< Previous40 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 THEROOFTOP NOWOPEN! Sunday-Thursday:12pm-12am Friday&Saturday:12pm-1am DOWN HOME on sewing jobs. Her industry inspired all her children to learn how to cook and sew, including her sons. Jeannie and her sister Judy are following in their moth- er’s footsteps by running the local catering company Two Blue J’s. This is a retirement business for Janota, who had a successful career selling insur- ance that took her all over the United States. Eating out on an expense ac- count was a perk of the job and Janota said going to restaurants still is a favorite pastime. She loves trying new dishes and has an adventurous palate — steak tartare is her go-to. But don’t ask her to order the gumbo. KUNZ FAMILY GUMBO 4-5 slices bacon 3 tablespoons bacon drippings 1-2 celery stalks, diced 1 large onion, diced 1 ⁄ 3 cup flour 1 quart water 1½ quarts chicken broth 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes ½ pound shrimp, deveined 5-6 crabs, if desired 1 (12-ounce) packet frozen okra Salt and pepper to taste Cook bacon in pot, remove and chop. Sauté onion and celery in drippings. Add all other ingredients except seafood and flour. Mix well. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and simmer 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, brown flour in a little oil or butter, stirring constantly to make a roux. Add roux to gumbo and stir well. Serve over rice with crusty French bread. Jerome “Pops” Kunz and his daughter Jeannie Janota sit beside a bowl of the family’s prized gumbo, a favorite meal at family get-togethers.42 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 TASTE OF TEXAS KEEP IT SIMPLE Go back to the basics for the perfectly crispy original nacho story and recipe by PHIL NEWTON | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS T he original nacho began as a very simple appetizer, basically serving as a starter to main courses, washed down with that first beer or margarita. The original nacho essentially was a tortilla chip, a slice of cheese and a slice of pickled or fresh jalapeño. The chip stayed crisp and slightly toasted and crunchy with gooey melted cheese. Today, a pile of chips buried under a mountain of ingredients make a full meal for everyone at the table. But among downsides of this trend is that chips become soggy and toppings slide off. And you have to eat them with a fork. Served that way, nachos have lost their allure as a finger food. But this recipe returns us to the past and the way nachos were meant to be enjoyed. To personalize each nacho, put some refried beans or guacamole on the side. SIMPLE NACHOS 20 tortilla chips 5 slices cheddar cheese, quartered into squares 40 pickled or fresh jalapeño slices 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans (optional) Garnish: Fresh cilantro Preheat oven to 400 F. Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each with a cheese square and a couple of jalapeños. Top with one tablespoon of refried beans, if desired. Bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese melts and the edges of the chips brown. Serve immediately. Chef’s note: Top with refried beans first and then with the cheese slice and create pon- chos instead of nachos. PHIL NEWTON is a Galveston baker/cook. He’s the owner/operator of Stiglich Corner with partner Cindy Roberts. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 43 SponsorshipOpportunitiesareavailable! www.TCLMchamber.com LAST CHANCE TO NOMINATE Honor your favorite businesses by nominating them to be the best of the best. galvnews.com/ readerschoice YOU COULD WIN $100! Nominations: Close July 3 Final voting: Aug. 7-2844 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 GAME ON MINI BUT MIGHTY This easy, tasty venison meatloaf dish saves times and work story, photo and recipe by CAPT. NATE SKINNER I f you’re a fan of meatloaf and roasted vegetables, then you’re going to love this sheet-pan recipe. Especially if you want a good meal but not a bunch of dirty dishes. Now, I know what you’re thinking — another sheet-pan concoction. What can I say? When you’re constantly on the go like I am, anything simple in the kitchen is a winner. For this dish, I used axis deer meat, the very best venison on the planet. But any ground venison meat will work. From start to finish, this full-meal-in-one-dish will take you about 50 minutes to create. But only about 20 minutes of that involves hands-on activity. This leaves you plenty of time to clean up, knock out another household chore or whip up a salad. Once the miniature meatloaves are cooked to temperature, it’s time to dig in. Soon, you’ll remember why you’re a fan of sheet-pan recipes in the first place. SHEET PAN MINIATURE MEATLOAVES AND VEGETABLES 2 pounds ground venison ½ cup breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon rosemary 2 