Ocean Drive

Beach, Boogie & Shag!

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

We're going to the beach, putting on some good ole Beach music and dance the night away! Carolina Beach music is a regional genre from the 60's that swept the country. And to go with this unique music you had to have a cool dance... thus the birth of the swing style dance called "the Shag". 

Today we're cookin' up some sweet and spicy pasta with some delicious blackened grouper, listening to some old rhythm and grooves and enjoying some "High Tide" punch.

Get out your dancing shoes.

The pots are on!

The Plate...

Blackened Grouper Linguine / Beurre Blanc Sauce

There is nothing I love more than some good spicy fish over pasta. With this dish you get sweet and spicy. The beurre blanc sauce has a great sweetness that really goes well with the blackened fish. 

Sounds fancy, but trust me this is really easy to make. 

I don't know why more restaurants don't offer an entree like this... Hmmm. 

What you need... 

Linguine:

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt

6 oz fresh linguine

Beurre Blanc:

2 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 shallot minced

4 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Grouper:

1 tbsp olive oil

Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere)

1 8oz grouper filet

2 cloves garlic minced

1 oz shredded parmesan

Lemon wedge for garnish

What you do...

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add olive oil and salt.

Add the linguine and cook for about 2 minutes.

Put cream, lemon juice, red pepper, vinegar and shallots in a saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a boil and reduce by about half.

Whip in the butter until it is smooth and add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. 

Sprinkle the Cajun spice all over the fish. 

Cook until well seared (3 min per side).

Pour the past into the pan with the Beurre Blanc and toss to blend.

Now arrange the linguine in the center of the plate and place grouper on top. 

Garnish with lemon wedge. 

The Playlist...

Ocean Drive

Sweet soul music... that's what we're talking about! You can't help but feel good listening to these great old dance tunes. I don't know exactly what makes up a great "shag" tune. They say it's a 4/4 beat with a little "blues shuffle"; fast or slow it doesn't matter. 

A lot of modern day musicians try to copy the style, but the original R&B groups had it down to a science. I mean if you don't feel like dancing to this stuff, especially at the beach, then something is wrong. It's windows down, cruising the boulevard, dancing on the boardwalk, good time music. 

Starting us off is a great cover of Little Walter's "My Babe" by Columbus Short... great tune. Then it gets a little revved up with Arthur Conley singing about "Sweet Soul Music".

There're a lot of great classics here. So put on those old loafers and get out there and dance. 

The "Playlist" runs on Spotify- Click on the link to listen to Ocean Drive

The Bar...

High Tide Punch

What you need...

Malibu Rum

Blue Hawaiian Punch

Sprite

Orange slice for garnish

What you do...

Pour equal parts rum, punch and sprite into big picture. 

Garnish with orange slice.

Have a couple and shag like nobody's looking'!

Dancin' The Night Away...

That's What He Thinks!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

Boogie Back To Texas

Eight Beats To The Mile!

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Ok Buckaroos... in the words of Jerry Jeff Walker, "We're trying to slide one by you once more..." 

Grab your boots, hat and a long neck... we're headed way down Texas way. Actually we're gonna "Boogie Back To Texas" with a little Texas swing music done in the old Bob Wills & Ernest Tubb's style. Think dance halls, hundreds of purty people and a couple of ugly ones (can't everybody be as good lookin' as us).

We've got some great Shiner Bock Fajitas, Bob Wills on the radio and a killer Cadillac Ranch Margarita. 

Come join us as we "Waltz Across Texas."

The pots are on!

The Plate...

Steak Fajitas with Shiner Bock Peppers

You've been there... you know when that big steaming plate of Fajitas comes by you at the restaurant. It's like a freight train full of deliciousness just went by with the smoke stacks in full plume.

Well, their easy to do and man are they awesome. Hey, you can't go wrong when you start off sautéing your peppers in Shiner Bock beer.

