Crab Cakes

1 lb crab meat
1 large egg
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 

1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1-1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (about 3 slices of white bread)
Oil for frying


Drain crab meat. Put the crab in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Pour the mixture over the crab and mix gently until combined. Gently break up the lumps with your fingers but do not overmix.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mixture and mix gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.

Shape the crab mixture into 8 cakes about 1 inch thick. In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cakes to the pan. Cook until dark golden brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip the cakes and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, Mustard Sauce and Cocktail Sauce.

Onion-Cheese Bread

It's a quick post today before heading to meet with family after my Uncle's passing. I believe that this is one of the few good things about a death in the family. Families that have moved away or grown apart, come together and share stories and food. 

1 1/2 cup milk
1 T dried minced onion
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t kosher salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 T melted butter

Combine milk and onion in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and pepper) in a large mixing bowl. Add cheese and stir. Add egg, butter and milk mixture. Mix until moistened. Do not over mix. Spread the batter in a greased and floured 13x9 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Egg Rolls

These egg rolls are really pretty easy to do! I think the part about egg rolls that people think is intimidating is just the assembly... the rolling. It's more like folding them into an envelope shape. The most complicated part is rolling the wrappers and sealing them well, but that gets easy after you do it a couple of times! Don't work on the stack of wrappers while filling and rolling. Assemble each one separately to keep them from getting wet and sticking together. Keep your work space dry and neat. If you lay a wrapper down in water, the water turns to glue. The wrapper will tear when you try to pick it up or fold it. Give it a try! If you have kids, let them try too! It's a fun activity for everyone. I think it would make a great kitchen party with all the guests learning how you roll! LOL

Egg Rolls

Egg Roll Wrappers (about 16 -18 per package)
1/2 lb Sausage or Hamburger
1/2 lb Shrimp, shelled and cut
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1 cup bean sprouts

Combine and set aside:
1 T soy sauce
1 T water
1 T corn starch

If you have a wok, that's great! If not, use a large skillet add a little oil and saute the meat and mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Add the corn starch mixture and cook until the liquid thickens. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. In the same skillet, add a little oil and return to heat. Add cabbage, sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and saute until cabbage wilts. Add to bowl with meat mixture and stir together. Let the mixture cool a little.

Take one egg roll wrapper out and place it on your work space facing you like a diamond. Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the lower corner nearest you. Brush or with your finger, wipe the edges down with water. This will seal the egg rolls so they don't pop while cooking. Fold the bottom corner up and the sides in, like an envelope. Then fold the top down to seal. Make sure each egg roll seals well. Place the egg roll on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat the process with the next wrapper, until they are all rolled and sealed. 

It's best to use a small fryer such as a "Fry Daddy" or some with fryer with a basket. The egg rolls can split and that can cause the filling to leak. This can make the oil foam up and pop sometimes, so use caution when frying. If you use a pot on the stove, use as little oil as you can and turn the egg rolls to cook evenly.
Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Fry two or three at a time until they are golden brown... usually about 3-5 minutes. Keep them in a warm oven until ready to eat. Serve them with soy sauce, duck sauce, plum sauce or a spicy mustard.

This recipe usually makes 16-18 egg rolls.

Grilled Greek Pork Chops

I know that I say 'grilled', and that's what we started them on... the grill. However, our grill ran out of gas rather quickly, and I had to finish them in my cast iron skillet on the stove. That's why there are no grill marks in the pics!

4 bone-in Pork Chops

Cavender's Greek Seasoning

1/4 cup Lemon Juice (or more)

stick butter

Cover the pork chops with lemon juice. (My pork chops were very thin, so it didn't take a lot of lemon.) Sprinkle generously with Greek seasoning. Let the chops hang out in the lemon and seasoning for 30 minutes or so. Depending on the thickness, grill for a few minutes on each side. I had to finish mine off over medium high heat for a couple of minutes on each side. Before pulling them off the grill/pan, rub them with the end of a stick of butter. Flip and repeat. I served mine with seasoned butter beans and loaded mashed potatoes! (I know... I needed a green for the picture! To much blah beige!)

Bone-in pork chops...

 My plate... I like this cut of pork chop.

Bread, Doughnuts, and Tarts! Oh My! with Voila! Hallah Bread Mixes from Tribes-A-Dozen

 A little while back I received three bread mixes... Voila! Hallah, from Tribes-A-Dozen to try for myself. They are incredibly easy with clear directions that even I, the baking challenged, can pull off! If you would like to try one of my recipes or make the bread yourself, register below for my giveaway! Win the three mixes pictured below!

