Soaking up Design Sponge at Home

I love, love, love the store Anthropologie. It inspires me so very much every time I walk inside... And I am seriously obsessed with their book collection. I saw Design Sponge at Home in Anthropologie, and was initially drawn to it because of the color (tangerine is my favorite interior accent color at the moment). I purchased it after flipping through, and realizing that it was more than just a pretty cover - but it is just as inspiring as the store it's sold in!

Design Sponge is a blog started by Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney. She compiled her favorite homes and DIY projects, and put them into this very well-designed, gorgeous hard-back book. 

I'm so excited to begin a Do-It-Yourself project that is featured in Design Sponge at Home. I'll take some photos of the final product and post them here. You can find some fun DIY projects on the Design Sponge blog.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in love with interior design or DIY! You can purchase the book at Anthropologie, Amazon (it's a lot cheaper there), and more.

Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea)

Serves 4-5

My family has been frequenting a certain local Jacksonville Thai restaurant for about 17 years now. Pattaya Thai Grille was once owned and operated by our friend Lek, who's son, Russell, now owns and it and is the main chef. 

Shawn & I were invited to a dinner with new friends recently where we were to bring a dish made with flank steak, and then all of the dishes were to be voted on. I told Lek about this food contest, and she verbally gave me the recipe for her version of Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nuea). I put my own style into it, and it was quite a hit at the dinner!

The measurements below are guesstimates, since I make this by taste. If you like your food very spicy, add another chili pepper... If you're not into spice, SHAME ON YOU! Just kidding. ;) Just use 1 chili pepper. If you cannot find thin soy, use Tamari or regular soy sauce, but taste the mixture before pouring it all over your steak. You may want to add a little more lime juice.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. flank steak 
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 
• 3 tbsp. thin soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 2 chili peppers 
• 1 med. white onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 green onion, sliced 
• 3 cups fresh cilantro, chopped 
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish 
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced for garnish 
• Jasmine rice

Directions:

Take your steaks out of the refrigerator to let them warm to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Turn your grill on (I have an electric grill since I live in a condo & am not allowed to have gas or charcoal). Let it get to high heat (about 15 minutes).

Prep your onion, green onion, cilantro, tomatoes and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, finely chop the garlic and chili pepper. Set the mixture aside.

Grill the flank steaks for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they're done to your liking. Let the cooked steaks rest on the counter.

Arrange sliced tomatoes on your nicest platter or large plate. In a bowl, mix together the garlic/chili pepper, lime juice, thin soy, and sugar. This is your sauce... and wow, it's good.

Cut flank steaks into quarter-inch slices - cut against the grain, or your meat will be chewy. Cut the slices in half, and then arrange half of the meat on the serving platter. Stack your meat high to make it look like there's a lot of it. Arrange half of the sliced onions on top of the meat. Pour half of the sauce over the meat & onions. Generously sprinkle some of the fresh cilantro on top. Repeat with the rest of the meat, then the onion, the rest of the sauce, more cilantro, and then top with the sliced green onion and fresh mint.

Serve with jasmine rice, and make sure to spoon that delicious sauce over the rice. Bon appetit! 

Orecchiette with Browned Butter and Snails

Serves 2-4 (I suggest doubling if you have 4 people with big appetites!)

Last week, my family and I went to North Carolina to unplug for a few days. We stopped by Dean and Deluca (an amazing specialty grocery store), where I picked up a can of gourmet French Wild Burgundy Snails. I also found some delicious looking orecchiette pasta, which seemed like the perfect pairing for the snails.

While in the mountains of North Carolina, I visited the Ashe County cheese shop and picked up some Ashe County butter, which I used in this recipe. On the last day of our vacation, we went to the West Jefferson, NC, farmer’s market - incredible! A very nice couple, Ron and Suzanne Joyner, of Big Horse Creek Farm, were set up at the farmer’s market. They specialize in Antique and Heirloom Apple Trees, but at the market, they had a booth for their fresh produce, and they had 4 different types of garlic. I bought a few bulbs of each kind, and couldn’t wait to get home to Florida to try them all! From other vendors, I also purchased some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers, and a few other goodies.

This past weekend was the perfect weekend to experiment in my new kitchen. The day after we returned back to Florida, I spent the entire morning/afternoon chopping, tasting, and experimenting with a bunch of fresh ingredients gathered from our mountain getaway. I made habanero salsa and two different kinds of bruschetta with the juicy, flavorful heirloom tomatoes, but my favorite dish of the weekend was this pasta. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8.8 oz. Orecchiette pasta (or about 1/2 lb.)
• 7.5 oz. can of Wild Burgundy Snails (4 dozen small)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. Herbs de Provence, ground in mortar & pestle
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used Persian Star garlic from Big Horse Creek Farm)
• 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Cook orecchiette pasta as directed on package.

