Cajun Crab Cakes

Who likes crab cakes? I'm way in the back raising my hand. Crab cakes bring back so many memories. One taste of these and you feel like you're on vacation and just ate something really special. Let's get them started, we all need to be on vacation and to feel special.

Crab Cakes -

The most important ingredient of course is the crab meat - you'll need 1 lb.

Saute in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1/2 onion, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1-1/2 stalks of celery, 2 tablespoons celery leaves all very finely chopped. When the veggies begin to wilt, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and salt and black pepper. Saute another 2 minutes, remove skillet from heat and let stand for about 5 minutes to cool just a bit.

While the veggies are cooking and cooling, in a large bowl, mix together, 1/4 cup of Kraft Mayo (and please in the name of all that is good and special about seafood, DO NOT use Miracle Whip), 1 egg, 5 dashes of Crystal or Frank's Hot Sauce, salt and a pinch of cayenne. Mix together with a fork until completely blended and set aside.

In another bowl add one cup of all-purpose flour and season with 1-1/2 teaspoons of cayenne and set aside. Now add 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs to the mayo mixture and blend. Once completely blended, add in the veggies and mix together thoroughly. Now it's time to add the crab meat - YUM! Gently fold the crab meat into the mixture being careful not to break up the lumps.

Form the mixture into patties. If the mixture feels too wet, add more bread crumbs until the consistency feels a little firmer. Dust the patties in the seasoned flour and fry in hot vegetable or peanut oil approximately 3 minutes per side.

Look at the crab meat lumps! The smell is amazing too.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels and serve. Actually this makes 8 patties, I still have four more cooking. I just couldn't wait to show you the finished product and maybe scarf one while no one was paying attention.

Taco Shells

My tween is starting to get interested in cooking. She likes to experiment and she's actually pretty good. Kaitlin does not want me anywhere near the kitchen when she's in there. She does not want me looking over her shoulder, I think I make her nervous. Kaitlin came into the kitchen Monday evening and asked me if she could plan Thursday's dinner. My arm did not have to be twisted to answer "YES!". I thought she should have to cook it too so I could relax and watch HGTV. My cooking is what she had in mind. Oh well, I can dream can't I? I asked her what she had in mind and she described what I wound up cooking last night. It sounded good and I made her dream a reality.

Taco Shells -

Coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan with a thin layer of taco sauce. Cook 1/2 box of large shell pasta in salted water for about 10-12 minutes. Remove pasta with a slotted spoon to a waxed paper surface to cool. While pasta is cooking, brown 1 lb. of lean ground beef or ground sirloin, drain excess fat from pan. Return pan to heat and add 1 package of taco seasoning and prepare per directions on taco seasoning package.

Spoon taco meat into cooled shells and place in baking dish.

Spoon the remaining taco sauce over shells.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar and shredded Monterrey jack cheese over shells and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. I didn't used the Mexican mix shredded cheese because it seems like they skimp on the Monterrey Jack.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly and to set.

Serve with a side of sour cream or garnish with sliced scallions and maybe even black olives. When I was serving Kaitlin's plate, I asked her how many shells she wanted. she told me she wasn't too hungry, give her two.

By the time the carnage was over, she had scarfed 5 shells! No, she's not embarrassed...

She's just enjoying her meal and no, I didn't teach her to do that! I would never do that if a camera was around!

Herbed Farfalle

Have I ever told you I've never met a pasta I didn't like? Well it's true. I like to use different types of pasta in different dishes and sometimes, depending on my mood, I like to go with something different. Something about farfalle or bow tie pasta is just fun; maybe it's the "ric-rac" looking edges or the way it's gathered in the middle. Bow tie pasta not used as often as penne or spaghetti and it's my job to get farfalle out there front and center. Farfalle just brings a little bit more fun to certain pasta dishes.

Herbed Farfalle -

Cook 1 lb. of farfalle pasta to al dente and drain and return to pot. Halfway through your pasta cooking time, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. Over low heat and I mean the lowest setting, put 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan with 2 cloves of garlic that is semi-smashed. Just let the pan set while you do everything else. The garlic will infuse the oil with a wonderful garlic taste.

