Crab Dip and Crab Improv

My mother always told me that seafood is sometimes a dangerous thing to freeze - especially crab meat...mainly because it gets watery when it is thawed. Not that you can't do it but just be mindful when throwing some in the freezer and reserving for a future dish - be mindful of what that dish may be!

Well, after the fabulous crab cakes there had been meat left over which I had promptly frozen. I knew it wouldn't make good crab cakes again but it certainly occurred to me that any dip would work fine. Then, hubby was conveniently away and I was home with a sleeping 2-year old pondering dinner. Hmmm...is that Tilapia I see in my freezer along side that crab meat? A few mouse clicks later and I used bits of a recipe here and a dish there to create a yummy fish and crab dish!

I had some left over cream cheese (about 4 oz) which I blended with some Old Bay, a splash of lemon juice, some Parmesan and some bread crumbs. I folded in some of the crab meat and topped my thawed Tilapia fillet. In the oven at 350 for 20 minutes and yum!

The remaining crab dip my dear husband got to enjoy during race day yesterday. This time it was cream cheese, mayo, horseradish, shredded cheddar, garlic salt and Old bay baked in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Delicious with tortilla chips or sour dough bread!!

Sabbatical Over

So the Cook Crook took more than a vacation - she took a sabbatical. She got overwhelmed with work, family, travel and home and next thing you know - no blog updates!

But good things are afoot...the Cook Crook lost 8 pounds on South Beach and she'll be sharing some good South Beach inspired recipes as well as some good loot from recent trips!

Stay tuned!

Cook Crook on Vacation

The Cook Crook is going to Los Angeles for the rest of the week and plans to return with many stolen goods!!!

Spicy Chicken Salad

Sometimes a yummy meal comes from stealing an ingredient from another dish. Case in point: I have already discussed how I will spice, cook and cut up chicken to freeze for later meals. Sometimes, however, the dish I planned to use it for doesn't quite hit me as what I want to eat. My husband, however, is less a slave to his hunger instincts. If the menu says, chicken nachos, chicken nachos it is.

One evening, after thawing out a package of particularly spicy (I used a new Mexican mix that had a little more kick) sliced chicken for said nachos, I realized I really wanted a sandwich. Husband was amped for thsoe nachos though so I had half a package to work with to appease my stomach's whim. A sandwich sounded good but I really wasn't interested in just a regular grilled chicken sandwich. Then, it occurred to me that chicken salad would hit the spot.

I cubed my portion of the chicken, added the mayonnaise, some diced celery and a small squeeze of lime juice. Served on a whole wheat baguette, it was apparently exactly what my stomach needed...and hubby still got to enjoy his nachos.

Chicken Tenders Part II

I usually reserve experimenting with food when my husband will not be having dinner with me. I suppose it's also good practice for a cook to try things out on herself before she subjects her family to it!

Background on this experiment: We keep tortilla chips in the house at all times and inevitably the broken chips and crumbs at the bottom of the bag get thrown away. I have said to myself many times: garnish for soup or chili! or use in a casserole! Then after my post on chicken tenders it occurred to me I hadn't thought about using them in place of breadcrumbs. Sure, i have eaten many things at restaurants with the phrase "tortilla encrusted" but never got out there and did it on my own. Then by chance, reading a copy of Rachel Ray magazine, I cam across her fun tip of the day: "try using crushed tortilla chips in place of breadcrumbs." so with the blessing of the chef who coined the term "Yummo!" I set my sights on something simple: chicken tenders.

I didn't want to just bread tenders and be done so I went back to some staples and favorite flavors. First I seasoned the tenders with my favorite Mexican seasoning. Next my "wet" ingredient was ranch dressing. Then I placed them in a plastic bag with the finely crushed tortilla chips and fried them in a skillet until golden brown. I think they would do very nicely if baked and I think next time I may increase the spices a little more because the salt from the tortilla chips can overwhelm the flavor in some bites. However, the chicken came out extremely moist and since I had some leftovers, they were fed to and got the husband seal of approval when he returned from work travel last night.

