Sea Biscuits And Other Coastal Fare

I have only attempted to make homemade puff pastry once. And this was not that time.

I used frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry and my nautical cookie cutters. Someday I would love to learn how to make homemade puff pastry, but I think it's an acquired skill that only comes to you after much practice and patience. And I think it helps too, if you just happen to be French.

I also used the easy method of cooking the haddock today. Drizzle with olive oil, add some freshly minced garlic, freshly grated black pepper, sea salt, lemon slices, then wrap in foil and bake at 375 F. until done.






Here's my baked haddock added to a bed of jasmine veg fried rice that I dished up into my new nautical bowls, I recently scored at a local thrift store! One of the benefits of living on the coast, is I often find nautical gems that were someones *last year* cast offs.





Oops! Dolphin overboard!

And I see that crusty crustacean has flipped over on his back.

Oh, I think I see the problem.

Someone must be a little crabby today.

Fussing With The Food Table

On Thanksgiving, I decided to set up all the food on a separate table from where we will dine. Thinking a candle or two would be nice to have here, this "Message in a Bottle" candle holder was easy to do with some peel and stick letters.

For a focal point, I'm using driftwood sticks that I collected from the shore and plopped into one of our raku pots.






Fussing with the food table makes me hungry, so I decided to try out the recipe for the Blackened Salmon Fillets that I will be making next week. Here's a shot of it sizzling in my cast iron skillet. This is a very good recipe!

Here's the lovely serving dish that will hold the salmon. It was a gift from our friends.

Here fishy fishy . . .

I just love my fish platter!

Romancing the Chowdah

Freshly scrubbed potatoes I dug up from my garden

become an ingredient in the meal that I made today.

A simple bowl of fish chowder with thick, crusty slices of warm buttered bread.

Tales of old sailors and sea lore, filled with mythical creatures are imagined as we dine in the room where our charming tin seahorse hangs out.

Behind our backs, on the bench where we sit, are words that speak of our love of the sea.

Our glowing candle lit wall sconce adds a touch of romance.

In our tiny nook right here in our kitchen, with a mirrored porthole for our view.

Such a cozy spot we have, all within reach of another bright garden harvest.

And a quick way to pull down the shade.

I just love spending time in my tiny kitchen by the sea!