See Ya Later Alligator...

Lakewood Ranch considers changing its alligator policy

BY KATHRYN MOSCHELLA
kmoschella@bradenton.com

true

LAKEWOOD RANCH —Alligators are an important part of Florida’s natural habitat and freshwater system. But some residents may be calling trappers to remove alligatorswithoutfollowingpolicies and guidelines, which can lead to death and sale of alligator skins.

Country Club resident Ron Jarvis said Thursday that residents are not following the policies on alligators stated in the deeds and covenant of the Country Club Community Development Districts and their homeowner’s manuals. As a result, the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority is working out a “middle ground” option for CDD supervisors to consid-

er in January.

“Forwhateverreason,there arepeopleinourcommunity who find alligators offensive and want them destroyed,” Jarvissaid.“Morally,wedon’t have a right to do this just because an alligator crosses the street, moves from one pond to another, or lays on a golf course.

“This is not a nuisance,” Jarvis added. “I’ve seen dogs runningaroundwithoutleashes. People need to be aware of the deeds because they tell you exactly how to deal and co-exist with them, and I believe that 95 percent of the people have never read those deeds.”

TheFloridaFishandWildlifeConservationCommission has a statewide Nuisance Alligator Program in place designedtoreducethethreatof alligators to people and their property in developed areas. From its web site, MYFWC.com/alligator, feeding an alligator is a criminal offense. Whenagatorisidentifiedfor potential removal, the property owner where the gator is located must provide consent. Once the FWC decides the gator is a threat, it will issue a permit to a trapper to capture and kill the alligator, according to FWC spokesman Gary Morse.

“What constitutes a threat is on a case-by-case basis. I wouldn’t care to speculate,” Morse said.

When residents contact the IDA — which they frequentlydo,saidlawyerAndy Cohen — and the resident insists on moving forward, the IDA will call the state, because staff intervention could lead to a costly misdetermination.

“IftheIDAstaffshoulddetermine, based on a series of questionswithresidents,that an alligator is dangerous or posesathreat,andthenifleft, theanimalcausesinjury,there may be a potential liability to the community and we need to be careful about minimizing this,” Cohen warned the CDD supervisors.

IDAexecutivedirectorEva Reypromisedherstaffwould present a “nice” balance option to the boards, one that is beneficial to the alligators and protective of the community.

“It would be very nonprudent to take this liability on,” Country Club West ChairmanJamesRogozesaid, ”but everyone has grown to accept the various gators in Lakewood Ranch, and they even have names and reputations.”

KATHRYN MOSCHELLA, Lakewood

Ranch reporter can be

reached at 941-745-7010.

Follow her on Twitter @

MoschellaHerald.

Pina Colada Monkey Bread

Pina Colada Monkey Bread

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons coconut milk, divided

 

2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury Grands! refrigerated biscuits

 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

 

1 can (20 oz) canned crushed pineapple, well drained

 

1 cup powdered sugar

 

1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray.

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and 1/4 cup coconut milk until smooth. Remove from heat.

• Separate both cans of dough into biscuits. Cut each biscuit into fourths.

• Carefully dip each biscuit piece into butter mixture, then roll in sugar and place in prepared bundt pan. Cover entire bottom of pan with a layer of about 20 biscuit pieces, then sprinkle half of the crushed pineapple over the top. Top pineapple with another layer of dipped and rolled biscuits, then sprinkle the rest of the pineapple on top. Top pineapple with remaining dipped and rolled biscuits.

• Bake until deep golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack; cool 10 minutes in pan. Carefully invert monkey bread onto a plate.

• In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and remaining 3 tablespoons coconut milk until smooth glaze.

• Drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread. Top with chopped dried pineapple; serve warm.

Fricasse'e de Poulet/Old Fashioned Chicken Fricasse'e

In the past fifteen years due to the presence of the internet and the fact that I've moved twice, I've pared my cookbook collection from over one hundred volumes to about fifteen.  Of those fifteen volumes, I actually ever use two.  One is a 1969 copy of The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook with its stained up quaint looking red gingham cover and collection of comfort foods whose ingredients call for modern day No No ingredients such as real butter and whole milk and sour cream and the criminal of all, heavy cream.  The other cookbook is The Cook's Encyclopedia of French Cooking by Carole Clements and Elizabeth Wolfe - Cohen.  In spite of it's hefty title, it's a slim volume of everyday French recipes using everyday fresh ingredients.  It's my cooking Bible.  From it, I've learned to understand the conceptual framework of what makes superior food...fresh ingredients, quality meats, quality herbs and spices, a process that becomes a lifelong blueprint. And, the simple premise that if one does that, the taste of those things sings to the palate.  One is satisfied and sated with smaller quantity of food, smaller portions suffice and the French eat everything yet stay thin.  Truly this works, this simple concept of less is more.  This recipe is from my French Bible.