Crab Cakes and More Panko Love

I made crab cakes the Thursday before Easter because a local grocery store was selling a pound of lump crab meat for a ridiculous price and the husband loves crab cakes. This was actually my first attempt at the crab cake mainly because I used to live near a gourmet market that would sell them fresh for cheaper than I thought I could make them, and I would just take them home and cook them for my salivating other half.
But the urge to make them struck me and I made a traditional from the red and white Betty Crocker binder version substituting the ground mustard with Old Bay.
As you can see they turned out nicely (I kept them warm in the oven using the cooling rack on the cooling rack trick) and hubby loved but the breading was a little heavy for my taste. I never liked the saltines cracker version my great-grandmother made either so I made a mental note to ease back on the breadcrumbs for next time.
Imagine my delight when I was at Emeril Lagasse's demonstration at the Culinary expo yesterday and he prepared for us a crab cake coated in my favorite....you guessed it, Panko! This indeed solidified my feeling that Panko Japanese breadcrumbs are making a comeback. Granted that crab cake I ate yesterday came from Emeril himself (or at least his recipe and his very capable Sous-chefs) but the lightness of the exterior was exactly what my previous foray into the crab cake needed.
Have you tried Panko yet? I'd love to hear how you've used in the past or in a new way!

Woe of the Working Mom - The Cook Crook Returns

Well -obviously your friend the Cook Crook has not made it into cyber world recently - what with Easter and work travel I couldn't even believe it was Monday already! Easter dinner was success though that I look forward to sharing as was my trip to California which had it's own share of cook crook moments.

So much to catch up on but let me put in one quick comment about the Virginia Culinary expo I attended yesterday. So many vendors there with their personal creations (salsa, relish, BBQ sauce, seasonings, dip mixes, etc.) - it was truly inspirational that anyone is capable of creating something delicious that can be shared with the world. I also want to put in a plug for Top Chef and one of my favorites: Fabio from season 5 who gave a cooking demonstration yesterday and was not only honest and entertaining but inspirational in his own right in terms of the simplicity of food and how 10 minutes of time to cook doesn't have to mean "peel back cellophane and heat 3 minutes". Thanks for reminding all of us and for continuing to keep fun in cooking!

Herbs and Holidays

So it was a busy week for the Cook Crook and the Easter holiday is upon us. The parents are coming over for a holiday meal which means I will be creatively trying to find a way to please a meat and potatoes guy and a devoted low-carber. Should be interesting!
In the meantime, I am trying for the first time to grow my own herbs this year - fresh herbs are always something I appreciate and try to use whenever possible. They really bring the homemade taste to a jarred sauce and add flavor depth to meat and pasta. I started with chives, cilantro, parsley and basil this go round...I'll let you know how it goes!
My favorite use of fresh herbs will be incorporated into Sunday's menu: herb and horseradish encrusted beef roast - yum - slow roasted, medium to medium rare. I'll see what I can steal for side dishes between now and then!!
Until then, Happy Easter.

Chicken Tenders

If you have children or was ever a child and have no deep-seeded aversion to chicken, you have probably on many occasion enjoyed a chicken tender (or what for some reason is often called a chicken finger, which is what my daughter calls it and it still grosses me out!). I personally like mine Buffalo style while hubby likes them pretty much any way but that way. I can attest that like most things, a homemade version is 99% of the time better than a store bought or even a restaurant version and definitely probably more healthy.
I continue to experiment with different methods. Tonight was egg wash, Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and pan fried in a little canola oil. In the past I have put the chicken in ranch dressing and then dredged and fried it. I have also baked them and found that Alton Brown's suggestion about baking things on wire racks almost eliminates the sticking and losing of breading. I have mentioned before that I am a big Panko fan (thanks Mom!) and using that as a breading instead of the standard bread crumbs has often been a nice surprise to the family. I may even go the extra mile and marinate the chicken in a sesame dressing or teriyaki sauce too before coating. One thing about the Panko - if you bake the chicken versus frying it will be lighter in color even if you spray it with the cooking spray as most recipes recommend. The husband was very skeptical about the white looking tenders until he tasted them.
I have yet to make my own buffalo tenders mainly because I am the only one who eats them - but there are quite a few recipes out there to steal from!

