GONE EATING!

Yes, I know I haven't been posting very much of late, but I haven't been cooking much either. However, we do go out quite a bit and I try to post about those more memorable meals over on Mushy's Moochings.

I may not be back here that often, but I do intend on keeping this site up as my cookbook reference! I don't have any of the things I like to cook written down anywhere but here, so I would like to keep it for posterity sake.

If you have a blog, but don't particularly want to post recipes on your site, then I'm making this one available. If you want to post a great old family recipe, sort of let the secret out of the bag, then email me and I'll post it for you...giving you full credit and a link to your blog.

See ya from time to time...Mushy!

HOW TO SPICE UP A “SMART ONES”

• Chop up a whole medium onion.
• Cut up about 6 to 8 dried tomato pieces into ¼” strips.
• Open a small jar of sliced mushrooms.

Sit out 2 Fettuccine Alfredo “Smart Ones” by Weight Watchers – the one with the broccoli florets in creamy parmesan sauce.

In a medium to large skillet, pour about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, drop in a scoop of diced garlic, and your favorite hot sauce. Bring the oil to medium heat and then drop in frozen chicken tenderloins. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the top side of the meat as it begins to sizzle.

Once the meat has begun to thaw on one side, flip it over, salt, and pepper that side.

Cook the tenderloin until a golden brown, remove, allow to cool enough to hold and cut into strips and the cut across making about ½” cubes of the chicken. Sit the cubes aside.

In the skillet, add a little more oil and then drop in the onions, dried tomatoes, and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent and limber. Remove from the heat and sit aside.

In the microwave, cook the 2 Weight Watcher’s meals until done. Then dump the Fettuccine over the contents of the skillet, add the chicken and stir.

It’s ready!

Oh yeah…you have to sip on a Yuengling Black & Tan while cooking. If one isn’t enough…oh well, open another!

There should be enough for two people to eat on two different nights!

GOOD DAY – GOOD FRIEND – GOOD FOOD – GOOD BEER

Ron and I were up and at’em this morning, both getting our vehicles oil changed. When I arrived, about 20 minutes after his appointment at the dealership, his car was ready. I through the Service Manager my keys and hopped into the car with Ron.

After walking 3 laps around the park (just under 2 miles), we drove back to my house, watched a little demo of my new TV and sound system, and unloaded a case of Yuengling Black & Tan Ron had brought me back from North Carolina.

Then it was off to Ruby Tuesday’s for lunch!

We got into it little the barmaid because the tap was dry of Samuel Adams, which is the only decent pull at Ruby’s! We then ordered Sam in the bottle and when it came time for round 2, she informed us they were out! “Damn,” I said out loud, “what’s this place coming to?”

To give her credit, she too was concerned about the quality and quantity of beer stocked by Ruby’s in Harriman. She also came back with a new one for us to try and it turned out it satisfied our taste buds…at least this time. The beer was Wild Hop Lager, which is brewed in California.

We finished them off with our “salad bar” salads, and settled up our bills. Turned out that I got a random “survey” coupon with my ticket, so I went on line and gave the head office an ear/eye full! I got a $4 off coupon for my trouble and possibly, in the long run, get some good beers on tap there.

Later, at home, after helping my mom with some financial things, my wife had supper waiting. Oh, how I love her chicken bake casserole and homemade slaw! Yummmy! I think I’ve already posted this recipe…and it’s worth a try…takes minimal effort and turns out great every time.

VISITING JOHNNY CARINO’S

The family made another assault on Knoxville Sunday, with the eight of us hitting Johnny Carino’s on Lovell Road!

We arrived a few minutes before our 5 PM reservations, so they told us it would take a few minutes to prepare the table. Therefore, the obvious thing was to hit the bar and order beer for the Knights and wine for the Dragons.

It was just minutes before we were seated, so we took our libations to the table with us.

Here are a few of the Dinner Menu choices:

Cedar Planked Salmon - Seasoned salmon roasted on a cedar plank with a sweet citrus balsamic glaze, served with garlic sautéed spinach and angel hair pasta with tomatoes!

