Friday, December 19, 2008

Lobstah!

The lobster fishing industry is having a huge problem this year. It's not that there is a lack of the tasty crustaceans, but rather the selling price for them has dropped while the price of fuel for the boats and bait for the traps has gone way up!

Some of my friends husbands are lobster fishermen and in my feeble attempt to help them out, I purchased 4 lovely, lively lobsters from them, fresh off the boat. Now, I don't know how much folks are paying for thier lobsters elsewhere in the nation, but these babies were $3 a piece. No, that is not a typo.

If you are in the least bit squeamish, skip to the next paragraph, because these guys are about to be plopped into the lobster pot filled with boiling water and Old Bay Seasoning. The trick here is to take them right out of the fridge where they have been sleeping in a cold stupor and pop them in before they know what hit them. And if you are really feeling badly for them, just remember that they are just giant ocean dwelling cockroaches!

But, they sure taste good!

My other project over the past couple of days was to bake some hamburger buns. This recipe is so easy and the buns are by far superior to the soft, pasty ones that come packed 8 to a package in the grocery. Not only that, but have you ever read ingredient list of those things?!!!

These buns hold up to H's juicy pulled pork barbecue and freeze beautifully. I usually make 1/2 dozen at a time.

The Recipe:

1/2 C. Skim Milk
1/4 C. water
2 TBSP butter - melted and cooled
About 2 - 2 1/4 C. All Purpose Flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg

Warm milk and water to about 100 degrees. Add the yeast and let sit til it begins to foam.

Mix about 1 3/4 flour and all remaining ingredients with the exception of the butter in the mixing bowl of your mixer. Add the yeast mixture and cooled butter and beat til smooth.

Continue adding flour in small amounts until the dough is smooth and not too sticky. You want a fairly loose dough. Knead with your dough hook for about 5 minutes more. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise for 1 hour.

Scrape dough on to a floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or grease the pan). Flatten slightly with floured hands. Cover and let rise for 30 - 35 minutes.

Bake in 425 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until nicely browned.

This recipe is easily doubled


And, so ended another lovely, warm winter day.



Life is Good (and tasty)

Hugs, Giddy

6 comments:

Diana LaMarre said...

My those lobsters do look enticing! But the thought of eating a big coackroach.......YUCK! :)

I have only cooked the fresh (i.e. LIVE) lobster once. We used to live in Florida and a friend brought some fresh Florida lobster that he had caught. They are not nearly as good a Maine lobster (in my humble opinion).

And only $3.00 each...in our hotel restaurant lobster is selling for over $30 and that's the frozen tails.

I am so envious of your home baked bread items. I hate those soft squishy buns/bread in the store. I want to bake some Engish muffin bread. It's a great chewy bread for toast. Maybe I will make it today.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Giddy .. coming from the east coast I know about the lobster thing : ) .. $3 each is a fantastic price girl !!
That last shot of the sunset over the water .. it is so beautiful .. I miss scenery like that so much .. and the smell of the air .. there is nothing like it.

Anonymous said...

My google "lobster alerts" came in today, I just finished my second book, " The lobster and the chicken" a fable for adults in search of enlightenment. You should see all the crazy lobster stuff I get, lots about the maine lobster prices being so low, capt Dave at "Liquid coast sport fishing" hooping for lobsters of the california coast to the owner of "monshah lobstah" a restaurant in Tampa Florida, where the owner dressed up a lobster in a tampa bay rays outfit for the game. !2 taxis follow the lobster and the chicken on there journey through life, they learn the lesson and leave the taxis and there baggage behind and become fully human.

Kerri said...

Oh my...I sure wish we'd been there for dinner that night! It's a long time since we've tasted lobster.
$3 each is an amazing bargain. Don't see too many like that these days :)
Your buns look delightful, dear :)

Kerri said...

I almost forgot to say that your sunset photo is glorious!!! You have the absolute best sunsets. What a view!

Anonymous said...

I know this is a late comment, but I couldn't resist. In Phoenix, Arizona I checked three restaurant menus for Maine lobster. The first was $23.95 a lb; the second was $159.95 for two 28 oz. tails; and the third was $70. for a three lbs. (I'm assuming a whole lobster). I usually don't have lobster because most restaurants just have "market price" on the menu, so $40 is the usual price when they say "market price" and it's usually a 1 lb. whole lobster.