Frozen Turkey Meatballs - Why I Always Have a Bag on Hand

The husband LOVES meatball subs, the step-daughter loves spaghetti and meatballs and I enjoy a simple cocktail meatball at any party I go to. I have made meatballs from scratch (my mother-in-law has an awesome recipe) but many times, especially for parties or quick meals, I used the reliable pre-cooked kind (frozen or meat case).
Like most beef and pork based items these days, meatballs are also available in the turkey variety. A word of caution that like most turkey products, not all of them are good (ahem, Armour) but those that are (I happen to especially enjoy Harris Teeter's store brand version) really are a great thing to have on hand.
Remember that crock pot marina sauce I made? Well, cooking that in the crock-pot freed me up some time to go the extra mile with the meatballs and bake them in the oven like I love. Thirty minutes from package, to pan to serving dish. Those meatball subs my husband loves are easy with a jar of our favorite sauce and add meatballs. I can even make a simple sauce, add the meatballs and leave in the trusty crock-pot all day.
I have also found some "cocktail" meatball recipes that make fantastic meals. Burgundy meatballs, for example, involve a simple sauce of onions, brown gravy mix and red wine and are delicious over egg noodles.

And did you ever think about serving sweet and sour meatballs with fried rice or in a poor man's Lo Mein (i.e spaghetti noodles and chopped veggies).
When I am preparing the menu for the month, that bag (or package) of meatballs has always proved to be a great go-to option and so far, everything I have made with them have been asked for again.

How I got the 9 Year-Old to Eat Spinach

Rachel Ray is one of my favorite chefs to steal from for two reasons: 1) her recipes tend to be simple and 2) the meals can be prepared rather quickly. When I saw this recipe - I was immediately interested. I had fried ravioli as an appetizer at TGIFriday's once upon a time and I remembered the husband being a big fan. So, I tried it out.

First, I decided to use good ol' Kraft grated Parmesan cheese. Yes, I am a huge fan of Parmigiana-Reggiano but it's not as cheap as the green can. I also found it hard to find a package of 12-large fresh ravioli. My warehouse club actually sells two packages of spinach and cheese ravioli that contain about 24 medium sized ones, so I went with those. I coat and cook the ravioli as Rachel suggests and then serve it with a nice dish of our favorite jarred pasta sauce. A few of these and a side make a very good meal.

The 9-year old loved these right away and her eating them resulted in one of my favorite family moments. One night she bit into one of the raviolis and decided to carefully examine the contents. I waited to hear her reaction to the very green insides. She looked carefully at both of us and said, "I'm eating spinach aren't I?". Her father smiled and asked if that was a problem. She popped the rest of the ravioli into her mouth and said "Not if it's like this". Needless to say the only obviously green thing you will ever see on my step-daughter's plate is peas but to this day fried ravioli is her favorite meal and she always eats her spinach.

The Pre-Cooked Chicken

I remember when all of the pre-cooked, pre-seasoned, pre-sliced chicken first came on to the market. I bought them when they were on sale (and when I had coupons) and then when my local warehouse club starting carrying them all bets were off. Admittedly I was seduced by the convenience: my husband loved having them around to make super quick chicken nachos and quesadillas and I had something to bail me out when I needed a quick healthy lunch or again, got stumped for dinner.

However, as convenient as they were, there was something slightly artificial about them. The texture always seemed odd to me and when I would pull them apart into smaller pieces for things like nachos and the salads - I would shudder just a bit at the rubbery texture. Still convenience won out.

Then things changed, the costs starting going up and coupons were no longer readily available. The warehouse club stopped carrying the Southwestern flavor and I became more committed to monthly meal planning.

Yet, I could not get over the convenience of having seasoned, cooked ready-to-add-to-a-recipe chicken. So, I made my own! Tonight for example we are having chicken quesadillas using strips of chicken that were made from the leftover breast from the goat cheese sandwiches. I sliced the chicken, put the strips in a sealed plastic container and added a little fresh lime juice and a hearty tablespoon of my favorite Mexican seasoning mix. I gave it a good shake and it's been waiting for me in our fridge. Had I not been planning to have the quesadillas tonight, I could have just as easily transferred all of that to a freezer bag, labeled it and put it away for one of those emergency meal nights!

