Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

 

Maryland Crab Cakes with Quick Tartar Sauce

Servings: Makes 6 crab cakes, enough to serve 3 adults as a main course

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRAB CAKES

• 2 large eggs
• 2-1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
• 1/2 cup panko
• canola oil, for cooking

FOR THE QUICK TARTAR SAUCE

• 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced red onion
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE CRAB CAKES

• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
• Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat. Shape into 6 cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.
• Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When the oil is hot, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon.

FOR THE QUICK TARTAR SAUCE

• Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
• Note: If you can only find jumbo lump crab meat, you may need to break the pieces up a bit. If the clumps are too large, the crab cakes won't hold together well.

Peach Cobbler

Preston asked me for this recipe today, so I am sharing it with everyone else while he shares dessert with his new bride.  I think I actually got the recipe from Dulsanna about 25 years ago.  ;) 

Heat oven to 350.  While heating, melt in 11x7 pan:
2 Tbs Butter

Combine and pour into melted butter:
3 c. Peaches
1/2 c. Sugar
2 Tbs Flour
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix and spoon onto peaches:
1 c. Flour
2 Tbs Sugar
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 c. Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Milk
1 Egg

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Cafe Rio Queso

Brandon introduced us to his favorite dip of late...

and to the card game called Skull King.

We enjoyed both!

15 MINUTE COPYCAT CAFE RIO QUESO
⅔ c. half and half
4 oz. Velveeta
2 c. cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz. cream cheese
1 c. salsa
¼ c. chopped jalapeños
¼ t. cayenne pepper
¼ t. cumin
¼ t. chili powder
Tortilla chips for dipping

1. Heat the half and half in a medium sauce pan.
2. Add the Velveeta, cheddar and cream cheese. Mix until all cheese are melted.
3. Add in the salsa, jalapeños, cayenne, cumin and chili powder. Mix until combine.
4. Serve immediately with your choice of chips.

by Brandon, son of Barbara

BBQ Southwestern Chicken, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Cream of Celery Soup, Maple Almond Macaroons, Brenda's Yummy Ranch Dressing

Emery, Carter and Mawna K!

BBQ Southwestern Chicken

1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. vinegar, apple or white
1 T. instant minced onion (dried)
2 t. McCormick Culinary Barbecue Spice (18oz for $11.77 Amazon/Walmart)
(This is a 1988, discontinued spice, reintroduced one year ago!)

Simmer for 10 minutes on stove top then pour over 2 1/2 lbs bone in chicken parts and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Bake less time for boneless, skinless thighs or for cut up boneless skinless breast meat. Serve over rice. 4-6 servings.


Stuffed Bell Peppers (or Casserole)
1 cup rice (white or brown) cooked according to directions and set aside

Sauce:
1 onion diced
1 T. oil
2 c. Bertoli Rustic Cut Marinara (or other including Costco's)
1 c. beef broth
1 T. balsamic vinegar (or more)
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

Peppers:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley (1 1/2 TBS dried)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/8 t. ground cayenne pepper
4-6 large red, yellow, orange bell peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook onion and oil over medium heat until they soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in marinara sauce, broth, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir 1 minute. Pour sauce (reserving 1 cup for top of peppers) into a 9x13" baking dish and set aside. Brown beef, then add tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir in cooked rice and mix well. Stuff bell pepper halves with beef mixture and place in baking dish. Top each half with 1 TBS of reserved sauce. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20-25 minutes until the peppers are tender. Let rest 5 minutes and serve. I don't use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but you may add 1 cup to the meat mixture and/or sprinkle some on top of the peppers before baking.

***For easier eating (children) or quicker cooking, you may dice the peppers and mix them with the sauce and meat mixture before cooking! Yum!

Mother's Day 2020

BEST Cream of Celery Soup

1/4 c. butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 c.)
2 c, very finely chopped good quality flavorful celery 

(about 5 large ribs, organic recommended for optimal flavor).
1 large clove garlic ,minced
1/3 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 c. good quality chicken broth
1 1/2 c. whole milk (or use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream for even tastier results)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions, celery and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth and milk/cream and stir until the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
If used as a base for other recipes, this soup will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. Makes 4 servings.

One batch of this soup is roughly the quantity of 2 cans prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup. Enjoy as a stand-alone soup or use in any recipe calling for prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup. Basic, but delicious!

Maple, Almond Macaroons
3 c. dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. fine almond flour
1 c. maple syrup
1/3 c. coconut butter or slightly less oil
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt

Combine all in a bowl. Use a small scoop, large spoon, or hands to spoon rounds of dough onto hydrator screens and dry for 12-24 hours at 115 degrees until the outside is crisp. You may also dry them in the oven on the lowest temp for a few hours. ***You can make coconut butter by blending unsweet coconut really well. Lemon zest and a little lemon juice can also be added to make lemon/coconut macaroons... May also dip in chocolate after drying :)


Brenda's Yummy Ranch Dressing
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. parsley
1 t. dried chives
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Mix then add milk, 2 T. at a time, stirring after each addition until of desired consistency.

by Karen & Brenda, Barbara's daughters

Basil Parsley or Rosemary Pesto

Barbara's daughters (l to r): Brenda, Kirsten, Cheryl & Karen—May 2020

Cheryl said she got this yummy pesto recipe from Brenda.

