So Fancy: Crab Carbonara with Meyer Lemons, Black Pepper, and Parsley

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to connect more with my "San Diego" family.  A couple of my younger cousins are living here and I wanted to take advantage of that fact.  Thatmom has always been the rubber band that brings this family together, stretching across states and time zones to make sure Thatbrother and I always had a sense of who we were and where we came from.  I want to do the same for Thatbaby.  I want him to grow up not knowing or caring that there's a difference between 1st and 2nd cousins, because we're just as close with all of them.

Since both my San Diego cousins are young men, I figured I could tempt them with promises of a home-cooked meal, and the an open invitations for their girlfriends.  Date night with free food!

Mustang has been especially receptive to my family dinners.  Which is good, because Thatbaby loves Mustang and his girlfriend.  It is the highlight of the month when they come over for dinner.  For me, I spend the week before brainstorming what to make.  I'm sure I could order pizza and everyone would be happy, but they can get pizza any night of the week, so I always want to make something that they're less likely to make on their own.  Of course, I always end up with grand plans, like last weekend when I asked Thatboy if a cheese souffle would be a good choice for family dinner.  He thought I'd be better off playing it safe, something that two college kids would be more interested in. But, he loved the idea of a souffle and asked if we could put it on the menu for another time (we did - I'll post that soon, because OMG it was gorgeous AND delicious).  That's how this crab carbonara came about.

Carbonara is not one of those universally adored pasta dishes like macaroni and cheese or spaghetti and meatballs.  The sauce, comprised of egg essentially cooked by the hot pasta makes some people squeamish.  And although Thatboy and I are big fans of sweet sweet crab, not everyone loves it like we do.  So put the two together and you have a dish that is decidedly hit or miss.  So this didn't make it to family dinner, but went on the menu for when it was just the three of us.  The meyer lemon helps to add a real summery flavor, and a quick burst of sweet acid to the dish.  Plus, I love using meyer lemons when I can get my hands on them!

Crab Carbonara with Meyer Lemon, Black Pepper, and Parsley (from the James Beard Foundation)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced pancetta
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 pinch Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
Zest of 3 Meyer lemons, 1 lemon reserved
8 ounces dry spaghetti
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup toasted bread crumbs 

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sauté just until beginning to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until the shallots are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. Whisk together the eggs, Parmesan, parsley, Old Bay, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. 
4. Add the contents of the sauté pan and whisk. 
5. Add the crabmeat, Meyer lemon zest, and the juice from one of the lemons. Whisk to combine.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and immediately add the hot pasta to the bowl containing the egg, cheese, pancetta and crab. 
7. Add the butter, then toss the pasta quickly and thoroughly to make sure all of the strands are coated and that the ingredients are well combined. 
8. To serve, sprinkle toasted bread crumbs over the pasta.

Passover Crabcakes

We have been so busy this past week, that the Passover sting hasn't really affected me.  No crazy cravings for doughnuts or pretzels.  Meals in general have been a bit of a rush about, going from one seder to another, or throwing together some easy weeknight options.

Thatbaby is off from preschool this week for Spring Break.  Which wrecks havoc on Thatboy and my schedule.  He took the first part of the week, I took the second, and Thatmom is on toddler-duty until he's back to school next Wednesday.

The first half of the week, I do admit lunches were pretty boring - I packed myself grilled chicken and broccoli.  But when I was home, I had the use of a stove and microwave, so things were pretty good.  As for dinners, being home with Thatbaby gave me time to be pretty inventive.  Alright, so not so inventive.  Really just Passover reinventions of normal, typical food.  Like crabcakes and hush puppies.

Both are easy enough substitutions to Passover.  The best crabcakes are light on breadcrumbs anyway, and matzoah meal is a pretty good substitute.  Hushpuppies are a little more difficult, since the main ingredient is cornmeal.  I used a sweet potato base instead, mixed with matzoh meal, green onions, and eggs.  I think these have a little way to go.  I used my food processor to shred the sweet potato, but I think it needs to be a bit finer consistency, like pureed or grated.  We definitely liked the taste of the hush puppies, just not the consistency.

