Dining Out Gulf Coast: Pineapple Willy's

 

If you've visited Panama City Beach, Florida in the past 40 plus years, you've probably eaten at, driven by, or seen the t-shirts that proclaimed the "bucket of ribs" you can enjoy at Pineapple Willy's.

We arrived mid-afternoon and it's tradition for some of our family members to have their first beach meal at Pineapple Willy's.  

The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur are still blowing through the Gulf Coast, but we braved the brisk breeze and ate outdoors on their covered pier that reaches straight out into the Gulf.

Sweet Harold has been talking about grilled shrimp for a few weeks and today he got his fill.  The grilled shrimp dinner comes with garlic bread, corn on the cob, two skewers of grilled shrimp, and your choice of fries or mashed potatoes.

He left the table a happy man. The shrimp were more blackened than grilled, but were delicious....he gave me one or two to try.  

I had the fried clam strip basket with fries.  They do know how to fry them just right here at Pineapple Willy's.  As you can see this is a general portion.  The fries were served hot from the fryer.  (Y'all know that lukewarm/cold fries are a pet peeve of mine.)

Granddaughter #1 had the popcorn shrimp basket.  She reported that they were "very good."

Granddaughter #2 enjoyed the Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Pasta (served with corkscrew pasta!).  She loved it.

I've included photos of the menu.  As you can tell, there's something for everyone including that "bucket of ribs!"

All in all, a great way to begin our trip to the beach!

Dining Out: Moe's Original BBQ, Gadsden, AL

 

Yesterday we decided we would, at long last, try the latest BBQ restaurant to open in Gadsden.  We've given them a bit to hit their stride and get the kinks (if they had any!) worked out before we dined here and gave y'all the details.

The building where Moe's is located (208 South 2nd Street, Gadsden, AL  35901) has had several restaurants at that location in the past.  There's ample parking, a lovely outdoor dining area, and a beautiful bar.

To place your order, you walk through the dining area toward the back.  There's a large menu board (easy to read!) where you can order, fill your drink, and then find your spot to have a seat and wait on your food.

We wanted to try as much as possible, so we opted to place our order and then utilize the "Add Moe" to be able to enjoy ribs and pulled pork as well!

Our wait (even with frying my catfish) was easily less than 10 minutes!

Here we go!

Sweet Harold chose the 1/2 smoked chicken and added ribs.  His sides were baked beans and potato salad.  The chicken was resting on a little bit of slaw so he got to try that as well!  Cornbread was included and it was a very ample portion.

Let's break it down.

First up, the smoked 1/2 chicken.

Now we all know, smoking chicken is a highly regarded skill.  To be able to cook the dark meat to keep it juicy while letting the white meat not dry out, is a delicate balance.  The pitmaster yesterday has the skill to have the chicken served at the exact level of perfection.  Kudos! You're not seeing things either.  There's red AND white bbq sauce on that chicken.  

Sweet Harold was very pleased with the chicken.  Now on to his side dishes.  He selected baked beans and potato salad.

The beans were flavorful and a great consistency, not too thick nor too thin. Add a little of that pulled pork, and they'd be a 15/10.

The potato salad was the surprise item for me.  I seldom order potato salad in a restaurant because I feel none of them will ever match my mama's version.  So yesterday, SH ordered the potato salad and I got the macaroni and cheese.  I took a bite of mine and, while it was tasty, not the thickest cheesiest I've ever had.  He tried a bite of his potato salad and said, well, it's got a lot of things in there.  So we immediately swapped.  

When I tried the first bite, I was immediately (in my mind at least) transported to my mama's kitchen.  The texture, the flavors, everything.  She could have made that bowl of potato salad.  That's high praise from me.

His add-on of ribs were a hit as well.  

These ribs were tender and full of smoke flavor.  The dry rub was very complementary to the pork.  It didn't compete or overwhelm the smokiness of the ribs.  

Now to my order.

I really wanted to try the fried catfish and I added on the pulled pork.  

First the catfish and hush puppies.

My order had five pieces of catfish with two hushpuppies.  The coating on the fish was well-seasoned and the fry was light and crunchy.  The person manning the fryer yesterday knew the exact moment the fish was ready.  Very tasty!  The hush puppies were a tad overcooked.  But that may be just my preference.

The tartar sauce was delicious and made fresh in-house.

I also had the baked beans.  Loved them.  My other side dish was the macaroni and cheese.  Yes, for me, the sauce needed to be more cheesy and thicker, but this is their recipe and I'm sure a lot of people enjoy this version.

My add on was the pulled pork.

Oh boy, oh boy!  Look at that bark!  Look at the nicely shredded pork.  This is everything you want from a BBQ restaurant.  The seasoning in the rub was on point and the pork was nice and tender.  There was a bottle of their house sauce on the table and I enjoyed it as well.  

Now let's talk about this cornbread.

I am firmly in the non-sugar cornbread camp.  This cornbread was slightly sweet, slightly crunchy, and delicious!  I could have eaten much more than this ample serving, but I controlled myself.  Barely.  I actually considered this my dessert!

We both enjoyed our meal and will be back to try more of the menu items.  If you haven't been, maybe you'll see us there soon.

