the group with many stories of his teenage/college years.  Many stories.  The Ultras and White Claws are being passed around big time at this point.

28 minutes later, still no lasagna.  I request that the order be canceled since we having finished sharing my dinner.  

15 minutes later we're told the lasagna is ready and would we like it FREE since it took so long.  No thank you, Sweet Harold replied emphatically.  Now when SH says ANYTHING emphatically, you know he's reached his point of being finished with the situation.

Our server then told us that she should have told us when we came in that they couldn't serve us.  Well, that would have been helpful, but a little too late now.

We were then asked if we would like dessert.  Now we had planned on trying the cannolis or tiramisu.  But because we didn't want to wait until midnight, we declined.

The food we did receive was delicious.  But our imagined quite, intimate dinner at an Italian restaurant wasn't meant to be.

Here's the menu.  If you're in Port St. Joe and have plenty of time and want a floor show WITH your dinner (or whatever parts of your dinner you order), this is the place for you.

We've discussed this evening a few times and we still don't know who, if anyone, was in charge.  Considering I had a full view of the kitchen and the cook/chef, I know he was doing his best to get the food out, but there was no leadership or direction being given.  

Dining Out Gulf Coast: Blue Parrot Oceanfront Cafe, Eastpoint, FL

 

We took a 40 minute drive to St. George Island (East Point) Florida today.  It's about a 10 minute drive from Apalachicola.  We had heard great things about Blue Parrot Oceanfront Cafe.  The exterior was exactly what you expect of a Gulf side restaurant.  

Of course today, with the quickly approaching Hurricane Milton in the southern part of the state, the outer bands of wind and rain had started.  We had to be seated under a covered deck dining area but had a nice view of the Gulf.

  

The menu offers all the goodness of the Gulf from oysters, crab, shrimp, and grouper to oysters on the half shell from Rattlesnake Cove Oysters.

I'll post pictures of the menu later in this post, but for now, let's get to eating!

Our server was Renea, and even though she had several large tables, she made sure we were treated and served like we were the only table in the restaurant!  

We started with a half dozen of raw oysters.  These oysters are farm raised in the Apalachicola Bay area and they taste like the raw oysters I remember from my childhood.  Fresh and mildly flavored, these were some of the best raw oysters I ever remember enjoying.  

Of course, a cup of horseradish was provided with lemon slices and ketchup so we could make our own concoction to top the oysters.

And trust me when I tell you, they take their hot sauce seriously here!  Look at the size of this bottle.

I wanted to try the onion rings and Sweet Harold wanted to sample the hush puppies, so we ordered both!

The onion rings were perfection.  Not in the least bit greasy or oily, these were thinly sliced, battered lightly, and fried perfectly.  The remoulade type dipping sauce was delicious.

The hush puppies were I honestly believe the best ones I've ever had at a restaurant.  I asked Renea to please inform the person in charge of cooking hush puppies today that these were even better than my mama cooked.  That's saying something.

After trying these two fried options, I knew I was going to have my fried oyster fixed today!  The lunch menu offers a fried oyster basket with fries.  Yes, please.

For a lunch portion, there was a surprising number of oysters here!  The fried counterparts were as delicious as the half shell oysters.  

Sweet Harold ordered the grouper finger basket and, once again, an ample serving of fresh grouper.  He was well pleased with his lunch.

Before we finished our meal, we had already made the decision to keep Blue Parrot Oceanfront Cafe on our list of places to dine when we're in Mexico Beach.

Yes, we were sad we didn't get to try the fried shrimp, so we had a meeting of the minds and ordered some to go, along with a slice of key lime pie, to bring back to the hotel to have for supper tonight!  I'll post those separately on FB.

Here are the pictures of the menu.  

Thank you Blue Parrot and Renea for a wonderful and delicious lunch!