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Beachy Christmas Grub

Merry Christmas From Florida

We’ve Had Many a Beachy Christmas Here

Whether we are actually on the beach, or just enjoying our life in Florida not too far from the beach.

There is just something very special about life on, or near the beach.

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My Fish Planter With A Christmas Cactus

Our Beachy Grub Christmas Dinner

A beachy Christmas is always very casual, laid back, and just plain fun!

Sea Shells, Woven Mats, Palm Frond Platter, Beachy looking Plates and Napkins…

The Beachy Christmas Dish Towels Are Always Fun Too

Veronica and Brian Gave Us The ‘We Wish You A Beachy Christmas’ Sign

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Our Beachy Grub

The Beachy Menu:

“Mussels Gordonfeller!”

Gordon’s take on Oysters Rockefeller

Crab Cakes

Italian Scallops

Our Beachy Grubby Shrimpy Hash Casserole

Dinner Rolls

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Our Beachy Grubby Shrimpy Hash Casserole

Italian Scallops

Crab Cakes

Dinner Rolls

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Grab a Plate, Help Yourself, and Eat Up!

(Recipes Down Below)

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Turtle Racing

(A Family Heritage Game)

This was a gift from Gordon’s sister Heather and her daughter Deanna. They made these themselves.

Apparently this was a game that Gordon’s Grandfather would race as a child.

We are looking forward to all of us playing it on the beach someday.

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RECIPES START HERE

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Polenta, Potato with Shrimp and Bacon and Omelet Casserole

A.K.A. Our Grubby Beach Casserole

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Here we are combining four recipes into one complete meal.

Some of our favorite things all in one dish.

Polenta Ingredients:

Polenta – make as directed on the package, make enough to cover the bottom of your casserole dish.

Salt and or 1 tsp. of Old Bay Seasoning – ties it into the shrimp recipe

Water

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Potatoes and Onion Ingredients:

4 Russet Potatoes

2 Yellow Onions

3 Tbsp. Butter

Black Pepper and or Worcestershire Black Pepper

1 tsp. Himalayan Salt

1 Cup Manchego Cheese – shredded

1 Cup Asiago Cheese – shredded

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Shrimp Ingredients:

1 Lb. Cleaned Shrimp – thawed

7 Garlic Cloves – minced

3 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning

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Omelet Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Parsley – Chopped

6 Eggs

1 Tsp. Dried Dill Weed

Salt and Pepper to taste

~½ Cup Milk

2 Tbsp. Butter

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Getting ready to make all these recipes, which when combined, are delicious.

Here is a closeup of the ingredients.

I am cooking the bacon in the microwave using our cup and saucer like bacon cooker. You line the large cup with the bacon stretching inside and out, then cook it in the microwave oven for about 12 min. The bacon fat drips off landing in the bottom of the cup and saucer. This creates excellent bacon slices.

I am beginning to make the Polenta as per the package directions.

Adding the Salt as well.

I am putting some good Olive Oil in the bottom of the casserole, so the Polenta won’t stick.

Measure out the Polenta as directed.

I am adding some Old Bay Seasoning to tie the Shrimp to the Polenta.

It will also give it a great flavor.

The Polenta looks great.

As it sits in the casserole dish it will begin to firm up.

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Here is the bacon after being cooked in the microwave.

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Now that the Polenta is cooked, it is time to work on the next phase of this recipe. I am going to use the mandolin to slice the potatoes, as it does a great job keeping a consistent thickness. This will ensure the potatoes cook evenly.

You can see how evenly the slices are. Make them thin, but not too thin as these could have been a bit thicker and still would have worked just fine.

I placed butter in a large sauté pan and turned the heat to medium high.

I place the potatoes into the pan separately as they will stick together.

The butter help to prevent this.

After you get a good layer, season them as shown.

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Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Worcestershire Pepper

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Sea Salt

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While the Potatoes are cooking, peel then slice your onions.

Once the Potatoes have been mostly cooked and become tender and slightly browned, add your onions.

Mix the Ingredients Together

Tossing them is easier for me to do.

You can see the onions are becoming translucent…

And the Potatoes are still browning slightly… and they are done.

Taste them and adjust the seasoning if needed.

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While they Potatoes and Onions were cooking, I was getting the Shrimp ready. Basically making sure they are completely thawed and rinsed well.

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Polenta and Potatoes

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Build the second layer by adding the Potatoes and Onions to the top of the Polenta.

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Here I am adding just a little bit more seasoning.

A close-up of the cheeses we used.

Shred the cheese using your cheese grater…

Then add it to the top of the potatoes.

Place the casserole into the oven at 300’F just long enough to melt the cheese. I am doing this as we will not cook the casserole after it is done.

I placed the shrimp on a plate to let them drain and thaw more.

Time to start the Shrimp recipe. I am using the same pan I used for the potatoes and onions, and using a garlic press to mince the garlic.

Add your butter to the pan, then add your garlic. The pan should be at a medium high heat.

Of course, add a good amount of Old Bay Seasoning.

Let the garlic cook for about 3-4 min. then add in your Shrimp.

After about 4 min. turn the Shrimp over and cook them on the other side. After two minutes turn off the heat under the pan. The pan will be hot enough to finish the rest of the cooking.