Passover Crabcakes

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup crab
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup matzoh meal
• canola oil

1. Combine mayo, eggs, green onions, Old Bay, and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Stir in the crab, green onions, and matzoh meal.  Form into patties (This made 8 for me)
3. Heat 1 inch of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook each patty 1-2 minutes per side, until browned.

Labor on Labor Day: Crab Carbonara with Meyer Lemon, Parsley, and Black Pepper

Happy Belated Labor Day!  I hope you all enjoyed some well deserved time off yesterday with barbecues, beer, and good friends.

Mine started out with - labor!  Ironic for a day giving the workers a day off!  Especially annoying since my boss just sprung it on me on Friday.  That's what happens when you have a million motions due!

I already had plans for the afternoon, so I told him I'd see him bright and early on Monday morning.  And I did.  I worked my butt off until 2, doing all sorts of research.  Then skeddadled it home to grab the boys and head out again.

We headed out to the beach!  Meeting up with the Pirates, the Supers, and the Jurisslaves.

After loads of playing in the water, running in the sand, and throwing around the football, we packed up our kids and headed across the street for some burgers and beers.  Well, burgers and beers for the adults.  The little guys mostly had french fries for dinner. It's a holiday for them too, right?

Besides, Thatbaby was phenomenal with dinner the night before.  A dinner I was a little worried about.  Crab, eggs, and lemon juice don't always sound like they're going to combine well.  And as I cracked open the crab legs, Thatbaby remarked that crab was yucky.  And that he wanted "Pasta, no crab."

He warmed up a bit when the pancetta starting cooking.  He LOVES pancetta, fishing it out of the container to eat by the handful.  And when I finally set his pasta in front of him, he devoured it.  He tossed aside his fork and used his hands to scoop the pasta into his mouth.  Thatboy followed suit with the ravenous eating, but he used a fork.  So there's hope for Thatbaby yet!

Crab Carbonara with Meyer Lemon, Parsley, and Black Pepper (From The James Beard Foundation)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced pancetta
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 whole eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 pinch Old Bay seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat
• Zest of 3 Meyer lemons, 1 lemon reserved
• 1 pound fresh or 11 ounces dry spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup toasted bread crumbs

1. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the pancetta and saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add the shallots and garlic and saute another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
3. Whisk together the eggs, parmesan, parsley, Old Bay, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Add the shallots/garlic/pancetta and whisk.
5. Add the crabmeat, lemon zest, and the juice from one of the lemons and whisk.
6. Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain and immediately add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
7. Add the butter and toss quickly, making sure all the strands are combined.
8. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and serve.

Circus Trains: Crab and Cream Cheese Won Tons

One of the benefits of being members of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is access to their special "Family Days." Last Saturday was their "Circus Family Day" and we ventured to check It out.

There is no such thing as a bad day at the train museum for Thatbaby.  He loves watching the trains, pointing out the tunnels, the buses, the fire trucks.

And the museum is small enough that we're more than happy to let him run around the entire thing, again and again.

I was a little disappointed in the Circus aspect of the day.  The only thing circus about it were performances by some kids from a local camp that does circus/acrobatic classes.  Not that the kids weren't talented, they were.  There were mini-airealists:

And very flexible acrobats.

And stilt walkers wandering the museum.

But really, I was expecting more.  On the plus side, The Juris family met up with us and Thatbaby had a grand time taking Jurisbaby around the museum.

With a nice, long stop in the train table room.

I was so proud of both our boys, playing so nicely and sharing with the other kids.  Thatbaby didn't even want to leave.  But all good things must come to an end.

We came home and Thatbaby settled in for a nap while I worked on dinner.  Wontons are a weekend food for me because they're so time consuming.  But I love the snacky aspect of them.  And I wanted to make some crab wontons before the sweet summer crab was gone.  Crab Wontons.  The quintessential non-kosher food.  But they are absolutely fabulous.  And so easy to munch!

Crab and Cream Cheese Won Tons

8 oz cream cheese, softened

Meat from 2 clusters of snow crab

2 green onions, sliced

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sriracha

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

won ton wrappers

Canola oil

1. Combine cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, sriracha, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Place 1 1/2 tsps of the crab mixture in the center of a won ton wrapper.  Dip your finger in some water and run along the edges of the wonton before folding it into a triangle and pressing to seal.
3. Bring in the two sides of the triangle to meet in the middle. Repeat with remaining filling and remaining won ton wrappers.
4. Fill a pot with 3 inches of canola oil and heat until it reaches 350.  Fry won tons for about 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?

