OMG: I Got CRABS.

Yep. You read right. I got crabs today… and my husband loved it. But first, let me provide some background…

We hit up the asian market today out in the suburbs and wow, what a difference in prices. Normally we shop in the neighboring suburbs since the prices are more afforable than in the city where we live. However this time, we went further out to get some new scenery. I’m so glad we did. Some of our awesome buys include:

– strawberries for $.99/lb
– blackberries for $.99/pkg
– blueberries for $1.79/lrg pkg
– peaches for $.69/lb
– plums for $.99/lb
– broccoli crowns for $.49/lb
– yellow onions for $.39/lb
– red onions for $.49/lb
– green onions @ 4 bunches/$1.00
– vine tomatoes @ $.79/lb
– shallots @ $.79/lb
– seedless cucumber @ $.79 each
– seafood mix for $1.99/lb
– vegetable dumplings for $2.99 @ buy one get one free
– boneless, skinless chicken breast @ $1.49/lb
– fresh, live blue crabs @ $1.49/lb

… and so much more! We left there with a trunk full of fresh produce, seafood and meats all for less than $90. We’re set for quite a while. So back to my crabs. My husband jumped at the chance to have fresh live crabs for dinner. In fact, he made dinner tonight and it was pretty darn good. It’s been quite some time since I got messy with a pile of steamy hot crabs so it was a fun dinner. Here’s a little pictorial of how he prepared our crabs:

It’s a live one, folks…
These are snappy little buggers…
Go to sleep little crabbies…
And here’s a special spice to flavor it up…
Mmm…
To add some additional flavor and color: parsley…
and 15-20 minutes later, dinner is served!
While he steamed the crabs with the Chesapeake Bay seasoning, parsley and salt & pepper to taste, I roasted some corn in the oven and made a fresh fruit salad with some of the fruit we purchased.

OMG: I Got CRABS.

Yep. You read right. I got crabs today… and my husband loved it. But first, let me provide some background…

We hit up the asian market today out in the suburbs and wow, what a difference in prices. Normally we shop in the neighboring suburbs since the prices are more afforable than in the city where we live. However this time, we went further out to get some new scenery. I’m so glad we did. Some of our awesome buys include:

– strawberries for $.99/lb
– blackberries for $.99/pkg
– blueberries for $1.79/lrg pkg
– peaches for $.69/lb
– plums for $.99/lb
– broccoli crowns for $.49/lb
– yellow onions for $.39/lb
– red onions for $.49/lb
– green onions @ 4 bunches/$1.00
– vine tomatoes @ $.79/lb
– shallots @ $.79/lb
– seedless cucumber @ $.79 each
– seafood mix for $1.99/lb
– vegetable dumplings for $2.99 @ buy one get one free
– boneless, skinless chicken breast @ $1.49/lb
– fresh, live blue crabs @ $1.49/lb

… and so much more! We left there with a trunk full of fresh produce, seafood and meats all for less than $90. We’re set for quite a while. So back to my crabs. My husband jumped at the chance to have fresh live crabs for dinner. In fact, he made dinner tonight and it was pretty darn good. It’s been quite some time since I got messy with a pile of steamy hot crabs so it was a fun dinner. Here’s a little pictorial of how he prepared our crabs:

It’s a live one, folks…
These are snappy little buggers…
Go to sleep little crabbies…
And here’s a special spice to flavor it up…
Mmm…
To add some additional flavor and color: parsley…
and 15-20 minutes later, dinner is served!
While he steamed the crabs with the Chesapeake Bay seasoning, parsley and salt & pepper to taste, I roasted some corn in the oven and made a fresh fruit salad with some of the fruit we purchased.

