Teri’s Crab Dip Recipe

Ingredients

* 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat.
2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice squeezed from 1/2 lemon
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
** 2 -3 tbsp. sriracha aioli mayonnaise
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp dry ground mustard
1 8 oz package (about 2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Check crab meat for any shells and transfer the crabmeat from the original container to a small bowl.
3. Pour 2-3 tbsp lemon juice over the crabmeat and gently mix in.
4. In a large bowl - mix well together the 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2-3 tbsp Sriracha aioli mayonnaise (or regular if not using Sriracha), 2 tsp Old Bay seasoning and 1/2 tsp dry ground mustard.
5. Add the softened cream cheese to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well.
6. Fold in the crab meat and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. If you desire more salt and or pepper, it can be added here.
7. Transfer crab meat mixture to a 10 inch buttered pie plate. Smooth out the top with a spatula and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Sprinkle some extra Old Bay seasoning on top for added flavor and color if desired
8. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve with a selection of crackers, corn chips and some sliced vegetables.

Enjoy!

* Note about the crabmeat 

 
Use your favorite type and source of crabmeat. The recommendation from various recipes is lump or jumbo lump. Some crabmeat has more shells than others. I have found Chicken of the Sea Jumbo Lump crabmeat to be a reliable source for this dip. This is just a personal preference because there are rarely any shells found in the Jumbo Lump.
** - Sriracha aioli mayonnaise is optional. If not using, just adjust by adding 2-3 tbsp of regular mayonnaise.

Bill's Pine nut and Corn Stir Fry

Pine nut and Corn Stir Fry

Ingredients:

8 oz pine nuts (or more if you can afford them)

8 oz frozen or canned corn

8 oz canned or fresh peas (we use Trader Joes’ fresh “English peas”)

15 oz can of black beans, drained and washed

8 oz can of diced tomatoes with chilis (or without if you’re not into heat)

1 sweet red pepper, cleaned, thinly sliced, and cut in 4” pieces

1 – 1x3” piece of fresh ginger root, pared and minced

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced in rings

3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced length-wise and cut in 4” lengths

1 lemon.  Cut off ends, quarter length-wise, remove seeds, thinly slice with rind on    (easier if you hold two lengths together)

1 small yellow squash, cut off the ends, quarter length-wise and slice thinly.    (again easier if you hold two lengths together)

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.     Heat a Dutch oven or large frying pan on a stove and coat the bottom with olive oil.  Set heat to medium. 

 

2.     Coat the bottom of a second smaller pan with 4 tbsp. Sesame oil and also set to medium.

 

3.     When the larger pan reaches medium heat add the onions, celery, and garlic and sauté them until they are clear.

 

4.     When the smaller pan reaches medium heat sauté the pine nuts , stirring frequently with a spatula until they begin to brown.  Remove the pan immediately as the pine nuts burn easily.

 

5.     Add the peppers, lemon slices and squash to the first pan.  Cook on low-medium for about 10 minutes.

 

6.     Finally add the corn, beans, peas, and pine nuts to the large pan. 

 

 7.   Cover pan and cook on low heat for an additional 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

 8.  Serve over rice, quinoa or your favorite grain.

Steak Salad (Anon-T)

STEAK Salad:

last night's steak; sliced into strips or 'cubes'
onion, sliced into rings
1 clove garlic, sliced
beds of mixed greens (one plate for each EATER)
1/4c balsamic vinegar
olive oil

In a pan, saute onions in olive oil; when translucent, add garlic and steak. Cover to warm steak.

Uncover and let all liquids cook out

With onions, garlic, & steak still in the pan, deglaze with 1/4c balsamic

Serve warm over (soon to be wilted) lettuce

Drizzle a little olive oil & top with cracked pepper (and some Parmesan if you have it).  

Great way to use left-over steak.

Lucina Salad Dressing

( May 15, 2021 at 1:45 PM, LA Times Crossword Corner Blog)

My salad is made with a special dressing on the side. It's 1/4 cup water, 3 tbsps red wine vinegar, 2 tbsps honey, 4 tsps Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Shake well and pour over salad. Yummy.

Beef Hanoi Soup (By Bill S)

Beef Hanoi Soup

Pho Bo Ha Noi

As you might expect, there is also a Saigon Soup.  However, this is simply a reflection of the pride each region takes in its own specialties.  Hanoi Soup has always been a dish of the North.  Typically eaten for breakfast (and a hearty breakfast it is!), Hanoi Soup will also be seen on many a luncheon or dinner restaurant menu as well.  There are many “breakfast only” restaurants that specialize in Hanoi Soup.  Whenever it is served, it constitutes the complete meal.

