Salted Baked Potato

The Best Baked Potato is Salted

The very best Baked Potatoes, in my opinion, are made with Russet Potatoes. And, since Russets are cheap, we can buy a huge bag of them because their shelf life is long and extensive too. I know that everyone thinks they know how to make a Baked Potato these days. Just throw it in the oven and bake it for an hour, right? Well, sure. That is, if you’re looking for a basic flavorless potato, be my guest. But if you want that crispy, salty potato skin, there’s a few simple steps you need to follow in order to make your Baked Potato rock and, yep, the secret to a great Baked Potato is Margarita or Kosher Salt. Salt is cheap to, so that makes this recipe a win-win. The only spendy ingredient is the Olive Oil but you can use vegetable or Canola Oil and your Baked Potato will still turn out great.

Preparing a Baked Potato

First, in order to make a Baked Potato, you need to clean those Russets. Clean all of your potatoes before you stab them with a fork. Four to five punctures on two sides of each potato is perfect. Then drizzle olive oil over the top of each one and rub the skin with your hands until the potato is fully coated. The next step is just as easy. Sprinkle Margarita or Kosher Salt over the top and turn each one over and repeat. This is a Steakhouse trade secret, for those Salted Baked Potatoes we all love so much. Why Margarita or Kosher salt? Because its good! It’s very light and fluffy, and doesn’t over whelm your pallet when you’re eating it. Then bake at 350 degrees f. for an hour. If you’re baking 4 or more potatoes, add 15 minutes for each additional potato.

Salted Baked Potato Ingredients:

Russet Potatoes
1/2 tsp Olive Oil, per potato
1/2 tsp Margarita or Kosher Salt, per potato
Your favorite toppings

Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until fork tender. Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy it is to make a Salted Baked Potato.

Sauteed Coconut Shrimp

Tropical Coconut Shrimp!

So you’re probably use to having Deep Fried Coconut Shrimp. Well if that’s what your looking for, CLICK HERE for that recipe. This Coconut Shrimp recipe however, is sauteed, seasoned and tossed with Pinapple and Scallions. Is that peaking your curiosity yet? Not to sound too cliche, but this is one of those recipes where the secret is found in the sauce. Luckily it comes already prepared for us in a can. It’s called Coco Lopez.

Coco Lopez can be found in one of three places at your local grocer; with the Mixers or in the Asian or Hispanic section. It is advertised as “Cream of Coconut”, but, nay nay I say. Coconut cream made by all other brands isn’t anything like the Coco Lopez Brand. Other brands are more like Coconut Milk, creamy and frothy and you shouldn’t use any of them when preparing this Sauteed Coconut Shrimp recipe. It won’t turn out at all. The reason is because Coco Lopez is more of a syrup than anything. It is concentrated and sweet, not milky or creamy like the other brands. So it’s really interesting to me that it is referred to as Coconut Cream, or “Cream of Coconut as it reads on the Label. But don’t let that discourage you. The only point I’m making is that Coco Lopez is what you want to use when you’re making Sauteed Coconut Shrimp, not other brands or other versions of it because it is not the same thing, at all. Trust me. But just for the record, I also use Coco Lopez’s Cream of Coconut when I make Pina Colada’s, and if you’re interested in that recipe, it can be found HERE!

Sauteed Coconut Shrimp Ingredients:

1 lb Peeled Shrimp
2 Chopped Green Onions
1 cup Fresh Chunky Chops of Pineapple
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
Olive Oil for cooking
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large frying pan on Medium High heat, add 3 tbsp of olive oil and the peeled shrimp. Season with Salt and Pepper and Saute until the shrimp turns Orange and Pink. Add the Butter, Garlic, Scallions (green onions), and Pineapple to the pan and toss until the butter is completely melted. Then simmer for one minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and plate. Pour the Coco Lopez over the top and serve your Coconut Shrimp over rice.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

Can You Say Philly Cheese Steak?

A Philly Cheese Steak ain’t no joke! There are franchise’s back east that have been battling out the sandwich wars for decades. And, if you’re a Steak and Cheese fan, then you know which restaurant you support. I found a link that shows the top ten locations for authentic Philadelphia Cheese Steaks, and it talks a little bit about the history of each one as well. Apparently the original sandwich started at a hot dog stand and Wikipedia talks all about it here, History of the Cheese Steak!

Flat out, I don’t make it exactly the same way. The original recipes use Cheese Wiz and I use Nacho Cheese, instead. So, you’ll either love it or you won’t. Both Cheese’s come from a can so basically, with my recipe, you’re getting the same thing, only with my sandwich, your getting a little kick too. I find this to be much more satisfying because I like my Philly Cheese Steak a little on the spicy side.

Philly Cheese Steak Ingredients:

1 lb Sliced Beef
1 qt Water
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 can Nacho Cheese or Cheese Whiz
Sub Sandwich Rolls
1/2 Sliced onion
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil for cooking

Combine the water and Baking soda and add the Sliced Beef. Marinate for 20 minutes to tenderize. Saute your Onions with olive oil and Garlic. Strain the beef and cook thoroughly on medium high heat. Butter the Sub roll and toast on a flat skillet. Then add the cooked Beef, Onions and Nacho Cheese to your toasted sub roll and enjoy your Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich!