Seafood Salad

So we're about a month away from our pool club opening for the summer season. During the summer, we're at the pool almost every day, all day and we take easy meals to snack on that everyone can enjoy. One of my favorite items to make is seafood salad. I used to buy it at the grocery store, but a price of $5/lb. was ridiculous! So, I figured out a recipe on my own and my family likes it just as much as the store bought version. I serve it with crackers, on green salad or as a sandwich - it makes a great alternative to tuna. Enjoy!


Seafood Salad

1 12 oz package imitation crab, flake style
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 bunches green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
½ c mayonnaise
Pepper

Shred the imitation crab with two forks or your hands, so that the crab is no longer in big chunks. Add celery, onion, lemon juice and mayonnaise; mix thoroughly with a fork*. season with pepper to taste and serve immediately.

*If you would like the salad creamier, add mayonnaise in teaspoon increments until desired consistency reached.

Mikey's Fish Tacos

What do you get with Mike's trip to Costco and a love of Mexican food? Mikey's Fresh Fish Tacos! These are the best, because the fish is baked not fried. My close friends and family know that I detest cooking fried foods - I hate the grease and smell! The key to the crispiness of the meat is the panko bread crumbs, which are in your neighborhood grocery store...

Mikey's Fish Tacos (feeds 4)

2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp each fresh ground pepper, dried parsley flakes, chili powder and garlic powder
2 lbs. fresh rock cod, sliced into 1" wide strips
1 egg
1/4 c milk
flour or corn tortillas, soft taco size

Preheat oven to 350º; line a jelly roll or roasting pan with foil and lightly spray with Pam. In a flat dish, Mix bread crumbs with seasonings and set aside. Beat egg and milk; dip each strip into the mixture and then coat the fish in the bread crumbs. Lie strip flat on pan; repeat process until all strips are coated. Bake until fish is golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Wrap tortillas in foil and during last 5 minutes, place tortillas in oven to warm. Serve fish and tortillas immediately with favorite taco ingredients, such as:

lettuce
cilantro
chopped fresh onions
chopped fresh jalapeños, seeded
cheese
sour cream
avocados/guacamole
tomatoes
salsa or hot sauce

Sunday Family Dinner

My husband and I don't cook family dinner together often; with our crazy schedules, it's usually one of us throwing together a meal, which is preplanned over the weekend. So tonight was pretty special and enjoyable as Mike & I made slow baked pork ribs, caesar salad, quinoa and my mom's baked beans.

Mike's ribs were fall off the bone, juicy, fabulous! I wish I could share the recipe with you, but my fireman is famous for opening my spice drawer and just creating. He couldn't remember what he made for the life of him. Same with the quinoa; he goes in the refrigerator and cupboards to see what I have on hand and then throws it together to create some amazing dish. Needless to say, I am totally jealous of him! I will tell you that he bakes his ribs for 2 hours, at 300º in a roasting pan covered with foil. Once done, he brushes them with barbeque sauce and throws them on the grill for 5-10 minutes each side to caramelize the sauce.

My contribution that I am sharing with you is my homemade caesar salad recipe and my Mom's barbeque beans recipe. I first learned how to make caesar salad in a cooking class, then found an awesome recipe in Williams-Sonoma; the problem is that I loved it, but my family thought it was too spicy. So using that recipe as a base, I make my own, which my family loves! The bean recipe is one that my Mom gave me and Mike loves - I never wrote the recipe down and used to call my mom when I needed to make it. Now that she is gone, I'm posting it not only to share with all of you (because it is that easy and good), but so I can come here to pull it up...I hope you all enjoy the recipes!

Caesar Salad

1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper (or more to taste)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head romaine lettuce - rinsed and chopped
1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese
Croutons (optional)

In the bottom of a large salad bowl, add garlic, salt pepper, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk ingredients together so fully blended. While still whisking, slowly drizzle olive oil into bowl. Dressing should thicken while whisking. Whisk until olive oil has been completely added and dressing is thick. Add salad, cheese and croutons; toss salad until dressing has thoroughly covered the salad.


Mom's Barbeque Beans

1 28 oz can baked beans
1 16oz can kidney beans, drained
1 bottle barbeque sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs honey
1 red or orange bell, seeded and chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 hot links (I use Evergood), diced

Combine all ingredients in a 3 quart pot and simmer until thoroughly heated.

A Little Spice Tonight...

Hi Friends,

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. Life has been a bit crazy and I haven't been inspired to try too many new things. I don't know if it's the change of season or change of attitude, but my creative juices are flowing again! The first recipe I found on Real Simple and we really enjoyed it, but it just seemed a bit dry and not as flavorful as we normally like. So, I modified it and my husband tried it out at the firehouse - it was a big hit! The second is a really easy and yummy dessert to top off a Mexican meal.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos (feeds 4-6)

28 oz store bought salsa (I use the fresh salsa)
2 T chili powder
1 T chipotle, pureed
2 T dried oregano
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed

In crock pot, add salsa, chili powder, chipotle, oregano and cocoa powder. Mix ingredients together. Add pork, turning all sides to coat. Cook covered until meat is tender & pulls apart easily, on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Serve with your favorite tortillas and sides, such as:

salsa
chopped onion
avocado/guacamole
chopped jalapenos
chopped cilantro
shredded lettuce
sour cream

Mexican Brownies

1 box fudge brownie mix
3/4 t chipotle powder*
1 1/2 t canela (ground cinnamon)
1 wedge Ibarra, coarsely chopped (optional)
Dulce de leche or vanilla ice cream
whipped cream
cinnamon (for decoration)

Prepare brownie mix per directions on box; add chipotle, canela and Ibarra. Bake according to directions. Serve with a scoop of ice cream and whipped cream; sprinkle with cinnamon.

*if you're concerned about spiciness, cut measurement to 1/2 t