 

 

Fricasse'e de Poulet/Old Fashioned Chicken Fricassee

 

Serves 4 - 6

2.5 - 3 lbs. chicken pieces

4 T butter (1/2 stick)

2 T vegetable oil

4T flour

1.5 C dry white wine

3 C chicken stock

bouquet garni or herbes de provence or use a mixture of fresh or dried tarragon, basil, oregano, bay leaf and marjoram

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

1 pkg button m

Mushrooms either white or my favorite Baby Bellas

1 large onion cut into wedges

1/2 C water

2 tsp sugar

1/2 C heavy cream

salt and pepper

Wash and dry chicken.  Melt half the butter with the oil in a large heavy flameproof casserole or cast iron pot over medium heat.  Add half the chicken pieces cook, turning once, 10 minutes until golden.  Transfer to plate.  Cook the rest of pieces.

Return chicken to pan.  Sprinkle with flour, turning pieces to coat.  Cook over low heat for about four minutes, turning occasionally.

Pour in the wine; add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Push chicken pieces to one side and scrape bottom of pan, stirring until well blended.

Bring the liquid to a boil, add herbs/spices and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is tender and juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced with a knife. 

Meanwhile, in frying pan melt remaining butter over medium heat, add mushrooms and lemon juice and cook 3-4 minutes until mushrooms are golden. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl, add onions. water and sugar to pan, swirling to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes until just tender.  Pour the onions and any cooking juices into the bowl with the mushrooms.

After chicken is cooked, remove it to a deep serving dish and cover with foil.  Add onions, mushrooms to chicken. Add any cooking juice from cooking the vegetables to the pan used to cook chicken.   Bring to a boil. and boil, stirring constantly until the sauce is reduced by half. 

Whisk cream into sauce and cook for two minutes   Add mushrooms and onions, cook 2 minutes more. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Cottage Pie/Shepherd's Pie

 A Shephherd's Pie is traditionally made with minced lamb.  It becomes a Cottage Pie when made with minced/ground beef.  Here in Florida, minced lamb is now running between $7.99 and $8.99 per pound and is always previously frozen.  Hence the Cottage Pie version.  When I make it, I add one or 2 Knorr Lamb Cubes.  I buy the lamb cubes when we are in the UK where they cost 1.50 pound sterling which today converts to $2.51 USD.  You can order them from Amazon BUT they  cost $7.49 PLUS $3.99 shipping.  Many Americans do not eat lamb so the Cottage Pie version is probably the winner here.  Here ishow I make mine:

 What I Used:

1.5 lbs ground beef

1 lamb  cube (substitute 3/4 cup beef broth or 3/4 cup water plus 1 beef cube)

3/4 Cup water

3 largish carrots peeled and sliced into thin coins

1 med. onion diced finely

2 cloves garlic finely diced

4-5 potatoes, peeled

1T worcestershire sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup catsup

1 big glug of whatever red wine you have hanging around (or not...it's your choice)

1/2 C milk or cream

1/2 stick butter

salt and pepper

1beaten egg

1 1/2 C shredded cheddar  cheese

olive oil

Process:

Add a bit of olive oil to big fry pan

Cook carrots about ten minutes or until slightly limp

Add onion cook until translucent

Add garlic

Add minceed beef, cook until slightly browned

Drain grease

Add wine, catsup, beef stock, salt and pepper and worcestershire sauce.  Simmer until reduced by half.

Meanwhile, peel and  boil potatoes.  When soft, mash with butter, cream, salt and pepper.  Stir in the beaten egg.

Pour meat mixture into buttered/sprayed casserole dish.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees30 -45 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

Sunday Supper Refrigerator Clean Out

What I found:

4 frozen bone in, skin on chicken thighs

1 really  ripe tomato

1 pkg shredded carrots

1/2 bottle Trader Joe's white wine

1 large shallot

3 really big cloves of garlic

1 pkg Simply Potatoes shredded fresh potatoes

What I did:

Browned chicken on both sides in 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil

Removed chicken to plate, poured off all grease but about 3Ts

Sauteed shallot 3  mins.; added diced tomatoes, garlic and carrot, sauteed 5 mins

Added chicken back to pan, added the wine, salt, pepper, boquet garni (tarragon, parsley, savory) and bay leaf

Brought to a quick boil, turned to low, covered and simmered gently.

Added 1T oil, 1 T butter to large non-stick fry pan, added shredded potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper

Cooked on medium high heat flattened like a pancake; browned on both sides.

Removed chicken, bay leaf and boquet garni.

Mixed 2 tsp cornstarch with water, thickened chicken sauce; added chicken back to pot and cooked ten minutes more.

Served over the  shredded potatoes.