Leftovers Aren’t So Bad…

One of our staple dishes I resort to whenever we have leftovers is fried rice. It’s a dish that we make to use up leftover veggies and meats we have on hand… and the rice we use is always cold. That’s key for perfect fried rice, just like what you’d get at Chinese restaurants and how my parents made theirs for their catering business. Here’s my recipe for fried rice:

1 cup leftover meats – pork, chicken, beef, seafood
1-2 eggs
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 onion finely diced
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped vegetables (fresh or frozen)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons light or dark soy sauce
1-2 cups prepared rice, cold (or day old)

In a hot skillet or wok, heat oil.
Add garlic and onions & stir.
Add leftover meats of your choice, chopped up in bite sized pieces.
Stir fry meats until you get them a bit crispy.
Push the meats aside and crack eggs into the pan.
Scramble the eggs into the pan until cooked.
Add cold rice over the eggs & meat into the pan, making sure to crumble it in your fingers. (Dumping a large chunk of rice is not going to work here. You need to crumble it so it separates nicely).
Add salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders and soy sauce; toss.
Allow the rice to heat up and absorb the spices and soy sauce, tossing to help it along.
Add the fresh or frozen veggies and toss into the rice.
Continue cooking it all on high heat until rice is heated through and veggies are cooked.

I used leftover grilled chicken and some frozen veggies for lunch and served this with some homemade eggrolls – which I’ll be dedicating a whole post to in a couple of week. I’m teaching an eggroll class so I’ll save the details and recipes on making eggrolls then!

Leftovers Aren’t So Bad…

One of our staple dishes I resort to whenever we have leftovers is fried rice. It’s a dish that we make to use up leftover veggies and meats we have on hand… and the rice we use is always cold. That’s key for perfect fried rice, just like what you’d get at Chinese restaurants and how my parents made theirs for their catering business. Here’s my recipe for fried rice:

1 cup leftover meats – pork, chicken, beef, seafood
1-2 eggs
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 onion finely diced
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped vegetables (fresh or frozen)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons light or dark soy sauce
1-2 cups prepared rice, cold (or day old)

In a hot skillet or wok, heat oil.
Add garlic and onions & stir.
Add leftover meats of your choice, chopped up in bite sized pieces.
Stir fry meats until you get them a bit crispy.
Push the meats aside and crack eggs into the pan.
Scramble the eggs into the pan until cooked.
Add cold rice over the eggs & meat into the pan, making sure to crumble it in your fingers. (Dumping a large chunk of rice is not going to work here. You need to crumble it so it separates nicely).
Add salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders and soy sauce; toss.
Allow the rice to heat up and absorb the spices and soy sauce, tossing to help it along.
Add the fresh or frozen veggies and toss into the rice.
Continue cooking it all on high heat until rice is heated through and veggies are cooked.

I used leftover grilled chicken and some frozen veggies for lunch and served this with some homemade eggrolls – which I’ll be dedicating a whole post to in a couple of week. I’m teaching an eggroll class so I’ll save the details and recipes on making eggrolls then!

Grilled Peach Melba w/Marscapone

The following recipe was prepared during my Summer Grilling cooking class. You can read about it and check out the other recipes I made for the class HERE.

Grilled Peach Melba w/Mascarpone

I love how abundant peaches have been this week at my local market. Using this to my advantage, I made this dish on the grill. It’s not only easy but the colors of the dish are beautiful.

Here is my recipe for Grilled Peach Melba w/Marscapone:
1-2 large ripe peaces, halved
1 small tub of marscapone cheese
raspberry coulis (purchased or prepared)
fresh mint for garnish

On a medium high heat grilled, place peach halves and grill with open lid.
Turn the peaches when grill marks appear and the natural sugars begin to caramelize.
To plate, place the peach half on a plate and add a small scoop of marscapone cheese in the well where the pit was.
Drizzle with either a purchased or prepared raspberry coulis and garnish with fresh mint.

Can’t Stand the Heat? Get Outta the Kitchen!

