Blue Apron ~ Fusilli con Buco Pasta

Summer squash, Pecorine cheese and mint was added to this pasta to give a tasty and easy summer dish. It was quite filling and I have enough left over for two lunches.  I will definitely make this again.

The pasta in this dish is fusilli con buco.  "Con buco" is an Italian phrase meaning "with a hole".  The pasta, therefore, is a springy, hollow noodle. 

Pecorino Cheese was melted into the warm pasta.  Pecorino cheese is one of the world's oldest known varieties of sheep's milk cheese.  The name comes from the Italian word "pecora", which means "sheep."

I also learned that the word "squash" comes from a New England Native American word meaning "eaten raw."

4 Stars

The Velvet Cactus

A new Mexican restaurant.  Interesting decor, with all sorts of interesting artwork, some for sale and some for viewing.

Fantastic food.  The chip dip is served hot and has a wonderful smoky flavor.  It's spicy, but not too spicy.  The best dip I have ever had.

Food servings are HUGE and very tasty.

One won't be overhearing anyone in this restaurant, though.  It is very noisy and hard to hear conversations at the table.  Even the waitress had difficulty hearing to take our orders.

There is a nice outdoor space, which is probably where I will sit the next time I go because it seems like it would be quieter there.

The Black Pearl

The Black Pearl is a favorite in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.  The seafood is delicious, and the seating is on the beach.  A portion is indoors, but often the windows are wide open to let the sea breeze in.  A small seating section is on the covered patio.  That is my favorite section of the restaurant.

Last night we dined on the patio ~ Jumbo crab cakes topped with jalapeño cole slaw.  Fabulous!

The couple at the table next to use looked to be a middle-aged married couple.  The man had finished his meal, but the woman had her cell phone pressed to her ear and talked the whole time, while picking at her food.  The poor man looked bored, while the woman chatted away.  Really???  You don't go out to a nice restaurant only to gab on the phone.  I wonder if she enjoyed her meal.

Beachwalk at Henderson Park

It was such a beautiful evening to enjoy a nice meal on porch at the Beachwalk, where we could enjoy the gentle sea breeze and listen to the waves on the shore.  The meal was fabulous.  The yellow fin tuna was just seared enough so that it just melted in the mouth.  No meal at the Beachwalk is complete without dessert.  The Key Lime Pie is light and fluffy.

Blue Apron ~ Seared Cod

Another yummy dish.  The seared cod was served atop the delicate flavors of spring with fresh asparagus in a light lemon-mustard vinaigrette.  The asparagus was blanched, then tossed with fingerling potatoes and radishes.  The radishes "cooked" when tossed with the warm asparagus and potatoes.  The recipe called for capers to be added to the vegetables, but I forgot to put them in.  The meal was tasty without them.

I learned that Asparagus is actually the young shoot of a small shrub that is harvested before its flesh becomes woody.  The "leaves" are actually early branches that, if the plant was allowed to grow, would shoot off the main trunk of the shrub.

In Turkish, the name for asparagus is "Kuskonmaz", which literally translates to "bird can't land."  In looking at the plant, one can see that a bird cannot perch on an asparagus tip.

Fingerling potatoes are native to South America.  There were brought to Europe during the colonial period and became a food staple, especially in French cuisine.

4 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Meatballs

Absolutely fabulous!  The chicken meatballs were incredibly flavorful because the secret is to add the savory hoisin sauce and soy glaze into the ground chicken, along with minced garlic and ginger.  A tad of the Sambal Oelek gave the meatballs just enough zing.  Mixed with the sautéed zucchini and topped over rice ~ heaven!

5 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Seared Steaks and Mashed Potatoes

This dish was not a winner.  I followed the instructions for cooking the steak, but it didn't turn out the way I think it should have.

The sautéed radishes and snap peas, on the other hand, were delicious.  I would definitely make them again.  Sautéing the radishes toned down their peppery bite, giving them a marvelous texture and flavor.

2 Stars