Mama's Crab Cakes

     A magical thing happen here in New England, more magical than the usual Autumn fair that sweeps the nation. I'm sure you've seen the piles of leaves, plump, orange pumpkins and their carved, rotting counterparts, and everything is pumpkin or apple flavored for the next few weeks until everything is peppermint flavored. Most importantly, the fall brings harvest and harvest means roadside farm stands full of freshly picked crops.
     But as I said, here in New England something special happens. The farm stands sell freshly snagged crab meat! Can you believe?!
So my Mama, being of infinite appetite and imagination picked up some of local crab meat and surprised me one night last week.
     You don't need a local supply of fresh crab meat, but most grocery stores carry it in the seafood section. Or you could go the extra hard route and go as far as catching, cooking, and smashing the crab meat out yourself. Either or.


You will need:

• 1 lb. crab meat
• 3-4 TBSP mayonnaise
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/2 red bell pepper (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red or white onion
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/8 TSP cayenne
• salt & pepper to taste
• Parsley or chives to taste (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I like them spicy so put a little extra cayenne than my Mama does.
Using your little hands, scoop up some crab meat and start making patties. This recipes yields about 6-8 patties depending on how big you make them.

Heat your oil to medium-high in a skillet. My Mama hates the greasy smoke from frying stuff so she got an electric skillet that puts out on the porch. On the floor. Like a kook.

Fry the crab for 8-10 minutes on each side. Watch out for falling crumbs and other bits. They'll start to burn in the oil and make it taste funny, so just try and scoop out as much debris as you can.

Isn't she cute, though? Look at her slippers.


 Get a nice creamy ginger salad dressing or just plain old tartar sauce with these little babies. My Mama prefers mayonnaise with capers, and hot chutney mixed in. I like lemon and ginger dressing!

Thanks Mama!

Love,

Liz

Mr. Twiggy wants to know where HIS crab cakes went as Shadow the dog slips by . . .

Ritz Cracker Crusted Chicken

I crave comfort food as the weather gets colder. The cold wind and gray skies that chill you to the bone and make you hunger for something warm in your belly. And although I'm nowhere near the crispy foliage and gloomy ambiance of Fall in New England, I require sustenance appropriate to the season. I mean, nothing says "Autumn" quite like the palm trees and blue skies of Savannah, GA.

No matter how I've tried it, dipped in egg, slathered in butter, and coated in bread crumbs, I just could get my chicken crispy. My Nanna always made the best everything, as I'm sure you know if you've taken a gander at most of my recipes. She uses Depression-era common sense with modern cooking conveniences that give her recipes the homey, old world quality that fills up any tummy with scrumptiousness.

Here's what you need to make extra crispy chicken skin with a delicious sweet and salty cracker crust:

• 1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers
• 6-8 chicken legs, with or without skin
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• salt
• pepper

Preheat your oven to 325-350.

In a sandwich bag, break up all the crackers into tiny crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Wash off the chicken legs and dry them on a couple of paper towels. Season them lightly with salt. Use a spatula or spoon to coat each chicken leg with mayonnaise.

There's two ways you can Ritz up the chicken legs. You can either shake them up in a Ziplock bag or grocery bag. Sometimes this gets all the other crumbs moist, though, and I don't like that.

The other option is to spread out your crumbs on a small plate with a rim to prevent spillage. Dump more bread crumbs over the legs. Keep rolling the chicken leg around over the crumbs until its fully coated. Press the crumbs in to make sure they stick.

Rip off a sheet of parchment paper to line a small baking pan. Place chicken legs evenly on the baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side. Well, I like mashed potatoes and stuffing on the side of everything, really.

Love,

Liz

Spicy Artichoke Dip, in other words, CHEEEEEEEEESE

Here's the straight dope, I made this TWICE in one week and finished it all by myself BOTH times. Yes, it will make you covetous. Yes, it will make your lips tingle from the spice of the mighty jalapeno! But you will be fat and you will be happy.

Get it:

• 6 1/2 oz can of marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese (grated)
• 1 small can diced jalapenos (drained)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Drain the artichokes and jalapenos, and make sure you drain those jalapenos well. That spicy leftover juice can make your dip incredibly spicy. Chop up the artichoke hearts. Combine the artichoke with the mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella cheese in a large mixing bowl, and mix them up good.

Pour the mixture into an oven safe baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top in golden brown and scrumptious-looking. Make sure to let the dip cool from boiling lava-hot to warm. You'd be surprised how much spice those jalapenos add on their own.

Feel free to use more or less or the jalapenos depending on your taste buds.

Serve with some nice bread, or pita, or my personal favorite, Santitas $2 Only Tortilla Chips.

Love,

Liz & Santita