For dinner tonight, I hosted a dinner event where guests came over to learn how to cook an entire meal on the grill. It was extremely fun and the menu was fabulous. Here’s what was on my menu:

To join in the fun, my fellow bloggers have submitted grilled recipes. As I do with each blogging event I host, a lucky blogger receives a giveaway related to the food theme. This event’s winner is Lisa of Lime in the Coconut! Lisa will be receiving a Grilling cookbook and some grilling spices, compliments of McCormick! Congratulations Lisa and thanks to all that participated in the blogging event! Read on to check out the recipes submitted by my fellow bloggers and pictures of my grilling event…

*I’m also submitting my 2 grilled desserts to the Recipe Remix blogging event! Check out their site in September for the round up!**

Here are grilled recipes submitted by fellow bloggers:

Soya Aloo Ki Sabji
(Fresh Dill and Potatoes dry Curry)
submitted by Nidhi of Charche Chauke Ke

Potatoes 1 large or two medium chopped
Fresh Dill/soya 1/2 bunch cut fine
Ginger 1/2 ” piece minced or grated
Green chilli 1 cut fine
Oil 1 tsp.
Asafoetida 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds/ Jeera 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder/ haldi 1/2 tsp.
Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp.
Coriander powder/Dhaniya 1/2 tsp.
Dry mango powder/ amchur 1/2 tsp.
Garam Masala 1/4 tsp.

A cast iron skillet is great to cook potatoes in. It gives the potatoes a great crust which makes the dish delicious, so use it to cook the potatoes in if you can. Heat the skillet and add oil. Add asafoetida, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder to the oil.
When you hear the sizzling sound, add the green chilli and ginger. Saute briefly for 30 seconds and then add the potatoes and the dill. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the skillet. Let it cook like that for 15-20 minutes till the potatoes look like they are done. You can stir a couple of times in between.

Lastly add dry mango powder and the garam masala. Mix well with a light hand. And soya aloo ki sabji is ready. This makes a fabulous side dish, whether with lentil soup or even a spicy curry. Its delicious to just snack on them too:). Tastes great with rotis, paranthas or even rice.

Grilled Pizza
submitted by Courtney of Prescription For Good Food
2 frozen pizza doughs (thawed in fridge overnight)
1 can pizza sauce
1 red bell pepper
1/4 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch fresh basil
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Prep all ingredients so that everything is ready for the pizzas to be assembled.
Cut the pepper and onion into thin strips.
Mince the garlic.
Roughly tear the basil (or roll together in a bunch and make thin slices for basil confetti).
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Spray the grill with cooking spray(carefully) or drizzle the dough with olive oil.
Place the dough on grill.Allow to grill for about one minute, or until the first side has a few grill marks.
Flip dough over, and begin to assemble pizza.
I added the sauce, onion, garlic, peppers, cheese, and some of the basil.
Grill until the cheese had melted.
Make sure to check the bottom of the crust to make sure it isn’t burning.
Remove from grill and sprinkle with the remaining basil.

Grilled Lemon & Garlic Marinated Pork Chops
submitted by Karen of Love To Eat

2 center cut thick pork chops boneless
3 tbsp lemon juice fresh
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Italian seasonings rub: Oregano, basil, parsley, etc…Great mix
s and p to taste
2 tbsp evoo

Throw everything into a bag or bowl. Mix and cover. Marinate for 2 hours or as long as overnight. I did 5 hours.
Heat grill to medium. Put chops on and grill about 5-10 mins each side depending on thickness. Serve warm with grilled veggies and fresh seasonal fruit..we used grilled corn, peas and chilled watermelon!

Grilled Marinated Kabobs
submitted by Karen of Loves To Eat

1 chopped onion
1 cup honey
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp chili powder
1/3 cup Tabasco sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
the juice from 1 lemon
2 fresh peppers
4 large boneless chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch cubes
skewers

Mix the ingredients minus peppers, onion and chicken, in the blender for 30-50 seconds, or until well blended. Add all to a bowl and mmarinate the shish kabobs in the refrigerator for 6 or more hours. Once marinated, load up kabob skewers to your liking, and grill for about 10-15 mins per side or until chicken is completely cooked. Serve with grilled corn on the cob and fresh, chilled watermelon!