So now I make my own pre-cooked chicken to have on hand. Some is plain - for all of those recipes that call for two cups of cooked cut-up chicken and some Mexican flavored - fajitas, nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, you name it! Next time you see chicken on sale, stock up, bake it, poach it, grill it, whatever your preference and then slice and store away!

For the Love of Goat Cheese

I love Goat cheese - of course I love most every cheese known to man but I have a special affinity for the usual creamy, crumbly cheese that has so many different variations. (Did I mention I just found out that Gouda is a firm variety?)

My husband was not as sure about the sometimes strong cheese until we went out to dinner one night at nice restaurant and had a salad course that included a small piece of fried goat cheese on the greens. After that, the man who always wants a salad with dinner started asking for crumbled goat cheese to accompany his "roughage" to mix it up a little up from his usual.

Now with the door open to goat cheese, I could explore other recipe options that might include it. Different salad ideas abounded as did the pairing of goat cheese and chicken. Many of those recipes involved the stuffing of the chicken with the goat cheese. But personally, one of my least favorite cooking tasks is stuffing something unless it's for a special occasion. I was really looking for something quick and easy that would make a good weeknight meal to add to the menu.

Then, one day lunching at one of my favorite places Baker's Crust and reviewing their menu I noticed their veggie and goat cheese sandwich and thought, why not a chicken and goat cheese sandwich? The husband is quite a fan of chicken and a sandwich would be an easy way to get to good things together.

So, for the past few years, chicken and goat cheese sandwiches are on the menu once a month or as was the case the night before last, became a desperation dinner when I realized I didn't have what I needed for what was supposed to be Monday night!

I change this recipe all the time to suit what type of goat cheese is available (or what hubby may have purchased) , the dressing I have on hand and the type of bread. One word of note, I tried chicken cutlets once instead of regular chicken breasts and it was not as successful:

2 skinless chicken breasts
40z soft goat cheese (either crumbled or in the log)
Bread
Favorite Oil and Vinegar dressing ( I like Newman's Own)

For the chicken breasts, if I remember to plan ahead I marinate them over night in whatever dressing I have selected. Then I cook them either inside on the George Foreman (yep, I still have mine) or give them to the grill master to cook outside. If no marinating time, we will baste the chicken with the dressing and be sure to drizzle a little extra on the cooked chicken once it is on the sandwich.

Once the chicken is cooked, I slice it into strips. If I am using the log goat cheese, I carefully slice that as well. I preheat the oven to 375 and start assembling the sandwiches. On the occasion I use the big French loaf, I will make one huge sandwich and cut into pieces when it is done. Monday night I had wheat sub rolls leftover so I made individual sandwiches and saved the leftover chicken for a future dish. No matter what bread you use, slice the bread lengthwise into two halves. Drizzle your chosen dressing on both insides of the bread. Then add the cooked chicken to once side (enough to cover the side) and the goat cheese to the other. Feel free to drizzle a little over the cheese and chicken when done. Pop into the oven (still open-faced) and cook until bread begins to crisp and cheese melts. Remove, put the halves together and enjoy!

I have added spinach to this after cooking, roasted red pepper and arugula. the type of goat cheese also affects the final product. Monday night was red pepper and basil goat cheese which got an enthusiastic thumbs up form hubby! And since he's gone tonight and there is leftover chicken AND cheese, I think I may make another sandwich!

Real Meals Please!

I am always upfront about the fact that I have no shame when it comes to stealing whatever great cooking ideas come my way. I also have an opinion about some of the stuff that is out there marketed as "Meal Solutions". Take this article from Better Homes and Gardens posted by the Today Show billed as 30-minute meals for under $5 a serving.

I eagerly clicked on the link excited about what potential new tips and tricks awaited me. And boy was I disappointed! Two of those meals would be great meals for me - the other two I am just not getting the appeal and absolutely none of them would work for my family. Don't get me wrong, I experiment and expose them to new things all the time but if I can't excited for the food, they certainly won't!

Perhaps a better title would have been "Gourmet Meals for under $5 a serving" - at least it would be truth in advertising! I really feel like the food industry is taking advantage of our cost consciousness to get us to click and read and then buy things that just aren't practical to real life. Maybe "Meals for Lunch Time Entertaining" would have even hit the mark better. Just be honest - ask a mom who is trying to stretch the budget and trying to cook healthy satisfying meals for her family if Camembert on flat bread is going to do the trick - I think we all know the answer!

