Frogs Legs Recipe

2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Paprika

1 cup Italian Panko Breadcrumbs

½ cup corn meal

2 eggs

½ cup flour

Directions

In a shallow bowl, mix together the garlic powder, pepper, salt, paprika, Panko and corn meal.  In a separate bowl beat two eggs with a tablespoon of water. Put the flour in a third bowl. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Dip the frogs legs in flour, egg, then the bread crumb mix. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, around 3 minutes.  Remove frogs legs from oil and drain on a rack, fry in batches.

 

Corn Fritter Recipe

3 cups oil for frying

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon shortening, melted

1 (12 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Directions

Heat oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Beat together egg, milk, and melted shortening; stir into flour mixture. Mix in the corn kernels.

Drop fritter batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil, and fry until golden. Drain on paper towels.

This incredible Nacho Cheese Sauce makes great nachos or even a tasty Nacho Cheese dip!  I have loved this for years and am happy to have the recipe to share with you!

10.6 oz Potato Cooked

3 oz Carrots Cooked

4.5 oz onion Cooked

8 oz soft tofu

2.5 oz Nutritional Yeast

2.5 oz Tahini

1 oz pickled Jalapeno

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions: Weigh ingredients using a food scale as needed.  Place all ingredients  in a food processor and combine until a smooth consistency is reached.  Thin sauce with water if needed.

These are pretty good, very beef like texture and flavor and a bit smokey and gamey.
I ground up duck breasts with a few strips of bacon. Grill them up and chow down!

These green beans are from my garden! I will not drown them in Campbells cream of mushroom soup which is filled with chemicals, MSG, preservatives and general crap. This recipe is worth the trouble.

Ingredients

For the topping:

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Nonstick cooking spray

For beans and sauce:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and halved
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half (I used soy milk and it worked perfect)
  

Directions

Synergy
525 33rd Avenue S.W.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
Reservations: 877-949-2992

Cedar Rapids dining has reached an all time low with Synergy in the Cedar Rapids Clarion Hotel. 


I had never heard of Synergy until Jeff was thumbing through the phone book a few weeks ago looking for a new restaurant for us to try out. We were excited by the menu in the yellow pages that listed many interesting dishes with an international flair. In fact, the phone book menu breaks down the dishes by country with tantilizing dishes like (USA) Lousiana Bacon Wrapped Scallops, (France) Escargot al 'All, (Japan) Nagoya Style Meat Ball, (Italy) Linguine al Pesto, and (Spain) Fried Blue Cheese Stuffed Green Olives. The funny thing is, that NONE of these items were on the actual dinner menu!

Jeff called Synergy to make a reservation and was told none would be necessary, this was Red Flag #1. We arrived at 6:00pm on a Saturday night to find we were the ONLY guests in the restaurant, Red Flag #2.  My first instinct was to get the hell out of there but curiosity and my need to soldier on and solve this culinary mystery was too strong. The dated and tacky dining room was huge and empty and frankly a little creepy, much like in the movie The Shining, Red Flag #3.  We were seated and handed menus where we immediatly noticed that none of the items that peaked our curiosity were on the menu. We ordered an appetizer of Shrimp Cocktail and I had a glass wine.  Jeff ordered the Prime Rib which comes with the salad bar and I had the crab stuffed mushrooms and a side salad.

The salad bar was small but nice and well filled, not hard to do since we were the only dinner guests. The Shrimp Cocktail was a joke.  5 medium side shrimp, two lemon slices, a dab of cocktail sauce and 2 celephane packages of Club Crackers for almost $9! The Mushrooms were equally dismal and flavorless.  The filling had very little crab and contained at least a teaspoon of water per deep fried nugget, disgusting.


Jeff's Prime Rib was the biggest disappointment of the meal.  The meat was tough and lacking in any meat flavor.  How the hell was the chef able to remove the beef taste from the beef? The appearance of every plate of food was dismal and depressing, tacky and dated.

