Fried Oysters

Joe and I spent the weekend at Massanutten Resort in the mountains of Virginia. We went skiing for a few hours and planned on coming back to the house and make an amazing appetizer before dinner: FRIED OYSTERS!! We have never made our own before, but we definitely always devour oysters whenever they are in front of us. With the television cable out and it was just the two of us up there, we wanted to try something different to entertain ourselves. These oysters were from the Eastern Shore and were purchased at a local seafood shop in Virginia Beach.

You will need:
1 pint of pre-shucked oysters
2 large eggs
1 cup flour
Panko crumbs (we combined regular and chipotle flavored)
Vegetable oil for frying

In a large skillet, heat the oil until 350 degrees (we used an electric fryer). Put desired amount of oysters in a strained and quickly run cold water over them. One at a time, cover each oyster in flour, then soak in egg wash, and finally coat with Panko crumbs. Throw it in the fryer or skillet until golden brown on each side. We put up to 7 oysters in the oil at a time.  Remove from fryer and place on a paper towel, serve immediately.

**We purchased two seafood dipping sauces, spicy cocktail and a creamier spicy sauce.  These turned out amazing!!!  Can't wait for you to try them out.

**Here's a need fact:  Eastern Shore oysters are required to be washed before shipping if they are going more than 50 miles away. This causes the oysters to lose a lot of its flavor. If you get prewashed oysters, add some natural sea salt into the pint to bring back the flavor. We lucked out by having our seafood distributor make the cut by only 2 miles!

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Buying rotisserie chickens at the grocery store is the best! Sometimes you can find them flavored (Garlic and Herb) and even better sometimes they are on sale! You can get a whole cooked chicken for around $5. This saves a lot of time when you're in a rush to get dinner on the table.  The cold weather and lack of a grill has me on a casserole-roll!  This one was amazing and SO EASY! We ended up using the whole chicken to make it extra filling and yummy

You will need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 carrots, chopped*
1 celery stalk, chopped*
1 small onion, minced*
2 tbsp butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 6oz package of long grain and wild rice mix
Parmesan cheese, shredded

*Some stores sell these prechopped veggies in one container. I use these since chopping onions makes my eyes sting.

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare the rice according to package directions. In a large frying pan cook the chopped veggies with the butter until brown and tender. Stir in sour cream, soup, chicken broth and basil. Add cooked rice and chicken.  Pour mixture into an ungreased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes.

**Perfect dinner for that first cold night of winter. I reiterated to my roommates to be sure to leave some left overs; it was that good!

Turkey and Bean Enchilada Casserole

Ground turkey is the best substitute for lean ground beef. We have been using it for everything! You can get the health equivalent by simply purchasing extremely lean ground beef, but I think the turkey is a little bit cheaper, and tastes just the same!  For a delicious dinner a we made Enchilada Casserole. It's protein packed and super easy to make.

You will need:
1 lb ground beef
1 can pinto beans, drained
Shredded Mexican Cheese
about 6 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons of flour
Garlic powder
1 small tub of Sour cream
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can green chilies
Taco seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Brown the turkey and drain. Mix in your desired amount of taco seasoning, beans, and green chili peppers. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream, flour and garlic powder. Place a few corn tortillas in one layer on the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Top with the meat and bean mixture, and then spread sour cream. Repeat layers again starting with the corn tortillas. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese, bake for an additional 10 minutes of until cheese is melted.

**Serve with Saffron rice. Tastes just as soon left over!!