Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Andrea

There’s been a lot of experimenting going on with crab here at the HQ. Both Scott and I adore crab and while crab cakes are tasty, sometimes you need a little more out of life.

I’ve been hesitant in the past to mess around with crab because it is a pricey protein option and the idea of messing something up didn’t sit well with me.

However I reached a point where I realized that if we don’t experiment in the kitchen we won’t grow as cooks. And that doesn’t do anyone any good. So in the name of Embracing Cooking, I decided to start experimenting more with crab.

And that lead to twice baked potatoes!

Andrea’s Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

2 Large Russet Baking Potatoes, scrubbed

8oz Crab Claw Meat, drained, rinsed, and checked for shell

1/2 Red Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, finely chopped

1/4 Red Onion, finely chopped

4 Slices of crispy bacon, chopped

Keep It Simple: Sauteed Chard with Rice

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Andrea

The other day I was craving something warm for lunch. I enjoy having big salads and fresh fruit at lunch but sometimes I want something warm. Especially in the colder months! It’s hard to cozy up to a nice big salad when it’s 17 degrees outside.

We had some leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner and I had some chard that needed used up. Combine the two and you’ve got a great lunch!

It was super quick to put together. I sauteed up:

1/4 Onion, sliced
1/4 Green Pepper, sliced
Once large bunch of chard, chopped
Shredded carrots
A few broccoli florets

Sauteed in some olive oil with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and garlic powder.

Added in the leftover rice at the end and cooked just long enough for it to heat through.

Spooned in bowls, topped with a bit of shredded cheddar and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Country Ribs with Sauerkraut

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Andrea

Where I come from, pork and sauerkraut is what you eat on New Year’s Day to welcome in the New Year and hope that it brings you some luck.

Homes all over will smell like kraut that day and grocery stores have sales on the stuff starting a few weeks before New Year’s.

It’s just not New Year’s if you don’t have pork and kraut. Scott embraced this tradition with open arms. Not really surprising since his previous tradition was boiled cabbage and ketchup.

Um.

I would wager a guess and say that this dish is probably a little tastier than that.

It’s also made with beer, onions, and peppers. Plus being tossed in a crockpot. Winner!

Andrea’s Country Ribs With Sauerkraut

4-6, Country Style Pork Ribs

1 32oz Jar of Sauerkraut, drained (but not rinsed!)

1 Onion, sliced thin

1 Green pepper, sliced thin

1TBSP Brown Sugar

1C Dark Lager Style Beer (I used Great Lakes Eliot Ness)

Big Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Leftover Idea: Turkey Nachos

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Andrea

Everyone else is starting to post holiday cookie recipes and I’m over here still talking turkey.

This is my last leftover post and then you are free to put Thanksgiving behind you. Or if you’re like us, you’ve got leftovers in the freezer and might be pulling them out soon to make this.

It was two days after Thanksgiving and I wanted to use up a little bit more turkey before it was wrapped up and placed in the freezer. I thought of making sandwichs and I knew soup was right out.

I wanted something fun and a little different. Plus it was a game night and game foods started running through my head.

I finally settled on nachos!

Turkey nachos, easy, different, and fun to eat.

Andrea’s Turkey Nachos

Leftover Turkey, cubed or shredded

1/2 Red Onion, chopped

1 Green Pepper, chopped

1 Carrot, shredded

1 Can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed

1C Frozen Corn

Bourbon Brined Turkey

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Andrea

Beer brined, cider brined, and I’ve used wine in a brine. This year I decided to just throw caution to the wind and bust out the big guns.

Bourbon.

For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to go with a Southern inspired meal. Mashed potatoes and stuffing were standard but I made collards for a side dish and wanted to make my turkey have a bit of a Southern flair to it.

I went back and forth on what to use in the brine. Finally it occurred to me that bourbon would probably be really tasty when used in a brine. It’s sweet, smooth, and it’s made in the south.

I put the brine together the day before Thanksgiving and it smelled amazing! And a little boozy. Happy Holidays!