Sponge Bob Square Pants!

Everyone knows all about that cute little sea animal who is best friends with an starfish and a squid.  He works for a crab at the undersea version of McDonalds where instead of serving hamburgers, they serve crabby patties.

The crabby patty brings in fishes by the schools, all addicted to Mr. Crab's secret recipe.  One resident of Bikini Bottom in particular is hot to get his hands on the recipe.

Well, don't let Plankton know, but I've figured out the secret.  I'm sure you've seen all those "Top Secret Recipe" books promising your favorites from well known restaurants.  When the restaurants refuse to give up their secrets, often the test kitchen cooks can create a reasonable facsimile.

My own kitchen has been hard at work trying to figure this one out.  It seems easy enough - it's really just a crab cake on a bun.  But the problem is, most crabcakes are a conglomeration of mayo and crab which is less than appetizing to me.  My favorite crab cake is one that it pretty much just crab with a light breading to hold it together.  So that's what I did here.

Thatboy topped his with some sriracha, but I don't need the extra spice. 

 Crabby Patties

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup panko

1 chopped green onion

salt and pepper

2 snowcrab clusters

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 rolls

8 thin cucumber slices

1/2 avocado, thinly sliced 

1. Combine egg, 1/4 cup panko, onion, salt, pepper, and crabmeat. 
2. Shape into 2 patties. Sprinkle remaining crumbs into shallow dish and dip patties into crumbs.
3. Heat oil in a skillet and fry patties for 10 minutes, flipping halfway. 
4. Cut rolls in half and toast. 
5.  Layer cucumber, patties, then avocado on half of the rolls, then sandwich with tops.

Happy Valentine's Day

Every year I get up on my Valentine's Day soapbox to remind everyone that love doesn't just mean love between you and your significant other.  It encompasses everyone who is special in your life.  The people who make your day, and yet go unsung 364 days of the year.

Like sending in treats to Thatboy's coworkers.

And that includes each and every one of you, dear readers!  Thanks for hanging in there this past year with my sporadic updates and general nonsense.  Which is really what this blog is all about.  General nonsense.

Thatbaby echos my sentiments.

This year we are spending Valentine's Day at home - our first time in years.  It just doesn't make sense to pack up the baby to struggle with crowds.  We go out to dinner other times (like this past Saturday night.)  And there will be plenty more dinners out in our future.

Instead we're staying in and I'm making a nice dinner:

Blood Orange Cocktails

Steamed Crab

Baked Potatoes

Caesar Salad

Lord Baltimore Cake

There will be recipes to follow in the coming weeks, but instead I'll share a different crab recipe with you.  Crab is cheap and sweet right now, one of the reasons we're having it for Valentine's Day dinner.  (And it always seems like a special occasion type food to me anyway.)  While perfect for salads (especially those winter salads I wrote about yesterday), crab is a fabulous way to use up any wontons you might have leftover from, I dunno, pumpkin ravioli you made last week?

Crab rangoons couldn't be easier to make, since the ingredients are really just crab and cream cheese.  Stuffed in a won ton, and then deep fried.  Sounds good, right?  Well I mean, anything that's deep fried is probably going to bed delicious by default.  It's also probably not going to fit into that New Year's Diet Resolution you've been trying to keep.  So I did what I usually do with typically fried foods - I baked it! 

Same basic idea - but you want the heat in the oven to be nice and high so those suckers get crispy.  Thatboy was highly enamored with these, so I see them making their way onto our menu as a regular way to use up won ton wrappers.

Baked Crab Rangoon
2 clusters of snow crab legs
4 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Won ton wrappers

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove meat from the snow crab clusters and combine with cream cheese and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste
2. Spoon a scant tablespoon of the mixture into center of each won ton wrapper. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. 
3. Place won tons  on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Summer Makes Me Crabby Week: Crabmeat Casserole

My buddy Faye keeps bugging me to blog about the half marathon I ran a couple weeks back, and I promise I'll get to it - some time before she heads back to the desert, but life throws some unexpected curve balls, doesn't it?

