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.