Fresh Caught Fish at McDuff’s South Lake Tahoe

Our new friend, Charles, caught some fresh Trout and Kokanee this morning. Apparently, you bring your fresh caught fish to McDuff’s and they cook it up for you! Soooo delicious!!

Fresh Tahoe Trout

Our neighbor, Bill, gave us a trout from his morning catch! Fortunately, he had already cleaned it. :P So, all I had to do was figure out the best way to cook it. I Google’d a few recipes and here’s what I came up with. Michael and I agreed that it turned out fantastic! Thanks Bill!

Ingredients

• Fresh Trout

• 1/4-1/2 cup white wine (I usually use a cheap dry white wine for cooking, but in this case I wanted to drink the leftovers so I got Joel Gott, which is one of my favorite Sauv Blancs)

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

• 1 fresh lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon truffle salt (or regular salt, if you prefer

How to Make It

1. Heat grill to about 375 degrees.

2. Mix all the ingredients (minus the fish) in a little bowl. Use only half of the lemon for juice in this mixture. Slice the other half and layer inserted into the fish.

3. Use your fingers to gather and rub the pasty stuff of the mixture all over your fish (including inside).

4. Pull a long enough sheet of aluminum foil that it will fold length-wise back over the fish.

5. Set the fish on the right side of the aluminum foil. Pour any remaining part of the mixture over the fish.

6. Wrap the fish with a bit of tenting on top as you want it to steam on the grill.

7. Place the fish on the grill for about 20 minutes.

Ta-da! The fish turned out flaky and delicious! The skin and bones were very easy to remove as we dove into it. And the mixture we made was very good. I wouldn’t change a thing for next time. Happy summer, ya’ll!

Caprese Salad a la Capisce?

My new take on Caprese Salad is an adaptation from our favorite Tahoe local Italian restaurant: Capisce? Everything is bigger! Big slices of fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil… yum!

How to Make It

It’s simple and quick to make. I even get the pre-sliced fresh mozzarella and the fresh/partially dried chopped basil from Safeway, which totally cuts down on the time to make. Layer slices of tomato and cheese. Mix about 2 parts chopped basil with one part olive oil and drizzle over the tomatoes and cheese. Then sprinkle your favorite balsamic vineger to taste. Finish with some freshly ground salt and pepper. We love this dish as a Spring/Summer side.

Low Carb Cheese Stuffed Meat Loaf

I’ve made various keto and low-carb meat loafs over the years. This recipe represents a combination of my favorite elements of the many recipes I’ve tried. Bacon topped? Fresh mozzarella stuffed? Yes and yes, please! Sauteed mushrooms and shallots help keep the loaf moist. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 cup diced mushrooms (white or baby bella)

• 2 medium shallots, diced

• 1 tablespoon diced garlic

• 3/4 pound 85% lean ground beef

• 3/4 pound ground sausage (spicy, if you like!)

• 3/4 cup low-carb flour (I use: Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour)

• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning (or make your own mix with of some or all of the following: dried basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 8 oz. package fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (I use: BelGioioso Cheese Mozzarella Fresh Sliced)

• 12 oz. package center cut bacon

• Sugar Free Marinara Sauce

How to Make It

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x8 baking dish.

2. Saute mushrooms, shallots and garlic until soft (5-8 minutes).

3. Mix together the ground beef, pork, Parmesan cheese and dry ingredients. Use your hands — they really are the best tool for this step!

4. Mix in the eggs and Worcestershire sauce.

5. Layer as follows into a meatloaf pan or 9x9 baking dish: spread half the meat mixture in the pan, add a layer of sliced mozzarella, cover the cheese with remaining meat mixture, and top with a layer of sliced bacon.

6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 70-80 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.

7. Warm marinara sauce (microwave or stove top) while loaf cools for five minutes.

8. Cut the loaf into 6 or 9 servings, depending how hungry ya’ll are. And pour sauce over. Enjoy!