I was recently reminded of just how selfish we all can be. And I had to put myself in check. 2 weeks ago I got devastating news. Except it shouldn't have been devastating for me (see what I mean by selfish?) My friend N awoke in the middle of the night and had to rush her husband K to the hospital. In a scene that surely must have echoed what we felt 2 years ago, her family stood at the hospital praying for a miracle, and trying to hold themselves together when it didn't come.

When Thatdad died we all agreed he was too young. Thatmom felt like she didn't have enough time with him. But Thatdad was twice as old as K. Twice as old. For those of you who aren't good at math, K was in his 20s. Too young doesn't even begin to describe the loss. And when I got the news, the first thing I did was contact N with a message of love and support. And then it became all about me. In a situation that was not about me. I called Thatboy and told him I wasn't okay. I ran a bath and waited for him to come home. We went to the beach and walked and I made him promise never to die. I called Thatmom for some support. I felt myself sinking into depression. And at a certain point I realized that this was ridiculous behavior and I gave myself a stern lecture. Just in time for the unveiling of Thatdad's headstone.

At the unveiling I went back into "protection mode" like I was after the funeral. Keeping an eye on Thatmom. Which was good, because I was able to focus on someone other than me.

It was a weekend full of sadness, memories of men taken far too soon and the rest of us left behind who try to put the pieces of our lives back together. It was the kind of weekend where even chewing seems like too much effort. So it's a good thing there isn't much chewing involved in this crabmeat casserole. Honestly, I was much more interested in the cornmeal mush - which is like a cross between grits and polenta. (Delicious) But then again, you can't be too surprised that a dish filled with mayo and heavy cream wouldn't be my thing.

Crabmeat Casserole (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp minced parsley
1 Tbsp minced onion
salt
pepper
3 1/2 cups crabmeat
6 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 cup buttered bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a shallow baking dish. Combine the cream, mayo, parsley, onion, salt and pepper to taste, crabmeat, and chopped egg.
2. Toss lightly, put into baking dish, and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cornmeal Mush
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix the cornmeal with 1 cup cold water.
2. In a saucepan, bring 3 cups water and the salt to a boil.
3. Add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling water and cook, stirring often, over medium heat for 7 minutes, or until thick.

Summer Makes Me Crabby Week: Crabmeat Indienne

I'm completely wiped out today, so I'll keep this one short and sweet - and include the explanation for my fatigue at a later time. Instead, let's talk a little of "what's in a name." Shakespeare makes a fairly compelling case that what something is called does not affect its inherent values. But names definitely lead us to expectations. I wouldn't expect something called an "orange" to be purple in color. Likewise, I would expect a dish called "Spicy chicken" to be, well, spicy. In "Can-Can" Frank Sinatra makes a similar observation - "I once knew a girl who had the nerve to call herself Virginia!"

Today's crab recipe is named Crabmeat Indienne. And do you know what makes this recipe "Indienne" my friends? Well, that's easy! It's the inclusion of curry powder!

Honestly, I would consider this dish much more "curried crab" than an Indian dishes I've ever had. It lacks the complexity of flavors of most Indian dishes. The balance of spices with a buttery sweetness. So I was disappointed in it. It didn't meet my expectations because what's in a name does matter. So I present it to you with all pretenses pulled. Don't pay attention to the name and see if you enjoy this crabmeat with curry.

And because I want to be perfectly up front with what you're eating, no fancy name for the rice, just good ole rice cooked with saffron, raisins, and pine nuts. This is a recipe I've used often with couscous, and thought "huh, bet it would be good with rice too." It is. I love raisins and pinenuts in pretty much everything. The only other addition I would suggest is some feta, but I didn't know how that would work with a crab main dish.

Crabmeat Indienne (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1Tbsp finely chopped onion
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups crabmeat

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring often.
2. Stir the flour and curry powder into the skillet and cook 2 minutes more.
3. Add the chicken broth slowly and cook and stir for 5 minutes.
4. Add the crabmeat and cook only until heated through.