Cilantro Lime Halibut w/ Mexican Squash and Beans
submitted by Lisa of Lime in the Coconut

4 filets of fish (Halibut, Mahi Mahi or Swordfish work best here)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lemonJuice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce
2 chili peppers, chopped finely
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse you fish filets in cold water, pat them dry and season with salt and pepper. Set them aside on a platter while you combine all the remaining ingredients. You can use a food processor if you like, but I found it just as easy to chop everything up.

Once your marinade is ready, plunk your fish down in the sauce, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Try not to let it sit for too long because the citrus will begin to “cook” the fish. Preheat your outdoor grill or grill pan and spray with cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Place your well marinaded fish filets on the grill. Pour a little marinade over the filets and close the grill cover. After about 3-4 minutes, depending on thickness, flip your filets. Pour some marinade down on the other side and allow them to finish cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill and serve over Mexican Squash and Beans.

Mexican Squash and Beans

2 small zucchini, cut into discs
2 small yellow squash, cut into discs
1 green pepper, cut into slices
1 vidalia onion, cut into slices
1 large tomato, cut in large chunks2 ears of corn (or you can use frozen corn kernels if you want)
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can of black beans, drained
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper

After you’ve chopped up the zucchini, squash, pepper, onion and tomato place in a large mixing bowl. Cover with three tablespoons of the oil and a teaspoon each of the cumin and chili powder. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir to coat all the vegetables with the spices and oil. Peel the ears of corn, rub with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Preheat your grill.

Dump your vegetables into a grill pan on the grill. If you don’t have a grill pan you can use a foil pan. Place your ears of corn directly on the grill. Close the lid and allow the vegetables and corn to cook for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, lift the lid to stir the vegetables and turn the corn. The corn will start to yellow, as it softens and browns up slightly you can remove your ears. Once they cool you can cut the kernels off and mix with your finished vegetables. Once your vegetables are cooking to desired doneness, remove them from the grill.

Coriander Pepper Pork Chops
submitted by Angie of Adventures in Home Cooking

2-4 boneless porkchops
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. coriander seeds, crushed
1 T. coarse black pepper
1 T. brown sugar
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. Olive oil

Whisk together olive oil and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Add garlic, coriander seeds, pepper, and brown sugar. Whisk together to blend. Place pork chops in dish. Marinate for 30 minutes. Remove the chops from the marinade and broil, pan broil, or grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occassionally. Juices should run clear and chops should be tender and juicy.

JS’s Savory Chicken Wings
submitted by TS & JS of [eatingclub] vancouver

1 tsp five-spice powder
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp ground coriander
1 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp sesame oiljuice of
1 lime
4 lbs chicken wings

Combine all ingredients together (except chicken) and whisk. Pour over chicken wings and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.Cooking method can vary.
I baked them in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees, then finished them off at the grill. Alternatively, these can bake for the 45 minutes, broiled at the end for a charred finish. Of course, you can also cook them totally on the grill.

Basil Mozzarella Burgers
submitted by Lauren of Lauren’s Kitchen

For the burgers:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
About a tablespoon balsamic vinagrette dressing

Combine all ingredients and form into 4 patties. Place on heated grill pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Turn and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve with Basil Mayonnaise and Tomato Salsa.

Basil Mayonnaise:
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Tomato Salsa:
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup pimento olives, chopped (I omitted.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Teriyaki Kabobs
submitted by Melissa of Made by Melissa

Marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin steak, cut 1 1/4 inch cubes ( I am sure boneless, skinless chicken breasts would also work well)
Kabobs:
1 small pineapple, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into wedges
Other veggies that might be good: Mushrooms, tomatoes, red and or green bell pepper

In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and salt; mix well. Pour half of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container; add beef and turn to coat. Seal or cover; refrigerate for 4-8 ours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain the meat, discarding the marinade. On metal or soaked bamboo skewers, alternate meat, onions and pineapple. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.
Baste with reserved marinade. Continue turning and basting for 8-10 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness.

