Tag: seafood

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Coral Reef Seafood Does It Again

So, after my blog went down for 20 days during my move to a self-hosted platform, I think we’re finally (I hope!) up and running on a normal basis again. Many, many thanks to Bluehost for getting my platforms straightened out and mostly consolidated. If you are planning to set up a blog site, definitely consider using Bluehost for your hosting platform. Their customer service is hands-down so helpful and I was amazed that they had my two sites fixed within 24 hours.

AND once again, I have to tout the seafood from Coral Reef Seafood at the Lake of the Ozarks. They did it again and I guess as long as I keep enjoying their seafood, you run the risk of seeing a blog post about them.

We had gone down to the Lake of the Ozarks Saturday afternoon for just a quick getaway and to tweak a couple of things with the condo. Actually, we stopped at Coral Reef BEFORE we even went to the condo. I had seen their Facebook post with pics of some of the new items they had just rolled out, and I wanted to stock up. Since I failed to take many pictures, you can actually see their pics HERE.

We loaded up (not in any particular order) on:

RED PEPPERS–stuffed with Cajun rice, Andouille sausage and shrimp. THESE WERE INCREDIBLE! Hubby grilled them for about 40 minutes on a medium heat. The rice had a good Cajun flavor going, but the best surprises were when I found chunks of the sausage and shrimp in the rice. I’m not even a big fan of Andouille, but the sausage they use almost melts in your mouth.

FAROE ISLAND FRESH SALMON–stuffed with real blue crab lump meat. OK, so for the longest time my favorite thing to get from CR has been Justin’s Stuffed Roughy, but I think this Faroe Island Salmon has just taken the cake crab leg. The sweet flavor of the Blue Crab meat was a perfect ingredient for this stuffing, and I always love salmon. It’s not like I won’t ever have the roughy again, but I really enjoyed this salmon.

CRAB STUFFED JALAPENOS–stuffed with cream cheese and crab meat AND wrapped in bacon. These are going to become a new item in our regular CR rotation. They were so easy to grill, and the cream cheese/crab filling was like no other I’ve had before. Blew the doors off what I would’ve gotten in a restaurant!

ROMA TOMATOES–stuffed with blackened Ahi tuna salad. These were so light, crisp and refreshing, we had them with breakfast. This was also a great way to go low carb with tuna salad.

LARGE WILD TEXAS SWEET PINK SHRIMP–this is a regular CR staple in our house. I usually pick up a pound of the raw, take them home, and steam them up to snack on throughout the weekend. BUT, they will steam and season them for you if you’d like. This is some of the best tasting shrimp I’ve ever eaten.

And they have lots of other seafood (and some non-seafood) that we’re working our way through trying. We’ve had the scallops (another fave), the crab legs (colossal!), red snapper, orange roughy (great on the grill), triggerfish (tastes similar to crab), Justin’s Salmon Cranberry dip, Justin’s Stuffed Roughy, and twice baked potatoes. They also carry lots of condiments like Tequila Lime Cocktail Sauce and Sriracha Aioli, seasonings, even steaks!

If you like seafood you should definitely go check them out. If you can’t visit them in person, you can still check out their goodies here or follow their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/coralreefseafood/ or find them on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/coralreefseafo1/.

***General disclaimer: no human consumed all of the food listed above in one meal. While there may have been two or three items at one meal, the rest was split up between three days helping to preserve the healthfulness of seafood!

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Les Bourgeois Goodbye

I lost one of my best friends recently. Well, I didn’t lose her lose her, but she moved away. We had a wonderful parting evening at Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, Mo.
Jim and Krissi move into our cul-de-sac a couple of years ago. It started off kind of rough, their kids and our kids kept playing together. But we didn’t know them that well, so we didn’t let the kids play inside the house unless they asked their parents first. We didn’t want them to think we were kidnappers or anything. Although there is a website to check that out.
As time went on, we got to know Jim and Krissi better. I think the point of no return was the Halloween party we all had in the cul-de-sac. Jim had made a huge batch of jambalaya, hubby was in full costume (he was a hideous clown before clowns got such a bad rap) carrying around his chainless, albeit noisy chainsaw. Other neighbors brought over jack-o-lanterns spewing dip, jello shots and homemade grilled chicken wings. Let’s just say, I think the grown ups had the best time that night! Even the mailman found a leftover bowl of jambalaya in our mailbox two days later (we did not put it there) .
Shortly after that, I had a new found bestie in Krissi. We excercised together, went shopping, visited some local eateries and festivals. We had some fun evenings dining out with the families and even more dining in or just hanging out celebrating birthdays or venting about daily life nuisances.
It was awesome knowing I had someone to pal around with and confide in just across the cul-de-sac. But alas, the day came when Jim got a job transfer and they were relocating to another state. It seemed like just as quick as they moved here, they were moving away! To celebrate their life change and move forward, Krissi and I took a short road trip to Rocheport, Mo.
Rocheport is a sleepy little river town about 20 minutes from here. It isn’t very big, but they have a wonderful little gem in the winery there, Les Bourgeois Vineyards. Krissi had been wanting to go there and this was potentially our last chance to go before she left.
If you ever get the chance, check the place out! We started off at the A-frame, which is located up on a bluff top, amidst the growing grapes, overlooking the Missouri River. Who says you need to be on the beach to catch a good sunset?  We got a great one!