While pasta is boiling, heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until butter has a golden brown color. When butter has desired coloring, add garlic, Herbs de Provence, and snails. Stir to combine, and remove from heat. 

Strain pasta out of boiling water when finished, and add directly to the browned butter saucepan. Immediately add Parmesan cheese and parsley, and stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve in your prettiest bowls, and serve with fresh French bread if desired.

Garlicky Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4-6

Spaghetti Squash is an amazing veggie. It blows me away every single time I have it. It’s so easy, so delicious, so healthy, and so cool! I love the way it comes apart with a fork, and with a little imagination, it tastes like pasta! There are two ways to go about cooking it, as I will explain below. This recipe is super simple & yummy, and I recommend using the “poking holes” method if you don’t own a REALLY sharp, serrated knife. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 tbsp. good olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• Fresh basil leaves, shredded
• Kosher or sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

COOKING YOUR SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

Method 1 (Cooking time: 30-35 mins | you will need a VERY sharp, serrated knife):

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and halve squash lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds from the middle of each half. 

2. Arrange squash in a 9˝ x 13˝ casserole dish, cut sides down. Pour 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Rake a fork back and forth across the squash to remove its flesh in strands… it looks just like spaghetti!

Method 2 (Cooking time: 1 hour):

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prick the spaghetti squash all over with a skewer so it will not burst while baking.

2. Place the whole squash in a shallow baking pan and bake for 1 hour.

3. When cool enough to handle, cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, with a serrated knife.

4. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard seeds from the middle of each half. 

5. Rake a fork back and forth across the squash to remove its flesh in strands.

SEASONING YOUR SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

Place spaghetti squash strands in a serving bowl. Add the 2 tbsp. of olive oil & minced garlic, and toss well. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Garnish with fresh basil shreds. Delicious!

My Dad's {So Delicious} Blackening Spice

This is my dad's TOP SECRET (not anymore!) blackening spice recipe. I made some delicious blackened chicken breasts with it the other night, so he told me that I could go ahead and post the recipe on my blog. :) He makes this in large quantities, and then stores it in the pantry in "Fish/White Meat Blend" & "Red Meat Blend" labeled containers so that we can use it all year. It is so, so, so good. 

Fish/White Meat Blend:

• 4 parts paprika
• 2 parts white pepper
• 2 parts red pepper
• 2 parts black pepper, coarse
• 2 parts thyme
• 2 parts salt
• 2 parts sugar
• 2 parts oregano
• 2 parts onion powder
• 2 parts garlic powder
• 1 part rosemary

For Red Meat, also add:

• 1 part cumin
• 1 part fennel seed
• 2 parts Coleman's mustard powder

Bombastic Blackened Chicken

Serves 4

Once you have made my dad's amazing blackening spice, and have it stored in your pantry for future use (see the recipe here), this dish is one of the easiest & quickest meals to throw together on a whim! It's spicy, juicy, and so flavorful.. so much so that I actually said "bombastic." ;) Pair with a salad or some southern greens, like I did! 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2-3 tbsp. butter
• My dad's blackening spice (see here)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Wash chicken breasts, pat dry. Pour a generous amount of blackening spice into a shallow bowl. Place chicken breasts, one by one, into the blackening spice, and coat very generously with the spice. Place coated chicken breasts into a baking dish. Put 1/2 tbsp. butter on top of each breast. Bake for 15 minutes on each side. Voila!

Panko Pecan Pan-Fried Flounder

I LOVE breading fish and chicken with pecans. The final product is so crunchy, and has amazing flavor. I usually just make this on a whim, using whatever ingredients I have lying around (Italian style breadcrumbs work really well, too), but this time I decided to really give it my all so that I could share a recipe with you!

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 4 fresh Flounder fillets
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the breading:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 oz. chopped pecans
• 1 cup whole wheat Panko crumbs
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil

Directions:

In a shallow baking dish, mix together the buttermilk, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the Flounder fillets, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour, taking out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking them.

In a shallow dish, add the flour. Season with the salt and pepper.

In another shallow dish, crack the eggs, and whisk till creamy.

In a third shallow dish, mix together the pecans and Panko crumbs.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge 2 of the fish fillets in the flour, then shake off the excess. Dip into the egg, and then cover with the pecan/Panko mixture. Cook the two fillets for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish is white and flaky inside. Repeat with the other 2 fillets, adding the remaining tbsp. oil before cooking them.

Serve immediately, and garnish with fresh dill if desired.

Perfectly paired with my Cold Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing.