The Field -- Hollywood, Florida

I had the pleasure of eating at The Field Irish Pub & Eatery in Hollywood, Florida last week.  Highly recommend going to the pub side of the restaurant.  You can order food from there and enjoy whatever entertainment they have going.  I was there on a Wednesday.  Granted, South Florida is always packed, any day of the week, but The Field handled the crowd and didn't feel like everyone was packed in.  We were seated right away with no reservations.

There was a Rod Stewart (George Orr) impersonator there, he was pretty good.  Sang some of the newer "old" songs that Stewart has been doing lately as well as some of the old ones.  He was funny, and shared some great Rod Stewart trivia.  I kind of wish I was there closer to the weekend for the other group that is there Thursday through the weekend--Celtic Bridge.  I like that kind of music for the eating part of our eating, George Orr seemed to enjoy entertaining.

I had the Wild Oak Smoked Salmon as an entree.  It was tasty.  At what I think was $12.50, a little high for an appetizer, but it was definitely enough for me as a meal.  I sampled the chicken pot pie which was fabulous, but more calories than I wanted to eat that night.  I also sampled the apple crumb tart with the optional ice cream on the side.  It was very delicious.

I've made plans to return there the next time I am in South Florida.

Pickled Eggs . . . and Beets

After years of eating my mother's pickled eggs and beets--asking for a recipe--leaving empty handed, a recipe arrived in the most interesting package.  I received a complimentary issue of a new magazine from allrecipes.  Inside was this awesome recipe submitted by "Cindy."  I made a few changes, so we'll see how it goes--and tastes.

8 hardcooked eggs/peeled
2 15 ounce jars picked beets
1 onion/chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
3 bay leaves
16 cloves

The eggs were hot when I peeled them, added them to everything else all at once and left them the whole thing out on the counter until the eggs cooled inside the rest of the ingredients.  This is a little easier than the recipe, so we'll see how it turns out in the days to follow.  I am excited to see how my hand at simplifying an already much too simple recipe.  "Cindy" called this a "Pennsylvania Dutch" recipe.  Now it's a much easier than easy version.

borrowed photo

borrowed photo

Manny's Chophouse

Manny's Chophouse is delicious.  I returned to the Lake Wales, Florida location for a second visit over the weekend and ordered what I think was the Southwest Chicken.  I'm not so sure there was much "Southwest" about it with all the bacon and cheese on it.  Perhaps the diced onions and tomatoes?  However, it was delicious.  As a person that almost always orders chicken, I will order this entree again.  I also ordered the black beans and rice.  A staple for me.  I was not disappointed with this choice.  It had a great flavor and if it came from a can, I couldn't tell.

Surprising for me, was the spread served with the complementary rolls.  It had a real cinnamon sugar taste, and was soft enough to dip the bread in.  I didn't eat the rolls or the spread last time, so glad I tried it this time.  If you find yourself in the real Central Florida, Manny's is just a few minutes off US27 in Lake Wales.  They don't open until 4:00--gotta love a place that stays open 30 minutes later on Fridays and Saturdays.  *wink*  Sunday is NOON - 9:30. 

Awesome Spice mix

So I watched Rachel Ray the other day and she made an awesome spice blend of some spices I just so happened to have all of but the sumac.  However, I had Paprika, so I give Rachel the credit here and add my hint to it.  This is from a show that aired March 5, 2013.  It highlighted Chicken Caesar Salad with this spice blend on the chicken.  I put it on a ribeye steak about 30 minutes before I threw it on the ol' George Foreman Grill.  It was delightfully understated.  Can't wait to try it on chicken.

I mixed up about 1:1 tbsp (except the thyme and parsley 2:1) of this blend and put it in an empty spice jar.

• 1 tablespoon ground sumac or paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palmful
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

 I'm thinking this might be a kind of cool gift for a friend I know would love to add this to her chicken or whatever meat she's grilling.  I'm going out tomorrow, so maybe I will find a little jar to put it in and share the mix with her.

Kicking It Up

It's been a year since I posted in my blogs.  I am taking a week to get myself together and start posting again.  I will be doing some follow up reviews on products I have bought like the Cuisinart Mandolin Slicer, my bamboo cutting board that is now a year old, and other odds and end products I've bought along the way, so stay tuned.

I've also done some research on "best" cooking procedures and even some great food straight from the shelf.  Wednesday, March 6, is the big day.  Don't miss it!