Delicious Dinners

I just returned to the Bahamas with all kinds of delicious items from home that are unavailable here -- Trader Joe's goodies (Mom, you are THE BEST), Lance snacks and chips (thank you Uncle Chris), and delicious Virginia grits (merci beaucoup Sarah & Andy).  Inspired by this loot, along with food magazines I drooled over in the airport (gracias Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart), I have been dominating our kitchen and having fun playing chef.  The school where I am volunteering happens to be right across the street from one of my favorite grocery stores (Thompson's, the one with really good meat and seafood), so I have been cooking some delicious dinners.  Charlie is in heaven (minus the constant studying and ginormous exam tomorrow).

I picked up some fresh shrimp and softshell crabs and have been cooking away...

Last night I cooked softshell crabs the way my parents have always expertly and perfectly cooked them: soaked in milk, lightly coated in flour, and fried up in a little butter until golden and crispy.  Sides:  wedge salad with iceberg lettuce, blue cheese, bacon, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette; and mashed carrots (steamed carrots mashed with a fork, with butter, honey, and chili powder mixed in).

Tonight I made saucy shrimp and grits (I used fresh shrimp instead of frozen and added a cup of cooked frozen spinach at the end).  Easy and yummy!!!!

From 'da sea...

To 'da table!

Yummy grouper sandwich with rice and plantains!

Fried Plantains, aka Tostones

Tostones with grilled cheese and Cooking Light's Chunky Gazpacho

Plantains are everywhere here and they are inexpensive.  So I decided I need to learn to cook them.  The good thing about them is that you can cook and eat them at any stage -- when they are green they are more like a root vegetable, when they are yellow they are sweeter, and when they are black they are really sweet.  I made tostones when the plantain was yellow with brown spots, but I think you can make them when it is green or black, too.  I made these the other night and they were delicious -- I am brave and confident enough to say that they rivaled Kuba Kuba's (in Richmond) tostones.  Bring it!

Tostones

Ingredients
•Plantains (use the green ones that aren't ripe yet, or ones that have just turned yellow)
•Oil for frying
•Salt or garlic salt (I use Trade Joe's Everyday Seasoning, a yummy mixture of seasonings in a grinder)

Preparation:
1.  Heat the oil in a pan.
2.  While the oil is heating up, peel the plantains and then cut them into 3/4 inch slices.  Sprinkle both sides with seasoning.
3.  Fry the slices in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They should be a light golden color and semi-soft.
4.  Remove the plantain slices with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5.  When the plantain slices are cool enough to handle (about 1 minute), smash them into flat rounds with the back of a large spoon.
6.  Fry the flattened rounds in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They will turn crisp and golden brown.
7.  Remove the tostones with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
8.  Eat 'em up!!!!