InstantPot Chicken Tinga

If you're not familiar with Chicken Tinga (I wasn't!) here's what I have learned:  It's a classic Mexican dish made with shredded chicken that's simmered in a savory, lightly spicy tomatoey-chipotle sauce.

I've recently fallen in love with the La Tiara taco shells and decided I'd try their taco seasoning along with the seasoning for the Chicken Tinga.

While the package instructions direct you to simmer in a covered skillet, we were hungry and I decided to get out the trusted InstantPot to make sure the chicken cooked quickly and would be easy to shred.

You'll need a yellow onion (chopped), 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks, one envelope of the Tinga seasoning and about 2/3 cup of water.

I added a tablespoon of olive oil to the inner pot and hit the saute' button.  Added the chopped onion and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Then in goes the seasoning and the water.  Gave it a good stir and turned off the saute function.

In went the chicken.....

Put the top on the pot, locked it into place, and made sure the vent was set to closed.

Then set the timer to 6 minutes.

After the cook time was over, I let it naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.  During that time, I got everything out that we would want for our toppings and heated a can of refried black beans as our side dish.

When the 10 minutes was up, I carefully removed the top of the cooker.

I removed the chicken from the pot, placed it in a bowl, and shredded it with two forks.

Then I poured in the remaining sauce that was in the pot and give everything a good stir.

At this point, you have many decisions to make!  You can use the Chicken Tinga to make enchiladas, burritos, crunchy tacos, quesadillas, or soft tacos!

We had soft tacos tonight and maybe we'll have crunchy tacos tomorrow with the leftovers.

The chicken was so tender and the sauce had just a little heat.  It was extremely flavorful and Sweet Harold kept bragging about how good it was the entire time we were having dinner!

I had the Chicken Tinga, shredded Mexican blend cheese, diced raw onion, pickled jalapenos, and taco sauce.  Sweet Harold had the same, but added black beans and sour cream to his.

Lolly's Amazon Storefront

 

My Amazon Storefront is officially open! I've gathered my favorite cookbooks, charcuterie essentials, kitchen tools, entertaining finds, grilling accessories, and more all in one place. Shop here by clicking this LINK ! Go browse and thanks for all of your support.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Buttery Buffalo Wings

I had lemon pepper buffalo wings for the first time a few years ago at my favorite burger spot. It was love at first taste.  I've been on a quest to duplicate them without frying.

I placed my share of the wings in a small bowl and liberally seasoned them with lemon pepper.  Yes, we are a divided household.  I like the drumettes, Sweet Harold is the flat guy.  

Get your grill smoking hot and place the wings on there to get a great sear and lock in the juices and start crisping the skin. You'll need to turn them over and around a few times to get a good crisp. Lower heat to medium and let them continue to cook.

Chicken wings are safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165𝇈 F.  However, the longer you cook them (up to 175-195𝇈) will result in a more tender wing.

When I'm going to sauce them, I begin to apply the sauce at 165 and let them glaze a bit.

I have actually become quite fond of Kinder's Buttery Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Just keep basting and turning them over and baste some more.  

The combination of lemon pepper and the buffalo fit the bill for me!

Garden Vegetable Spaghetti

Today is a rainy June day.  We took a break from most all productive activities and enjoyed a semi-lazy day at home. 

Sweet Harold requested spaghetti for a late lunch and I decided it was the perfect afternoon to use up some of those vegetables in the fridge that didn't have much time left.

Y'all know that spaghetti is probably one of my most favorite foods and this batch of sauce was guilt free due to all the veggies incorporated.  It's a thick and chunky sauce and it satisfied his craving.

1 lb. ground beef (93/7%)

1 large yellow onion chopped

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium yellow squash, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

1 - 14.5 oz. can tomato sauce

1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 - 2 T. dried Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

garnish:  Parmesan cheese and fresh basil

In a 3 - 4 quart Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon.

When browned, add in onions, bell pepper, squash, and zucchini along with the garlic.  

Let cook for a 3 - 5 minutes and then add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste with Italian seasoning.

Lower heat to low and let simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.  Stir as needed to keep from sticking.

Serve over cooked pasta and top with Parmesan and fresh basil.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Small Batch Peach Honey Bacon BBQ Sauce

 

I grilled two pork tenderloins last night.  I left one "plain" seasoned only with salt and pepper.  For the second one, after reaching the internal temp I wanted, I glazed it with a new flavor of the Small Batch BBQ Sauce lineup:  Peach Honey Bacon.  Now doesn't that sound like a perfect match for a pork tenderloin?  I certainly thought so.

Let me tell you about the flavors contained in that bottle!  It is a tomato (ketchup) based sauce, but there's these subtle notes of peach, sweetness from the honey, and then you get just the lightest touch of smokiness from the bacon.  They hit a home run with this one.  The sauce is extremely thick so it brushed on easily, stayed put on the pork, and glazed beautifully.  

The unsauced tenderloin is on the bottom half of the serving platter and, as you can see, the Small Batch version is proudly holding court on the upper half of the platter.

Thanks Small Batch BBQ Sauce!