Dutch Oven and Salamander dreams

All the holiday cooking made me realize that I have one item in my kitchen I could not live without, that is my Dutch Oven by Le Creuset . It is quite large and easy to braise meats, create wonderful soups and roasted chicken to die for. I use this so much I bought another one for smaller creations. As I look around my kitchen I have a lot of gadgets and spatulas. Though funny, to my surprise I always found myself using my Wusthof Chef knife, Wusthof Santoku knife and my wooden spoon. Everything else is displayed beautifully but not really touched.

As you all know we cook a lot on the grill and smoker, one of the things I would love to have is a Salamander broiler by BlueStar. Being an avid griller this is a dream item, can you imagine the crispy chicken, beautiful grouper or even crab cakes! Wow I am making myself hungry. So this is going on my wish list. I hope my husband see's it.

+Authored by Shawna Williams

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New England Clam Chowder

Last year my daughter and husband sat in front of the Christmas tree talking about the good old days when they had New England Clam Chowder every Christmas Eve. It was a huge hint that obviously I hadn't made any yet. I looked at them and went OMG I forgot! So this year I made it ahead of time and we barely had any left for Christmas Eve. It's pretty bad when your family argues and claims the last bit and dares any one to touch it. This is a recipe that oozes with flavor and will be enjoyed by everyone.

Butter Poached Lobster Tails

One of the many things I love about Florida is the lobster tails. They are easy to grill, boil and tempura. I was watching a food competition show and they had to poach lobster in a butter sauce so I had to give it a try. My daughter was happy that she was home that night and got to be my guinea pig. You start by fixing a sauce, it enhances the flavors at the end. This recipe is for four lobster tails, if you are only cooking two freeze the extra sauce for later.

Stir Fried Rice with Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple

This past summer I was on a grilled shrimp and pineapple kick fixing them on skewers, combining them with grilled steak, baked potatoes, etc. However, I still like the standard Shrimp and Fried Rice so I decided I would just add my favorite grilled shrimp and pineapple to fried rice. It is such a quick, tasty, filling and easy main dish who wouldn't add this to their list of standard recipes to make for lunch and dinner.

Key West Shrimp Boil

While we were at the Star Fish Market we picked up a pound of Key West Pinks. By far these are my favorite shrimp: they have such a sweet savory flavor.
I love to serve them several ways, but staying true to the freshness, my shrimp boil is my favorite.
The end result is a succulent shrimp cocktail that will have you come back to the same recipe time and time again.

Brown Sugar Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple & Shrimp Kabobs

Brown Sugar Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple & 
Shrimp Kabobs

Who can resist pineapple and shrimp grilled together with a little sweet but yet spicy sauce, bacon and brown sugar. I couldn't decide if we wanted beef or shrimp kabobs so you know what indecisiveness does to a person -  it either freezes you from making a decision or prompts you to purchase both (which is usually what happens when shoe shopping but in this case it applied to food too). We enjoyed every bite of both!

Tuna Pasta Salad

Tuna Pasta Salad is a wonderful summer salad. The combination of pasta, cheddar cheese, peas, tuna and mayo is just a winning combination and the tuna does not overwhelm the rest of the ingredients.

Grilled Bacon wrapped Shrimp with a Hot Red Pepper Glaze

This recipe adds a combination of sweet heat with the saltiness of bacon. Wrap all that around your shrimp and your mouth just salivates. Ramping up my recipe I used my Hot Red Pepper Jelly for a glaze. This stuck like glue to the bacon and gave it a great glaze. If you have the chance this jelly is a must in your pantry/refrigerator. I served it with a side of Rainbow Orzo, done Risotto style.

Seared Ahi Tuna with a Pickled Cucumber Salad

Florida can be very hot and humid, therefore finding a light lunch is sometimes what you need when faced with a wall of humidity. One of my favorite places is the Tiki Bar down by the port. They have one of the best Seared Ahi Tunas, and of course with a nice Pinot Grigio I am in heaven. As usual I wanted to recreate their recipe. They serve it with a seaweed salad, which I love, but I  couldn't find a place that carries it. I decided on my Cucumber salad, such a great idea! It gave it just the tartness and sweetness needed, with a little Asian flavors drafted from the Ginger, Sesame oil and Soy Sauce. If it's a little hot for you, try this recipe, you will love the flavors.