Tidewater Crab Cakes

Recently, I was sent a few cans of Miller's Select Premium Wild Catch Crab Meat.  This crab meat is exceptional and it is in a can!  I know, it sounds strange that we get canned crab when we live on the Chesapeake Bay, but this crab has a self life of a couple years.  I was a bit sceptical, however when I opened the can, it was just as fresh as if I had gone to the seafood market. 


I thought I would make Tidewater Crab Cakes which is featured in Tidewater on the Half Shell, page 196.


1 pound back fin crab meat, I suggest Miller's Select
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup of cracker crumbs (or you can use bread crumbs)
3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

• Gently mix all ingredients
• Shape into cakes and saute in butter until brown
• Serve immediately

The Hampton Roads Show

Last Thursday, April 7th was an exciting day for the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach and yours truly, that I was able to do a cooking segment on the show.  It was so much fun.  I prepared the delicious Bayside Balsamic Glazed Salmon and White Wine Spinach. 

I arrived at the station at 7:00 am to prepare before the show and get to know my way around their very spacious kitchen, which was a delight.  Kerri Furey asked many questions as I prepared the meal.  Cheryl Tan and Jeremy Wheeler were also on hand to taste the food once it was prepared.  As part of the "surprise" that Kerri was talking about was that I had a can of beets to put on the plate for color.  At the close of the show when everyone was eating the finished meal, Cheryl asked, "what are these red things?"  I told her it was beets and she told me she had never had them, but she did like them.  Okay Cheryl, I want an e-mail to let me know that you are now eating beets. 

It was a wonderful way to start the day, with friends talking about the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach and cooking. 

Attached is a link to the cooking segment. 

Enjoy,

Getting ready for the show

Communications VP, Shannon Wright with her son, Landon and Cheryl Tan



Kerri Furey, Shannon Wright, Nancy, Cheryl Tan & Jeremy Wheeler



















http://www.fox43tv.com/dpp/hr_show/cooking/balsamic-glazed-salmon


Chicken, Gorgonzola Pear Salad

Spring is in the air and summer is almost here and that means for most of us who have been hiding under heavy winter clothes can now start wearing short sleeves and bright colors welcoming the warm breezy months in Virginia. 

Summer is a great time to visit Portsmouth's Olde Town district.  On Tuesday nights during the warm summer months, costumed guides lead visitors through Olde Town at twilight, sharing local folklore and providing information about architecture of the historic buildings. 

Visitors to Portsmouth's Olde Towne district can enjoy the largest concentration of antique homes between Alexandria, Virginia and Charleston, SC.  Historic homes, such as the one shared by President Cleveland's parents, are nestled among churches and monuments in this well preserved district.  Explore Olde Towne on a trolley tour our take a self-guided walking tour with a brochure from the Portsmouth Visitor's Information Center.  Whether you take a trolley, walk or guided tour you will be ready for a light but filling dinner.  I suggest the Chicken Gorgonzola Pear Salad.  It has it all, meat, cheese, spinach and fruit.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
Sat and pepper
3 cups cooked diced chicken breast
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
14-16 ounces salad greens, I suggest that you use spinach too
2 pears halved, cored and sliced
Lemon juice

• Whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, hone Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl to make dressing. *
• Mixed cooked chicken, toasted walnuts, and Gorgonzola cheese; pour dressing over chicken and toss to coat ingredients with dressing.
• Place greens on individual salad plates.
• Dip pears in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
• Arrange sliced pears in a fan shape along one side of the greens.
• Remove chicken from dressing with slotted spoon, arrange equally over the greens.
• Drizzle any remaining dressing over chicken, pears and greens.

*If you do not have honey Dijon mustard, substitute 1 tablespoon of mustard with 1 tablespoon of honey. (to make sure the honey slides off the spoon, coat the spoon with olive oil or a spray oil)
This will serve 4-6 people.  Preparation time 25 minutes

This is a tasty and hearty salad, enjoy. 

Poppy Seed Cake

Recently, we held a Arbonne Event at the Taylor Whittle House.  Since it was a Sunday afternoon, why not have cake?  I thought instead of cake, I would take our Poppy Seed Cake recipe and make cupcakes instead.  They were so delicious and just the right amount of sweetness with the Artichoke and Cheese Squares and the mint tea that was served.  This recipe can be found on page 297 of the Tidewater on the Halfshell.

2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup cold milk
6 eggs separated
1 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp lemon extract *
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups flour

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees;
• soak poppy seeds in milk for 30 minutes;
•  cream yolks and shortening, add sugar, beat well; add poppy seed mixture
• add buttermilk with baking soda dissolved in it and then add extracts, butter flavoring, salt and flour
• Use cake cake wrappers in a muffin tin, pour halfway in the cup and bake for 20-25 minutes

Glaze

1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp orange marmalade
1/3 cup fresh or frozen orange juice
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp orange extract

• Gently halt all ingredients, blending
• cool slightly and drizzle over muffins

I substituted Vanilla extract since I did not have Lemon on hand and it tasted very smooth and complimented the flavors, especially with the orange glaze.

