Neal Meal Appetizer: An Ellen Original

Yes, this appetizer recipe is an Ellen Neal original called Crispy Baked Parmesan Squash with Creole Sauce. By the end of the summer, we were tired of eating fried squash, so I decided to create a new dish using ingredients from my kitchen (because I hate going to the grocery store!) These actually turned out great! It almost tastes like you are eating fried squash, without all the grease, and the creole sauce really makes it seem like an appetizer in a restaurant. You can either pair it with other vegetables or make it as an appetizer. Your choice! :)

Crispy Baked Parmesan Squash with Creole Sauce

Ingredients: 1 Squash, 2 tsp. Olive Oil, 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Preparation: Slice squash. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan together. Coat individual slices with mixture. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Place squash on pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with creole seasoning and salt. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Creole Dipping Sauce

Ingredients: 2/3 cup Sour Cream, 1 1/2 dry Ranch Dressing Mix, 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice, 1/4 tsp Creole Seasoning, 1/4 tsp Onion Powder, 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Preparation: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover, and chill.

Neal Meal 4: Deep Dish Pizza...finally!

Hello! Leann here! I know, I know...it's been a while. A lot of you have been asking where we have been. Truth is, we've just been busy! Mom was out of town for what seems like a week and a half and I didn't want to cook without her. I thought it wouldn't be fair for me to do one on my own, aka laziness. ;) The good news is that this blog was worth the wait! We decided to "come back" with a bang by re-creating a Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza.

The first time I had a deep dish pizza was actually in Chicago with my Aunt Tonya and Uncle Mark at Lou Malnati's and I was hooked! It was DELICIOUS. So when my mom and I went to Chicago last summer, I insisted that she had to experience the deep dish and she was hooked too! Since then, we have had it twice more- once in Chicago and once in Charlotte. Since we love it so much, we decided to re-create it. I must say, this recipe is just as good as the stuff you get in the restaurants and it's pretty simple to make! If you've never tried it before, then I think trying this recipe is a must. In fact, if there is one recipe on here that you need to try, it is this one. :)

-L

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

CRUST:
1 c. water
1/4 c. shortening
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cu. lukewarm water
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
3 or 3 1/2 c. flour
yellow cornmeal

Heat 1 cup water, shortening, sugar and salt until shortening melts. Cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Combine yeast and shortening mixtures in large bowl. Add cornmeal and flour to shortening mix and knead until smooth and workable. Oil pizza pans with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough into pans and pierce with a fork several times. Bake in 425 degree preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove and add your favorite pizza toppings and bake for additional 20 to 25 minutes. ( Be generous with the olive oil, it makes the crust even better!)

SAUCE:
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/slow-simmered-tomato-sauce-for-deep-dish-pizza#

TOPPINGS:
Your choice, really. We used pepperoni, canadian bacon, green peppers, mozzarella, mushrooms, and onion. Remember, with deep dish you layer the mozzarella first, then the sauce, and finally the toppings.

Neal Meal 3: Summer Re-creations

Hello! Leann and Ellen here! Like what you see above? ;) The meal we cooked last night was a re-creation of some of our favorite foods that we have eaten at restaurants on the coast. As some of you know, we went a little overboard on the beach vacations this summer, visiting Panama City, Destin, AND Gulf Shores! We also went overboard on eating, but we wouldn't have this Neal Meal if we hadn't now would we? :)

ANYway, we decided this week was perfect for cooking Baked Stuffed Flounder with Crabmeat Dressing, Smoked Gouda Grits, and Crunchy Pecan Slaw, with an appetizer of Cornmeal and Green Onion Fritters with Remoulade Sauce. We know this seems like a lot for a Thursday night, but don't be intimidated. With two in the kitchen it was actually pretty simple, just a little time consuming.

As we were eating this meal, we actually felt like we were at our favorite restaurant in Grayton Beach, The Red Bar. The baked stuffed flounder was near perfection, but we decided that next time we would drizzle some cheese sauce over it- not because it was dry- but because it would make it that much better.

The gouda cheese grits were a m a z i n g! And they only take 5 minutes to make. Even more a m a z i n g! We had never eaten gouda cheese before this summer, much less heard of it, but it is a great cheese. hehe. Who knew?

The crunchy pecan slaw was a last minute thought because we realized we needed some color on our plate. After digging through some recipes, we found it and luckily had everything to make it. Even if you aren't a slaw fan, give this one a try. It's delicious and extremely easy to make.

As for the cornfritters with remoulade sauce, we have made this before, and being the southern women we are, we thought some type of bread was much needed. SO, we hope you try at least one of these great recipes. They are A M A Z I N G, if we must say so. :)
-L & E

Crunchy Pecan Slaw:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1918554#

Cornmeal and Green Onion Fritters:
http://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=431

Smoked Gouda Grits:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/smoked-gouda-grits-recipe/index.html

For the Baked Suffed Flounder with Crabmeat we combined ingredients from two recipes to make it our own. Enjoy!

Baked Stuffed Flounder with Crabmeat:

2 Tbsp. butter
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
2 slices white sandwich bread, toasted and buttered then finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 can crab meat, drained & flaked, or 8 oz. fresh crab meat, flaked
4 flounder fillets (about 1 1/2 lb.)

In skillet over medium heat melt butter. Cook onion, garlic, celery, red pepper & parsley until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, lemon juice , dry mustard, thyme, worcestershire sauce, mayo. and salt & pepper. Fold in crab meat. Spread 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling on one side of each fillet. Roll up.
Place in baking pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush with melted butter. Bake in 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Place under broiler and brown slightly.

Note for busy cooks: Crabmeat stuffing can be prepared ahead of time and frozen.