Chicken Scaloppini - Tender chicken breast pan-sautéed with sliced mushrooms, diced roma tomatoes and flavorful bacon in a lemon butter cream sauce. Served with spaghetti!

Chicken Marsala - Tender chicken breast pan-sautéed with fresh mushrooms in a sweet “Pellegrino” Marsala, served over a bed of fettuccine!

Carino’s Combo - A bountiful combination of our Homemade Baked Lasagna, Hand-breaded Chicken Parmigiana, and Spaghetti with Spicy Marinara!

Grilled New York Strip - A hearty 12-ounce USDA Choice center-cut strip steak perfectly seasoned and basted on our open-flame grill. Served with roasted

rosemary potatoes!

SPICY SHRIMP & CHICKEN - Penne pasta tossed in a spicy

cream sauce with cayenne pepper, shrimp, chicken, sun-dried

tomatoes, green onions & mushrooms!

The food was wonderful, as was the family fellowship.

Later each end of the table ordered a single dessert with four spoons each. We all got two or three delicious bites, which was all we had room for anyway!

ACCIDENTAL CHICKEN BAKE

We came home from the store a couple of evenings ago and put the perishables in the refrigerator. However, we did not notice that we put a whole bag of Tyson frozen chicken tenderloins in the meat chiller drawer. My wife happened to notice the mistake after the chicken had all thawed, so she reacted quickly to save the meat.

In a large glass-baking dish, she placed all the tenderloins around the bottom, salted, and peppered the pieces. She turned the oven to 450 to pre-heat, while she continued to improvise. She opened a can of Cream of Chicken and another can of Cream of Broccoli soups and poured the contents on top of the chicken.

Just as she finished, I noticed a plastic baggy of left over corn bread. I crumbled the 3 pieces up inside the bag and then spread it out evenly over the top of the soup-covered chicken.

She sprayed down a large sweet potato with cooking oil, placed the potato in an aluminum pan, and she popped it and the chicken dish in the oven for 45 minutes!

When the timer sounded, she placed a can of green peas in the microwave, along with some salt and pepper and a lump of butter, and we were in business!

After spraying the peeled sweet potato with butter spray, and sprinkling some brown sugar around, we sat down to a delicious meal.

Had we not let the chicken accidentally thaw, we would not have had such a quick, easy, and great tasting meal!

MISMATCHED PASTA AND WINE

Following on with the thought of helping you gain some weight for that class reunion (see post below), here is what we had for supper!

We only had half a box of spaghetti and half a box of large elbow macaroni, but having found about a pound of lean hamburger meat in the refrigerator, Judy decided she would make spaghetti using the mismatched pasta. She fixed this wonderful looking dish (the photo is actually the “left over” shot – given away by the added ketchup for moisture), but our evening plans were changed when two of her sisters came by for an unannounced visit. Terri bought a new Mustang GT convertible and so Judy left with the other Dragons to “ride around a little!”

The girls ended up at Krystal’s, and I ended up eating alone. They were gone over 2 hours…up to no good no doubt!

Therefore, the following evening, we opened a bottle of my brother-in-law Gary’s homemade red grape wine, warmed the spaghetti up, and enjoyed a fabulously tasty meal. Pasta dishes always seem better the second night anyway!

CORNBREAD AND GRAVY

Yeah baby! I know you are looking for a way to slap on another 2 or 3 pounds before Labor Day, so this breakfast post and tomorrow’s “supper” post will help you out!

Before “getting serious” again Monday, there were things I wanted to eat. The first was a good old country breakfast of cornbread, white-milk gravy, eggs, and bacon! My gosh, it even had the dog dancing around the kitchen wanting some of the action!

While Judy was busy wiping up the gravy, using the grease from thick sliced bacon, I watched the cornbread in the oven, and whipped up some scrambled eggs. I know what you are thinking, but I got my blood test results back from the doctor today and everything was “PERFECT,” to quote the doc’s comment!

So, it was so delicious there was little left to share with Baylee!

Now, the other things I wanted I will get at my mom’s Sunday afternoon – EVERYTHING FRIED! Fried squash, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and creamed yellow corn! Is life grand, or what?