Cheryl's container herb garden is doing beautifully.

And this sounds so good.

I wish my guys liked pesto.

a bit blurry (I took it from a video Cheryl sent),
but Cheryl's basil and tomato container.

Glazed Lemon Blueberry Scones

recipe from here

For our 4th of July breakfast, I made a new recipe for scones.

They turned out great, and tasty!

festive greetings from Kinley, Zachary and Emry!

Glazed Lemon Blueberry Scones
2 c. (250g) all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and work surface
6 T. granulated sugar
1 T. fresh lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
2 and 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 c. heavy cream (plus 2 T. for brushing)
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
1 heaping c. fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
course sugar for topping

LEMON ICING1 c. confectioners’ sugar
3 T. fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

Whisk flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video above for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the blueberries, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with lemon icing.
Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm scones.
Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 large scones

Notes from Sally's Baking Addiction website—

Sugar: These scones are sweet, but feel free to increase to 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar for sweeter scones.
Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a rubber spatula.

Notes by Dee—

I used our Alaskan uku for cutting the scones. I didn't take time to refrigerate but 5 min., and my scones 'over-spread'...but they were tasty! Next time I'd prep them the night before, and cook in the am. For a group, I would make 16 per batch (1/2 size), and try one of the other flavors such as chocolate chip or pumpkin on the cook site linked above. My guys haven't really liked scone, but liked these because they weren't dry.

I also made potato salad for dinner.

Scott grilled marinated chicken,

and we had watermelon.

He and Ian went out to do a couple fireworks,

and watch the neighbors' as well.

Lots of legal and overhead illegals going off 

in the neighborhood.

Raspberry Croissant French Toast Casserole

More from the FB group Corona Kitchen my friend started. 

It's nice to share ideas. 

We loved how this turned out.
We did think it was a bit 'soggy', 
so the second time I dipped the croissants
but didn't put the remaining egg/milk mix over.
We liked it a lot more and think it could be 
done with 2 or 3 eggs.

Homemade Egg Noodles

I got a recipe for homemade noodles 
years ago from my friend Eileen!
A lot of people dry them, but I never take the time.

Homemade Egg Noodles

1 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

2-3 T. milk

Mix ingredients together, fold together a few times with some extra flour...

enough to roll dough out. Use a pizza cutter, knife or ulu to cut into individual noodles.

Put into boiling soup broth and cook a few minutes.

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Tangy Meatballs

1 c. ketchup
2 t. mustard
1/2 c. water
2 T. finely diced onion
1 clove garlic
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
Salt and pepper

Mix ingredients, then add frozen meatballs.
Cook in crock pot on low for 4 hours.
Serve over rice.

Easy Fresh Lemon Squares

recipe and image from here
My book group met virtually for the second time this week.
Right before I was set to going the Webex meet up, the doorbell rang.
The host had driven to our houses and had her teen son delivered a lemon bar.
Such a fun surprise! And so yummy. I asked for the recipe

Easy Fresh Lemon Squares

Shortbread base

1/2 c. butter* (softened) 

1/4 c. powdered sugar 

1 c. flour 

1 pinch salt

Lemon filling

2 eggs

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

3 T. lemon juice

1 pinch salt

zest of 1/2-1 lemon (1/2 - 1 T.)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350° (175°). Lightly grease and flour an 8x8 inch (20x20cm) square cake pan or line with parchment paper.

SHORTBREAD BASE

In a medium bowl, beat on medium speed the butter and powdered sugar until combined then add the flour and beat again until a soft dough forms (approximately 1 1/2 minutes). Pat evenly onto the bottom the prepared baking pan. Bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.

LEMON FILLING

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, beat together, the eggs, granulated sugar, baking powder, fresh lemon juice, pinch of salt and zest. Pour over warm base and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes (until the centre is set, I baked mine for 25 minutes, may need to go a bit longer), Cool in pan, (you can also chill in the fridge for 1 hour for easier cutting), cut into squares and remove from pan, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Author Notes:

* I always use salted butter, if you use unsalted then increase the salt to 1/4 t.

You may want to refrigerate the Lemon Bars before cutting as it makes cutting the squares easier.

You know when Lemon Bars are done when you gently shake the pan and the filling is set and no longer jiggles. 

