East & West Crab Cakes

For an early Father's Day celebratory dinner, I made Mussels with White Wine and between my dad and my husband, they ate four pounds of mussels! Suffice to say, they love them some mussels! For my mom and me (the non-mussel lovers in the family), I prepared crab cakes and made two sauces to accompany them. One sauce was a basic East coast remoulade and the other sauce was based on a West coast citrus butter sauce, both of which were from my Neiman Marcus cookbook. Both sauces were delicious, but I think I preferred the light, buttery taste from the West coast sauce. I love sauces and condiments, so I had fun trying both!

East & West Coast Crab Cakes

adapted from the Neiman Marcus Cookbook by Kevin Garvin

for the crab cakes

1 lb jumbo lump crab meat

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c mayo

1 1/2 t Dijon mustard

1/3 c panko bread crumbs

1/4 c green onions, minced

2 T parsley, minced

1 T Old Bay seasoning

1 t worcestershire sauce

dash of Tabasco sauce

for the remoulade

1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded and chopped

1 c mayo

1 T parsley, roughly chopped

1 T fresh tarragon

1 T capers, drained

2 T cornichons (or sour dill pickle), roughly chopped

1 small shallot, roughly chopped

for the citrus-butter sauce

1/2 c white wine

2 shallots, sliced

1 fresh thyme sprig

1/4 c heavy cream

1/2 orange, juiced

1/2 lime, juiced

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 c chilled butter, diced

1 t salt (or salt to taste)

dash of Tabasco

To prepare the remoulade, place bell pepper, mayo, parsley, tarragon, capers, cornichons and shallots in a food processor. Pulse several times until sauce is well combined. Transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator until ready to eat. (Make it early in the day, or even the night before, so the flavors have plenty of time to marry.)

To prepare the crab cakes, place egg, mayo, mustard, panko, green onions, parsley, Old Bay, worcestershire and Tabasco in a large bowl. Mix well. Add crab and gently mix together, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat. Mold into 8 to 12 patties and place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 7-10 minutes, flip and continue baking another 7-10 minutes.

While the crab cakes are baking, prepare the citrus-butter sauce. Pour the wine into a small saucepan and add shallots and thyme. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced by two-thirds. Add the cream and simmer 5 more minutes. Add orange, lime and lemon juices. Turn down heat to low and add butter, a little at a time, whisking constantly, until all the butter is incorporated. Do not let sauce boil or the sauce will become oily. Season with salt and Tabasco. Strain the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.

Read more...

Taco Pasta

Even though the Taco Lettuce Wraps were fantastic, we still had lots of leftovers that I wanted to use up. Knowing Andrew and I aren't fans of leftovers, I decided to re-use the ingredients in a pasta dish to make them seem less like leftovers. While this recipe isn't going to win any gourmet recipe contests, we really liked it and it was a quick meal to put together because there wasn't any prep work. Two meals for the effort of one - we all need at least a couple of these kinds of dishes in our recipe arsenals!

Taco Pasta

adapted from Annie's Eats

8 oz macaroni pasta (or other short pasta)

4 oz cream cheese

6 oz sour cream

1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese (plus more for garnish)

1/2 lb seasoned taco meat (leftover from yesterday's Taco Lettuce Wraps)

2 c leftover Black Bean & Corn Salad

In a large pot, cook pasta according to manufacturer's directions. Drain and return pasta to hot pot. Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese has melted. Add sour cream, cheddar cheese, taco meat and salad. Stir well to combine. Garnish with extra cheese.

Read more...

Taco Lettuce Wraps

I made the Taco Lettuce Wraps for dinner tonight. I have just one word - genius! These were so good! I loved the crunch from the lettuce and without the tortilla or taco shell, I could truly taste the taco filling. Yum-o! I honestly feel like I could never eat another real taco again and be happy just eating these taco lettuce wraps.

I made a quick cheater's version of the original recipe since I used a taco seasoning packet, but when you're in a hurry, it's an easy - and inexpensive - way to speed things up. To make it a little healthier, I made sure to buy the low sodium taco seasoning pack and I threw in some veggies. If you want to make it from scratch, then make sure you look at the original recipe because I'm sure her version is fantastic. Even if you follow my cheater version, make sure you peep out the Pink Parsley blog because she has great recipes. Definitely one of my favorite food blogs! Plus her photographs put mine to shame :-)

I served it with the Black Bean and Corn Salad, which I ended up putting inside my taco wraps, and I thought they were great altogether!

Taco Lettuce Wraps

adapted from Pink Parsley

1 t olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small white onion, diced

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg taco seasoning (I used the low sodium kind)

1 head of iceburg lettuce, leaves separated

Assorted toppings: shredded cheese, Black Bean & Corn Salad, avocado chunks, salsa, etc.

In a large saucepan over medium, heat oil and add bell pepper and onion. Saute until vegetables are softened. Stir in beef, gently breaking up meat with a spoon. Continue cooking until the beef is no longer pink. Add taco seasoning packet and the amount of water specified on the packet. Stir well to combine and coat the meat. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until thickened.

Spoon taco meat into lettuce shells and serve with desired toppings.

Read more...

Dinner Menu - June 13th thru 19th

This week's menu will be a little harder for me to plan. Andrew and I have been slowly renovating our kitchen over the last month, and we've reached the point where we need professional help. Ah, the joys of owning an old house! Our contractor is coming on Tuesday to cover a window, create a new doorway, patch some drywall, and lay the wood floors. With all that going on, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to use the kitchen, so I'm not going to plan for a full week of meals. Also, if the recipe I'm using is available online, I provided a link to it just in case it sounds good to anyone else!