Pork BBQ - The Crock-Pot Scores again!

I love BBQ - pulled pork BBQ that is, shredded in vinegar sauce. I figured I can eat it therefore I can make it. No smoker and no patience for outdoor cooking (that is indeed my hubby's realm) so I thought there must be a way to once again use the ever faithful Crock-Pot.

I found A TON of recipes for pulled BBQ in a slow cooker. Many of them were along the lines of cook pork, add favorite bottled sauce and voila - not really what I was looking for. Then I found this one: Crock Pot Pulled BBQ

Easy enough - I had a 6.5 pound pork shoulder so I increased the liquid to a cup each. Also, culling an idea from several other recipes, after the pork was done cooking, I reserved about a cup of the liquid, being sure to strain it and run it through a coffee filter to remove some of the particles and fat. Once the meat was shredded, I added it back to the crock pot, added the reserved liquid, some red pepper flakes and cooked it on low another hour.

Served on kaiser rolls with "homemade" coleslaw (i.e. bottled coleslaw dressing and the bagged pre-washed coleslaw mix)

We had friends over for this one tonight - there is only enough BBQ left for about 4 more sandwiches!

Tonight's Creation

Tonight was a perfect example of taking something I saw on television and making it into a meal. I had written on the menu "Panko Pork" which meant I knew I had Panko breadcrumbs and boneless pork chops handy. As of yesterday I was still not quite sure what I was going to do with them.

Well, Friday I was watching an episode of the Rachel Ray show and saw her make this recipe. Hmmm, I thought - the herbs in the breadcrumb mix sound like a nice touch and I haven't done a true breading in a while (meaning flour, egg wash and then coat). What if I followed along the same vein for my pork chops? Eliminate the cheese, substitute egg substitute (that's funny), rosemary goes better with pork....oh and I need to deepen the flavor...I know! Marinate the pork chops in Teriyaki sauce!

Results: Panko Pork Chops realized!

4 boneless center cut pork chops
1 cup Teriyaki sauce or marinade
1 1/2 cup flour
2 cups Egg Beaters or 2 beaten eggs
2 cups breadcrumbs (I like the Panko!)
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 Tsp parsley, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil

Marinate the pork chops with the Teriyaki sauce in a plastic bag for a few hours in the fridge. When ready to cook, remove pork from bag, shake off excess sauce and set aside. Heal oil in a pan on medium-Hi heat.

Combine breadcrumbs, rosemary and parsley in a pie plate and set aside. Coat each chop in flour, then dip into egg mixture, fully coating. Finally, coat pork in breadcrumbs. Place in hot oil and fry 5-7 minutes per side depending on thickness of pork and until coating is golden brown. I prefer (and recommend you only flip the pork once - it keeps the coating crispy and in place!)

How can you modify this to make dinner tonight?

Rediscovering the Crock Pot

There was one point in history that I remember every bride got a Crock-Pot for her wedding. I got this beauty at my first wedding in 1999. While that marriage lasted 2 years, this beauty has been with me for the long haul.

Then the "Crock-Pot" fell out of fashion for a while but with the recent economic climate, slow cooking has made a resurgence as a way to use inexpensive cuts of meat to make hearty meals.

However, I discovered the secret a few years ago, before Crock-Pots were cool again and referred to more often as slow-cookers: almost anything can be made into a meal that you can prep in the morning and have waiting for you when you come home from work that night. For the longest time my slow cooker only made an appearance if I was making cocktail meatballs, needed to keep chili warm or I was making a pot roast. Now, I incorporate more and more slow cooker recipes into my monthly menu (which I will talk about in another post soon).

One key tip culled from hours of scouring websites for Crock-Pot recipes: pre-made soups, broths and sauces are your friend. I always keep cream of celery, cream of chicken and cream of broccoli on hand (the husband has a steadfast aversion to mushrooms) and there are 98% Fat Free versions available which the member of the household with high cholesterol also appreciates. I also always have canned tomato sauce, pasta sauce, beef, vegetable and chicken broth. Keep potatoes, onions, carrots and frozen vegetables on hand and there is no meal that can't be whipped up with the addition of some spices and a protein!

