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This is a recipe I’ve been dying to try for quite some time. It came to me from Karin Zoril, our inside classified sales rep at Lake Country Publications. She told me about it back in the spring and finally brought the recipe in to me about a month ago.
It works great as an appetizer or as a side dish with your main entrée. With butter, potatoes, cheese and crab … what’s not to like. Thank you, Karin.
Crab-Stuffed Potatoes
Ingredients
4 large white potatoes (think Mr. Potato Head)
¾ cup butter or margarine
¾ cup whipping or light cream
Cayenne pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste2 tablespoons grated onions
1¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 to 1½ cups grated sharp yellow cheese
1 pound white crab meat (canned lump crab works)
Paprika for garnish
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Scrub potatoes under cold running water, dry thoroughly and pierce with a knife or fork to allow steam to escape.
Place the potatoes directly on rack in the middle of the oven and bake until you can easily pierce with a fork (about an hour to an hour-and-a-half). Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.
Remove the potatoes and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut lengthwise and scoop out the flesh (leaving enough potato to hold shell firmly together).
In a large mixing bowl, whip the potatoes with butter, cream, pepper, garlic powder, onion, parsley, green onion, salt and cheese; add the crab meat and fold in gently.
Refill the potato shells with the mixture and sprinkle generously with paprika. (Can be done ahead to this point and refrigerated for later use.)
Place the potatoes in a 400-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes and serve. Yields eight servings.
Helpful hint
For a crispier, flavorful shell, roll the potatoes in canola oil and coat with salt before baking.
Catfish is a popular dish at our house. It’s one of the few foods the entire family enjoys eating. This recipe includes a dry mix that also works well with chicken, beef or pork.
Southern Fried Catfish
Ingredients
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 catfish fillets (or tilapia)
1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Preparation
Heat a large skillet or deep fryer to 375 degrees.
While the oil is heating, mix cornmeal, flour, salt, red pepper, garlic powder and black pepper in a brown paper bag. Add the hot sauce to the catfish, place it in the paper bag and shake until fully covered, shaking off the excess.
Fry the fish 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or a brown paper bag.
Serve with your favorite rice or throw together a little mayonnaise with shredded cabbage, red onions, a rice vinegar and fried corn tortillas for a delicious catfish taco.
The flour mixture can be made ahead and stored in the freezer until ready to use.
Helpful hints
We’ve all had the problem where egg shell pieces fall into your dish. Instead of trying to capture the culprit with your finger, try using part of the egg shell to scoop it out. It cuts right through the whites for easy removal.
I think I’ve made it perfectly clear that I am a Food Network junkie, always trying recipes, with my family at home as guinea pigs.
This next recipe is one I tested quite some time ago. It comes from Tyler Florence and is great for a Sunday dinner or on a cool fall night – comfort food at its best.
Dad’s Meatloaf with Tomato Relish
Tomato Relish ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 12-ounce bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Meatloaf ingredients
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
Leaves from two fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
Three to four bacon slices
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a skillet with oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic and bay leaves for about three minutes before adding the red peppers; cook until softened. Add the tomatoes and stir in the parsley, ketchup and Worcestershire and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and let cool. (Should have about four cups.)
While the relish is cooking, place the bread in a bowl and add enough milk to just barely cover. Swish the bread around and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1½ cups of the relish, eggs and thyme; season with salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze any excess milk from the bread and add it to the meat mixture.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet and transfer the mixture to the center of the sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and four inches wide. Cover top of the meatloaf with ½ cup of the relish and lay the bacon across the top, lengthwise.
Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. You should rotate the meatloaf halfway through baking to ensure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.
Helpful hints
To test the flavor of a meatloaf before cooking, fry a small “hamburger” patty until cooked. The patty should hold together but have a soft consistency. Add more seasoning as needed.
Ok, I admit it, I got caught behind the 8-ball this week and forgot that Halloween is this weekend. While I do try to keep my recipes timely for seasons and holidays, I did have to cheat this week and found the following recipes on a family fun Website.
The distraction comes from the fact that my former cubicle mate Katie Memmel has recently moved back to California and while I wish her well, her exit leaves a void that can’t easily be filled
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My kids all have late summer birthdays. Anastasia is usually safe for the start of the school year, but my youngest, Milena, typically has her first day of school on her birthday, followed by my son, Sebastian, whose birthday is generally soon after Labor Day. This, more often than not, means I’m making treats for the classroom right off the bat.
This next recipe is one that my kids take to school on a regular basis, but be careful, it calls for peanut butter and you’ll have to check the school’s policy on peanut allergies before bringing it in
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It’s that time of the year again, and office party potlucks are in full swing as we celebrate the holiday season. Our office manager, Katie Zurn, is good at organizing these potluck get-togethers. She sends out an email, puts out a signup sheet and even plans the themes.
I usually pick up my daughter, Anastasia, after school and she hangs out in the lunchroom waiting for me to finish up whatever project I’m working on before we head out to pick up my other two kids, Sebastian and Milena. Well on this day she lucked out, because it happened to be our holiday potluck. Needless to say, her afterschool snack was more than taken care of
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September 30th 2011 01:51
I love Italian food. In fact, it’s one of my favorite cuisines to cook and eat. This next recipe is one that I played around with until I got it just right. It’s delicious, works well with or without meat, and doesn’t require a culinary degree to master.
Pasta ala me
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September 25th 2011 13:56
Kim Cooper is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We first met at the ripe old age of 5 and 6 as first-graders at St. Rose of Lima Grade School in Milwaukee. Ever since, she has provided me with love, support, cherished memories, recipes and best of all humor with a whole lot of laughter.
Kim has held every job from insurance agent to operating room nurse. This next recipe comes from her stint as a Pampered Chef rep. It’s cool and delicious, an easy traveling treat for football season and a great way to get kids (and adults) to eat their veggies
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September 17th 2011 16:04
My son, Sebastian, has become an eating machine. He just turned 14 and can easily wolf down a full meal only to be “starving” again a half-hour later.
One of the few things that seems to curb this primal hunger is quiche … yes, I said quiche. Sebastian loves eggs and is more than happy to devour half a quiche in one sitting
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September 16th 2011 00:58
Fall is just around the corner and apples are everywhere. This is the time for football and potlucks.
This is a recipe my friend Linda Meindel brought to an end of the year St. Joan of Arc picnic. It’s fun to eat, easy to make, travels well and – from what I could tell by its quick disappearing act – a hit with both children and adults
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Comment by Cynthia Acosta
on Good friends, good recipes: Baked Artichoke Dip
Cynfully Good Cooking