And there's really no wrong way to do this or wrong ingredients. You wanna throw in some Serrano peppers, mushrooms or jalapeño peppers... go right ahead.

"Don't matter how you do it, just do it like you know it!"- Jerry Jeff Walker

What you need... 

1 lb top round steak

1 bunch fresh parsley

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 large red onion- sliced

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup Olive Oil (EVO)

3 Poblano peppers- cut into strips

1 red pepper- sliced

1 green pepper- sliced

1/4 cup Shiner Bock beer

8 flour (or corn) 8 inch tortillas

Lime wedges for serving

What you do...

Combine the parsley, cilantro, garlic, and half of the sliced onion with salt and pepper to taste and place in a food processor.
Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil the the mix and blend until smooth.
Pierce your step with a fork in several places and put in a large plastic bag.
Add half of the mixture from the processor into the bag with the steak.
Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Cover and put the rest of the sauce to the side for now.

Heat up your grill to medium-high.
Remove the steak from the fridge and bring to room temperature.
Take steak out of the marinade and put on the grill.
Cook 5 minutes per side until medium-rare.
Take off the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat up a little oil in a sauté pan (fancy word for skillet).
Add the peppers, onion, salt and pepper to the oil and saute' for about 5 minutes.
Now add the beer, cover and continue to cook until the peppers are tender, about another 5 minutes.

Warm the tortillas on the grill.
Thinly slice the steak and and put on platter for serving.
Take the rest of the "marinade" and pour over the steak.

Load up tortillas with steak and cover with the onion and pepper mixture.
Garnish with a little lime to make it fancy.

The Playlist...

Boogie Back To Texas

Ah... Bob Wills, some Ernest Tubbs, a little swing and a few songs about Texas. It just doesn't get any better than this kids!

Again, we have a little old, a little new and today some new takes on some old classics. Check out Robert Earl on "T for Texas". It's off of his brand new bluegrass CD "Happy Prisoner". Great stuff complete with an all star cast. 

We also have a couple off of Asleep at the Wheel's new one called "Still the King". This is an awesome compilation of music celebrating Mr. Bob Wills; complete with special guest like Lyle Lovett, The Avett Brothers,Willie Nelson and George Strait to name a few. 

The "Playlist" runs on Spotify- Click on the link to listen to Boogie Back To Texas

The Bar...

Cadillac Ranch Margarita 

What you need... 

1 cup tequila

1 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup Cointreau 

1/2 cup cranberry juice

Sliced lime for garnish

What you do...

Stir all ingredients together to dissolve sugar.

Pour desired amount into a cocktail shaker with ice.

Strain into margarita glass and garnish with lime. 

All My Ex's Live In Texas...

That's Why I Hang My Hat In Tennessee!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

All About That Bass

No Treble...

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)


Bring on the Boom! Today it's all about the ladies... the Divas that bring us joy while singing with that big ole "upright" bass. No Barbies and banjos here. We're talking about mamas that know how to belt it out old-school style. 

Grab your champagne martini and come have a seat. The "Butts" gonna be a while. The tunes are hot and this ain't no place for little hip-hop girls. I think I heard somewhere that "hips don't lie"! 

The pots are on!

The Plate...

Smoked Boston Butt

Low and slow... that's the only way to go. Man, it is worth the wait.  The key is to get a good smoke going first before you put the roast right on the grill. You won't have to mist the pork let some recipes call for because of the beer "bath" in the roasting pan. 

What you need... 

1 5lb Boston Butt

2 tbsp canola oil

fresh thyme

1 medium white onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

2 tbsp ancho chile powder

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 chipotle in adobo chopped

2 cups wood chips

Couple of beers to fill the roasting pan while cooking.

What you do...

Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the thyme, garlic, onion, ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, coriander, orange juice, lime juice and chipotle. 

Cook down to dissolve the sugar then remove from the heat.

Put the pork in a large pan and pour the marinade over the pork.