Sound simple? Well it is! See what you have on hand and search for a recipe that has a few of those components. If the recipe calls for something to simmer, roast, or bake - you can easily modify it to your crock-pot. Just be sure you follow the two L's of slow cooking: Liquid and Leave. You always need enough liquid and you must leave it alone and the lid on (which should be easy if you are leaving for the day - but the weekend can bring temptation to peek!).

There are a few websites out there giving more guidance - a simple and easy one to read is : http://www.crockpot-cooking.com/

Now being the Cook Crook I have yet to follow any of these to the letter. Instead I came up with a simple formula:

At least 1 cup and/or 1 can of liquid + 1 pound of meat + seasoning = dinner

The equation can be multiplied as much as needed and also be altered to add in a starch and/or vegetables. The cup and cans vary based on the flavors and quantity you are trying to achieve.

For example, take a recipe for Creamy Dijon Chicken at the website mentioned above. You already know my husband won't have anything to do with that Cream of Mushroom soup - so cream of chicken it is. There is also an equally potent aversion to mustard. So one package of dry onion soup mix goes in. Wait, I seem to be out of chicken...but I do have a pound of boneless pork chops handy...and there you go - a stolen idea equals a dinner I know everyone will eat.

That same recipe becomes a slow-cooked Italian chicken with boneless skinless breasts, a jar and 1/2 of our favorite pasta sauce, some chopped fresh basil and oregano (or dried is of course always fine) and some sauteed green peppers and onions. Serve over pasta or without and sprinkle cheese on top when it is plated.

I recently made marina sauce (first time!) for my out of town family over the weekend:

1 pound cooked ground turkey cooked in olive oil with garlic, green pepper, shredded carrot and onions

1 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz can of "Italian" diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1/2 jar of pasta sauce (BTW, that 1/2 jar was leftover from that Italian chicken I mentioned!)

Chopped fresh basil and oregano

Cooked on low 6-8 hours

Remember, this is how I have developed my cooking over the years: I look for things that go together and get advice on what can go in and for how long - the rest is up to me (and whatever happens to be in the pantry or fridge)!

Welcome...hungry?

I love cooking. Cooking magazines, cooking shows, cooking stores...when I am stressed, I cook. When I am frustrated, I cook. When I celebrate, I cook. But I have never considered myself a cook because for as long as I can remember I have never stood in a kitchen and whipped up something from my own inspiration. I thumb through a few cookbooks, surf the net, turn on Food Network or stare into the pantry and the refrigerator. Eventually, I find a couple of things that interest me and I start to pick out the portions of the recipes that apply to what I have on hand, what sounds good and/or what I'd like to give a try. The results are almost always good and sometimes I have "stolen" so many things from so many places, I have difficulty recreating the dish!

But a few weeks ago, while shopping in a local gourmet market, a girlfriend remarked to me about what a good cook I was. I laughed and explained that no, I just steal a lot of good cooks' ideas, take a recipe (or two or three) and make it my own. She returned my laugh and said that anyone can follow a recipe - a cook takes that recipe and creates something new or unexpected.

I thought about that over the next few weeks as I jotted down a few seasoning ideas from a Recipe Source link and Googled some ideas for pork. Was I really a cook or a kitchen crook? Could I claim success at a potluck for a pasta dish my mother made for years but that I turned into lower in fat? When I told my sister-in-law the paper towel in the lettuce container trick that I learned from modifying advice from Rachel Ray, should it come with an asterisk? Then again, shouldn't other people be able to benefit from my ability to borrow, copy and sometimes steal some of the best tips, tricks and recipes out in our vast world?

Thus the idea of the Cook Crook was born. I plan to share my Dr. Frankenstein approach to creating dishes, my sources of inspiration, favorite cooking tips, actual recipes (that will have some room for creativity built in) and even ideas for realistic monthly and weekly menu planning. I also welcome your ideas and own experiences being a cook crook!

First up will be what I have learned from reading 1,000 different crock-pot recipes. Stay Tuned!

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