Cruising with the Grobmyers

We just got back from our first cruise.  We did it right too by making it a Disney cruise.  We were gone for a whole week.  That was a lot of really good food.  Some of it was a little fancy, some not so good, but for the most part it was very good.  I am sharing some pictures of some of the things we had while we were gone.  I don't remember all the names or what kinds of sauces there were on the plates.  The main thing I want to show is the pretty presentations.  By the end of the week my husband asked what is up with the stacking of the food.  You will see what I mean.

 Started the cruise out right with seafood for lunch.

 I tried this to see if it was something I might could make at home.  I think I could.  Thinly sliced cucumbers with carrots,peppers and zucchini inside.

 Tuna TarTar I think

 These raspberries were so good.  I could always take or leave them but really enjoyed the berries on the cruise.

 Prime rib.  The sauce was really good.

 Some kind of fish.

 I liked the little sampler plates of desserts.

 Sticky toffee pudding I think.

 I went to a cooking class and this is what the chef made.  Lobster ravioli.  I have the recipe but not sure I will ever make it.

 I loved the bread baskets at the Royal Court.  They were shaped like Cinderella's carriage.

 French onion soup

 Beef tenderloin

 Another sampler platter.

 A creme brûlée.  I don't remember the flavor.

 The bread baskets from Animator's Palette

 I don't remember what this was.  It was an appetizer of some kind.

 Chicken.  The chunks are pieces of sweet potato and beet.

 Tuna I think.

 Dessert

 This was a build your own pie dessert.  I was curious.  Little tart shell with raspberry in the bottom.  A little cup of chocolate mousse and another with a lemon filling.  The white dots are merengue dots. It was pretty good.

 I had this "soup" for lunch one day.  Tangerine soup.  It was a cold soup and pretty good.  Not a harsh citrus at all.

 A fruit tart.

 Apple strudel.  Joe went to a class on how to make that later in the week.

 This was a shrimp appetizer.  Very good.

 A sausage and lentil soup

 Turkey and dressing.  It was actually very good.

 Another fish dish.  Joe got his fill of fish.

 Dessert

 A cool cream of pineapple soup with toasted coconut.  Very good.

 Shrimp.

 This bread was interesting.  It looks camo.

 Beef empanadas.

 Fried chicken that was also good.  The biscuit was not a southern biscuit.

 A steak.

 Dessert.

 Star Wars night and this was the Princess Leia dessert

 Another look.

 Macaroon.  Lemon and raspberry.

 The Star Wars buffet after the fireworks.  The watermelon carvings were pretty pretty.

 Special Star Wars desserts

 Hans Solo

 Darth

 Lobster tail

 Parmesan chicken

 Our servers for the cruise.

 At Castaway Cay the watermelon carvings

 I showed this to show you the cute plates at Animator Palette.

 Beef Wellington

Baked Alaska.  I was excited when I saw this on the menu.  I have always heard of Baked Alaska and have wanted to try it.  It wasn't exactly like I thought it would be.

So you can see we ate well and tried some new things while we were on our cruise.

Perfectly Cooked and Dyed Easter Eggs

Easter is right around the corner and I know that in the next couple of days there will be lots of eggs boiled and dyed.  If you do a search of hard boiling eggs and you will find dozens of ways to cook them.  I found this way last night and decided to try it.  It's very easy and doesn't take very long.  The results are pretty good too. 

Pretty colored eggs.

 Start with a 3 qt or so pot and some eggs.

 I only cooked 6 eggs and probably could have done less.  If you are going to do lots of eggs the only thing you really need to know is that the eggs should be in one layer on the bottom of the pot.  So more eggs equals a bigger pot.

 Barely cover the eggs with water.  The site I found said that older eggs actually do better with this that very fresh eggs.

 The water is just over the eggs.  I probably put just a little too much water.

 Turn your eye to medium high heat.

 Heat until there are little bubbles coming up and the eggs might move a little bit.  About 10-12 minutes.

 When that happens cover the pot and remove from heat.  Let it sit for 18 minutes.

 Toward the end of the 18 minutes fix a bowl with ice and water to put the eggs in right away.

 Put the eggs in the ice bath and leave for a few minutes.

 While the eggs are simmering on the stove, fix you bowls for dying the eggs.  I used some plastic cups.  I put a little vinegar and food coloring in the bottom of each cup.

 I posted a video the other day about dying eggs with rice.  So I had to try it.  I got a small plastic bowl with a lid, put some rice in the bottom.

 Then added the food coloring.

 I heated some water in the microwave while I was getting everything else ready.  Add the hot water to the bowls.

 I added the egg to the rice.

 Then the egg to the water cups.

 Put the lid on and the shake.

 It didn't give me the results like the video.  Might have had too much coloring.

Take the eggs out of the water and wipe down.

Chicken Parmesan

For some reason lately I have been trying Chicken Parm when I go out to different places.  I tried it at Tony's at Disney World and it was really good and I guess that got me started. Conner's Steakhouse has a really good one as well.  So I am trying to find the perfect recipe for home.  It actually is really easy to make at home with a few shortcuts.

This is so good with all the melted cheese on top.  And then a little fresh Parmesan cheese on top.

 I forgot to put the jar of spaghetti sauce out when I took this picture.

 My chicken comes from Fresh Market so they are still attached.  So trim them and cut them apart if needed.

 Now you get to work out some aggression but pounding your chicken.  I put it in a zip lock bag but you can put it between two pieces of saran wrap.  I don't like saran wrap because mine always sticks together when I pull it off the roll.  Use a meat tenderizer or a hammer to flatten the chicken.

 This flattens out to a huge piece of chicken.  You could cut it in half if you wanted to.

 Both pieces flattened.

 Now for the wash.  1/2 cup water.

 Add an egg to the water and mix well.

 I placed it into a dish

 Now for the crust.  1 1/2 cups bread crumbs.  I could have used about half of this.

 4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese.  I used the green container parmesan cheese.

 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.  They had different herbs listed and I will place them in the recipe.  I just cut all those out and did one mixture.

 Mix this well.

 Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture.

 Then place in the breadcrumb mixture.

 I placed them on a parchment lined baking dish.  I should have used a cookie sheet with sides.  I used the parchment for easy cleanup.  You can just spray a dish.

 Then if you have a mister mist the top with olive oil.  If you do not have one lightly spray the top with a cooking spray. Place in a preheated 400 oven.  Bake for 40 minutes.

 While the chicken is cooking I cook my noodles and heat my sauce.  You can use your own homemade sauce or for a shortcut a jarred sauce.  I used Paul Newman this time and it was really good.  Had chunks of onions and peppers. After the 40 minutes take the chicken out of the oven.

 I have these two dishes that are perfect for chicken parm.  They can go in the oven so perfect for melting the cheese.  I put the noodles.  I use angel hair because that is what we like but any noodles will work. Put a layer of sauce on top.

 Place the chicken on top.

 Add a thin layer of sauce on top of chicken.

 Then mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken.  Place it back in the oven.  I turned my up to broil and kept an eye on it until the cheese melts.

 I like how the cheese melts down on the noodles.  A whole lot of yumminess there.

Add some fresh Parmesan cheese on top and dig in.  Plates will be hot.

Chicken Parmesan Recipe

egg wash
1 egg + 1/2 cup water mixed

crumb mixture
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic

or you can use 1 Tablespoon Italian seasonings like I did

noodles cooked per the box
jar of spaghetti sauce
chicken breast

Bake in a preheated 400 oven for 40 minutes