Stuffed Flounder & Baked Mackerel

Stuffed Flounder

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds flounder fillets
• 1 cup crabmeat - drained, flaked and cartilage removed
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ground white pepper, to taste
• 3 crushed saltine crackers
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse the fillets and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine crab meat, green pepper, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, white pepper and the crushed saltines. Combine the egg white and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. Stir this into the crab meat mixture.
3. Brush the flounder fillets with melted butter. Place in a lightly greased, shallow baking dish. Spoon the crab mixture over the fillets and drizzle with any remaining butter.
4. Bake the fillets at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. While the fish is baking, lightly beat the egg yolk in a small bowl. Stir in 5 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Remove fish from oven and spread this mixture over the stuffing; sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
6. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and bake until golden and bubbly, about 6 minutes. 

Baked Mackerel with Potatoes in Garlic Sauce

Basic ingredients 2 fresh mackerels (800g each) 1 lemon olive oil salt 1 tbsp cider vinegar

6 cloves of garlic 1 dried chilli chopped parsley 4 potatoes 1/2 onion

Steps: 1. Clean the mackerel place on a plate lightly sprinkle with salt and pour over a little olive oil 2. Make cuts in the side of the fish and place a slice of lemon in each 3. Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees) for approx 20 mins 4. To make the garlic sauce put a generous amount of olive oil in a frying pan (about 8 tbsp), the finely sliced garlic cloves and the whole dried chilli and fry over a medium to low heat remove the whole dried chilli once the sauce is ready and the garlic has turned golden 5. Peel and slice the potatoes, chop the onion and fry together in a separate frying pan in a little olive oil 6. Remove the fish from the oven open them up and remove the bones and place on a serving plate then sprinkle over the cider vinegar and pour the garlic sauce over the fish 7. Place the fried potato slices and onion around the edges of the fish and garnish with a little chopped parsley before serving

Playing For Change

Here's some music to start the week with.....PEACE

Crab Cakes

 Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 lb crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup minced red bell peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup minced celery
1/2 cup minced red onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
cooking oil

Method of cooking crab cakes recipes

Combine first 11 ingredients.
Spread 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs on wax paper.
Divide crab mixture into 8 patties, coat with breadcrumbs and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Roast red pepper for 30 minutes until charred.
Wrap in foil and cool.
Remove skin and seeds and chop fine.
Combine with mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic.
Spread on cut sides of hamburger buns.
Heat ¼ inch oil in skillet.
Cook crab cakes until golden, turning once about 8 minutes.

Basic Kyaking

Basic Kayak Skills

Kayaking can be a  fun way to get outdoors and enjoy nature. You'll need a kayak a paddle to have a good time, but you'll also need to know how to properly use them before you set off in the water.

Getting In

It may sound like a piece of cake, but due to the way a kayak is constructed, planning your entry and exit of the kayak is key. Unlike a canoe or a boat, it's actually easiest and most effective to enter the kayak while it is on dry ground. Set up your kayak close to the shore of the body of water you'll be navigating and make sure there are no rocks or other impediments to block your path to the water. Use your paddle to push yourself into the water.

Paddling

Once you're in and ready to get moving, you'll need the proper paddle technique in order to propel your kayak through the water. The kayak paddle is different from, say, a canoe paddle in that it has two fins instead of one. Hold the paddle with your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart for the most effective and comfortable stroke. If you're trying to go straight, make a stroke by inserting the paddle into the water at about your waist and pull straight back, parallel with the kayak. Then repeat with the other fin of the paddle on the opposite side. If you push the paddle out, it will push the kayak forward and away from your paddle stroke. This technique is used to turn the kayak. If you are in fast-moving waters, you can also use your paddle as a rudder by placing the fin in the water behind you. Place the paddle behind you on the right to move left, and vice - versa to go right, using the current against the paddle to steer the kayak.

Roll

Kayaks are built to be able to roll over in the water and roll back with relative ease in case of rapids, bad weather or other water conditions. To perform a roll, first place the paddle on the side of the kayak at about water level with the blade flat to the water. Then roll the kayak over so you are upside down in the water. Use a sit-up motion with your body while at the same time pushing the paddle out away from the kayak and up towards the surface of the water. These two motions done at the same time will cause the kayak to turn up and help you get back above water.