Saffron Rice with raisins and pine nuts

• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
  
• 1/8 tsp crumbled saffron
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
  

1. Preheat oven to 375. Saute the onion in the butter about 3 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir, cooking just long enough to coat the rice, 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add chicken stock to rice and bring to a boil.
4. Remove 1/4 cup of the hot liquid and pour over saffron. Let steep 5 minutes, then add back in to the boiled chicken stock.
5. Pour rice and stock into a 1 qt. casserole and stir in rice and pine nuts. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until all the stock is absorbed.
   

Summer Makes Me Crabby Week: Crabmeat Terrapin Style

I know, I know, I owe you a ton of recipes and catchups! Thatboy and I just got back from our 4 year anniversary trip (can you believe we've been married 4 years? It seems so weird given that we've dated over twice that many years!) and blogging is not the only thing I'm behind in.

Returning from a vacation back to regular life is always hard for me. I'm a schedule person by nature, and while I'm fine with venturing afield, part of me is always distracted by missing out on my usual routine at home. So now we're back and trying to get back into the swing of things. I finally caught up with most of the housework and can devote myself back to frivolous stuff like blogging. Which is exciting because you have a lot to look forward to: Vacations, adorable babies, a race, and eventually we'll move away from crabs onto something equally as fun!

But for now, let's continue on with the crab recipes, shall we? The next recipe is for crabmeat terrapin. I'm not really sure what the name means. I have no history or no reasoning for what makes this dish a terrapin. Because frankly, when I think of terrapin I picture this guy:

And there are certainly no turtles in this dish. Although both turtles and crabs have shells, there aren't a lot of other similarities. For instance, for many years I had a pet turtle named Chris - and I've never had a pet crab. Wait a minute. I think I might have had a hermit crab at one point in time, although I'm fairly certain that's not the type of crab you would use in this dish. I used those snow crab legs I was telling you about ages ago (or at least that's how long it seems).

The finished product reminded me of a crab omelet. It would make an excellent breakfast, although we ate it for dinner with some rice. As a dinner, the finished product reminded me a bit of an egg foo young, so I paired it with some steamed rice. Of course, adding some peanuts and celery helped with that whole egg foo young comparison, but if I were serving it for breakfast I'd probably top it with some avocado instead.

Crabmeat Terrapin Style (The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups crabmeat
3 Tbsp dry sherry
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 egg yolks
salt
dash of cayenne pepper

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the onion and cook over low heat until soft and yellow.
3. Remove the onion and set aside.
4. Stir in the crabmeat, add the sherry, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
5. Beat the cream and egg yolks together. Slowly add to the saucepan, stirring briskly.
6. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
7. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and cayenne.
   

Steamed Rice with Peanuts

3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1 cup brown rice
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add the salt and butter.
3. Slowly add the rice, celery and peanuts.
4. Cover and simmer. Don't remove the cover for 40 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
   

Summer Makes Me Crabby Week: Creamed Crab

Do you feel deserted? I know it's been a while, but we had a major emergency in Thathouse - Thatmom needed an escape. So in the middle of the week last week, we headed out for an emergency girls' vacation.

To the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara.

First stop was lunch with Toxicesq and China who happened to be visiting the Happiest Place on Earth. And then we were off.

Alllll the way to the outlets, where we had to make a second stop. Because Thatmom and I needed some retail therapy. And some hats for lounging by the pool, since we had both forgotten to bring our own.

By the time we got to Bacara, it was LATE. And we had been in the car all day. We were exhausted.

So while Thatmom checked in,

I scoped out the lobby.

Our room was gorgeous - Thatmom's first order of business is always to check the bathroom for "product" (as Thatdad used to call it). She loved that it was Fresh toiletries, but didn't love that most contained mango, which she is ridiculously allergic to. She did love the oversized shower - she's really into those.

I showed Thatboy a picture of the room and showed him which bed I slept in and he laughed and told me I got the jenky bed. We had to tell him it was just the angle, and it was the same size as the other bed. Both beds were already turned down for us, because, as I said, it was late!

On our drive up, we were starving and didn't want to stop because we'd already been on the road ALL day. "Let's order room service!" Thatmom suggested. So as soon as we got into the room we called down and had them bring up two giant cheeseburgers for us. They brought up more than that - check out the setup!