QUICK MEAL - STIR-FRIED CHICKEN

Same meal as below except for some yellow and green peppers, and the chicken!

QUICK MEAL – STIR-FRIED PORK CHOP

Yes, I finally did a little cooking this week, but it was out of necessity…Ms. Mushy refused to cook!

I found two leftover pork chops, a bag of frozen vegetables, some peanuts, and an onion – no problem!

Stir-frying makes anything taste good, even leftovers!

I simply cubed up the pork chops, and sat them aside.

I opened a Yuengling, poured it into a frosty glass, and continued to slave hard over a hot stove.

I put on two servings of brown rice, cooked it until all the water was soaked up, and sat that aside.

I cut up the sweet onion and turned on the heat under a skillet that had a little olive oil, some chopped garlic and some hot sauce in it. When the garlic began to dance I dumped in the bag of frozen vegetables, added salt and pepper, and tossed them until they began to thaw. I then dumped in the fresh onion, the peanuts, and the pork chop cubes.

In about 8 minutes, I had a wonderful meal ready to eat!

Cooking is not hard…it is fun and half the pleasure in it is the freedom of creativity you have. Most anything you can imagine will taste good cooked in olive oil and garlic! Even a man can do it!

101 LIP SMACKING POSTS

I did not realize until just now that I have posted 101 of the most lip-smacking food recipes and food shots ever! I don't mean to brag, but even having just finished a wonderful grilled hamburger, looking back over the posts made my mouth water!

Folks, there is not one of the recipes or places I've eaten that isn't good tasting and easily prepared. Like I say, "EVEN A MAN CAN COOK LIKE THIS!"

I may not post often here, but I just can't kill it...too many good things here to pass on and remember.

MUSHY LOVES HIS FOOD!

BRINGING YOU GOOD STUFF SINCE 2006!

FAMILY DINNING AT CARRABBA'S

Nope, I haven’t been spending much time here anymore and I suppose I’m sorry, but the time away has been well spent and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I have been completing my physical therapy for my second shoulder operation, had almost a weeklong visit from my blogging buddy FatHairyBastard, and it’s been so hot that I haven't cooked much.

Now, if you visited Mushy’s Moochings, you know that I have been eating well – lots of food shots there from last week’s visit, but cooking inside, and especially outside on the grill, is just out of the question right now.

Tonight the eight of us dinned at Carrabba’s Italian Grill!

Here is a shot of their bar, which, to me, gives the place an overall rating of a B+. There are only weak, light colored domestics on tap, and the only “pale ale” they had in bottles was New Castle, and of course there was Guinness! I have to admit I enjoyed all three I had, but the super frosty mugs made all the difference!

I started with an order of Calamari, which is lightly battered then fried to tender, crisp, golden brown, and served with a marinara sauce.

The other end of the table ordered Cozze In Bianco, which is fresh Canadian Cove mussels from Prince Edward Island that are steamed in white wine, basil, lemon butter and Pernod. I didn’t like them as much as the ones at Bone Fish, so I stuck primarily with the Calamari!

Three of the outstanding dishes were:

CHICKEN BRYAN

Grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce.

CHICKEN MARSALA

Grilled chicken breast topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and our Lombardo Marsala wine sauce.

SPIEDINO DI MARE

Shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce.

I would post some of the family shots, but you would not believe some of the weird faces I caught tonight – one eye open one closed, wrinkled noses, and squinted eyes…too much for the blog to handle.

Well, that’s it for this visit…maybe I’ll stick with it…we’ll see. I know, this seems to be a running theme of a couple of my blogs, but I need to spend more time at Mushy’s. Oh, have you seen my new header…I need feedback…thus far it’s a split decision!

SMOKY MOUNTAIN BREWERY

After a very exhausting hike yesterday on the Appalachian Trail, we recuperated at the Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

To see the details of the hike click here!

STEAK AND CORN ON THE COB

Wow! We just finished a fantastic meal of ribeye steak, corn on the cob, and sautéed mushrooms and onions!