Florida Lobster & Shrimp Gumbo

Broiled Lobster Tails

Ingredients:
4 Florida lobster tails
1/2 lb. butter
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare lobster–thaw, split down back, NOT all the way through so can be butterflied.
Place butter, parsley, and rest in bowl. Blend.
Spread mixture over tails.
Cook 6-8 minutes in oven depending on size (large tails may take 15-20 minutes).
Serve with rice.
Serves 4.

Shrimp Gumbo

3 to 5 lb. shrimp

1 lb. okra

1 lg. or 2 sm. onions

2 fresh tomatoes

1 heaping tbsp. shortening

1 pod green pepper

Salt to taste

Remove heads of shrimp. Wash thoroughly, then boil about 10 minutes. Chop okra fine. Mince onion. Fry okra, onion and pepper slightly. Add chopped up tomatoes. Fry a few minutes then add two quarts of boiling water in which the shrimp have been cooked. Peel shrimp and add to mixture. Boil for about two hours on a slow fire. Serve with steamed rice.

Tropica Drinks - Pina Colada & Sex on the Beach

Pina Colada Ingredients

8 ounces of Pineapple juice

8 ounces of Coconut Cream

6 ounces of Rum

3 to 4 cups of Ice

Cherries

Slices of pineapple, orange or lime

Paper umbrellas

Pina Colada Instructions
In a blender, grind ice while gradually adding the pineapple, coconut cream and rum. Alternatively, use shaved ice. The ice should be thick enough to hold a cherry on top without sinking in. Serve in a tall glass with a straw. Garnish with one cherry and a slice of fruit. Insert a paper umbrella for that additional tropical, exotic touch. 

Sex on the Beach Ingredients

1-1/2 ounces of Peach Schnapps

1-1/2 ounces of Vodka

2 ounces of Cranberry Juice

2 ounces of Orange Juice

2 ounces of Pineapple Juice

Sex on the Beach Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. 

History of Florida in Photos 2

Top to Bottom

Sarasota Lido municipal

The "Vandalia"

Sarasota Jail

John Ringling estate

Capt. Robert's Fishing Boat

Making a Rope Hammock

Materials you will need:

ONE PERSON HAMMOCK

• 2 pounds of Hammock Cord 33" x 72" = 740'

• 1 wooden Gauge Stick 2" x 6"

• 1 giant Netting Shuttle 8" x 1⅛" x 3/16" thick

• 2 Hardwood Bars, 1½" x 1½", 33" long

• 2 rings, 2" - 3" diameter

• Electric Drill 1/4" bit; 5/16" bit; rose bit

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To make shuttle: Cut a piece of 18' x 3/16" wood 8" long. Drill out holes at the points shown and saw out the area along the dotted lines with a scroll saw. Sand the edges smooth.

To make gauge stick: Cut a piece of wood 2" wide 6" long 1/8" thick. Round the ends and sand them smooth.

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TWO PERSON HAMMOCK

• 3 pounds of Hammock Cord
  

• 1 Gauge Stick

• 1 giant Netting Shuttle

• 2 Hardwood Bars, 1½" x 1½", 48" long

• 2 rings, 2" - 3" diameter

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START: Cut a three foot piece of twine; square knot the ends. Hang the loop from a handy nail, hook or door knob.

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WIND: Load shuttle with Hammock Cord (see pictures). Not too full for the first row. Tie free end to the loop.

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CASTING ON: Hold gauge stick in your left hand. Wrap the shuttle cord once around the stick-down in front and up behind. Pull the shuttle up through the starting loop. Holding shuttle cord loop tight around the gauge stick, half hitch around both sides of the starting cord. Repeat, until you have made 20 loops around the gauge stick (30 for two person hammock). Snug and even.

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FIRST ROW: Pull out the gauge stick. Rotate the work, so the shuttle is on the left side. Hold the gauge stick in your left hand, just under the work. Bring the shuttle cord down in front, up behind gauge stick, through the first loop, and around the loop in a half hitch. Repeat, through each loop in turn, evenly.