Pork Chops Three Ways

The following recipe was prepared during my Summer Grilling cooking class. You can read about it and check out the other recipes I made for the class HERE.

Pork Chops Three Ways
For my center, thick cut pork chops, I did nothing more than coat them in various rubs, spices and seasonings. In fact, when I buy meats in bulk, I’ll take a few pieces and coat them with rubs/spices, place in a freezer bag and freeze for future meals. For these chops, I coated them with a Bell Pepper & Herb rub, BBQ rub and Greek rub.

Coat your pork chops with your preferred mix of spices and seasonings.
Before grilling, your chops should be at room temperature.
Place chops on a medium high heated grill and grill with closed lid.
No need to turn the chops more than once.
Turn chops when they are grilled, roughly 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness.
Chops will be medium when the center is slightly soft when pushed.
Befor cutting, allow your chops to rest so juices can redistribute.

Bobby Flay’s recipe for 16 Spice Chicken

The following recipe was prepared during my Summer Grilling cooking class. You can read about it and check out the other recipes I made for the class HERE.

Spiced Two Ways

For the chicken drumsticks, I rubbed them with spices and seasonings as I did with the pork chops. However the 16 Spice Chicken is a recipe of Bobby Flay’s. Combine the following spices together and coat boneless skinless chicken breasts and grill as you would the pork chops above.

Here is Bobby Flay’s recipe for 16 Spice Chicken:
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon chile de arbol
3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad

The following recipe was prepared during my Summer Grilling cooking class. You can read about it and check out the other recipes I made for the class HERE.

Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad
I wanted to serve up a filling salad that would also be great as a main entree for those that want a meatless meal. This salad takes grilled vegetables, couscous and a balsamic vinaigrette together fora light dish and requires little work.

Here’s my recipe for Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad:
2 cups prepared couscous
1 bunch aspagarus, bottoms trimmed
3 portabello mushrooms
4 roma tomatoes, halved
1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, halved & seeded
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon spice mix
1 lemon, juiced

Lightly toss vegetables in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Place on medium high heat grill and grill until slightly charred. Vegetables will cook at different times so keep a look out on these as they cook.
When vegetables are cooked, remove from grill and coarsely chop into bite sized pieces.
Toss all grilled vegetables and prepared couscous in a large serving bowl.
To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spice mix (you can use whatever you’d like) and drizzle over couscous and vegetables.
Squeeze a whole lemon over couscous & toss to combine.
Grate a nice hard italian cheese, such as parmesan over the couscous salad and serve.

Pineapple Shortcakes w/Creme Anglaise

The following recipe was prepared during my Summer Grilling cooking class. You can read about it and check out the other recipes I made for the class HERE.

Grilled Pineapple Shortcake w/Creme AnglaisOne of my favorite fruits is pineapple. Because of its high sugar content, especially when ripe, they are great on the grill. I was inspired by taking the idea of strawberry shortcakes and using pineapples in place of the berries. To save time, I didn’t make the biscuits from scratch so I used biscuits from a tube (the horror!) I used a bottled caramel sauce and my friend Harv made the creme anglaise.

Here is my recipe for Pineapple Shortcakes w/Creme Anglaise:

1 pineapple, rind removed and sliced into rounds
1 tube of prepared buttermilk biscuits (or homemade)
2-3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Creme anglaise (I don’t have Harv’s recipe for this yet, but you can use your own recipe.
Caramel sauce, prepared (you can use ice cream topping too)
whipped cream or even vanilla ice cream.

Prepare the biscuits as directed. Before baking, sprinkle turbinado sugar over the tops.
On a medium high heat grilled, place pineapple slices and grill with open lid.
Turn the pineapple slices when grill marks appear and the natural sugars begin to caramelize.

To plate, place a sugar topped biscuit on your serving dish and top with a couple slices of grilled pineapple.
Drizzle caramel sauce over the top and serve along size a dollop of creme anglaise, ice cream or whipped cream.