Mom's Leftover Crab Dip

When my parents come to visit, they always leave my freezer full to the brim with seafood from home. This visit I was left with crab meat, flounder, and spadefish. Everything is freshly caught and then immediately frozen using my dad's secret technique that involves a plastic straw. Sometimes the long drive from Virginia to Florida takes a toll on the freshness of some of the items despite the dry ice, but this time my freezer didn't stay full very long.

I've never had spadefish but wow, is it good. I thawed some nice thick fillets, dipped them in milk, and dredged them lightly in panko I had seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin. I topped the fish with some of mom's leftover crab dip and served it atop some caramelized onions and wilted spinach. Let's just say I'm really sad that I'm out of spadefish.

Mom's Crab Dip

I'm used to spending my summers with blue crabs on the dinner table at least twice a week. After awhile, there's only so many crabs you can eat before the sight (and smell) make you want to throw up. After years of an over abundance of crab, I now find it entirely too rich. However, I can handle crabs in small doses -- when prepared the right way.

My mom's not-so-secret crab dip recipe is infamous. People invite themselves to parties if they know the crab dip will be there. Many have the recipe and make it on their own but never does it taste the same. I think there's a secret ingredient she's not including on the recipe card. This is my first attempt at that crab dip but I spruced my version up a bit with some fresh herbs and Parmesan. Its rich, very rich.


Mom's Famous Hot Crab Dip
2 cups fresh cooked blue crab meat
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 tblsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp Worcestershire
dash of cayenne pepper (I was heavy-handed with this because I'm convinced cayenne pepper isn't hot)
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste
fresh thyme leaves (optional)
handful grated Parmesan (optional)

My mom always takes her hands and runs them through the meat looking for shells. Then she softens the cream cheese in the microwave and combines it with the crab meat. She then adds the mayo, lemon juice, Worcestershire, cayenne pepper, and flour. Granted, she doesn't measure after all these years of making it but this is what she wrote down for me. She didn't even include salt and pepper and maybe she doesn't add it but I thought it needed it. The dip bakes in an oven safe dish at 350 for 25 minutes or until bubbly. I added some cheese on top and thyme so there would be a nice browned top. Breadcrumbs might also be a nice addition to curb the richness somewhat. Serve warm on your favorite cracker or on a slice of garlic buttered toast.

My first steps into the cupcake craze

I've been out of town. I've been in town with loads of visitors. Then there was my birthday and the 4th of July. I made cupcakes with chambord icing and sprinkles. I've gotten myself hooked on all those wonderful trendy cupcake food blogs -- this is just the beginning of my cupcake escapades.


To be patriotic, I roasted these red, white and blue (purple) potatoes with chives and red onion.


I'll share birthday presents later...

Chive Flowers

I've been waiting all week for the wonderful little purple buds on my chives to bloom. Tonight I lost my patience and snipped all the pretty flowers away that had bloomed and kept my fingers crossed that more would soon fill the empty space. After giving them the once over for bugs, I added them to this super tasty pasta dish.


Chive Flower Penne with Peas
serves 2

1/2 lb penne
1 cup frozen peas
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 C heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1-2 tsp olive oil
handful of Parmesan
handful chive flowers
handful of chives, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Salt and boil the water for the pasta and cook according to the box directions. Melt butter in a medium skillet and add a splash of olive oil. Add the finely chopped garlic cloves and cook until softened and fragrant. Add the cream and cheese then combine. Add the peas and chives. Let it simmer for a bit on really low heat just to let the chive flavor incorporate. Add more chives if you feel it doesn't have enough of the nice sweet onion flavor. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the sauce with a tiny bit of the pasta water. Stir in the chive flowers at the very end and there you have it.

Molecular Gastronomy a la Toothpaste For Dinner

Fried rice?

Tonight I took a three hour long nap only to wake up and realize there was nothing to make for dinner. On nights like these you have to resist the urge to just order a pizza. I didn't wake up hungry but I had a hankering for Chinese food. So off to the store I went, in search of something I could quickly throw together. I snagged some sliced pork sirloin, shitakes, snow peas, a can of pineapple, and some peas and carrots. I was set.

I never had fried rice with pineapple until I met P. I'm not sure if it is a Cantonese thing or not but it is really wonderful especially with shrimp. So get a wok or a big skillet throw in your veggies, pineapple, scramble some eggs in it and throw in the rice. Add a little salt but avoid the soy sauce else it will be too salty and soggy.


I nosed around the internet for some interesting sauce ideas to toss in with the rest of the meal. Cut up the bits of pork and marinade them in soy sauce (low sodium of course), honey, red pepper flake, and a good bit of grated ginger. Scale down the proportions according to how much pork you have and how spicy you want it. It would probably be a good idea to let the pork mingle in the sauce for at least an hour but I never plan ahead. Just let it sit while you make the rice and get everything else ready. In a skillet, brown the pork and reserve the leftover liquid. Normally you always use peanut oil for stuff like this but since it is so incredible bad for you I never use it. I say just use a really mild olive oil -- I promise it won't taste funny. Once the pork is cooked take it out and set it aside. Keep the pan hot and add a couple cloves of garlic and a good splash of orange juice and a tad of mirin to kinda deglaze the pan. Let that reduce down a bit then add your veggies. I let the snowpeas wilt down then added sliced shitakes towards the end so they would keep their shape. Toss in the reserved marinade, the pork, and give it a stir. As always, this is way better than takeout and no delicious MSG!

Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are typically served cold. They can be a little tricky to cook just right. If you boil them too long they get sticky and gummy. If you boil them just right, they will be wonderful. The possibilities are endless when it comes to adding other ingredients. The key is to have a really great sauce and the rest is easy.


Soba Noodles with Tofu and Cucumber
adapted from Clotide's site Chocolate & Zucchini

8 oz soba noodles
1 medium-sized English cucumber, seeded
10 oz firm tofu, cubed
1/4 C (or less) of frozen baby green peas
2 tblsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tblsp white wine vinegar
1 tblsp mirin
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp sugar

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Lightly fry the tofu in a small pan with whatever spice you'd like or just plain. Add the peas towards the end. Cook until tender and set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk together the tahini, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, and sugar and set aside. Cook the soba noodles in boiling water as per the package directions. (Mine said 4 minutes.) Drain them immediately and run cold water over them or place them in an ice bath to stop cooking. Toss the noodles in with the sauce and then gently fold in the tofu, peas, and a diced, seeded cucumber. Serve immediately.