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ADDING TO SHUTTLE: Soon, your shuttle is going to be exhausted. Reload, as above. Wind on as much as the shuttle will take. Knot the free end to the end of the old cord with a square knot.

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SECOND ROW: Rotate the work, so the shuttle cord is on the left. Proceed as for the first row. Repeat until done. Fifty four rows are about seven feet. Work longer or shorter.

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ALONG THE WAY: Any time after the second row, cut your starting cord and pull it free from the top row of loops. Support the piece as you add rows by any convenient means that holds it evenly - a dowel threaded straight across a row of loops, for instance.

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MOUNTING: Drill 20 holes (30 for two person hammock) through each 1½" x 1½" hardwood bar, 1½" apart from center to center and 2¼" in from each end. Make the end holes ¼" to 5/16" diameter, the rest from 3/16" to ¼" diameter. Cut forty 50" long cords, twenty for each end (sixty for a two person hammock). Loop the first cord through a ring, thread both ends through left hand hole in hardwood bar. Overhand knot through top left hand loop in hammock net. Fasten each cord, in turn, through bar to loops in net. Do both ends.

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SIDE BRAIDS: You need the net to sag in the middle so it holds a body snug. Make two 3-cord braids 3" shorter than the stretched out length of the hammock net - one for each side. Remember that braids end up about 10% shorter than their component cords - cut generously and trim later. Thread one end through the outermost hole in support bar. secure with an overhand knot. Weave in and out through the outside meshes. Thread through the bar at the far end, the outside hole, and secure with overhand knot. Repeat on the other side.

Taron Springs....Florida Sponge Divers

By 1890, the sponge industry was established in Tarpon Springs. The Cheney Sponge Company sold almost a million dollars worth of sponges that year.In the next few years divers from Greece were brought to Tarpon Springs. By using rubberized diving suits and helmets, they increased harvests. By 1905, over 500 Greek sponge divers were at work using 50 boat.

Sponge buyers created the Sponge Exchange in 1907. A building with a courtyard was erected in which each sponger could store his catch while awaiting the auctions that took place twice a week. With the perfection of deep-sea diving equipment, the dollar amount of sponge harvests continued to increase. Divers were able to go deeper into the sea for longer lengths of time. For 30 years, the sponge industry was the largest industry in Florida—larger than citrus or tourism. Tarpon Springs was known as the “Sponge Capital of the World.” In the 1940s, blight reduced the growth of sponges. By the 1950s, sponging as a profitable industry was nearly wiped out. However in the 1980s, new sponge beds were found. Now, Tarpon Springs is back to being a leader in the world’s natural sponge market.

Blackened Red Snapper with Creole Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 red snapper fillets, about 6 to 8 ounces each
• 3 to 4 tablespoons melted butter
• .
• Blackened Seasoning
• 1 heaping tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano

Preparation:

Creole Sauce

Mix the blackened seasoning ingredients well and funnel into a shaker.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush red snapper fillets all over with butter; sprinkle with blackened seasoning. Place, skin side down, in hot skillet; drizzle a little more butter over each fillet. Cook for about 4 minutes, until blackened; turn fillets carefully and drizzle with another small amount of butter. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with Creole sauce (see link above) or as is, with rice and a green vegetable.

Serves 4.

Tropical Drinks - Mai Tai & Mojito

Mai Tai Ingredients: 2 ounces Jamaican Rum 1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup 1/2 ounce Curacao or Triple Sec 1/4 ounce Sugar Syrup Juice from one lime Mai Tai Instructions: Shake all ingredients together and pour into a glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or with a cherry and a pineapple wedge. Mojito Ingredients for 1 Serving 1-1/2 ounces of Rum 12 Fresh Spearmint Leaves 1/2 lime, sliced 2 tablespoons of Simple Syrup (or 4 teaspoons of Sugar) Club Soda to fill the glass Mojito Instructions Crush lime slices and mint leaves together in a glass. Pour in simple syrup and fill glass or pitcher with ice. Add rum and club soda and stir well. Right before serving add crushed ice and garnish with a lime wedge and sprigs of mint.

