A Seafood Story and Frog Legs

When I was 6, I found a four-leafed clover. To celebrate, I ran around my yard with glee and then stepped in a huge, warm pile of dog poop. Squishy mess between the toes. Not nice.

And, the time when I was in college and kept a friend's fish aquarium which was placed in an area that received sunlight and when the water got too warm, one of the fish jumped out and, again, I stepped on it, barefoot. It "popped" and I had squishy "stuff" between my toes. Ugh. I actually called a friend, crying, to come clean it up (and my foot) because I was so grossed out. And then I made him carry me outside because I didn't want to walk on the floor!


Don't let me forget to mention the time I was barefoot, running around playing at night, stepped on and squished a frog...sticky slime between the toes is not fun. Nor is it easy to clean off. GAH-ROSS!

But, boy, do they cook up good! Somehow, I am trying to tie this into St. Patrick's day, oh my! Being that it's Lent, and St. Patrick's Day is also St. Joseph's Day which is a Holy Day, no meat is allowed. So seafood is on the menu tonight. But obviously, I have some unfortunate experiences with LIVE seafood! Or being around them barefoot, that is. Look at their little heiney's!

Allow me to expand on Frog Legs. Trust me when I say they taste like chicken because they really do. Fried, Grilled (the most popular ways to cook them), or however they are prepared, they truly (honestly) do taste like chicken and they have the same texture as chicken too. You can take any recipe you have for chicken and use it for Frog Legs and the result will be the same.

I prefer to pan fry or oven bake them after salting and peppering them then dredgeing them in seasoned flour or deep frying using a tempura egg batter coating. However, I've also grilled them using the same ingredients and method for steak: garlic butter, salt and pepper and maybe a little bit of Tony's to taste.

Oven Broiled Steak

As a followup to the last post on great steak preparations, this is my second favorite way to have steak.

My grandmother got this recipe from one of the steakhouse's in Fort Worth, Texas that she and my grandfather preferred and this is the method used at Ruth's Chris Steak House! I kid you not, it really is how Ruth's Chris prepares their steaks. The difference is we don't have commercial equipment in our kitchens, so forget the sizzling platter. However, the end result is the same and is wonderful.

This is the way I prepare steaks when the weather prohibits outdoor grilling. Again, any cut may be used, but I still prefer Ribeye's and Mignon's for this method.

2 large thick cut (over 1") Ribeye steaks (bone-in or boneless)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
salt
pepper
butter

Place steaks in a cast iron pan or grilling pan. Sprinkle top side of the steaks with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Then, place pats of butter all over top of each steak. This will add flavor and keep the steak from drying out.

Broil on high until steak is browned well and cooked to your preference. Remove pan from oven and turn the steaks. Sprinkle the other side with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cover with more pats of butter. Return to oven to broil until desired doneness is achieved.

Plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Grilled Steak With Garlic Butter

My Grandfather had two cattle ranches and farms where he raised cattle, crops as well as having pecan orchards. As a result of having the cattle ranches, we had the best beef available for our own consumption. My grandmother mastered their favorite steak preparations from the many steakhouses they visited when in Texas and other areas of Louisiana for rodeo's and auctions.

Her motto, and obviously the restaurants too, was to keep it simple. Forget the ketchup, A-1 Steak Sauce and marinating your steak in salad dressing. That's for amateurs! There are two ways they favored their steaks. This one is my favorite, Grilled Steak with Garlic Butter. You can use any type of cut but my preferences are ribeye's and filet mignon's. These simple ingredients bring out the flavor of the steak without masking it and are incredibly delicious.

Grilled Steak With Garlic Butter

2 large thick cut (over 1") Ribeye steaks (bone-in or boneless)
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, pressed
salt
pepper

Press the garlic and mix it in with softened butter. When your grill is prepared and ready, grill your steaks on one side until ready to turn. After turning, sprinkle the cooked side with salt and pepper.

Allow other side to cook and turn again. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Once your steak is cooked to preferred doneness, flip again and spread a coating of garlic butter over the top of the hot side you just turned up. Remove from grill and flip it over onto the plate. Spread other, hot side, with garlic butter. Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

If there is any garlic butter left over, I either use it to butter some French bread or throw it in with some vegetables or on a baked potato. Mmmm, Mmmm, good!