After it got dark, we headed over to the Bistro, which is their restaurant located on the next bluff over.
Their food was incredible! We shared a Hummus plate as an appetizer and then for the entrees, Krissi had Cajun Chicken Pasta and I had Seafood Bianco. Obviously, we had to have some of their wines, but I won’t go into detail on how much…
What a wonderful evening. We both resolved NOT to cry, and we dreaded the impending moving day. But we didn’t cry! We had a very fun, memorable evening at a place we are lucky to have so near! And we created a memory we will both cherish forever. Krissi probably won’t even read this post. She’s so busy setting up house in her new town, she won’t get a chance to read my posts for at least a month. Maybe we’ll have some new neighbors who by then.  And maybe they’ll read my posts. Ah, no one will be able to replace my friend Krissi! I miss you guys!

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I'm no Wanderer, Nomad, or Expeditioner

I don’t do never-ending trips, living out of my backpack, forgoing my home address, staying at hostels. I don’t choose to travel to obscure places, with nothing but a carry-on, working along the way to pay my way, or seek out particularly adventurous activities. You will never find me sky-diving in Singapore, or extreme hiking a volcano in Hawaii. Those are great endeavors for those younger, with fewer responsibilities, or fewer restraints who have higher aspirations in their lives. I don’t knock them for it. I admire them for it, and more power to them for doing it.

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Ooick on the zipline

That type of travelling is not for me. Maybe a long time ago I would have done some of those things, but I guess I’m just at a point in life where I just like to go places.  I like to go nice, pretty places–typically with a beach.  I am a scuba diver, so I frequently will go somewhere that has good diving. (I guess I WOULD consider diving with sharks someday, but that’s because most sea creatures don’t even realize you are there.)

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Lion Fish

I really prefer a nice resort, in a nice locale, with good food, cocktails and company. I like to take trips that I consider relaxing. While I do like to get out and experience the culture and architecture, I do like to come back to my nice resort at the end of the day, have a cocktail or two, eat a nice dinner (especially if there is seafood involved), watch the sunset, and maybe catch an entertaining show.

I like to meet and mingle with the other guests at my resort, whether it’s Don and Stephanie who live a couple of hours away from us back home, or Jeff and Terri from New Jersey, or  Paul and Silvia who live in another country.
The gang at dinner
Dinner with new friends

I’m not a fan of “roughing” it, which means I like air-conditioned (or heated) rooms when necessary. Sometimes, I just like to have a day to sit in my chair on the beach and read a mindless novel. Maybe I want to go up to the resort spa and get a massage. There may even be an evening where I don’t even want to go to dinner. I like a resort that will let me order room service. Sometimes, I’m happy when the resort brings local vendors in to peddle their wares.  I’m not big on shopping, but this allows me to pick up the few necessary souvenirs without finding a driver to take me on a shopping trip.

I always try to take a couple of excursions when in a new locale, however, I don’t really feel zip-lining, parasailing, or horseback riding in the ocean are activities I need to do in every, single country I visit. Been there, done that. I will go out on a boat almost anywhere. It’s a good way to see some of the natural scenery.  Now, if it includes a pirate show, lobster dinner, or snorkeling stops during the ride–BONUS! I like tours that include history of the area or cultural information. Sometimes, I may even join in on volunteer excursions. Or, I can just park it at the beach or pool and be perfectly content.

Maybe that makes me a boring person, or selfish, or whatever. I think I’m just a typical person who likes to use vacation time away to re-charge while not completely being a beach bum. I try to experience all aspects of my trip and just BE in the moment and creating memories. Feel free to comment below on how you like to vacation. I’d like to hear if there are others like me.

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Coral Reef Seafood

This is just a brief public service announcement, my own opinion really. The past weekend was one of the hottest on recent record. We didn’t really have any plans, except to stay cool, so we headed to the Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend.  What could be cooler than staying in the water most of the weekend? Since “The Lake” is only an hour drive from home, we don’t really consider it a trip. But, it is just far enough that with different activities, shopping, and scenery they have down there, it is like a mini-vacay.
The weekend’s best discovery goes to Coral Reef Seafood.  If you like seafood, fresh seafood, that can remind you of being on vacation and you know how to cook it, this is a place you have to find. I’ve known they were at the Lake for years, but when they moved to their current location, I lost track of them. Sunday, before we headed back home, I found them. They are located at 5370 Osage Beach Parkway at the Case Rd exit.
I went through that entire store, TWICE! Their prices were pretty reasonable for seafood, and I ended up picking up some Crab and Shrimp stuffed Orange Roughy to take home for dinner that night. It was easy enough to bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and needed nothing added to it to make it scrumptious!
I also picked up a pound of large, raw shrimp which looks like it will be for dinner tonight. Steamed until they turn pink, they should go well with a nice, big salad, which is all I have appetite for in this heat!

My last favorite find was that they carry some of Jamaica’s Island Spice –specifically the Fish Spice. Now, the next time our friend Paul comes to visit from Jamaica, I will have the Island Spice Fish Seasoninghe uses in many of his recipes.At any rate, I urge you, if you like to cook fresh seafood and you are anywhere in the Lake area, you MUST stop at Coral Reef Seafood. I’m already making my list for the next time we go back.