Hot Cheese Appetizer/Chili Artichokes Dip

I had a friend over for drinks and wanted to make a delicious hot appetizer that would be quick.  You can also prepare this ahead and pop in the oven before your guests arrive.  I saw the Hot Cheese Appetizer (page 36) and Chili Artichokes (page 37) in our Tidewater on the Halfshell, so I decided to combine them together and it was delicious.

Hot Cheese Appetizer

1 cup diced onion
11/2 cups (6 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup Duke's mayonnaise

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients together; place in a small casserole dish.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• Serve with crackers.

Chili Artichokes

1 14-ounce can artichokes (drained and chopped)  I buy the quarters and cut them in half, I like a big     pieces of artichoke.
2 4-ounce can green chilies, drained and chopped.
2 cups Duke's mayonnaise
11/2 cups (6 ounces) fresh grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix first 3 ingredients and pour into 9-inch Pyrex or quiche dish.  Sprinkle cheese over top and dust with paprika.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Serve with crackers

I combined the two and used 2 cups of mayonnaise and mixed all the ingredients together with the cheese; poured into a 9-inch quiche dish and baked at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes and served with Blue Corn Chips.  It was delicious.
Serves 6

New Year's Day Bean Soup

Happy New Year.  How did you celebrate?  Were you in NY at Times Square, over to a friends house for a party or at home in your favorite pj's contemplating what you New Years Resolution would be?  However you celebrated, I hope that you had a wonderful and safe time. 
In the South, it is a tradition to have black eye peas and collards to bring luck and money for the new year.  This year, I thought I would have a little more luck since I made the New Year's Bean Soup that has more than black eye peas'.  This recipe is found in our Tidewater on the Halfshell, page 100.

1/4 cup dried black eyed peas
1/4 cup dried great northern beans
1/4 cup dried kidney beans
1/4 cup dried lentils
1/4 cup dried lima beans
1/4 cup dried navy beans
1/4 cup pinto beans
1/4 cup split green peas
2 Tsp salt
1 Ham hock with ham shreds
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, undrained
2 medium onions quartered
2 Tsp lemon juice
11/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper

• Wash and drain dried beans.  Place in a large pot, cover with water.  Add salt and soak overnight. 
• In the morning, drain beans.  Add 2 quarts of water and ham hock with ham shreds.  Bring to a boil, lower heat; cover and simmer slowly for 3 hours.
• Cut ham off bone and return meat to pot.  Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer 30 minutes more.

Serves 6-8

Beans after soaking overnight



Holiday Egg Nog

How can you celebrate the Holidays without the festive "Holiday Egg Nog".  It is so delicious, who cares about the little extra calories it has, just cut back on the pie and enjoy this simple, but so delicious drink.  You can make this ahead which gives it time for all of the flavors to gel together.  This recipe can be found on page 66 of the Tidewater on the Halfshell.
Makes 40-50 punch cups

12 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup Bourbon
1 cup Cognac
1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups heavy cream, whipped
Nutmeg

• Beat yolks with sugar until thick.  Add Bourbon and Cognac slowly.  Chill several hours.
• Beat whites with salt until stiff.
• Add whites and cream to yolk mixture.  Chill 1 hour or more.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Fettuccini Carbonara

With all the excitement of the upcoming Holiday, the remaining couple of days are going to be so busy, you need to keep up your strength so I suggest Carb Loading.  A simple and yet most tasty dish is the Fettuccine Carbonara which can be found in Tidewater on the Halfshell, page 81.  Serves 8

I made this dish last week and it was so good, I plan to make it again this week. 

1 pound bacon
1 pound hot fettuccine, slightly undercooked and drained
4 Tsp butter, silvered
3 cups heavy cream
1cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pepper
4 egg yolks

• Cut Bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry in large skillet until firm, but not crisp.  Pour off all but 3 Tablespoons of drippings.
• Add fettuccine and butter bits to skillet. Toss until butter begins to melt.  Add about 2 1/2 cups of cream and toss again.
• When Cream begins to bubble, add cheese and stir to distribute evenly.  Continue tossing until sauce begins to thicken.  Add generous grind of pepper.
• Beat egg yolks with remaining cream and pour into skillet.  Toss to coat evenly.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Pasta with Savory Sausage & Cream

A couple of weeks was ago we celebrated the 5th birthday for my two little Maltese, SweetPea and SnowPea.   I always have a small cake for them and a couple of friends come over for food and fun.  Of course, it is all about the guests of honor, but they let me share the spotlight with this award winning recipe.