How to Cast a Fish Net

1. Cinch rope around your left wrist and coil the hand-line into left hand as shown.Grab castnet with left hand just below horn.
Extend left arm and grab the net again at pocket height with right hand. Transfer castnet back into left hand. At this point all of the net should be in your left hand with the lead line resting on the ground.
2. Reach down from where your left thumb and forefinger meet and divide your cast net in half. At this point, you should
have the hand-line, the horn, and half of the net in your left hand, and the other half of the net in your right hand.
3. Roll the half of the net in your right hand over your left thumb and release. You now have two clumps of lead line at the bottom of the net. A high section over your thumb and a low section hanging from your left hand.
4. Grab the lead line with your right hand where the
high and the low clumps of lead line meet.
Place the lead line gently in your front teeth. Reach down with your right hand and pick up the lead line hanging from your teeth with your thumb and forefinger.
5. Turn your right palm up, bringing it up near your left hand and fold the netting over your left thumb back into your right hand. Both of your hands should be somewhat close together and palm up. You are loaded and ready to throw your cast net at this point.
6. Stand facing left of your target. Keeping both of your hands together, simultaneously rotate your body and hands ninety degrees to your left. Without stopping, immediately rotate back toward your target in one smooth continuous motion. Release your cast net at a slight upward angle in the direction of your target. The cast net should open intoa circular form.Pull on the throw-line to close the net at the desired depth.

History of Florida in Photos

Top to Bottom:

River boat with cotton bales

Key West Light house

Castillo San Marcos, St Augustine,Fl.

Billy Bowlegs
Seminole leader

Sea Turtle Nesting

Five species of sea turtles inhabit both the Gulf & East Coast regions of Florida: loggerhead, green, hawksbill, leatherback, and Kemp's Ridley. Loggerhead turtles, which are classified as threatened, are the predominant species on our beaches.

Turtle nesting season along Florida beaches begins May 1 and ends Oct. 31.
Here are some dos and don’ts that people can remember to help clear the way for nesting turtles:

Do If you encounter a nesting turtle, remain quiet and observe from a distance Shield or turn off outdoor lights that are visible on the beach from May through October Close drapes after dark and put beach furniture far back from the water Fill in holes that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water Place trash in its proper place

Do Not Approach nesting turtles or hatchlings, make noise, or shine lights at turtles Use flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach Encourage a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings that have emerged and are heading for the water.Use fireworks on the beach

Sea turtles are protected under federal law and any harassment or interference with a sea turtle, living or dead, is subject to penalty. If you witness anyone disturbing a turtle or find an injured or disoriented hatchling or adult, please notify agents with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), the local sheriff’s department, and/or Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Program at 388-4331. If you find a dead or injured sea turtle contact Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 988-0212.

Totch A life in the Everglades

Loren G, "Totch" Brown was born on Chokoloskee, Island FL, in 1920. In 1880, his great-grandfather John J Brown settled here in Florida. Soon after his maternal grandfather, Charles G. McKinney, came to the area, Totch Brown's life is described in his book "Totch A life in the Everglades". It is a book that describes the early days of Florida and what it took to survive.From moonshing,gator hunting and pot running to the values that keep families together in tough times
it recommended reading.

Grilled Mahi Mahi

Grilled Mahi Mahi

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 to 3 limes)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 Mahi Mahi steaks (about 1-inch thick)

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Season fish with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley and mustard. Marinate fish in one half of the dressing mixture for a half hour.

Place the Mahi Mahi steaks on the grill, and cook to desired temperature, flipping only once. Brush Mahi Mahi steaks once again after flipping with remaining dressing.

How to Carve a Tiki

How to Make a Palm Frond Roof

Conch Fritters

Ingredients for Conch Fritters

2 cups freshly bruised conch, cleaned and diced
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1-1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 onions, diced
1 Bahamian sweet pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons baking powder
3-4 cups vegetable oil
Hot Peppers and salt to taste

Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a large bowl. Blend well.

Heat oil in deep frying pan or pot until water dropped into oil sizzles.

Drop batter by the Tablespoonful into hot oil. Fry until brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve. Makes 40 fritters.

