Nana's Crab Feed Crab

Here's a really different one for me. Crab, Ha! This is the first and probably will be the only post on my blog about seafood. So here it goes. My husband loves him some crab, so for his birthday I learned how to make crab from his Nana.

Nana has crab feeds every year, and did one on Christmas Eve. So I know she is the one to learn from. She said I did good and he loved it so if you love crab here is a great recipe for your next crab feed. If you live in the NorCal Bay area we get our crab from a place in Alameda. Its called JP Seafood Co. Its really good quality, he will clean it, cut it, and cook it for you and he is SO nice.

Ingredients
4 lbs Crab cleaned and cooked
1-1 1/2 C chopped garlic
1/4 C parsley flakes
1/4 C garlic powder
1/4 C pepper
1/8 C Old Bay Spice (Optional)
2 shrimp flavored bullion cubes
2 big containers of Country Crock margarine

Method
Use a very large pot and melt butter down on stove.

Add in the garlic and let simmer.

Add in the garlic powder, pepper and bullion cubes. Cook until cubes are dissolved.
Add parsley, also please adjust to your own taste with all of the ingredients.
I would even possibly add in some Old Bay Spice...

Transfer butter sauce to a large aluminum serving tray, cook the crab in the butter, sauteing and turning all pieces of crab until all are coated evenly and equally. You are basically marinating the crab in this sauce.

You can serve the crab with remaining butter, and make some pasta for Garlic Noodles.

NorCal MexiCali Carne Asada

Carne Asada is so California Mexican. Its strange to me coming from a place where Mexican food is smothered and homey. Mexican food in California is fast and convenient, MexiCali  Really much more like street food, taco trucks with tacos and burritos you can eat with your hands. Its different here but its still Mexican so that means its good. Carne Asada is a very thinly cut skirt steak. You can ask them to cut it in the market for you. Make sure you marinate the meat for a long time before you grill.

Ingredients
2 lbs skirt steak, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 handful cilantro chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeño chopped
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 C olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/3 C soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 tbsp brown sugar

Method 
In a ziplock or bowl, combine all ingredients and marinate for at least 24 hours.

Grill
Serve as tacos or burrito filling or even Carne Asada Fries

Frosted Brownies

So brownies, yeah enough said. I was craving chocolate... I had this friend Julianne 16 years ago and she had this recipe... Man I still cannot find it. But anyways I try to re create it. I may have come close. This brownie was good on its own, but amazing after I changed it, and added my own thing (frosting). So try it and all your chocolate lovers will devour it.

Ingredients

1 1/4 C sugar 

1/4 C water 

1 oz semi sweet chocolate  

3/4 C AP flour 

1/3 C cocoa powder (Trader Joe's)

2 large eggs 

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp baking powder 

Pinch of Salt 

1/2 bag milk chocolate chips 

Frosting
1/3 C milk

1/3 C butter

1 1/4 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 bag milk chocolate chips 

Method 

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 8x8 baking pan.
In a saucepan combine sugar water and semi sweet chocolate.

Cook over a low to medium heat until chocolate is melted and shiny.

In a mixing bowl combine dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Add eggs, oil, and vanilla combine.

Fold in the melted chocolate

 and when completely combined fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread into the prepared pan evenly. Bake for 20-25 min. The brownies are ready when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Frosting
Combine milk, butter and sugar in a small saucepan. bring to a boil over medium to high heat, let boil for 45 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and chocolate chips until smooth and shiny. Immediately pour over brownies. Let cool completely to set.

GET INTO IT!

Down South Banana Pudding

So I have created the absolute best ever banana pudding. The first time I made it for my husbands family, it was for a fathers day event. It was such a hit, the baker of the family "Granny's" grand-daughter told me it was better then her Grannies. There was none left to bring home. The next time I made it I made it for a baby shower gender reveal. Aunties, cousins everyone loved it. I was going to leave it but my husband wanted me to bring the rest home. When I got it home he ate all of it, and has requested that I make it indefinitely. So I make it literally every week. It really is my own recipe, you will not find it anywhere else and you will taste none better.

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 large box vanilla pudding
1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 C whole milk
1 container cool whip
1 box of vanilla wafers
3 bananas

Method 
Cream cream cheese,then add sweetened condensed milk mix thoroughly, add pudding mix, cream and milk. Whip up until nice and thick. Fold in coolwhip.
Layer cookies, bananas, pudding, repeat. Chill 6 hours or overnight ... EAT

Olive Oil Cake

So this day the child wanted cake. Sadly I didn't have regular oil or enough butter for cake and frosting, and who wants cake without frosting?!? Not anyone in my house. So I decided to come up with something on my own. in this test kitchen of mine I pull all the stops.

Ingredients 
1C AP flour
3/4C sugar
2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1 egg
1/2c buttermilk or (1tbsp buttermilk powder and 1/2c water)
1/3c greek yogurt or sour cream
3tbsp olive oil
2tsp vanilla

Recipe for buttercream 

Method
Preheat oven to 350° Spray with baking spray or grease a 8x8 baking pan.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients



Whisk together wet ingredients

 

Add wet to the dry until combined



Pour batter into prepared pan.



Bake 30 min until knife or toothpick comes out clean



Cool Frost Eat

Tortillas

I have always wanted to make tortillas. One day I had so many yumii things, homemade refried beans, sharp cheddar, sour cream and guacamole. All the grounds for really real homemade burritos, or tostada torta yummy flat burritos, whatever it was we ate was amazing. The tortillas were easy to make and way better then store bought. 

Ingredients 

1 1/2C flour

1C bread flour 

2 1/2 tsp sea salt 

1/2C butter

1C hot water 

Method

Mix the dry ingredients together. 

Mix in butter until you get coarse crumbly crumbs 

 

Add hot water 

Stir together until you form a firm ball

 

Knead 3-5 Minutes till ball holds shape and dough is less sticky 

Cover and let rest for 1 hour. Divide into 14-16 balls 

Cover and let rest another 30 min. 

Flatten and roll out balls into a thin round circle

 

Heat hot skillet/ cast iron pan to med/high heat. Cook each side of tortilla for 30 sec 

 

Bubbles are nice 

Fill and enjoy!

Blueberry Biscoff Cheesecake

I was challenged by my daughter, she said she didn't like cheesecake, whaaaat!?! So I made one and she liked it. I changed stuff around from a basic no bake so she would inevitably love my creamy concoction. I live to experiment with cookies and crusts so I tried Biscoff cookies. Mmmmm perfect balance. I will try my goat cheese cake on her next because that is truly the messiah of all cheesecakes. 

Ingredients

1 8oz package of Biscoff cookies finely ground

2tbsp sugar

6tbsp butter

16oz cream cheese

1tsp almond extract

1c powdered sugar 

1/2c sour cream

3/4c heavy cream

Blueberry compote 

8oz blueberries 

2tbsp sugar

1tbsp water

1tsp lemon juice

Method

Melt butter in 9" pie pan 350° heat

Mix together 2 tbsp sugar and cookie crumbs

Press around pan to form crust, bake for 10 min. 

Cool completely 

Using a mixer mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, almond extract, sour cream, and whipped cream until mixed and creamy. When the crust has completely cooled top with creamed mixture

For blueberry compote on stove with small saucepan cook blueberries sugar water and lemon until thick 

Top cheesecake when cooled

Chill in fridge for 4-6 hours.