Pasta with Savory Sausage & Cream

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and reserved
1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 Cup diced yellow onions
3 Medium cloves garlic, peeled and diced
1 pound sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
28 ounces Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 Cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bow tie pasta
1/4 Cup minced fresh wide-leaf parsley or basil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Feta or Gorgonzola cheese

• Heat olive oil and reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet; mix in onions and garlic and cook until tender.
• Stir in sausage, sun dried tomatoes, and red pepper into olive and onion mixture.
• Cook for seven minutes, breaking up sausage until no longer pink.
• Stir in tomatoes, whipping cream and salt.
• Lower heat and simmer until mixture thickens, approximately four minutes.
• Cook bowtie pasta in boiling water with salt, approximately 10 minutes or until al dente.
• Drain Water, stir bowtie pasta into sauce
• Stir in parsley or basil.
• Serve with toasted pine nuts and the cheese of your choice

Serves 4
Preparation Time:  30 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes

To toast pine nuts, I put a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread the nuts on the paper, roast on 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until they start to turn a light color. 

I used Penne pasta which was just as good.



The Guests of Honor, SnowPea and SweetPea

Overnight Coffee Cake

I had a friend over for coffee last week before work and wanted to make something that would not take up all of my time in the morning by cooking or baking.  I found the Overnight Coffee Cake recipe in the Tidewater on the Halfshell.  It was very easy to make, especially since I made it the night before and popped it in the oven for 30 minutes and it was ready by the time my guest arrived.

Overnight Coffee Cake

3/4 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup of sugar
2 Eggs
8 ounces of cour cream
2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar (you can also use dark)
1/2 Cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon

• Combine butter and sugar; cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, mix well
• Combine next 5 dry ingredients, add to batter and mix well.  Pour into greased and floured 13 x  9-inch pan.
• Combine brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon; mix well and sprinkle evenly over batter.
• Cover and chill overnight.  Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Glaze

1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and drizzle over warm cake.

Serves 12

Peanut Chicken

If there is one thing about Virginia, we are known for our home grown Peanuts.  Suffolk's most celebrated and treasured crop is the peanut and the best time to recognize and honor this favorite crop is during Suffolk's Peanut Fest.  Held in October to celebrate the peanut harvest, this festival has been celebrated for fifty plus years and, today is host to as many as 200,000 visitors throughout the four day event.  Guests travel from all over Tidewater to be a part of the fun filled affair.  Children can participate in Peanut Butter sculpturing contest or ride many of the wonderful attractions.  You are able to stroll down main street and sample many peanut confections.

Who knows, you may see Mr. Peanut, the icon of Planters Peanuts.  Amedeo Obici, an Italian immigrant and an enterprising, young man from Pennsylvania, moved his peanut business down to Suffolk, Virginia, to form Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.  Soon, his peanuts were the favorite of nut lovers everywhere and his business was booming.  When his wife, Louise died, he created a trust fund to have a memorial built in her honor.  Today, husband and wife are entombed in the gardens of Suffolk's Louise Obici Memorial Hospital.

While Suffolk is famous for its peanuts, it can also claim to be Virginia's largest City with 430 square miles of woods, lakes, rivers and farmland. 

Suffolk is also home to Tommy Newsom, the former leader of the Tonight Show Orchestra with Johnny Carson and local artist Chip Wilkinson.

Peanut Chicken
Toast to Tidewater page 91

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 Cup milk
1 Cup flour
2 Cups finely chopped salted peanuts without the skins
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
8 Skinless boneless chicken breasts, approximately 1/2 inch thick
Peanut oil

• Combine eggs and milk in pie pan or shallow dish; mix well.
• Combine flour, crushed peanuts, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl, mix well.
• Place chicken in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture.
• Pour 1/2 inch of peanut oil in skillet; heat over medium high.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees
• Place chicken in peanut oil; cook approximately two minutes per side or until tender and golden brown.
• Remove chicken from oil; place on a paper towel-linted baking sheet.
• Keep chicken warm in preheated 250 degree oven until ready to serve

Serves 8
Preparation Time 25 minutes
One thing to add, try to cook chicken so that it will be ready to be served immediately, if you need to keep it warm in the oven, do not do it for a long period as the chicken will dry out.  I prepared my side dishes ahead and served the chicken as soon as it was cooked. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I love Pumpkin, whether it is in a cake or pie or cookie.  Pumpkin is such a great flavor to work with.  I decided that I would try the Pumpkin Cheesecake in our Famous Tidewater on the Halfshell.  I made this cheesecake or our October cluster meeting with the Junior League.  It is found on page 310.