I love that Tribes-A-Dozen believes...

"At Tribes-A-Dozen, we believe that baking bread is more than just an ancient art — it’s an incredibly powerful way to connect us to our heritage and pass on cherished (and yummy) traditions to the next generation.

We bake to remember. Bring your family and friends together around healthful, meaningful traditions and you’ve made memories for life.

Tribes-A-Dozen is about wholesome, all natural, kosher hallah (or challah bread) – - the classic egg bread – - also referred to as barches, brioche, kalács, osterbrot, or, simply, twisted bread."

I used the traditional mix and followed the directions. It yielded three small balls of dough which could become a braided loaf or a single pan loaf. I decided to do something different with each one.

Two of the three dough balls.

 This one is a small round loaf with an egg wash

and sprinkled with Kosher Salt.

The second one became doughnut holes.

I dipped them in butter and then in cinnamon and sugar.

 If you noticed, four of them went missing

when I reached for the camera!

 The third one... I rolled out for the crust of a

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Tart!

For the filling:

1 8oz block Cream Cheese, room temp
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Beat the cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth, scraping the sides down as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the tart crust.

 Ready for the oven!
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
It will puff up while baking, and then settle back down while cooling.

All done!

I think it needed some chocolate fudge sauce!

Win the three Voila! HALLAH bread mixes from Tribes-A-Dozen by entering below! A winner will be chosen May 3rd! Get your entries in!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

2nd Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt Party

This pasted weekend, I hosted the 2nd Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt. No... by "adult", I mean that this was an Egg Hunt for big "kids". Last year, I shared with my friends that the Hubby and I hide eggs for the kids as usual, but my son stared a tradition of them hiding eggs for the hubby and me. I got such response to that, that it wound up leading to the 1st Annual Egg Hunt for Adults! So we decided to make it a yearly event! :-)

Well, this year the weather turned on us! It turned windy, cold and rainy. Did we cancel or postpone? No way!!! We had good food, great friends and family, yummy desserts and even got in the egg hunt... slightly chilled and damp, but happy! :-)

I have included links to 8 of the recipes for the food pictured in these photos. Click on the links highlighted for the recipes! Enjoy! :-)

The food island...

Pulled pork Sammies, Ham and Swiss Sliders,

Italian Sausage, Onion and Mushroom Subs,

Stuffed Meatball Subs,

Chicken Salad Sammies, Potato Salad and Slaw!

(Click the links for the recipes.)

 Kendal was not to be left out!

 Elliott and Kendal hunting eggs.

 Elliott seems pleased with his finds.

 Granddaddy and Kendal hunting eggs.

Actually, Kendal's cheating because he and I hid the eggs! LOL

See! She's following his hints! LOL 

 KENDAL!!! You dropped something!

Uuuuhhhh Ooooooh!!! 

The other adults had been giving her their eggs too!

She's such a flirt!

 Granddaddy! Help!

Good thing they are plastic!

 Jack and Kendal playing...

It's hard to believe that Kendal will be 2 years old in June,

and Jack is only 17 months old!!!

Hi Marley! (2 1/2 months old! My big girl!)

Elliott's cuddled up with Kendal... Everyone's tuckered out!

 Pulled Pork for Sammies!
(Click link for the recipe.)

 Elliott's Easter Eggs that he colored...

 Easter Egg Bark and Hazelnut stuffed and dipped cookies.

(Click link for the recipe.)

 Ranch Crackers

(Click link for the recipe.)

 Snack table...

 Ham and Swiss Sliders

(Click link for the recipe.)

Slaw!

(Click link for the recipe.)

It's been a long hard day but very fun and exciting!

I wonder who put who to sleep? LOL 

Easter Egg Bark

We had this candy bark last year at our 1st Annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt, and it was a big hit! I'm making it again this year! It is one of the easiest candies that you can make! Quick and easy! Perfect!

1 bag Colored Mini Marshmallows
1 1/2 cups White Chocolate Chips
Spring Color Sprinkles

Melt the chips and toss in marshmallows. Stir until well combined. Pour into a foil lined pan and cover lightly with sprinkles. Place in a cool spot or refrigerate until hardened. Cut into egg shapes or cut with cookie cutters. Serve!