The steak, was salted, peppered, and sprinkled with garlic powder and placed on a hot grill – turned once – and taken off in about 20 minutes.

I placed three ears of fresh corn inside a sheet of aluminum foil and placed them on the same grill for the same 20 minutes, turning the package once after 10 minutes!

Inside, while I enjoyed one Yuengling and one Old Scratch beer, I sautéed fresh mushrooms and onions in a little olive oil, Smart butter, with salt and pepper.

Once I removed the steak, I cut it in half, to share with my wife, sprayed Parkay Fat Free butter on the corn, and salted the ears.

Together, the taste combination was simply wonderful!

SERIOUS BACK SLIDING!

Saturday was family day with dinner out in Knoxville. This week the Dragons chose Bonefish Grill. It’s a wonderful place on Parkside Drive, in the Turkey Creek shopping area. They seem to have a handle on fresh fish and always have at least 7 selections.

The appetizer choices for the six of us were:
Bang Bang Shrimp - Tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce.
Mussels Josephine - Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce.
Saucy Shrimp - Sautéed in a lime tomato garlic sauce with Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

This probably sounds like a lot, but there was nothing left!

The crew settled on these entrees:
Alaskan Halibut with pasta and vegetables
Cedar Plank Salmon with vegetables
Scallops and Shrimp with Oscar* sauce and rice

*(Oscar Sauce is lump crab meat, asparagus, and a lemon butter sauce)

The wine choice was Beringer White Zinfandel, while the men settled for Miller Lite (btl), Sierra Nevada (btl), and New Castle draft. The draft choices at Bonefish are very limited. To us Knights, this drops the overall rating to an A-!

For more action, see Mushy's Moochings!

BACK SLIDING – AGAIN

The wife and I met one of her sisters and brother-in-law at Puleo’s Grille for a delicious late lunch today. Puleo’s is located at the corner of Cedar Bluff and North Peters Road in Knoxville, Tennessee. While the only dark beer on draft is Killian, their menu is varied and full of delicious entrées!

Here we are about to enjoy four different dishes – ain’t we nothing!

Neena chose the FIESTA CHICKEN TENDER SALAD - Golden fried chicken tenders glazed with a sweet chili sauce served over mixed greens and tossed with roasted corn, black beans, tortilla strips, vegetables, and creamy ranch dressing.

Ron chose the CHICKEN PICCATA - A sautéed breast of chicken topped with artichokes, capers, and tomatoes simmered in a lemon wine sauce served over linguini.

Judy had the FILET MIGNON PASTA - Marinated beef tenderloin tips, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, peperonata, and Penne pasta tossed in a fresh basil and tomato cream sauce.

And Mushy had the GULF SHRIMP - A generous portion of Gulf Shrimp hand breaded and fried, with two of my favorite sides: Stone Ground Cheese Grits and NAPA Slaw!

WEIGHT WATCHERS – THE NEW PROGRAM 7

Remember the 3 large chicken breast I cooked in item #6, well, my wife cut up the last two and made this quick and easy dish. In no time she had a delicious meal for between 7 and 8 points!

All she did was add Uncle Ben’s long grain brown rice, some yellow peppers, and some onions! That’s it!

Season to taste and serve.

BACKSLIDING…

Yeah, only 5 pounds to date, but going out with friends makes staying on Weight Watchers difficult. I would rather be fat, happy, and with family than skinny, unhappy, and lonely!

I will remain true to the WW way of eating, but occasionally I will slip up. Mostly it was the 3 beers I had!

This is Aubrey’s Restaurant in Lenoir City, Tennessee. Aubrey’s is a local chain and there are 3 or 4 restaurants in the Knoxville area.

Today I chose the Asian Chicken Salad – Grilled chicken, wontons, mandarin oranges, peanuts, and sesame seeds, served over spring greens with a sweet Thai Vinaigrette! So yummy!

Sitting across from me was my nephew Chandler, a handsome devil, who tempted me through the whole meal with his pizza selection – a thin crust with cheese over creamed spinach, and sprinkled with tomatoes and chicken!

When I’m with the other Knights, we usually sit in the cozy bar area. Plenty of drafts to chose from here!