Crust
1/3 Cup butter softened
1/3 cup of sugar
1 Egg
1 1/4 Cup of flour

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; blend in egg; add flour and mix well;
• Spread dough on bottom and 2 inches up dies of a 9-inch spring form pan.
• Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes Remove from over and lower temperature to 350 degrees

Baking with a spring form pan can be challenging if you have never used one before.  They are wonderful pans to work with.  When purchasing one, break down and get a good one.  Make sure that it is a non-stick and leak proof pan.  Not only are they good for cheesecakes, but work well with cheese appetizers.

Batter
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup of sugar
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
dash of salt
2 Eggs
Whipped cream

• Combine cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Blend in pumpkin, spices and salt;
• Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition.  The batter will be a beautiful Carmel color, then pour into baked crust
• Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
• Let cool for 15 minutes.  The best way to tell if a cheesecake is done is to insert a knife into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.  A lot of times, you will get a slit in the center of the cake, but the way to prevent that is to immediately remove the cake from the pan after baking.  The only problem is you run the risk of the sides falling. 

• After removing, Chill and serve with whipped cream.

If you do not want to cut and cook your own pumpkin, you can use a 16 ounces of canned pumpkin.  Whether you use real or canned pumpkin, you will have a delicious pumpkin cheesecake and it will not last long.

White Wine Spinach

A great side dish to the Bayside Balsamic Glazed Salmon is the White Wine Spinach. (page 131)  It is a very quick and easy side dish to prepare.

2 Tablespoons olive oil.
3 Tablespoons fresh chopped garlic.
3 pounds spinach, stems removed, washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces.
1/4 Cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat large skillet on high heat; add olive oil
• Stir in garlic and spinach; cook for one minute.
• Stir in dry white wine, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for one minute.
• Serve immediately.

This is such an easy and quick recipe, you can whip this up with just about anything
Enjoy

Bayside Balsamic Glazed Salmon

I love going to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach.  Besides being one of the top aquariums in the country with more than 800,000 gallons of aquariums and live animal habitats, more than 300 hands-on exhibits, an outdoor aviary, 10 acres of marsh habitat and a 1/3 mile nature trail.   Animal highlights include sharks, sea-turtles, harbor seals, river otters, stingrays, and more.  It is truly an educational adventure

After a walk through the Aquarium, I am always in the mood for fresh fish, especially after seeing so many fish swimming in the tank. 

On the way home, I stopped by the Fresh Market and purchased some lovely salmon.  The Bayside Balsamic Glazed Salmon (page 111) is a very tasty and easy dish to fix.  The tangy tart taste of the balsamic vinegar with the sweet Dijon mustard adds just the right flavor to this wonderful fish.  Not to mention how good salmon is for you with all of the anti-oxidants.   This dish is easy to prepare if you are cooking just for yourself or family.

Bayside Balsamic Glazed Salmon

1 pound fresh salmon fillets
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

• Rinse salmon, pat dry.
• Heat nonstick skillet; spray with vegetable cooking spray.
• Cook Salmon on flesh side for five minutes on medium heat; turn salmon and cook on skin side for three minutes.
• Remove salmon and place on plate.
• Stir balsamic vinegar into skillet; cook on medium heat until balsamic vinegar has reduced by half, approximately three minutes.
• Lower heat.
• Stir in Dijon mustard; mix into a smooth glaze.
• Salt and pepper salmon; return salmon skin side down to skillet.
• Cover skillet; cook skin side down for two minutes.
• Remove to plate.
• Remaining glaze may be spooned over salmon.

If you do not want to use the skillet;

• You can also broil the salmon in the oven for about 5-7 minutes.
• Mix the balsamic vinegar and Dijon style mustard in a mixing cup and to make the sauce slightly thicker, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and stir.

• When fish is done, remove to plate and spoon glaze over salmon.

Serves 4
Preparation time:  20 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes

Artichoke Onion Pasta

If anyone knows me, they know that pasta is a weakness for me.  I had a big day ahead of me for Tuesday, so I thought I would load up on carbs the night before and make the Artichoke Onion Pasta (page 68).  You can make this pasta as a side dish or a meal.  I decided that I would make it as a meal, but save some of it for the next day.

The marinated artichoke hearts with the pesto and tomatoes makes a delightful taste especially with the oregano.  One option is you can add chicken to the dish for some added protein, I substituted shrimp instead.  This dish is very easy and can be made rather quickly but will taste like you were in the kitchen for much longer. 

1 large onion, chopped fine
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 (7 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped, reserve 3 tablespoons of liquid
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces penne pasta, cooked and drained
2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• Cook onion and garlic in reserved artichoke liquid for six to seven minutes until tender.
• Mix tomato, artichoke and oregano into onion mixture.
• Simmer for eight minutes; add prepared pesto and salt and heat for one additional minute
• Serve over penne pasta with Parmesan cheese.

To make sure that I had evenly coated the pasta, I mixed it all in a large bowl and then served

Serves 6
Preperation tine:  20 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes