Kat's Recipe Box

I made these crab cakes for the first time a few years ago and they were a big hit. I had never made them before and I asked a neighbor who manages the seafood counter at a grocery store what the best crab meat would be to use, his suggestion and we have since used only this crab meat was Phillips canned Jumbo crab meat. This recipe can be easily doubled. I am posting this recipe because my brother who is at this minute on vacation in the Outer Banks is going to attempt to make them…enjoy.

3 tbsp. butter
1 green onion
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 garlic clove minced
3 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 egg
½ tsp. fresh minced parsley
Cayenne pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lb. jumbo crab – gently go through to make sure there are no shells.
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Melt 1 tbsp. of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic for about three minutes. Add cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley and cayenne pepper and ½ cup of bread crumbs to taste mix well, fold in the crab meat. Form the mixture into patties. Combine the remaining bread crumbs with the Parmesan cheese. Pat toppings onto both sides of the patties. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm.

Using the skillet you cooked the onion in, melt the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter and the vegetable oil and sauté the crab cakes on both sides for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
My preference is to also bake the crab cakes in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes as I like to have a dryer and crunchier crab cake.

Ok Barb, here it is…Kevin’s salmon dip…enjoy! Let me know how you do.

Smoked salmon
½ cup mayo
1 celery stalk
8 oz. cream cheese
1 onion, chopped
Let cream cheese come to room temperature and cream. Add salmon, onion, celery and mayo and mix well. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Kevin and I recently found a little restaurant in Kutztown PA, Kevin’s home town, called CC’s. We stopped in for lunch and apparently, I am a very picky eater and the menu seemed to be limited and not much to my liking as I am not a rib person. So needless to say, I was pretty mad at Kevin and to top it off, they served only local bottled soda like, cherry, root beer, orange cream well, you get the picture. As a Philly girl if it isn’t coke or Pepsi, I don’t want it. So in reading the menu and not finding much I wanted to eat he knew he was going to pay for it later. I have to order sometime and I see, ribs, chicken with sausage together on a Sammy….no way, not a big sausage fan. I spy a hamburger, ok I am in…Do you have American cheese? Are you kidding me…what is horseradish cheese??? Can I have fries with that, no fries…salt potatoes???HuH??? So, I order the burger on a slathered roll (what ?) with the horseradish cheese and baked beans…Kevin, the chicken and sausage Sammy with the salt potatoes and a black bean soup. Well long story short, and much to my surprise, it was one of the best burgers I have had, the beans awesome and the salt potatoes interesting and very good…Kevin, loved everything even the soup. The atmosphere was wonderful and the owner super nice. Kevin couldn’t stop talking about the soup so he gave us the recipe…well at least the basics and we went from there. If you are ever in the area…stop in. Haven’t had a bad meal…I hear the ribs are awesome. I am hoping to get the bean recipe next…fingers crossed!

1 lb bag of black beans
1 chorizo sausage
1 lb. of hot Italian sausage
2 boneless chicken breasts
Garlic
2 carrots
1 medium onion
2 stalks of celery
Chicken broth
1 cup of white rice
1 tbsp. cumin
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
1 bouillon cube

In a large pot, soak black beans in water or follow directions on the bag for the quick cook, once beans are tender, drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, sweat the chorizo and Italian sausage in a sauté pan with 3 tbsp. olive oil until cooked thru. Chop one onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks and about 6 cloves of garlic and add to the sausage mixture and sauté until vegetables are tender
Once veggies are tender add to the black beans; reserve the liquid from the sauté veggies and sausage to cook the chicken in. Once chicken is cooked thru, shred and add to soup mixture along with the liquids. Add two cups of water and enough chicken broth to cover the vegetables and meat. Add the cumin, bay leaf, bouillon cube, rice and salt and pepper to taste and simmer for at least one hour.

Continue to add chicken broth as liquid evaporates until you feel there is enough to make it a soup consistency.
The amount of vegetables, meat and rice can be more or less depending on your personal taste. For extra heat we have in the past added 1 chopped habanero pepper. Should you want a thicker soup, decrease the amount of water and broth.

Well, recently I have decided that I needed to make some changes in my life so you know what that means, diet. I have been following weight watchers for about a year now and have been maintaining my weight for about that long but am constantly looking for different “good for me recipes” So, last night I decided to attempt a turkey burger, they are suppose to be good for you right. Well, having never made a turkey burger I needed some advice and who do I turn to, my friend who does not cook but does eat healthy. Nicole and I have been friends for a long, long, long time and she is the one that always calls me for cooking advice so what was I thinking? But, she actually came through for me…she has never made them but offered advice that worked out!!! Go Nicole, my best friend who never cooks.

2 lbs. of ground turkey
1 package of bag n seasons meatloaf mix
Onion
Garlic
Teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp. butter

Sautee onion and chopped garlic in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and add to ground turkey. Add seasoning packet and 6 dashes of teriyaki sauce and shape into hamburger patties. Grill and top with your favorite cheese.

I served mine on whole wheat buns…you know how those weight watchers points go.