What, you don't go to a spa and order cheeseburgers? Well maybe you should.



Thatmom dug right into hers. And even though both of us are notorious for not finishing our burgers, we made a good showing! I think we both did about 3/4 of a burger.

And then it was off to bed - because driving, shopping and eating makes you very very tired. The next morning I was with it enough to take a picture of our view. That's the ocean over there to the left!



And then we did a tour of the grounds before hitting up the fitness center....and then I retired my camera for the rest of the trip, but rest assured, there was plenty of lying by this:



Nothing better than a pool with a view.


But I can't leave you during crab week without a crab recipe! So let's go with another great spa option - creamed crab. I doubt you'll find it on any spa menu to be honest, because it's not exactly light or healthy. Then again, neither was the creme brulee oatmeal we enjoyed at the spa. But we're big fans of "everything in moderation" in Thatfamily, so having creamed crab one night certainly is allowable. Especially when paired with something lighter like boiled brown rice.

Creamed Crab (The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups light cream
• dash of Tabasco
• 3-4 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 1/2 cups crabmeat
• salt

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
   
2. Stir in the flour and blend until smooth.
3. Slowly add the cream, stirring consistently, until smooth and thickened.
4. Add tabasco and sherry and cook over low heat for 3 minutes.
   
5. Add the crab and salt to taste, and cook only until heated through.

Why boil rice? It's a little trick I picked up from the back of a rice container. I am NOTORIOUS for ruining rice- well, that is, until I got my rice cooker. Before that it was either a soggy mess, or burnt to the bottom of the pot. But pasta? I can make pasta with the best of them. This is a similar method - boil rice like pasta and then drain. Even I don't mess this one up.

Boiled Rice

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup brown rice
• 3 qts water

1. Bring water and salt to a boil.
2. Slowly add the rice to the water so that it doesn't stop boiling. Give the pan a shake so the rice levels.
   
3. Boil rice 35-40 minutes, until the rice is firm, not mushy.
4. Drain the rice in a colander.
   

Summer Makes Me Crabby Week: Ipswich Deviled Crab

Deviled crab is another really old dish, with roots that can be traced back to the Great Depression, another "super cheap" meal people made by combining blue crab and stale bread.

It never fails to amaze me that certain foods we consider pricey used to be "cheap foods." When Thatboy and I were in Carmel last year we saw old menus that had abalone priced at $.25 a piece. Now it's usually a more expensive menu item. The same holds true with crab. Now we consider them a luxury food, made for romantic nights, or special events, but remember what I told you about going crabbing? How it's done with chicken necks? It's a sport that anyone can do, you don't need any equipment other than string and scraps from last night's dinner.

Unfortunately overfishing has cleared out a lot of the marine wildlife and shellfish are no exception. Which obviously raises the price for your average consumer. But you can still get some fabulous deals - keep your eyes open.

I mentioned that normally I recommend cooking live crab, but for these next few dishes I find it easier to buy crab legs, because you get a lot of meat in there with very little work. Stock up when you see a good deal, for me I bought up a ton of clusters when they were $3.99/lb.

Even though this is a "cheap meal" there's something so elegant about eating out of a ramiken. Reminds me of tea parties for some reason. It's especially fancy when served beside a perfect mound of gorgeous bulgur, dotted with shots of vibrant green peas. Bulgur has a lot of the nutritional qualities of brown rice, but for some reason it just seems healthier. I was pleasantly surprised that the deviled crab wasn't too rich or creamy. The cream and butter are mostly absorbed by the bread crumbs and the mustard adds just the right tang.

Ipswich Deviled Crab (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 2 cups crabmeat
• salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a gratin pan or 6 ramekins. Combine the mustard, cayenne, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, butter, cream and 1 cup hot water in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add the crabmeat and salt to taste, and cook 1 minute more.
4. Fill the baking dish or ramekins, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs.
5. Bake 20 minutes, until the crumbs are lightly browned and the sauce is bubbled.
   

