Mock Abalone-A family traditional Recipe

Do you know what Abalone is?? Let me tell you...:) it is the meat inside the shell that mother of pearl comes from. 

It looks like this...

after meat is removed

the meat 

the whole complete abalone

My husband Jason's grandparents (who lived near the ocean) would eat abalone occasionally but the price was and is still daunting! $70 to $105 a pound approx. A delicacy worth the price from what I understand although I have

 never had the privilege of eating it myself. 

(it may as well cost a million dollars at that price. I could afford it as easily LOL!)

Enter the invention of Mock Abalone...

Thank you Grandma Hill!

It is delish!

Do give it a try! 

You will love it and it tastes a lot like abalone with the price of good ol' chicken! YAY!

MOCK ABALONE

2 jars of clam juice

3lbs boneless skinless chicken (cut into strips or nuggets)

1 Cup masa herina

Oil for deep frying

Seasonings to your tastes and desires...We like to use seasoned salt, creole seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, old bay, black pepper, etc etc. Whatever suits your fancy.

Instructions

Soak the chicken pieces in the clam juice for as long as you can preferably over night. When you are ready to cook, put the masa herina and the seasonings in a gallon size zip lock bag. Drain the juice away from the chicken and add the chicken to the masa mix.  Shake to coat. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile heat your oil to 375. Place a few pieces in the oil and cook for about 3.5 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Placed the cooked chicken on a plate or tray lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat the cooking until all the chicken is cooked. 

Enjoy!

Loves 

Emily

Quick Baked Pasta

That up there is my family's current absolute favorite meal. I say current because that seems to change every time I turn around. However, this seems to be a contender for favorite of all time. I mean we have eaten this twice in a weeks time. WHAT? That is crazy go nuts in my family. Best part? It is 4 ingredients. So lets hope it stays high on the list. Quick and easy- just how I like it! 

Quick Baked Pasta

1 lb pasta- we use rigatoni

1 lb italian sausage

1lb ball mozzarella cheese, cubed

1 jar pasta sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente. While pasta is boiling cook and crumble sausage until it is no longer pink. Mix pasta, sauce, mozzarella cheese and sausage in pasta pot until well combined. Pour into 9x13 pan and bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I leave the sausage in rather large hunks. That is how we like it. I also cook the pasta until a pretty firm al dente. We like it to be a little less mushy when cooked and it continues to cook while it is baking in the oven. One last thing! If you like your food a little more saucy- add more sauce and cover with foil before baking. We like it crisp so we leave the foil off.