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 . . .

Spoiled Dog Omelette Treats

This is Shadow!

Like most people my age, I've hit hard times in this economic quagmire we live in. In other words, the Super Chef is SUPER BROKE! Now that I live with my mother again, only organic produce and products enter this domicile. Since my mother graciously lets us (my cats and dog) stay with her, I can't help but think, "Why shouldn't my dog be eating organic, too?"

Then I really started looking at what was is in these dog treats. You see, nothing is "too good" for my "spoily" boy! He's my dog, I raised him - ya know? So I want to give him something that isn't killing him. A lot of these treats contained meat and bone meal, which is pulverized animal bones and meat scraps that aren't fit for human consumption let alone a beloved best friend. There were also many ingredients with names far too long to remember or pronounce paired with a string of numbers to classify the chemical compound. WHOA. This is too many ingredients for a dog biscuit.

See the wonky one?

After the last batch of cheap dog treats, as I mentioned before I am lacking in funds, in which I found a jagged shard of bone, I realized it was time to take matters into my own hands. Also, I concluded that baking my own dog treats was the most viable, and fun, option!

I  scoured the internet looking for suitable recipes, tweaked one to suit my doggie's appetite, and came up with this! Since I used a hard boiled egg and cheese, and my boy is so spoiled, I decided to call them Spoiled Dog Omelette Treat!

You will need:

• 2 1/2 cups flour (wheat flour or oatmeal can be substituted for flour)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp beef or chicken stock (bouillon granules or broth can be substituted for stock)
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 hard boiled egg (chopped)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Take a small pot of water and heat it on low-medium heat and add the beef or chicken stock. Stir it every so often until it breaks up in the water.

Mix the flour, raw egg, diluted beef or chicken stock, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, and chopped hard boiled egg in a large mixing bowl with a big wooden spoon. Once it starts getting difficult to stir, dig in! Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. If the dough is too dry add a little bit of water, but not too much or the dough will turn to paste.

Form the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle some flour onto the parchment paper and rub some onto your rolling pin. This will keep the dough from sticking when you're trying to roll it out. Roll out the dough until it's about 1/2 inch thick.

COOKIE CUTTER TIME! This is the fun part, getting creative with the cookie cutters! Dog's don't care what shape their food is, but it's fun for us. I choose a tiny star cookie cutter my mother had. There are lots of different kind of cutters to choose from though, including bone shapes! So cute!

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and place the biscuit pieces on the sheet. Top each biscuit with a little bit of the remaining cheese. Throw it in the oven for 30 minutes. Before you think you're done, check the biscuits through with a toothpick.

Of course, you don't want to burn your hungry, hairy friend so wait about 5-10 minutes for these cheesy, eggy wonders to cool. Make sure they've completely cooled down before putting them away. Store them in an air-tight container when your pup isn't chowing down on some Spoiled Dog Omelette Treats!

BEWARE: Not all dogs can digest eggs as well as my boy. Try giving your dog a small piece first and wait a day if your not sure how he'll respond.

Love,

Liz

BBQ Meatloaf Done Right

I love meatloaf! A long time ago, my Mama gave me her recipe for BBQ Meatloaf. She actually took an original Martha Stewart recipe and made it much much better with her Mama powers.

As a testament to my love for the loaf of meat, I've revamped an old post of a classic favorite. I added a little bit of my own twist on the recipe. So, get 'cher tummies rumblin' because here we go!

You will need:

• 1 lb. ground sirloin
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 4 slices of white or wheat bread, diced
• 1 tsp. of Grey Poupon Mustard
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp. honey

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place your bread bits in a medium sized mixing bowl, as seen above. Next add your ground sirloin, onions, egg, and brown sugar. If you want your meatloaf with a kick, add the red pepper flakes now or sprinkle some on after it's done.



Wash your hands because you're about to be wrist deep in raw meat. The best way to mix all the ingredients together is with your bare hands. I know it's gross, but grow up. Thoroughly mix 1 cup of BBQ sauce and Grey Poupon mustard into the meat with a spoon.

Take all the meat out of the mixing bowl and form it into a loaf shape on a greased baking pan. I don't like putting meatloaf in a loaf pan, you might as well be cooking your loaf in a bucket of grease. Moving on, in a small mixing bowl, combine the extra BBQ sauce and honey to make a tasty glaze. Pour the glaze  over the length of the meatloaf. Pop it in the oven for 50 minutes.

Yum! See? And all the grease leaked out. I suggest a side salad and some scalloped potatoes on the side of this meaty treat. Don't forget! The leftovers make fantastic sandwiches!

Love,

Liz

Mama's Lasagana, Easier Than You Think!

I personally (1) know a lot of people who are intimidated by making lasagna, and (2) know a lot of people who screw up lasagna on a regular basis. Ever had lasagna soup? That mushy, oozy, runny, excuse of lasagna? Probably.

We all know that person who thinks they can cook, has big dinner parties, then forces what ever ill-conceived culinary abomination they've envisioned down the throats of their hesitant but polite group of friends.

You don't want to be that person, so let's begin.

You will need:

• Sauce, THE MOST IMPORANT part of any Italian dish. Make it meaty, veggie, whatever. You can even try my recipe here. It's a little dated, but still holds strong.
• 8 oz. of Ricotta cheese
• 8 oz. of Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
• 16 oz. box of no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 egg 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. The most important first step is DO NOT BOIL THE NOODLES. This is the number one cause of lasagna soup. The extra moisture from the noodles seeps out during the baking process and turns the sauce watery. Gross.

 

Mix the Ricotta cheese with 1 egg. In a big baking dish, 9x13 inches, something along those lines, start with a layer of sauce that's about 1/2 inch thick. Next cover the sauce in a layer of lasagna noodles. Make them fit, but don't overlap. Then comes the Ricotta, spread 1/2 cup across the noodles. You can use a little bit more but not too much, you don't want the ingredients to overflow. Now cover the Ricotta with a layer of Mozzarella. Again, don't use too much or it will become too chewy. Back to sauce and repeat!

 

Remember to leave about 1/2 - 1 inch of room in the baking dish and cover it with tin foil. Just in case it does overflow, put a cookie sheet under it in the over. Bake for 25 minutes with the foil on, then remove foil and bake for another 15minutes.


Stick a fork in it! If it's done, the fork should go right through the gooey cheese and tender noodles. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes to solidify. Enjoy with some delicious garlic bread and a salad!


Love,

Liz