Miss Glo's Crab Cakes

I'm posting this recipe because I'm cleaning up...my desk.  Sometimes, cleaning up requires computer work.  Today, I had to enter Kellog's family rewards codes, Springfield codes, and order a Shutterfly calendar (I got one for free). Now, in order to get rid of the Baltimore Magazine that has been sitting around the house before it landed on my desk, I need to copy this recipe.

Seafood is one of my favorite things.  Crabcakes have been difficult for me to master.  My first attempt was awesome.  You would think because of this, crabcakes would not be difficult.  However, I lost that recipe.  Since then, I have been trying to find something close.

Right now, my family has been happy with my potato lime crabcakes.  Unfortunately, most people do not like mashed potatoes in their crab cakes.  I came across this recipe quite a few months ago.  It looks fairly easy.  I haven't tried it yet.  I'll comment when I do.  For this, I would definitely splurge for fresh crabmeat, not canned.

Miss Glo's Crab Cakes

1 lb backfin crabmeat
3 tbsp self-rising flour
4 shakes Worcestershire sauce (I like a little more)
1 egg
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Clean out shells from crab meat.  Mix in other ingredients, except oil.  Mix well, try to keep the crabmeat from breaking.  Form into nice sized cakes.  Heat the oil in a pan.  Fry cake on both sides until golden brown.  Remove and place on paper towels.  Serve with crackers or rice.

Easy Chocolate Fudge

Around the holidays, I am in the kitchen alot more than normal.  My big specialties are cookies, candy, and cheesecake.  Hopefully, this month, I can share some of the recipes I make every year and some family favorites.

I started making fudge when I lived in Virginia.  It kind of intimidated me at first, but I found easy recipes that were not too hard.  One time, I made chocolate-orange fudge for a Halloween party at a friend's house.  Her husband asked if it was gluten free.  The thought had never occured to me that fudge had flour because none of the recipes I ever made had flour.  Needless to say, my friend's husband was over the moon that he could have some of my fudge.

This recipe is my easiest fudge recipe.  It does not ask for flour.  Again, I hope to share more recipes, like my white Christmas fudge, but you can definitely play with this recipe to make it fancier.

For example, you can do half semi sweet and half white chocolate...dye the white chocolat red (opt if you avoid dyes) and add peppermint extract to it (1/4 tsp...that stuff is POWERFUL) and have a quick peppermint fudge.  Or use all white chocolate chips and add chopped slivered almonds with almond extract (again only 1/4 tsp...also very powerful) for a white chocolate almond fudge.  The possibilities are endless.

When I make this recipe, I don't add the nuts.  It makes a creamy chocolate fudge.  I made it tonight to box a few for the church holiday bazaar coming up.  The fudge needs to be pre boxed, so I picked up candy boxes at Joann's.  Michael's also carries them, but they seem to be in low supply this year.  Last year they had white and red boxes.  I had extra and made candy boxes for the bus driver, postman, and teachers.

At any rate, have fun with the recipe and here's hoping I post like crazy this holiday season and inspire you with new ideas.  Feel free to share with me your holiday favorites in the comment box.

Oh- and before I forget, the recipe is from the Nestle website...www.verybestbaking.com.  I also use their chocolate chip recipe.

Easy Chocolate Fudge

2 cups (12 oz pkg) semi sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped walnuts (opt)
tsp vanilla extract

Line 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with foil

Combine chips and condensed milk in medium, heavy duty saucepan.  Warm over lowest possible heat (I think bumping heat up to 4 setting is ok, just stir constantly).  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in nuts (op) and vanilla extract.

Spread evenly into prepared pan.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.  Lift from pan; remove foil.  Cut into pieces.

** Notes on making layers**

If you want to make two layers (chocolate, white chocolate, ect) I would recomment heating and cooling layers separately.  I know it sounds silly to type this, but I would have people ask me how to do this, so I'm including it.

For example.  To make the peppermint fudge I explained above, I would mix 1 cup of semi sweet chips with 1/2 can of condensed milk in saucepan, heat on stove, stirring constantly until smooth.  Mix in 1/2 tsp van extract.  Pour into pan, let cool for 2 hours.  Then heat up 1 cup white chocolate chips with 1/2 can of condensed milk in a saucepan, heat on stove, stirring constantly until smooth.  Mix in 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract.  Add 10-20 drop of red dye, or unti it's red, not pink...unless you want pink (opt) for coloring.  Pour on top of chocolate layer.   (You could do layers vice versa).  Let cool for two hours then follow directions above.

I recommend white chocolate chips in the recipe because they are usually easy to find.  Most times, I use white chocolate blocks, but for some reason they are hard for me to find lately.  Is anyone having this issue too?

Either way.  Enjoy! Happy Baking!

Pumpkin Patch Torte

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home Halloween cookbook.  The recipe calls for 15in x 10in x 1in pan, but I used a 13in x 9in pan, it just made a smaller torte, but still very good.  I love the frosting.  It's a merguine type frosting and the maple syrup goes really well with the pumpkin. The only issue is, with the frosting, it's best if this cake is eaten all up...it doesn't last very well, the frosting runs.

My daughter loves to help decorate this cake with the mellow pumpkins.  We honestly, don't even try with the green frosting part, but give it a shot!

1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting:

1 cup maple syrup
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 drops green food coloring
1 drop yellow food coloring

Candy pumpkins

Line a greased 15in x 10in (or 13x9) baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper.  In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, sugars, eggs and oil until well blended.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt; gradually add to the pumpkin mixture.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Carefully remove waxed paper

For frosting, in a large heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the syrup, egg whites and cream of tartar.  With a portable mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute.  Continue beating until frosting reaches 160 (about 8 minutes).  Transfer to a large bowl.  Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes.  Remove 1/4 cup frosting to a small bowl; tint with green and yellow food coloring and set aside.

Cut cake widthwise into thirds.  Place one layer on cake plate.  Spread with one third of the frosting.  Repeat layers.  Arrange pumpkins on cake; add vines with reserved green frosting.

12 servings

Jen's Cilantro Chicken

My friend Jen has been sending me recipes for almost two years now.  There are so many I need to share on this blog.  Jen, of course has allowed me to share them.  My first one I'm sharing is her cilantro chicken.  We tried it over the winter months this year and it was such a nice refreshing dish from what we normally do.  We served it with risotto rice (because my husband likes it).  However, I would recommend brown rice for a nice nutty taste to go with the lemon-cilantro.  I did fry and then cut the chicken but to make things quicker at night you can cook the chicken and spices in lemon juice in the crock pot and then shred it.

Cilantro Chicken

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

•1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

•1/4 teaspoon pepper

•4 tablespoons butter, divided

•2 large onions, sliced

•1/2 cup lemon juice

•1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

•Hot cooked rice

Directions

•Sprinkle chicken with salt, cumin and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the chicken in 2 tablespoons butter until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

• In the same skillet, saute onions in remaining butter until tender and golden brown. Return chicken to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro; bring to a boil. Serve with rice. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 260 calories, 14 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 93 mg cholesterol, 469 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 24 g protein.