Table For One, Please

Hi to all my Foodie Friday Friends! I've missed you all while I made the BIG move to Coastal Georgia and I'm thrilled to be participating in my favorite meme once again. I ended up in lovely, Historic Saint Mary's. Not knowing a soul in town and with the closest relative almost an hour away, I eat most of my meals alone. I'll admit that at times this can be rather lonely, but it would be worse if my meals were eaten on paper plates at the kitchen counter or sitting on the couch. Shellbelle will have none of that! My meals are on the simple side, whose going to try a new recipe that serves 4–6 when there's no one there to eat it? BUT, every night (well, almost every night) I set the table and do a pleasant presentation for myself. Presentation is very important and it lifts my spirits. I rotate which of my dishes I use and the other night I went with my bamboo set.

A nice piece of pan-seared salmon with my favorite mango salsa, buttered rice, and a Caesar salad with veggies. Did you know that sweet tea served in stemware tastes even better? Yummy and doesn't it look pretty?

Since this is Foodie Friday and the day we share recipes, I do have something special to show you today.

The closest beach to me is Fernandina in Florida, while only 7 miles from me "as the crow flies" I have to drive up to the interstate, cross the border and drive back down to the ocean. This only takes about 35–40 minutes and I've already been four times. Last weekend I went to their annual Shrimp Festival and for the second time ate at Kelley's Courtyard Cafe.

Turns out they only opened three weeks ago, so I'm already a regular. I love this place! Their menu is chalkboard style, so the choices are always a surprise. We were there for lunch last Saturday, none of us wanted to wait in the long lines for over-priced, festival food. Besides, I adore being waited on and the service here is fabulous and the staff makes you feels as if they've invited you to their home. Matthew was my waiter when I was there for dinner the week before and again for this meal, he's AWESOME and so is Allie, the hostess. Thanks for making my dining experience so wonderful. See you soon! 

The food at Kelley's Courtyard Cafe is beyond yummy, so when you're in Fernandina visit them at 19 South 3rd Street (just of Centre) and tell them Shellbelle sent you!

I chose their Fried Green Tomato Sandwich. Now I love "mater" sandwiches, but mine consist of lots of mayonnaise, pepper and either fresh tomatoes or left over fried green tomatoes on good quality white bread. The sandwich at Kelley's was AMAZING and I'll never look at a mater sandwich the same. Served on a Kaiser roll with rémoulade, pepper jack cheese, lettuce and fresh pineapple salsa. My taste buds were doing the happy dance. I washed it down with an ice-cold beer, Newcastle Brown Ale to be exact. I didn't think to take a photo, but I thought I would share my recipe for fried green tomatoes with you today.

The most important ingredient is, of course, green tomatoes and they need to be good from the onset. Growing your own or finding them at a "real" farmer's market is essential. Those tomatoes in the grocery stores are already tasteless and frying them doesn't make them any better. I choose my tomatoes when they've turned a light green without a touch of pink. Slice them 1/4-inch thick and arrange them on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with a little salt and leave them for about 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. This will draw out any excess moisture and they won't turn to mush when fried.

Fried Green Tomatoes

• 3–4 green tomatoes (see above for preparation)
• 2–3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup flour combined with 1 cup corn meal and
• 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
• Oil for frying (my mom used bacon grease)

Dredge tomatoes in eggs and then flour mixture. (Note: some folks like to use just flour, I like the taste of corn meal in mine.) Put the slices on a baking sheet, lined with waxed paper and put them in the fridge for a few hours until your ready to fry 'em up. This gives the eggs and flour mixture time to absorbed into each other. Now your probably asking why I don't mix them together to begin with, I don't know why, it just doesn't taste the same, so there.

When your ready, heat the oil till a drop of water sizzles and then carefully add the tomatoes, making sure they don't touch sides. Fry until golden, turning only once and then drain on paper towels. Serve immediately as a side dish or make Kelley's Courtyard Cafe-Style Sandwiches. Here are recipes for a rémoulade and a pineapple salsa:

Remoulade Sauce a la New Orleans
(from allreicpes.com)

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons Creole mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4 medium scallions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
• 2 tablespoons minced celery
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon capers, chopped (optional)

Mix together mayonnaise, chili sauce, mustard, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in scallions, parsley, olives, celery, capers, and garlic. Season with chili powder, and salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate.

Note: You can use this sauce with any crab, shrimp, lobster, or salmon dishes and it's great on a seafood po' boy sandwich!

Fresh an' Easy Pineapple Salsa

• 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced sweet red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• dash salt

Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Makes about 1 cup.

Now layer fried green tomato slices on a kaiser roll with the remoulade, the salsa, a slice of peppered Jack cheese and your favorite lettuce and don't forget to

Enjoy!

I am sharing this through our lovely hostess, Michael @ Designs By Gollum, so stop in and see who else is sharing today!