eggs Ketchup or barbecue sauce Small red potatoes, halved Baby carrots Green beans ½ red onion, sliced Olive oil Salt Pepper Position the top rack to the center of the oven, and preheat to 400 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread green beans, sliced red onion, baby carrots and halved red potatoes across the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss or mix vegetables to coat, and spread them out again in a single layer. Roast vegetables for about 20 minutes. In a large bowl, combine ground venison, eggs, season- ings, minced garlic and bread- crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Form 5-6 miniature meatloaves out of the mixture that are about the size of a deck of cards, or a little bit larger. Place mini meatloaves on the pan with vegetables and baste with some ketchup or barbecue sauce. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until the mini meatloaves have an internal temperature of 165 F. Once the meatloaves are done and the vegetables are tender, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Serve and enjoy. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 45 YOU THANK 22ND ANNUAL PATRICK F. DOYLE SALTWATER INVITATIONAL THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED US FOR AN INCREDIBLE TWO DAYS FILLED WITH FISHING, FUN, AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT. A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WINNERS! Favorites Buy it now! Easy Cooking, Texas Gulf Style COASTMONTHLY.COM/ COOKBOOK46 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 DESSERT ISLAND BLUEBERRY BLISS In-season fruit stars in this colorful and flavorful dessert story and recipe by PHIL NEWTON | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS T exas is among the top producers of quality fresh fruit. Whether it’s our Gulf Coast rabbiteye blueberries, Pecos cantaloupe from The Valley, Poteet, Texas strawberries that Blue Bell Creameries trots out as a seasonal flavor, or the heavenly taste of in-season peaches from Fredericks- burg, fresh fruit can be transformed into show-stopping desserts. Often, we eat fresh fruit straight up as snacks or a side at breakfast. But other times, they’re starts of dessert, such as the case with this recipe. Mixing fresh, in-season berries with tart hibiscus and lime creates a visually stunning and flavorful combination. HIBISCUS CREAM WITH BLUEBERRIES Serves: 4 2 cups fresh blueberries Zest of 2 limes (about 2 teaspoons) 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream 7 tablespoons dried hibiscus leaves ¼ cup powdered sugar Optional: Mint for garnish Wash, de-stem and pat dry the blueberries. Place the blueberries, lime zest and sugar in a bowl and mix together. Refrigerate and let macerate for 1 hour. Bring 1½ cups of the cream to a simmer and remove from heat. Stir in hibiscus and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl, using the back of a spoon to press out all the cream. Refrigerate until cold. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and powdered sug- ar to chilled cream and whip into stiff peaks. To serve, divide cream among 4 bowls and top with blueber- ries. Add a sprig of mint for a colorful garnish. PHIL NEWTON is a Galveston baker/cook. He’s the owner/operator of Stiglich Corner with partner Cindy Roberts. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 4748 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 COUNTER CULTURE ‘THIS WORKS BETTER’ Islanders were sold on a kitchen designed for efficiency and show story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS W hen Michael Crain and Melanie Kro- pik walked into a Realtor’s open house in Galves- ton and looked at the newly renovated kitchen, they were sold. “Michael said ‘I like this house, I want this house. We are buying it,’” Melanie said. And just like that, the couple moved from their home two blocks away in Galveston’s East End and set up home in their new place. The kitchen was designed for show as well as for efficiency, starting with it being an extension of the large living room, with 14-foot ceilings and no walls separating the two areas. Anchoring the kitchen is an oversized white quartz island, with rivers of gray and gold running through it. The countertops match the island, which comfortably seats four and is the dining table. The renovation of the house was designed by J&K Coastal Developments and KJS Build- ers, with a dining area set up adjacent to the kitchen. But the couple didn’t need or want a separate dining table and had the enor- mous chandelier overlooking the dining area removed, making more room for the living Michael Crain and Melanie Kropik’s open-concept kitchen features forest green cabinets, with lighted, glass- fronted display cabinets near the top and a large quartz-topped island. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 49Next >