Birthday Feast and Cupcakessss!!

Last week I went home to celebrate my mom's 50th Birthday with her. Unfortunately she had become ill with bronchitis and was unable to go out for dinner. So, my siblings, my father, and I banded together to cook a beautiful birthday feast fit for a queen. My mother being the wonderful mother she is decided she wanted surf and turf. So, for the first time I had to figure out how to prepare a lobster tail. And this was no regular 4-6oz lobster tail you get at Red Lobster. NO, this woman bought a 2lb lobster tail. It was scary big. But I figured out how to handle it. It definitely was not an easy process. I also threw together a garlic and herb marinade for grilled shrimp, and some twice baked potatoes. I also whipped up some carrot cake cupcakes for dessert. Below I shared the lobster, potato, and cupcake recipes. Enjoy!!

• Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/star-jones-garlic-lobster-tails-recipe/index.html
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• Ingredients

• 4 large lobster tails (8 ounces each)
• 4 to 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Seafood Magic

Directions

Preheat broiler. With kitchen shears or large, sharp knife, cut lobster tails down back on curved side of shell. Pry sides of shells apart to expose meat. Top meat with garlic and butter. Squeeze lemon juice over lobster meat and dust liberally with Cajun spice and seafood seasoning. Preheat broiler. Set lobster tails in roasting pan and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 12 to 15 minutes, until meat is opaque in center.

Because this tail was like GINORMOUS, the recipe had to be adapted a bit. I had to broil it for about 30 minutes. In retrospect, I would have boiled the lobster first, then, put into the broiler to finish it off. 

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

Adapted From: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/twice_baked_potatoes/

• 4 large russet potatoes, about a pound each
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 4 strips bacon
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

 Bake the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the potatoes clean under running water. Poke each potato in several places with the tines of a fork so that when the potatoes are cooking they don't explode. Rub the potatoes all over with a little olive oil. Place directly on the middle or top rack of the oven. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. They should give a little when pressed.

If short on time you can bake the potatoes in the microwave, 10 minutes on high heat for 2 potatoes, 15 minutes for 4 potatoes. The skins of microwave baked potatoes aren't nearly as crispy, so you may want to rub a little olive oil on them and finish them in a conventional oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.

2 If you are including bacon as one of your mix-ins, while the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble. Or pop them in the microwave and cook them for about 1min per strip that you place on the plate. 

3 Slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. You may want to bake an extra potato so that you will have more potato filling to mound into the potato boats.

4 Place the scooped out potato insides, sour cream, milk, cream, and butter into a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher. If you want a creamy texture, beat with an electric beater until desired consistency. Note, do not over-beat potatoes, they can turn glue-y. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5 Mix in the extras with the potatoes. Reserve some of the extras to sprinkle on the tops of the potatoes. Spoon fillings into the potato shells. Sprinkle with extra toppings. Dust lightly with paprika.

6 Heat oven to 350°F. Place potatoes on a roasting pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.

• YieldMakes 11 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

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  Carrot Cupcakes

  
  

  from :http://www.marthastewart.com/337053/carrot-cupcakes

  
  

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (from about 4 medium carrots)

• For The Frosting: (I recommend doubling this if you like decorative frosting)

  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, egg, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir in carrots. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture mixing until well combined. Divide among muffin tin. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
4. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. To frost: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar until smooth; beat in vanilla and orange zest. Top each cupcake with 2 tablespoons of frosting and spread to cover.

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."  ~Mark Twain

Parmesan & Almond Crusted Tilapia

So, I haven't updated my blog in like a year...gosh I suck. But I have a couple of moments to do this so here it is. It's a super simple meal, but it has so much flavor it's really great! I made a parmesan and almond crusted tilapia filet paired with garlic and herb potatoes roasted in olive oil and a spring salad. Here are my secrets:


PARMESAN ALMOND CRUSTED TILAPIA
modified from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broiled-tilapia-parmesan/

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 c. Butter, softened
• 1/4 c. Almonds, finely ground 
• 3 tbs Mayonnaise
• 2 tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp Dried Basil
• 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/8 tsp Celery Salt
• 2 lb. Tilapia Fillets

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2.	In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3.	Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

GARLIC & HERB ROASTED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Medium Sized Potatoes, (cubed, 1")
• 1/4 c. Olive Oil
• 1 heaping tbsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp. Dried Rosemary 
• 1 tbs. Minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Combine the oil, seasonings, and garlic in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and toss. Bake in oven on 400 degrees for 25 min, then Broil on Low for 10 to 15 minutes or until browned and tender.

If God had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.
~Linda Henley