While the pasta is cooking and your oil is infusing, grate 1 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese, chop 2 scallions, 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley and optional 2 teaspoons lemon thyme. Actually you can use just about any herb you desire such as basil, rosemary, majoram....be creative.

Remove garlic cloves from the oil, discard and pour oil over pasta, pour reserved pasta water over pasta and combine all. Add scallions, parsley, thyme and combine. Add cheese and combine.

I did find that the lemon thyme gave the pasta a subtle lemon taste in the background.

Time to eat!

Yum-Yum

Please take a look to your right. I am so excited and flattered that I've received my very first blog award from Prudy at Prudence Pennywise! Thank you Prudy!

Cranberry-Barbecue Chicken Wings

I want to thank all of you for all of your wonderful and encouraging comments on the "Grilling Sauces" post. The Cranberry-Barbecue Chicken Wing Sauce was concocted about six years ago because of my love of cranberries. I happened to have a can in the pantry that summer that was probably leftover from the holidays. I stared at that can and tried to think of something I could do with it. Until I made these wings last night, I forgot how light this sauce was and how wonderful it smelled on the grill. I'm serious, if I did drugs, I'd do the smell of this sauce on the grill...does that make sense?

Cranberry-Barbecue Chicken Wings -

Place your chicken wings in a shallow dish. In a 2-quart sauce pan over medium-low heat, mix together 1 can of jellied cranberry sauce, 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Creole or brown grain mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons Louisiana Hot Sauce. Stir these ingredients until smooth.

Pour sauce over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Place wings on grill and reserve marinade sauce. Cook on medium-low heat on grill turning as necessary and brushing with reserved marinade sauce. Cook time about 25 to 30 minutes.

Keep eating until you've finished the last wing, groan, take a nap. I won't tell anyone. Seriously, once you take these wings off the grill, you will be attacked.

Coffee Cake

I have a great idea, let's make some coffee cake and invite friends over for a visit. We can gossip about people we know and even gossip about people we don't know. Anyway, this coffee cake is a keeper and if I can make, you can make it!

Coffee Cake -

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt or tube pan.

Cream 1-1/2 sticks of room temperature butter and 1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time 3 extra large eggs at room temperature, when eggs are thoroughly mixed in, add 1-1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and 1-1/4 cups of sour cream. And please in the name of all that is good, do not use low fat or fat free sour cream! In a separate bowl, sift together 2-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir to completely mix the batter.

For the cinnamon swirl, in a separate medium size bowl add 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light), 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons COLD butter in a bowl. Pinch the mixture together with your fingers until it forms small crumbles. You can mix in 3/4 cups of pecans or walnuts at this point, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into prepared cake pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate.

Whisk together 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 3 to 6 tablespoons water. You want the glaze to be thick but also just a little runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Serve on a plate and feel unguilty because there's no chocolate in this cake!

Crabmeat Broussard

I am very excited to share a real treat with all of you today. With a little persistence, I was able to finesse a well renown recipe from one of the finest and most famous restaurants in New Orleans. Many of you may have heard of Broussard's which is located on Rue Conti in the French Quarter. Crabmeat Broussard is an appetizer on their daily menu and has been served to many celebrities during their visit to the Big Easy. The simplest way I can sum it up is it's layer upon layer of flavor and just one big party in your mouth. Try this and enjoy, that's an order!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
6 jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail left on, deveined; butterfly
1 oz. (2 tbsp.) olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 fresh artichoke hearts, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz. brie cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. whole fresh thyme leaves
3/4 lb. jumbo lump crab meat

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the shrimp until they are just cooked. Set aside to cool.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the yellow onion, artichoke hearts, and garlic over medium heat until the onion becomes limp.

Sprinkle in the flour and mix well while cooking for a minute more.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then add stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for three minutes.

Add the heavy cream and simmer for another five minutes.

Take the brie and scrape off and discard the white skin; cut cheese into small pieces.

Add brie to the cream sauce and stir until all of the cheese is melted and mixed well.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, olive oil, and thyme. Set aside.

After the cheese mixture is cool, gently fold in the crab meat, being careful not break up the lumps.

To assemble, place one shrimp in the center of an oven proof serving dish so that it stands.

Spoon the crab meat mixture around the shrimp and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.

Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Arrange the dishes on a large baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for fifteen minutes, or until the crab mixture is hot and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6