8 servings

9 cups water	1 large onion
1 ½ pound oxtail, chopped into 12-inch     pieces, or 2 pounds of beef bones	4 ounces bean sprouts
1 pound beef chuck, in 1 chunk	½ pound beef shoulder roast or round, in 1 chunk
1 2-inch chunk fresh ginger root	½ pound rice sticks (“Banh pho” noodles)
3 shallots	¼ cup fish sauce (“Nuoc mam”)
2 pieces of star anise	1 tsp salt
1 finger-size stick cinnamon (optional)	dash of MSG (optional)
¼ cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped	½ fresh lime, sliced in 4 wedges
¼ cup scallion greens, chopped	½ fresh hot red pepper, sliced horizontally in thin rings

1.     Bring 9 cups of water to a boil.  Drop in the oxtail and chuck.  Return to boil for 10 minutes, removing the scum several times.  Meanwhile, impale the chunk of ginger root on a fork and hold it over a flame until it is blackened.  Do the same with the shallots.  Add both to the broth, together with the star anise and cinnamon, and cover.  Simmer for 1 ½ hours.

 

2.     While the soup is simmering, chop the cilantro and scallion greens together; place in a bowl.  Slice the onion paper thin and place in another bowl.  

3.     Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove from pan. 

4.     Slice the raw round or shoulder roast into paper thin slices (about 3 x 4 inches). 

5.     About 20 minutes before serving bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add the rice sticks.  Boil for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander and run cold water over it.  Set aside the noodles until you are ready to assemble the soup.

6.     After the soup has cooked for about 1 ½ hours, remove the chuck and oxtail, making sure they are tender.  If they are not quite ready, return to the soup and cook a little longer.  After you have removed the meat from the soup, add the fish sauce, salt, and MSG to the soup. 

7.     To assemble and serve the soup, distribute the noodles among the bowls, 1 bowl for each guest.  Slice the cooked chuck; remove the meat from the oxtail bones.  Distribute the cooked chuck and oxtail meat over the noodles, then distribute the raw beef slices among the bowls.  Add half of the onion slices, a few of the bean sprouts, and sprinkle with the combined cilantro and scallion greens. 

8.     Immediately prior to serving, add boiling broth to cover the ingredients in each bowl.  This will cook the raw beef. 

9.     At the table, serve a platter consisting of the remaining bean sprouts and onions, the lime wedges, and the hot pepper rings.  Serve additional fish sauce for those who prefer a saltier taste.  A squeeze of lime can be added to the soup, as well as additional vegetables from the platter, when desired.

 

NOTE

This can be cooked a day ahead.  The meat, wrapped in foil and the broth should be stored separately in the refrigerator and assembled before serving time.  Reheat the meat slightly in the oven before assembling.

 

Bill's Oyster and Shrimp Bisque

 

SEAFOOD CHOWDER (RED or WHITE).  For NEW ENGLAND clam chowder, substitute CLAMS for the oysters and omit the SHRIMP.  For MANHATTAN clam chowder, substitute two extra cans of STEWED TOMATOES for the CREAM.

Oyster and Shrimp Bisque

Ingredients

1 pint freshly shucked oysters (see below if you don’t like oysters)

1 pound freshly shelled shrimp

½ stick of butter

3 bunches of scallions (trimmed)

½ bunch of celery

3 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of parsley

4 tablespoons of fresh thyme (or dried if not available)

2 pounds of new potatoes (Yukon gold and/or red cobblers); cubed with skins on

2 cans of stewed tomatoes

1 pint of table cream

2 cups of water

Whole pepper corns and salt to taste

Directions

1.      Coarsely chop scallions and celery and set aside.

2.      Mince garlic cloves and set aside.

3.      Finely chop parsley and thyme and set aside.

4.      Clean potatoes and cut into ½” to 1” cubes, leaving the skin on.

5.      Melt butter in the bottom of 1 gallon soup pot.

6.      Sauté scallions and celery in the butter until tender.

7.      Add garlic, parsley, thyme, coarsely ground pepper and salt to sautéed vegetables. Stir until mixed thoroughly and set aside.

8.      Stir potatoes into sautéed vegetables and cover with water.

9.      Bring to a boil and add stewed tomatoes and cream.

10.  Cook until potatoes are tender.

11.  Add shucked oysters and shrimp and cook until they are tender (about 10 minutes).

12.  Serve with a hearty bread.

13.  This recipe can be turned into a “seafood stew” by adding scallops, cut cod filets, lobster, lump crab meat and/or clams and adjusting the liquids as needed