We paid the $60 check and got the hell out of there.  I must award Synergy the grand distinction of being the lowest rated restaurant I have ever reviewed. 1/2 Addy

For the Balsamic Cherry Reduction:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 11/2 cups rich duck or chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• Salt and black pepper

Directions

Set a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, about 30 seconds, add the shallots, garlic and cherries. Cook the shallots, garlic and cherries until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots begin to caramelize, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and when the vinegar is almost completely reduced, about 3 minutes, add the stock and chopped sage. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Once the sauce is cooked, swirl the cold butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Duck Breast:

• 2 duck breast halves, 12 to 16 ounces each
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• Fresh or fried sage leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Score the duck breasts on the fatty side using a sharp knife, cutting about 1/8-inch into the skin in a cross hatch pattern. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium-low heat. Season the duck breasts evenly on both sides with the salt and pepper, and place, skin side down, in the hot skillet. Cook the breast until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has rendered, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour off the fat from the pan. Turn the breast over, and place in the hot oven for 10 minutes. (internal temp 130) Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 3 minutes, and slice each breast into 12 slices. Serve while hot.

Ingredients

• 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
• 2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Add garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly and slightly thick, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Gradually add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in salt and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add hot pasta to pan; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley, and pepper.

521 S. Gilbert Street
Iowa City, IA, 52240
319-354-1642
Web Site

Seared Sea Scallops Smoked Salmon with basil cured tomato & capers


This is a Lounge Review Only.

I am happy to tell you about one of the best things I have every eaten and where to get it.  Jeff and I set out to do a "Reckless Weekend" where we intended to get crazy as new empty nesters.  Our 3rd stop of the evening was Orchard Green to get great beer on tap and fantastic food. 

Orchard Green is a fine Dining establishment and we had eaten there before in the dining room.  Since we were dressed in jeans and t-shirts and wanted to get rowdy with friends who were meeting us for drinks, we stuck to the lounge area.  I love, love, love that Orchard Green has great beer on tap.  (see list) We had several Triple Karmeliete's and St. Bernardus Abt 12's, and also Weisenstephaner light and dark. Oh, and I do believe a round of Sutliff Cider!  Before we got completely blotto on the high alcohol full flavor beer, we had the Escargot with Grilled radicchio, tomato shiitake mushroom fricassee with polenta & veal jus.  This dish was nearly a religious experience for us and as Atheists, that is hard to come by.  Jeff and I savored every tasty morsel of the Escargot making the most guttural pleasure noises.  We asked for bread which was brought hot and warm from the oven and we mopped the plate for every last drop of the veal jus.  I want it, no, need to have it again very soon.  We followed up the Escargot with the Seared Sea Scallops and Smoked Salmon with basil cured tomato & capers.  The scallops were wonderful but I couldn't keep my mind off of the Escargot.  I don't want to forget to tell you about the great service.  Our every need was taken care of immediately and without intrusion.  We were probably over served, since my husband has some memory loss concerning post Orchard Green.  But we were on foot and really set out to take it to the limit.   This was the best lounge experience we have had in Iowa City and for this I must award the Lounge at Orchard Green  .

I will review the restaurant at later date.

836 1st Ave NE
Cedar Rapids, IA
http://rileyscafeandcatering.com/


Really great tasting pesto chicken pizza, sans mozzarella.

This 1st Ave eatery has continued to leave a good taste in  my mouth time and time again.  I usually go there for breakfast as their "Shipwreck" is fantastic and HUGE.  Riley's is your basic hometown cafe with tons of local flair adorning the walls.  The crowd is mainly families and blue collar folks looking for a great deal and big homey portions.  This is Midwest food done just right.  For a no-frills jeans and tee shirt meal with good service and big tasty portions I award Riley's


"The Cuban Sandwich and Mac and Cheese was just okay", says Mr. Bevauns.

These beautiful small fruit start green with dark stripes and ripen to a yellow color keeping the green stripes. The amazing sweet and tart flavor makes this one great in Salsas and Salads.

4 Cups diced Green Zebra Tomatoes
1 cup diced sweet yellow Onion
3 cloves Garlic smashed and minced fine
2 Jalapenos diced fine
1 lime juiced
2 tsp. kosher salt