#TBT Crab Dip

Jess and I got to celebrate new years together, it was such a blast-check out some of our photos on @Damndelish‘s Instagram page. Anyway, my boyfriend had requested I make crab dip as one of the appetizers. First of all, I was appalled he requested something (ok I know I should be touched that he loves my cooking enough to be more excited for my dip than the platter of shrimp cocktail I picked up from DiBruno Brothers, however getting back to my true emotion of initial annoyance-how dare he not request something from our amazing apps section on the blog?!) We have a plethora of yummy party foods and he choses something I have never even attempted making before? What’s so wrong with my crab stuffed mushroom caps that you need a crab dip? (ha I know what you are all thinking, BBC-bitches be cray!) and perhaps I was being cray, but I went hunting for ideas to please the man nonetheless and it came out fab! Below are the deets on the Dip-aliciousness. (that’s right I’m no longer mad at him and am creating words because it was so yummy)

  • 1/2 lb. of jumbo lump crab meat (free of shells, also I have said this before, perhaps in the crab cake post, but PLEASE do not use imitation crab or claw meat or any other BULLSHIT. Great recipes start with quality ingredients, k thanks rant over.)
  • 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (feel free to do a savory flavored one to amp this recipe up, but plain works as well)
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 3 tbsp. minced green onions (use both green & white, don’t discriminate)
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon of old bay seasoning (PS I did 1 tsp.)
  • Optional: I sprinkled some shredded Mexican cheese as a layer on top

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, bake the dip after combining all ingredients (gently, by hand, you don’t want to break up crab to un-tasteable pieces) for 35-40 minutes until golden on top. Serve hot with brioche toast, crackers, or veggies.

Oh also cool your jets kids, OUR BIRTHDAYS ARE TOMORROWWW!!! Best. Day. Ever.

Happy Eating, XO.

Herbaceous Cod

I came across this recipe in search for a cheaper white fish for me to eat on weeknights. I love salmon, don’t get me wrong, but it’s literally the only fish I make. I don’t like tilapia, halibut, or catfish and Chilean sea bass is way too much for the wallet, so someone had suggested trying cod and swordfish. So that is when I took to finding a quick way to prep it and eat on a summer evening. This is real good because the fish stands up to the strength of the fresh herbs but isn’t too fishy/meaty either. I am going to work on some swordfish or mahi mahi next so stay tuned and start following the blog for updates!

  • 2 lbs. cod fillets
  • 1/3 cup real mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigianno Regianno cheese {no pre-grated cheese, please!}
  • 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and basil
  • 1 medium clove garlic, grated
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, stir mayonnaise together with cheese, fresh herbs, garlic, salt and pepper until combined. Spread evenly over the top of the fillets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until fish starts looking opaque and will flake. Switch oven to broiler and brown the tops of the fish until lightly golden.

cod

Happy Eating, XO.

Mouth Party

I had this at a new years eve party and its almost March and I am still thinking about it. I have problems I know. Anyway, I hit my buddy up and asked him how he made it and he turned me to this cool site. They have all sorts of recipe ideas so I went ahead and made these for a dinner party. Came out so yum, but two tips I have is to make sure the artichokes are properly dried (I had water squirt out when I bit into it, not cute and very hot!) My other tip is also in regards to moisture, make sure the chilies are dried from adobo sauce because the seeds have a lot of heat and you don’t want to over power the aioli, just give it a kick. Anyway, here is the party appetizer that will taste like a party in your mouth!

  • 2 (14 ounce) jar/can of whole artichoke hearts
  • 10 slices bacon, halved crosswise
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Dipping Sauce aka Chipotle Aioli

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or grated (I did 2 because I’m crazy and LOVE garlic)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 whole canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

2014-01-28-artichoke-bites-10-680x324
*photo from Tablespoon, where this recipe idea originated from.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then set up the bacon strips on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle the bacon with Parmesan. Place the artichoke heart in the center of each bacon strip. Wrap the bacon around the artichoke and, if you are clumsy and cant wrap then feel free to secure the bacon with a toothpick. Sprinkle the bites with a little Parmesan and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Meanwhile combine the mayo, garlic, honey, minced chipotle chiles and a pinch of pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until combined and smooth. Transfer to a dipping bowl and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Happy Eating, XO

Tartar Sauwce

The sun is shining, breeze is blowing, I’m grilling salmon burgers…but I forgot the sauce. S**t. I know this has happened to all of you at least once (me, more than I’d like to admit). I’m not one to just up and run to the store, so what did I do? Made my own of course!

I never gave a second thought as to what goes in to tartar sauce, but it’s a lot easier than you think. I’m almost positive you already have all of the ingredients.Plus, I don’t know about you, but I could never use a whole bottle of the stuff before it expires. So the next time you’re cooking and have an “oh, s**t” moment, don’t panic!

  • 1/2 cup mayo (Miracle Whip if you like it really tangy, Hellmann’s if you like it creamier)
  • 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tsps minced onion (if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it)
  • 2 tsps lemon juice

Mix it all together, and I mean really blend it. Put a dollop on your salmon burger (or fish tacos) and you’ve officially saved yourself a trip to the store.

 

Happy Eating, XO

But first, let me eat a (fish) taco

Fish tacos are one of my absolute favorite summer meals (with a margarita, of course). I mean, you can’t go wrong with burgers and hot dogs, but fish tacos are the real treat. I first had them at a seafood restaurant in East Hampton with our friend Tara. At the time, I only ate salmon and these were made with Mahi Mahi. I was skeptical.  But once I took my first bite it was heaven!

Just like our crabby cakes, I always thought fish tacos would be too daunting to make – would I overcook the fish?! Would the sauce come out just right?! Well it turns out they were much easier to make than I thought. We’ve been doing a lot of grilling this summer and we started running out of new options so I figured, “what the hell?”.

Fish

  • 4 fillets of Mahi Mahi
  • 1 tbsp chili pepper
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • A pinch of salt
  • 4 soft tortillas

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp of mayo (Helmann’s, not Miracle Whip)
  • 1 cup of red cabbage, thinly chopped
  • 1/2 of a lime

Salsa

  • 2 cups of finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 red onion finely chopped (I used my multi-chopper for these)
  • 1/2 tomato finely chopped
  • 1/2 of a lime
  • (You could also add corn for a sweeter taste.)

Season the Mahi Mahi with the chili pepper, cayenne and salt, and grill for 15 minutes – approximately 7-8 minutes on each side. While the fish is grilling, in a small bowl mix together the cilantro, onion, tomato and lime juice. In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayo, cabbage and lime juice. When the fish is just about done, warm the tortillas on the grill. Layer the fish, sauce and salsa in the tortilla and enjoy!

 

Fish Tacos

 

 

You can jam along to this song while you’re cooking – “But first, let me eat a taco.”

Happy Eating, XO.