Cover and let it refrigerate overnight.

Set up your grill for indirect heat and set to 220 degrees. 

Add the wood chips. 

Remove the pork from the fridge and place in a roasting pan (fat side up) and bring to room temperature.

Pour a little beer in the bottom of the pan and place on the grill.

Grill until the internal temp reaches about 190 degrees (about 5-6 hours).

Take the pork off the grill and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Shred or slice the pork for great, smoky pork.

The Playlist... 

All About That Bass

Like we said... a little old school, big band swing for you today. 

Love that bass and love Scott Bradlee and the postmodem jukebox... great remakes and covers. 

And, if you haven't heard of Renee Olstead you need to. She does a great cover of the old Ray Charles tune... "Hit the Road Jack"! 

We threw in a little old, something new and something blue... just to keep you on your toes.

Turn that "Boombox" up! 

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar...

Champagne Cosmopolitan

What you need...

1 1/2 oz vodka

1/2 oz cranberry juice

1/2 oz Cointreau

Splash of champagne

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

ice

Orange peel for garnish

What you do... 

Pour the vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau and lime juice into a shaker filled with ice and mix.

Strain into a martini glass and top off with champagne.

Garnish with orange peel.

This Doesn't Have A Thing To Do With Fishing...

Does It?

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!

Take Me To The River

And We're Rollin'!

  (Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Never saw the good side of a city 'till I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen. As they say down south... "If you hadn't done it you ain't seen it". 

Come on y'all... let's take a trip down the mighty Mississippi; sit outside on the upper deck, feel the breeze and listen to that paddle wheel slapping the water. We'll enjoy a little catfish, sip on a big glass of mint lemonade and listen to some tunes about the river.  

Big wheels keep on turning'...

The pots are on!

The Plate...

Blackened Catfish

Ahh catfish... one of my all time favorite southern dishes. I like it whole, fillet, fried, grilled and blackened. Any way you want to do it is fine by me. 

Now, this is not the old school bottom feeder fish that we're talking about. Today you can get farm raised catfish that has dined on feed that is 35% protein. They are raised in fertilized nursery ponds that contain abundant natural foods as well as their feed. The result is some mighty good tasting fish.

Today I think we will stick with hot'n spicy blackened catfish like they do down New Orleans way. Be careful... we want to blacken the fish, not burn it. 

What you need...

4 catfish fillets (6 oz each)
2 tsp each- cayenne, dried thyme, chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
4 lemon wedges

What you do...

Mix all of the dry ingredients together for the blackened spice rub.

Rub the spice mix all over the fish and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

Heat your grill to high and place a cast iron skillet on the grill until it is "white hot".

Add oil to the pan and when it slightly starts to smoke you're ready.

Add the catfish and cook about 2 minutes per side.

Transfer the cooked fillets to the oven to continue to finish for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Serve with a little butter and a wedge of lemon.

The Playlist...

Take Me To The River

Dip me in the water... washing me down. So many cool lines and so many cool songs have been written about "the river". Maybe it's the hypnotic flow, the coolness of the water or just the shear majesty of the mighty Mississippi. 

It seems that there is either a since of mystery and adventure on the river, or a calming peace as you watch it roll by. 

 As JJ Grey says- "Only this river can bear me away!"

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar...

Mississippi Mint Lemonade

What you need...

1 1/2 cups vodka

4 cups water
1 cup sugar

8 lemons

1/2 cup fresh mint

Ice

What you do...

Zest 1 lemon and place in saucepan and top with  1 cup water and sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves.

Remove and let it cool ( remove lemon zest).

Muddle the mint in a pitcher.

Stir in lemon juice and vodka, then pour in the sugar/water syrup.

Stir in water.

Fill glasses with ice, pour in lemonade and garnish with lemon slice and mint. 

If You Come Down To The River...

Bet You're Gonna Find Some People Who Live!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!