Meaty crab cakes

Summertime means longer days and lighter foods.  I love nothing better than sitting at a picnic table and cracking up some Old Bay infused crabs.  Lots of finger licking good crabs means one delicious thing…lots and lots of CRAB CAKES!! 

Ingredients

1lb jumbo lump crab meat

3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 lemon zested and juiced

3 scallions finely chopped

3/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oil in a skillet until medium hot. While the oil is heating up mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl and  prepare the crab cakes. Place the crab cakes gently into the skillet and cook about 5 minutes on each side until the cake is heated through. Cover a plate with paper towel and place crab cakes on the top to drain any excess oil. Garnish the crab cakes with fresh lemon wedges, scallions, and tartar sauce for dipping. For a healthier option you can pan sear the cakes and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Barefoot Contessa's Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya

 

 My boyfriend bought me a Le Creuset french oven for Christmas and I could not wait to break it in!! I found this recipe for jambalaya on Foodnetwork.com and had to give it a shot. We made a few minor adjustments to the dish and it was wayyy plentiful and delish! Along with the shrimp we added scallops and manzanilla olives for a Spanish flare! You could also use capers if you have them available. This dish is easy to make but a tad labor intensive as there is a bunch of chopping and prep work. Great way to put your honey to work in the kitchen ;)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille, sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham, cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 cup seeded and diced tomato
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, optional (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound medium shrimp, deveined (20 to 24 count)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the scallions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.
Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and 1/2 cup parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

San Remo Red Bank, NJ

It's my Birthday!!! Well, was my birthday...and what a great birthday it was! My friends and I enjoyed a quiet, intimate dinner at San Remo in Red Bank. I had never been to San Remo before and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. San Remo is a cozy Italian restaurant, located on Newman Springs Rd, and can easily be missed if you aren't looking for it. The restaurant has an old world Italian feel including walls adorned with artisan murals. The menu at San Remo is quite extensive offering fine Italian dishes like Gnocchi Alla Maria, which is clams, mussels and shrimp in a pesto sauce over fresh gnocchi, or Provenziale which is chicken sauteed with peas, onions and sausage in a garlic truffle olive oil. The extensive menu has everything from chicken to veal to seafood and pastas. When you head over to San Remo be sure to grab your favorite bottle of wine because San Remo is BYOB. To start off the meal my friends and I shared the sausage and pine nut stuffed mushrooms and the stuffed artichokes, both delicious and perfect for appetizers. I decided on the Veal special for my dinner. The dish was a breaded piece of veal gently fried and topped with an arugula salad mixed with red onion, tomatoes, tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and topped with shaved parmigiana. I have to say the balance between the crispy veal cutlet and the refreshing salad complimented each other very well. I almost forgot to mention the SIZE of the veal...HUGE!! And served bone in! It was delicious! We capped off our meal with a birthday serenade to me and of course some scrumptious desserts. My friends fought over the cobblers, both apple and peach, as I stayed neutral and opted for the mango sorbet. The sorbet was very refreshing and was served in an actual mango! I would say this was all around a great, casual dinner with friends. I would definitely recommend San Remo if you're looking for good Italian food.