Fried Oyster Salad and/or PoBoys

I know I lost a lot of you with "oyster", but for those of us who like them, this salad is a winner. Whenever oysters are available, I buy several pints and throw them in the freezer to use whenever I get a craving. That is exactly what happened today. The only thing I had to decide was how I wanted to serve them. I had lots of lettuce, so a salad was the obvious choice. I don't usually use bottled salad dressing because it's so easy to make, but this was in my refrigerator after we let our house be used for a weekend retreat, so I didn't want to waste it. It was actually quite good! I added and avocado and some crunchy bacon bits and dinner was ready. I served Hubby's on a Hawaiian bun as a sandwich and he loved it. I ate mine just as it was and enjoyed avery bite. Here's what you'll need:

1 pint oysters, drained
cornmeal for dredging the oysters
bacon bits
avocado
romaine
parmesan cheese
salad dressing of your choice
peanut oil for frying

Start by frying the bacon. I like to have bacon bits in the freezer, so I cut up the whole pound and fry it until crisp. Then I used what I needed and put the rest in the freezer in a zip top bag and keep it in the freezer until I need some.

Heat the oil in a pan to fry the oysters. You want the oil to be about 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, put the corn meal in a bowl and season it to taste. I used roasted garlic salt and Old Bay. Stir to combine. After you have drained the oysters well. pat dry with a paper towel. Hot oil and water do not mix. Dredge an oyster in the seasoned corn meal, shake off the excess and gently place in the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining oysters, but don't add them all to the oil at once. I fry about 3 at a time. Any more than that and the oil dolls too quickly and the crust doesn't get a golden, crunchy brown. When they are done, drain on a paper towel and season with a little salt. Cook all the oysters.

In a big bowl, toss the lettuce with dressing until it is evenly distributed.

Dice the avocado and add it to the bowl.

Now sprinkle on the bacon bits.

Add the fried oysters.

Now it's ready. Beautiful, right? I love all the different textures and flavors.

And here it is made into a sandwich.

Breakfast Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Hubby loves breakfast. It's his favorite meal of the day, but lately he's getting a little tired of breakfast tacos, so this week I decided to try incorporating another of his favorites-- the grilled cheese sandwich. It's a super simple, quick assembly that he loved. He asked for it again the next day. I used basic American cheese slices because he loves them, but feel free to fancy it up with whatever variety you have on hand. I will say that even though American cheese is not usually one of my tops picks, it's hard to beat it's amazing creaminess when melted. A cooked egg and some jalapeño slices and it was ready to grill. Here's what you'll need:

2 slices of bread
2 eggs
3 slices American cheese
jalapeño slices
butter

Start by melting a little butter in a skillet and frying the 2 eggs. I like to pop the yolks but still leave them a little gooey.

While the eggs are cooking, place some cheese on one slice of the bread. The bread I used was pretty big, so I used 2 slices for coverage. Top with jalapeño slices.

Top with the cooked eggs.

Top with the other slice of bread and spread the top with butter.

In the same skillet you cooked the eggs, place the sandwich leaving the buttered side up. There should be enough melted butter left in the skillet, but if there isn't, add a little more.

When the bottom is toasted, flip the sandwich.

That's it!

Enjoy!

Lynn

Chorizo Mexican Breakfast Sandwich

I've been home alone this weekend and getting a lot done around the house. When I'm home alone and working on projects, I tend to forget to eat until I realize that I'm ravenous. That's what happened this morning. I was up early for church and when I got home I dove right into the kitchen organizing project I started the day before. The next thing I knew, it was 11:30 and I realized I hadn't eaten yet. A quick check of the fridge to see what I had on hand, and this chorizo Mexican sandwich was born. It was a quick assembly and not much cooking. Chorizo is one of those staples I like to keep on hand because of it's intense flavor and versatility. An English muffin, some pepper jack cheese, and a little avocado and I was ready to eat. Here's what you'll need:

For 1 sandwich