Andrea’s Bourbon Brined Turkey

1, 12-14lb Turkey

Brine Foundation:

2/3C Bourbon, I used Knob Creek

3 1/2C Chicken Stock

4C Hot or Boiling Water

1C Kosher Salt

1/2C Brown Sugar, Packed

Additional Seasonings and Ingredients:

French Onion Soup For Two

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Andrea

I adore French Onion soup. It’s warm and loaded down with caramelized onions. It’s got bread that helps thicken it up and then it’s topped with melty cheese. Plus served to you in a little crock pot! Can it get any better?

When Scott and I were dating, I would order this soup as a starter whenever I saw it on the menu. It wasn’t the best “date” soup to be eating but Scott never minded me slurping away or when I had cheese dangling from my chin.

He’s a keeper!

Once I started making it at home, I stopped getting it out at restaurants. For some reason I have not made this soup in ages and recently decided that I needed to change that.

My version is not traditional at all but it gets the job done. When I’m craving French Onion soup, this is where I turn.

Andrea’s French Onion Soup For Two

1QT Beef Stock

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Spicy Shrimp and Crab Corn Chowder

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Andrea

Scott and I were out to dinner recently and he ordered some corn and jalapeno soup as a starter. The soup flavor was great, there was bacon in it providing a smokey background and the corn stood out. As I always do, I started trying to figure out how I could make this at home.

I had some crab that needed to be used and it occured to me that I could make a sort of crab and corn chowder. I pondered over this for a few days until I had a set idea in mind. Then I put it into motion and came up with a chowder that just might be one of my favorites.

Andrea’s Spicy Shrimp and Crab Corn Chowder

8oz Lump Crab Meat

2C, Frozen cooked shrimp (if using fresh, about 10-12 peeled and deviened shrimp)

1/2 Large Onion, chopped

2 Carrots, peeled and chopped

2 Ribs Celery, chopped (if you have some of the leafy hearts, use those)

Haluski

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Andrea

Haluski is a Polish dish made with cabbage, onions, and noodles. Like most Polish dishes, it’s simple to make, hearty, and comforting.

I sadly did not get a chance to have my Grandmother’s version of this dish but like with everything she made, I’m sure it tasted amazing.

My first experience with this dish was several years ago, and came from a little food booth at a craft show. I was visiting my mom and we attended a craft fair over in Washington, PA. There was a Polish food booth there and you know I beelined right over as quick as my legs would take me.

Haluski was on the menu and I gobbled some up!

Basically the dish is sauteed cabbage and onions in butter and then tossed with some egg noodles. Very traditional means that the egg noodles are homemade, but now a days most people use store bought egg noodles.

I kick mine up a notch by adding in some peppers, lots of garlic, roasted potatoes, and kielbasa. I also use whole wheat egg noodles.

Double Stuff Squash

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Andrea

Not long ago at the grocery store, I saw some new-to-me squashes and decided to pick some up. The one I ended up using first was a Sweet Dumpling squash.

I went back and forth about stuffing it because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to stuff it with, rice or…?

If I had had goat cheese on hand, I would have made a rice concoction. Since I didn’t, I decided to go with stuffing to stuff the squash.

I used my apple stuffing recipe to keep things very fall-ish feeling.

I cut the squash in half and removed the seeds. I saved those though because I can roast them!

I preheated the oven to 400. I filled a baking dish with a little bit of water to create a steam. I put butter on the exposed squash and sprinkled it with a little all purpose seasoning (similiar to poultry seasoning).

I roasted the squash for about 20 minutes and then flipped it over for another 15 or so.

Cornmeal Deep Dish Pizza

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Andrea

Last week for Pizza Thursday I went all out and created something completely new.

New crust, new sauce, and new cooking method.

Experimenting time!

The results were interesting and a little surprising.

I had some greens that needed used up and everything just snowballed from there.

I decided I was going to create deep dish style pizzas using a cornmeal crust.

One pizza was going to have a butternut squash puree as the “sauce” and the other was going to have a BBQ and tomato base.

The cheese and toppings would all be the same with the addition of local bacon to the BBQ one.

I got out my cast iron skillets (Note to ~~self~~ Scott: We need more cast iron.) and greased those with a bit of butter.

I used my basic pizza dough recipe as a guide to create the cornmeal crust. The changes were:

1 1/2C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2C Cornmeal

Everything else, yeast amount and water was the same. I did notice that this crust needed a little more AP flour, about 1/4C more to make it easier to handle.

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