Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Cajun Crab Pasta....what more can you ask for?!

Here's one of my personal favorites.....my in-laws have totally converted me into a blue crab fiend and this is a great way of combining my love of pasta and my new love of crabmeat.

Cajun Crab Pasta

4 oz linguine pasta
8 oz lump crabmeat
1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tbsp butter
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed, until al dente; drain.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, saute crabmeat and Old Bay for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in heavy cream. Season with the remaining ingredients except the Parmesan. Heat through.

In a large bowl, toss the linguinin with the sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Recipes for the Dogs

No seriously....I have a couple of recipes that we use to fill our dogs' Kongs. They're not actually recipes because we rarely measure anything, but you'll get the gist of it.

Frozen Banana Kongs

ripe bananas
peanut butter (we use creamy)
wheat germ or oatmeal (uncooked)

Mash the ripe bananas in a bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter, wheat germ and/or oatmeal. Mix well.

Spoon a couple of heaping tablespoons of mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Fold ends of plastic wrap over until the mixture forms a small log. Freeze.

Depending on the size of your Kong, you can either cut the frozen log in half and stuff it into the Kong or put the entire log in. Give to your dog and let them enjoy!

Omelet Kong

1 egg
brown rice
chopped carrots
wheat germ
sprinkle of cheese

Mix the egg, a couple of spoonfuls of rice and carrots, and a spoonful of wheat germ together.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour egg mixture into pan. Cook as you would an omelet, flipping halfway through. Remove from pan and let cool enough for dog to eat.

Cut up into strips and stuff the strips into Kong. Give to dog and see how much they love you!

Crab cakes from Emeril last night - Yummy!

I made these very yummy crab cakes last night. The recipe is from http://www.foodnetwork.com/ and is by Emeril.

The only thing that I changed is that I used panko breadcrumbs instead of regular one. It made for a great texture on the coating.

I also made a hollandaise sauce to go with them, but I won't be posting THAT recipe. Let's just say that the taste was great, but the consistency was awful! Sooooo should have gone with the premix! :)

Emeril's Crab Cakes

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Louisiana Real and Rustic, William Morrow and Company Publishers, 1996
Show:
Emeril Live
Episode:
Bam vs. Spam

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup small diced yellow onions
1/2 cup small diced celery
1/4 cup small diced red bell peppers
1/4 cup small diced yellow bell peppers
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound lump crabmeat, cleaned and picked over for shells and cartilage
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
3 tablespoons Creole mustard
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, (juice of 2 lemons)
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crabmeat, green onions, grated cheese, parsley, Creole mustard, and juice of 1 lemon. Mix to incorporate. Set the mixture aside.

In a food processor with a metal blade, process 1 egg and remaining lemon juice for 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add 1 cupvegetable oil. The mixture will be thick after all the oil is incorporated. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce, process the mixture to incorporate. Season the mayonnaise with salt and pepper.

Fold the cooled sauteed vegetables into the crab mixture. Fold 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise and 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs into the crab mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly. In a shallow bowl, season the flour with 1 teaspoon of the Creole seasoning and the white pepper. In another bowl, whisk the remaining egg with the water. Finally in 1 bowl, combine the remaining bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning together. Portion the filling into 1/3 cup balls. Form the balls into patties, about 1-inch thick. Pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups oil into a saute pan and heat to 360 degrees F, about 2 minutes. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned flour. Dip the cakes in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the cakes in the seasoned bread crumbs, covering the cakes completely. Gently lay the cakes in the oil and fry for 4 minutes on each side. Remove the cakes from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the cakes with the remaining Creole seasoning.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Mexican Bowties for Dinner Last Night

Well, we've been in the new house almost a week so I think it's about time to start cooking again, huh?! Given that we have a totally packed pantry I'm really going to try to make food that uses up the vast stockpiles of food. I'm sure I'll have to pick up the fresh produce and dairy, but I can't imagine that I'll need to buy anything else for WEEKS! :)

This recipe is one that made years and years ago and it's popular with everyone in the house. It's refreshing enough for summer and filling enough for winter, while being super simple to make.

Funny story about this recipe.....about 4 years ago I was making dinner on a very hot and steamy evening in Georgia. Fightpilot (hubby) decided that he was going to spend the evening moving a cable line in the attic. I was on the final step of the meal when I heard a CRASH BANG (insert cussing) overhead and the next thing I know I'm being kicked in the head and ceiling debris is falling into our dinner. His foot had slipped off the rafter and come through the ceiling, thus the foot in my head. Luckily he caught himself and I was saved from having the rest of the 6', 185 lb man hitting my cranium. LOL!

So now everytime we eat this meal I have to chuckle and then Fightpilot glares at me. Heehee!

Mexican-Style Bowties

8 oz bowtie pasta (or whatever pasta you prefer)
8 oz lean ground beef (if vegetarian, you can add another can of pintos)
16 oz can pinto beans, drained
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
15 oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained
8 oz can corn, drained
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup sour cream (I use low-fat)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup broken torilla chips

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef and drain. Add beans, cumin and chili powder; heat through. In large bowl, combine pasta, meat mixture, tomatoes, corn, green pepper, cheese and onions. In small bowl, combine sour cream and salsa. Add to the salad mixture and toss well. Serve warm (not hot), garnished with tortilla chips and additional salsa.