cooking | Blu Owl Gypsy

Pub Americana is a new establishment located in Cocoa Village where Ryan’s Pizza was previously located. It has a large menu with delicious selections and a very relaxing atmosphere and welcoming staff. I loved their goat cheese burger. The drinks were classic with a modern spin. I am very excited to have another place to visit here in the village.

Village Mule: Menage a Trios Vodka, Royal Jamacian Ginger Beer, fresh lime juice and fresh mint.

Margherita Pizzette: Fresh Mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic cream sauce.

Goat Cheese Burgers: Goat cheese, caramelized onions, provolone and lemon honey aoli.

Mediterranean Dip: Spinach, artichoke, parmigiano, tomatoes and spice.

Bahn Mi: Homemade pulled pork, pickled daikon, pickled carrots, jalapeños, cilantro and sriracha-honey aoili.

Aegean Pizzetta: Kalamata olives, artichokes, fresh arugula, goat cheese, tomatoes and homemade white sauce.

Arturo Alici the chef who created the menu.

Napoliana Floridiana: Crabmeat tossed in home early romulade, layered with avocado and mano on a crustino.

I love having dinner parties and cooking for friends. Usually, Sundays are my designated casual dinner party day. I made my Caribbean-ish dinner because it is something different and feeds a crowd. I have a very rogue and go with the flow cooking style. A little bit of this, a little bit of that!

I lightly coated a large casserole dish with coconut oil and then placed chicken breasts in the dish. I drizzled a little bit of teriyaki over the chicken and applied a healthy amount of curry powder and jerk seasoning. After straining a can of crushed pineapple, I topped the chicken off with it and brown sugar. I baked it at 350 until the chicken was cooked all the way through and then broiled the last few minutes to give the pineapple a caramelized finish. Top it off with fresh cilantro and scallions and enjoy.

I had more people show up than expected and having a fear of not having enough for everyone, I opened my pantry for an episode of Chopped to whip up another side dish. I mixed hominy, corn, garlic seasoning, paprika, hot sauce, cream of chicken and topped with cheddar and baked it!

I always serve this dish with jasmine rice and black beans. I topped it with raw onions and mixed balsamic with lime and a hint of soy sauce and garlic seasoning to drizzle over the beans and rice. Definitely a hit and fairly easy and inexpensive to make.