Dipping Sauce

• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, no subs
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or
• 1 teaspoon Pickapeppa Sauce
• 1 to taste salt, to taste
• 1 to taste fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Palm Frond Weaving

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Here is a quick recipe for key lime pie for my good friend Mike.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (12 to 15 key limes or 3 to 4 common limes)
• 4 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 11 graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• It's easier to remove the lime zest from whole limes so I would start with that. Then I would cut the limes in half and squeeze out the juice being careful not to include any pits.

  Process the graham crackers in a food processor or blender and then melt the butter and have it at the ready.

  HOW TO MAKE AT HOME

  1. Whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together in a bowl until tinted light green. This takes about 2 minutes

  2. Beat in milk, then juice and set aside at room temperature till it thickens.

  3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  4. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in another bowl.

  5. Add butter and stir with a fork until well blended.

  6. Pour this mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Try using the bottom of a measuring cup to make sure the graham cracker mixture forms a firm crust on the bottom of the pie pan.

  7. Bake on the center rack for about 15 minutes until the crust is lightly brown, remove and let cool to room temperature.

  8. Pour the lime filling into crust, spread evenly, and then bake for 15 minutes until the center sets, but still wiggles when shaken.

  9. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

  10. Refrigerate for at least three hours until well chilled.

  
  

  
  

Fishing with author, Randy White

Randy Wayne White's 2010 release of his latest book is titled "Deep Shadow".

other DOC FORD NOVELS

Sanibel Flats (1990, St. Martin's Press)

The Heat Islands (1992, St. Martin's Press)

The Man Who Invented Florida (1993, St. Martin's)

Captiva (1996, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

North of Havana (1997, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

The Mangrove Coast (1998, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Ten Thousand Islands (2000, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Shark River (2001, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Twelve Mile Limit (2002, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Everglades (2003, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Tampa Burn (2004, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Dead of Night (2005, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Dark Light (2006, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Hunter's Moon (2007, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

Black Widow (2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons)

DEAD SILENCE (2009 G.P. Putnam's Sons)
http://www.randywaynewhite.com/Site2/Welcome!.html

Mel Fisher

Grits and Grunts

Grits and Grunts Recipe
Ingredents:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of grunt fillets
1 medium sweet onion
4 slices bacon
4 servings grits
1 medium tomato
slat and pepper
Blackening seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

Dice tomato into 1/4-to 1/2-inch pieces. Prepare grits as directed on the package. Fry bacon strips until crisp and remove. Chop onion and saute in bacon drippings. Buttery Pam or olive oil may be added if needed. Cut fish fillets into pieces thumb size to slightly larger. sprinkle fish pieces liberally with blackening seasoning. Preheat a covered grill to high. Spray a cast iron frying pan liberally with Buttery Pam. Place frying pan on grill and preheat for 15 minutes. Add two tablespoons of butter to frying pan and stir in fish pieces immediately. Close the grill and cook four to six minutes. While the fish is cooking, crumble the bacon and stir it and the sauteed onions into the grits. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the fish from heat and frying pan. Spoon grits into plate and arrange fish around or beside it. Sprinkle diced tomato onto grits.

...Lost in Florida Surfboard Painting Tour with Sean Spoto

Cortez Fishing Village

This old fishing village on Sarasota Bay is an example of a dying way of life. started in the late 1800's by fisherman from the outer banks of North Carolina.
The fish houses date to the original founders of this village and still sell fresh fish . The Boat works is a working boatyard that goes back to 1928. The homes in the village are modest 1920s bungalows.

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Cortez is right off Cortez Road — State Road 684 outside Bradenton
Try the Star Fish Company & Restaurant for a cold beer and a fish sandwich.

Gilligan's Siesta Key, Fl.

Looking for a laid back place to just chill out. Gilligan's on Siesta Key is the place to go. Different nightly specials. Happy Hour starts at 11am daily. The food is good,.... my favorite is the grouper fingers. Live music with a great atmosphere. Located on the main drag of Siesta Village.
In the rear of Gilligan's check out CaliFlorida a surf and skate shop. Talk to Blake Parsons about his scooter/bike rentals. Blake carries some knarly clothing and does custom boards.