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Servings: 16 squares 

Nutrition:  

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Mini Fruit Pizza Cookies

I saw these online and thought they would be a fun version 

of the typical large pizza-sized treat.

image from here

Fruit Pizza

Crust
1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c flour

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. baking soda

Cream together all ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Roll the dough out into either 2 9x13 pans or a large rimmed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Filling

1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

2 T. fruit juice

Cream these ingredients together and spread over the baked and cooled crust. Then decorate the pizza with cut up fruit. Strawberries, bananas, kiwi, grapes, peaches, apples, canteloupe, pineapple, etc.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

large version recipe by Jill, other fab cookie recipes here.

Buttery Pull Apart Bundt Bread

A friend decided to start a Facebook cooking page to share dinner ideas 

while we are all home because of the coronavirus. 

It's been fun to get new ideas and see what others are doing.

I tried this bread with the leftover roll dough from our Easter Bunnies*.

We liked it so much that we ate half the night before our Easter dinner.

Adding parmesan and garlic made all the difference.

recipe, beautiful new pan, and image from here!

Buttery Pull Apart Bundt Bread

1 c. warm water
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 T. instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)
1 large egg
1 T. oil
1 t. salt
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (see note for whole wheat)
8 T. butter, melted (I use salted)

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (you can make this by hand, too) add the warm water, sugar, yeast, egg, oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour.

Mix until combined - it's ok if it is a little lumpy. With the mixer running, continue to gradually add flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and forms a ball that is soft but not overly sticky. 

Knead for 2-3 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl, and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. It should puff slightly.

Pour half (4 T.) of the melted butter evenly in the bottom of a bundt pan (if you don't have a bundt pan, you can use loaf pans).

On a lightly floured or greased countertop, press or roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle, about 12X10 inches. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 24 semi-equal squares.

Grab one square at a time, dip the bottom of the square in the butter in the pan and layer the squares against each other (kind of like a trail of dominoes that has fallen over on each other). See pictures in the post for a visual. All 24 squares should fit in a layer around the bottom of the pan. Lift and rearrange the squares, if needed, to fit them all in.

Cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise until noticeably puffy, 45-60 minutes. After the dough has risen, pour the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over and around the top of the bread.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake the bread for 20-25 min. until golden brown on top and baked through. Remove the pan from the oven and let rest for 5-10 min. before turning out onto a plate or platter (lay the plate upside down over the bundt pan and holding onto both the plate and pan at the same time, flip it over so the bread falls out onto the plate).

Serve warm or at room temperature.

YIELD: 8-10 SERVING

PREP TIME 25 MINUTES
COOK TIME 25 MINUTES
ADDITIONAL TIME 2 HOURS
TOTAL TIME 2 HOURS 50 MINUTES

Notes from website recipe:

Flour: I've successfully made this bread with half whole wheat flour/half all-purpose flour. I haven't tried it with bread flour (should work great) or 100% whole wheat flour.

Cheese + Herbs: I think this bread would adapt VERY well to other flavors. Maybe sprinkle Parmesan or Asiago cheese on the bottom over the butter before layering in the dough? Or some fresh or dried herbs? Yum.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

* Easter Bunnies

We started a tradition long ago of making bunnies out of bread dough to have with our hard boiled eggs for our Easter baskets and breakfast. It started with a Rhodes roll recipe, but now we just make roll dough in our bread maker. Here are some pictures of making them at Jason & Morgan's when we met baby Kinley for the first time in Georgia. We flew to DC and brought Virginia niece Brittany with us on the road trip. Such fun memories.

Rainbow Bowl with Peanut Dressing, Immunity Boosting Soup, Avocado Chocolate Pudding

My friend Cami & I attended a healthy cooking class

at our local Adventist hospital.

It was fantastic, and instructor Emily

shared great recipes, information and tips.

Here is her website if you want to learn more.

All of the recipes were delicious.

I previously posted a coconut avocado chocolate pudding.

It is actually good! Here's a link.

Click on each recipe for a bigger picture.

Chicken Chip Dip, Crescent Rolls

Scott and I went down separately to Texas

to help out when Marshall was born.

Carissa shared a couple recipes I wanted to remember,

so posting here.

Ethan was so happy to hold his little brother,
especially out of a blanket.

Chicken chip dip

2 chicken breasts (frozen or fresh, either is fine) 

Black beans (drain & rinse)

Pinto beans (drain)

Corn (drain)

Diced tomatoes

Packet of ranch seasoning

Packet of taco seasoning

Block of cream cheese

Literally just put all that in a crock pot for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Or I have also done it in the instant pot high pressure for 10 minutes. When it’s done, pull the chicken out and shred it, then add it back in and stir all together. Serve with chips, cheese, sour cream.

Such a sweet picture of Marshall with Riley.

Crescent Rolls

1 T. yeast

1 c. warm water

1/6 c. sugar

1/6 c. melted butter

1-1/4 t. salt

1/3 c. powdered milk

2-3 c. flour

1 egg

Mix, knead, rise and roll out into crescent rolls.

Addison with Marshall.

by Carissa, wife of Barbara's grandson Erik