Bulgur Pilaf (From the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup bulgur
• salt
  
• pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 small onion, chopped and sauteed
• 2 cups beef broth

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan.
2. Cook tumeric in the butter.
3. Stir in the bulgar and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
4. Add salt, pepper, peas, an onion.
5. Pour in 2 cups beef broth, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
   

Summer Makes Me Crabby Week: Soft Shelled Crabs

But first - I'm getting faster y'all!

Saturday I had another race, a 10k. I don't do 10ks very often for a number of reasons, first because they just don't occur as often. While we have a 5k almost every weekend here in Southern California, 10ks are a little less frequent. The second reason is that sometimes when I go to sign up for a 10k, Thatmom decides she wants to race with me, and since she's not up to a 10k yet, we drop down to 5ks so we can run together.

However, this weekend, I signed up for a 10k which was part of the Coronado Sports Fiesta. I was very excited about it because I imagined this beautiful course run on Coronado (my favorite beach in San Diego). I was so wrong.

The race was really small. Thatboy thinks it was the smallest race I've run, but I disagree. In any rate, because branny LOVES my goofball faces I make when Thatboy tries to take my picture before the race I thought I'd include this.

It also gives you a better idea of the size of the field.

As I stated earlier, the course was not what I was expecting. Instead of running along the beach, we were facing the wrong direction! A quick glance of the course map showed that we were actually running on the naval base. Which could be cool, right? But there was really nothing there to distract - just flat barren land which is I guess used for artillery or bombs or something? I dunno, all I know is that there was a sign saying "no stopping, standing, or taking pictures" which is motivation of a different kind I guess.

The route itself was a repeater, which isn't my favorite. We ran out for 2 miles, then back along the same 2 miles, then back for 1.1 miles, and back again for another 1.1. miles. So I actually ran parts of the course 4 times.

As far as a breakdown, I'm SUCH a backwards runner. The way it works is, with longer distances, you usually run a slower per/mile rate. Because you have to keep something in the tank, right? NOT ME! I don't know what's wrong with me, but I run faster during longer distances. I had a new PR for the first5k of the race. And frankly, at that time I was really wishing this was just a 5k. And I started questioning whether I was going to be able to handle my upcoming half. And then mile 4 came in and all of a sudden everything just kind of fell into place.

The last quarter mile I could swear I smelled popsicles. Thatboy thinks I'm crazy, but I know what I know. To emphasize what a small race this was, check out the finish line!

I was actually a little disappointed in my time, because the OCD in me really wanted to finish in 1 hour, but when I got home I started reviewing my past 10k scores. The last 10k I ran was in March and I came in 3 minutes slower. 3 minutes in 4 months? I'll take it. And I keep going back to the fact that the 5k portion of the run was 2 minutes faster than the 5k I ran last month. So it didn't take long for that disappointment to turn into a little "yay me!"

Okay, back to crab week! Tonight we feature soft shelled crab. Softshelled crabs are truly a summer delicacy. There's no specific soft shelled crab breed, but during the late spring and summer crabs of all breeds outgrow their hard shells and shed them. Before their new soft shells have a chance to harden, you can enjoy these delicacies. Soft shelled crabs are easier to eat because you don't have to crack them, you can just eat them shells and all. Which Thatboy thinks makes them a little weird to eat. I've opened up whole worlds to Thatboy.

I love them sauteed in some butter and served in a sandwich, po-boy style, but even if you're not a southerner, you'll probably still love the buttery sweet taste of sauteed soft shells. I allow 2 crabs per person, but if you really love them I could see 3 being very easy to put away.

Soft-shelled crabs (from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

• 1/4 cup flour
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 4 soft shelled crabs
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dust the crabs with it and shake off excess.
2. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil. Toss the crabs and cook over medium high 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove the crabs to a warm platter and squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, scraping up the brown bits.
4. Pour the pan juices over the crabs and serve.

I served my soft shelled crabs with some more barley - told you about that barley kick.

Barley Casserole

• 1/5 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 finely chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped cashews
• 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth
• salt
  
• pepper

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the barley and onion and cook until the onion is soft and the barley is coated in butter.
2. Add green pepper and cook and additional 2 minutes.
3. Add the cashews, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
4. Cover and simmer 25 minutes, or until all broth is evaporated.