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Here you can see the cheese is melted and looking great!

Now the shrimp are done cooking. They cook fast and they continue to cook well after they have been removed from the pan. This is why I turned the heat off earlier. Over cooked shrimp turn rubbery and very firm. Done this way, the shrimp are very tender.

Add your shrimp to the outer edge of the casserole.

The juices left over are also delicious, so add them to the top of the shrimp.

Julie took a great close-up of the shrimp… they look amazing.

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Now for the final recipe to this great casserole. I am starting this by chopping up the Parsley.

Add some Olive Oil to a medium sized non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium.

Crack your eggs into a bowl…

Ensure there are no shells…

Then add your seasonings. I really like the flavor of dill with eggs.

Whisk this a bit…

Then add your Milk…

Getting some air into the eggs to make them fluffy.

Now add a good amount of your chopped Parsley.

Give this a whisking…

Then add this to your pan.

Looking good! As this is a large omelet, you must cover it in order to let the steam cook the top. Otherwise, you would need to flip it and or place it under the broiler. It is just much easier to cover it.

Don’t peak at it as that will let the steam out. Let it cook for about 5 min. This is also why the heat is at medium and not high as it needs time to cook.

This is a very good pan as the eggs just slide out onto the cutting board.

Use a spatula if needed and begin to roll the omelet as shown.

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Slice the omelet into ¼ inch sections…

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Then use your knife to move it off the cutting board and into the center of the casserole.

And we are done! Serve this immediately while it is still warm.

Nice!

And DONE! Gather your guests around if they aren’t there already.

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Cute Spooky and Sparky Break

Our fan club, there to eat any items that may drop onto the floor.

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Write up by Gordon:

This is my take on Oysters Rockefeller, which I call “Mussels Gordonfeller!”

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Here you see the garlic on the cutting board with my knife and the garlic press.

I am fast at mincing garlic, but the garlic press is much faster.

Here I am going to use a sauté pan to hold all the ingredients.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. Onion – chopped

5 Garlic Cloves – minced

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

4-5 Cups Spinach Leaves

2-3 Cups Baby Arugula

1 Can Whole Baby Clams and Juice

1 tsp. Lemon Pepper

1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes ,or to your taste

Kona Greenshell Mussels on the Half Shell – thawed

~½ – ¾ Cup Half and Half

~3 Tbsp. Italian Volcano Lemon Juice – or Regular Lemon Juice would work just as well

½ Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Breadcrumbs – enough to top ~1/2 tsp. on each Mussel

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Closer pictures of the ingredients

Add your Olive Oil to the pan and heat to medium high heat.

Here I am using the garlic press to mince the garlic.

I already had some onions chopped, which I am placing into the pan.

Cook your onions first to until they are almost done and browned as your garlic doesn’t take long to cook.

Here is a great picture of the beautiful Greenshell Mussels.

In my opinion, they are the best!

Now that my onions are starting to brown, I will add my minced garlic. Cook this for a minute or two before adding your next ingredients.

Add your Spinach to the pan a little at a time. As it wilts to the heat, it will shrink in size.

You can really load up the pan.

Here you can see I also then added a good amount of the Arugula.

Let it sit in the heat for a minute or so then begin to toss it with the other ingredients.

Add a little more Olive Oil to help with the wilting of the greens, but not too much oil. Toss all the ingredients together and let it cook more.

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Another great picture of the Mussels.

Here you can see the huge pile of greens wilting.

The last picture in this series really shows how much all the Spinach and Arugula will wilt down.

Now, I added my Whole Baby Clams to the pan and reduce the pan’s heat to medium low. This is not traditional, but then neither is my style of cooking, after all this is Mussels Gordonfeller.

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Lemon Pepper is a great seasoning in this recipe as it adds a touch of salt and pepper, but even more it adds some great acidity to the dish, which helps to brighten it up. Lemon and seafood are always a great combination.

Adding a little heat is also good, so add as much or as little as you like!

This brand of Lemon Juice is amazing. I know, fresh is good to use, but this lemon juice just has a better taste than normal already squeezed juice. Just try it and judge for yourself.

Stir the ingredients together. Here you can see there is very little liquid in the pan which is exactly what you want.

Now, add your Half and Half to the pan.

This will give the dish that creaminess and help to bring all the ingredients together.

Mix all the ingredients well.

Some of the Mussels still have a little bit of ice on them so run some water over them to remove it.

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The Spinach mixture is looking great! Just continue to cook it on low heat.

Here I am placing my Mussels on a baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil. Make sure no excess water is under the mussel. Some recipes tell you to either broil or bake them in the next step. Broiling them will definitely brown the breadcrumbs quickly, which we are about to place on the mussels, while baking them will continue to reduce the liquid and help to cook the mussels. The heat from the spinach mixture will also begin to cook the mussels. I am going to use both heating methods baking them first, so turn your oven on to 400’F.

Everything is almost ready for the next step.

Add your next to last ingredient… the Mozzarella Cheese. Shredded Parmesan or Pecorino would also go nicely in this recipe or even all three cheeses. Taste the mixture and see if you need to adjust any of the seasonings. I thought it was perfect!