CHOW-da!

Last night D and I went to our first Crab Feed. It's one of the things that been on my bucket list but I (we) just never got to until now. It was a ton of fun and at the end of the evening the sponsors made an announcement that big gallon bags of leftover crab legs and various bits were available for purchase. D agreed that we should get 2 bags to go and I immediately started brainstorming chowder recipes for the next day.

Before I began cooking, I had found two online resources that helped this novice cook grasp the basics. I felt more comfortable winging it a bit after the last creamed soup I made post-turkey day. The result was FANTASTIC! D is still learning the power of a compliment to his wife's cooking but he immediately exclaimed "this is very good". Nuf said. =)

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 1 1/2 medium white onion, chopped

- 2 tablespoons minced garlic

- 3 - 4 cups yellow potatoes, skin on, 1 inch cubed

- 4 tablespoons flour

- 1 2/3 cup half & half

- 1 cup milk

- 2/3 teaspoon black pepper

- 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1 tsp (more to taste if need be) Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning

- 1 1/2 cup cut corn

- 1/4 pound of bacon (4-5 slices, chopped)

- 3 tablespoons chicken “better than bullion”

- (above dissolved into) 20 oz. of hot water

- 3 – 4 cups of lump crab meat (can be done while soup simmers)

One word of advice as you start out. Have all your starter items chopped and ready to go as the first part moves pretty fast. Okay, let's begin...

1. Cut bacon into cubes or bite sized strips and cook in a pan.

2. Saute onion& garlic in bacon fat (optional).

3. Add melted butter in large sauce pan and melt.

4. Add potato and saute 1 minute.

5. Sprinkle in flour, stir well to incorporate and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

6. Add milk, half & half, pepper, Tony's seasoning, nutmeg, corn and broth.

7. Bring to a simmer over med heat stirring frequently.

8. Cover and reduce heat to low for a 20 minute simmer. You'll know it's done when potatoes are tender and liquid has thickened.

9. Stir in crab meat, cook 5 minutes.

Serve hot with garlic bread. =)

"Rolling" into the New Year

I don't know what it is about the New Year but each year I wake up drooling over the thought of eating a warm cinnamon roll. Like clockwork, I woke up yesterday morning with the same urge but, the day got away from me and I didn't make it to the store to buy a can of the pre-made ones. SO, with the arrival my final morning of the 3 day weekend I knew I had to get my act together if I was going to make up a batch.

Still not feeling like making a trip to the store, I spent a few morning moments searching for a recipe that fit what I had on hand. My search ended when I found this one: http://bobbiskozykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/better-than-cinnabon-cinnamon-rolls.html

Let me just say one things about this recipe before I go any further-- these rolls turned out AMAZING but AMAZING doesn't come by way of a quick recipe. The dough will need to rest an hour after making it and then an additional half after they are assembled so, I'd recommend making these early or a day ahead.

Here's a sneak peek of what's ahead (and recipe at the end):

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 ½ cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup white sugar

1 package active dry yeast

Filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup Dark brown sugar, packed

2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting:

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add the flour in quarters and mix well. It will get a little tough, but keep at it until it’s well mixed! If it starts to get way too hard to mix anymore, dust your hands with some flour and finish mixing it by hand.

2. Knead the dough into a large ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover it with a dish cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Roll dough into a large rectangle (Make sure not to roll it too thin, or it will rip when you roll it up). Spread dough with the softened butter and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over it. Roll the dough up and cut into 10 rolls, discarding the two end bits. This will leave you with 8 good sized rolls.

5. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about thirty minutes.

6. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together the ingredients for the frosting. Spread or drizzle it on warm rolls before serving.

My notes: My only ingredient change was the combo sugars for the filling because I had them on hand and wanted it to be full flavored. I also would warn you to make sure these buns are fully cooked through. The centers are the last to cook so you'll want to make sure they get cooked through. Other than that, happy baking and enjoy!