Dinner Plans:

1.) Spaghetti with Fresh Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce; Green Salad

2.) Taco Lettuce Wraps; Black Bean & Corn Salad

3.) Austin Mac & Cheese Suiza; Sauteed Mexican Veggies

4.) French Country Ham Sandwiches; Chips; Fresh Fruit

5.) Roasted Shrimp Cocktail; Steamed Artichokes

Read more...

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Cucumber Salad

{the finished product}

{the spicy cucumber salad}

{parental hint #3,591 - if you want your kid to eat something, just put it on a skewer!}

I love it when I rediscover a cookbook! When I'm seeking inspiration for the kitchen, I almost always turn to the internet. Cooking blogs are such wonderful sources for new recipes, but every now and then (i.e. when Finley takes a longer than average nap), I'll curl up on the couch with a cookbook. This week I grabbed the Neiman Marcus Cookbook because I remembered being really excited when I received it for Christmas last year. I found several great recipes that I can't wait to try out soon - hopefully they'll make an appearance on the blog soon!

Now for the first recipes I tried - Chicken Satay with Spicy Cucumber Salad, which I served with a simple side of peanut noodles. The whole family loved this meal! The chicken was flavorful and moist and paired wonderfully with the salad. The meat had a good curry flavor, which I really liked, but if you aren't partial to curry you may want to scale back on the amount. To me the true stand out of the meal was the salad. It only had a few ingredients so it was truly simple to make but it tasted divine with the chicken and the peanut noodles. This recipe has a couple of unusual ingredients but don't let that stop you. I was able to find them all on the international food aisle of my local grocery store. And they weren't expensive either. This was an excellent meal that I can't wait to make again soon.

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Cucumber & Carrot Salad

adapted from the Neiman Marcus Cookbook by Kevin Garvin

for the marinade & the chicken

1 c unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 c smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 T mild curry powder

1/2 T Thai red curry paste

2 T sesame oil

1 T soy sauce

1/2 lime, juiced

4 chicken breasts

skewers (if using wooden ones, soak in water for at least 1 hour prior to grilling)

for the salad

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1 c carrots, finely diced

1/4 c dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

3 T sweet chili sauce

1 small shallot, minced

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

For the marinade, add coconut milk, peanut butter, curry powder, curry paste, sesame oil, soy sauce and lime juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut each chicken breasts lengthwise into six or seven thin strips. Add chicken to marinade and toss to completely cover chicken. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare and preheat the grill. Remove chicken from marinade and let drain in a colander so that no excess marinade remains. Thread chicken strips on skewers. Place skewers on hot grill and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink.

For the salad, prepare it just before serving. Place cucumbers, carrots, sweet chili sauce, peanuts, shallot and cilantro in a bowl. Toss to combine. Keep refrigerated. Serve with satay.

Read more...

Chicken Tikka Masala

My parents have led an interesting life and lived in, and travelled to, some pretty exotic places - Virgin Island, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and all over Europe. As a result, they exposed us to a wide array of food from an early age. The first time we went to an Indian restaurant I think I was in elementary school and I fell in love with the warm, soft naan and Chicken Tikka Masala. I was hooked, and I always ordered the same thing. It wasn't until I was out of college that I branched out and started ordering other dishes, but every now and then, I come back to my old stand-by.

If you've never had Indian food before, Chicken Tikka Masala is a good place to start. The flavors are wonderful, but still fairly mild, so I think most people would like it. I didn't put much heat in my dish because I knew Finley would be eating it too. If you like your food spicier, add a diced jalapeno or some ground cayenne pepper to the sauce. Marinating the chicken in the yogurt mixture is imperative - it adds some flavor, but mostly it keeps the chicken really moist and tender.

Chicken Tikka Masala

for the marinade

1 c plain yogurt

2 t ground cumin

1/2 t ground red pepper (cayenne)

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

1 t paprika

salt and pepper

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

for the sauce

1 T butter

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t ground coriander

2 t paprika

1 t garam masala

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t salt

1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce

3/4 c heavy cream

3 T tomato paste

chopped cilantro, for garnish

cooked white rice, for serving (recommended: basmati)

In a glass bowl, stir together yogurt, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken. Stir to coat chicken. Marinate (in the fridge) for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Place chicken in colander to drain off marinade.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft. Add spices, tomato sauce and chicken. Stir to combine. Lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream and tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Read more...

Naan (Indian bread)

{homemade naan}

{my little kitchen helper}

As I was prepping for dinner this morning, I realized that I forgot to buy naan at the grocery store. Any Indian food fan knows that naan is essential for a great Indian meal. I found a recipe online, checked to see if we had all the ingredients in the house (we did!), and then Finley and I went to work making homemade naan! I'm not a breadmaker - not a fan of kneading - but with the dough hook and my trusty Kitchen Aid stand maker, preparing the naan was surprisingly easy. If I can do it, then you certainly can too! I think next time I'll have to try a stuffed naan...

Naan

recipe from Southern Pink Lemonade as seen on Indian Food Forever

4 c flour

1/2 t baking powder

1 t salt

1/2 c milk

1 T sugar

1 egg

4 T oil

water, as needed

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.

In a separate bowl, stir together milk, sugar, egg and 2 T oil. Pour wet ingredients into the well. Using the dough hook and a stand mixer, knead ingredients together, adding water as necessary to form a soft dough. (I think I used about 3/4 c of water.) Add remaining 2 T oil and knead again.

Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead one last time. Cover with damp cloth and let sit 2-3 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

Divide dough into 8 balls and let rest 3-4 minutes. Shape and stretch each ball into a long oval shape. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Read more...