Corn Pudding

I made this dish for my foodie brother, he loves corn pudding and corn souffle's. This ended up being my favorite dish that I served at our 2014 Thanksgiving dinner. Still great after being refrigerated.

Ingredients 

1/4 cup white sugar 

1/8 cup honey

6 large eggs 

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

1/2 cup butter, melted 

6 cups frozen corn, thawed. I used both yellow and white

3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 heaping teaspoons baking powder 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Whisk together eggs, honey and sugar. until well mixed; add in the cream and butter. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Boil the corn until cooked throughout. Remove from heat, drain. Place into a food processor or blender, add cream mixture and blend until smooth. 

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture, whisking continuously until smooth.

Evenly pour the corn pudding mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until corn pudding is lightly browned and set in the middle, about 55 to 60 minutes.

Corn Casserole

This was one of those dishes everyone instantly mumbled "Mmmm" upon the first forkfull.

I found this dish to be absolutely delicious served on the day it was prepared. However, I did not enjoy it as much after it had been refrigerated overnight. I highly recommend this dish being served on the same day it is baked.

Ingredients 

1/2 cup butter, melted 

2 large eggs, beaten 

1 (8.5 ounce) package dry jiffy cornbread mix 

1/8 cup honey

2 cups sweet frozen whole kernel corn, thawed 

1 (14.75 ounce) can creamed corn 

1 cup sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Add cornbread mix, melted butter, honey, corn and sour cream. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Garnish with sliced green onions.

5 Minute Banana Pudding

I call it 5 Minute Banana Pudding because it only takes 5 minutes to whip it together. Super simple recipe & tastes great.
Ingredients
1 (5.1oz) box instant vanilla pudding
3 cups of cold milk
1/2 (11 oz) box Nilla wafers
2 very ripe bananas, sliced
Directions
Mix the powdered pudding mix with the cold milk. Add wafers and banana slices. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving. I refrigerate overnight.
Note: you can also add whipped cream for a fluffier consistency.

Green Bean Almondine Casserole

Green Bean Almondine Casserole
Ingredients
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 3/4 cups French fried onions, divided
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese (Not the dry powdered kind)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans green beans
1/8-1/4 cup slices almonds
Directions
Mix Together the mushroom soup, 3/4 cup French fried onions, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, Worcestershire or soy and pepper. Spoon into a casserole dish.
Top with remaining 1 cup of parmesan, sliced almonds and remaining French fried onions.
Cover with aluminum foil
Bake at 350° for 22-25 minutes.
Remove foil during the last 5 minutes of baking time.

Broccoli in cheese sauce aka Broccoli and cheese

Broccoli in cheese sauce

Ingredients
2 heads of fresh broccoli

4 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 cups broccoli water (reserves from boiling broccoli)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream or more as needed

1 pound yellow American cheese

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Rinse broccoli, cut stems and tops into bite size pieces. Boil until tender, drain but be sure to reserve about 2 cups of the water to use as needed in the sauce.

Before making the roux measure out the broccoli water and cream. Heat the cream before adding it to the sauce or it will slow down cooking.

Make the roux by melting the butter in a heated saucepan. add the flour, whisk continuously for one full minute. I usually cook the roux for 1 1/2 - 2 mins. You want it to stay buttery yellow, if it gets golden brown it takes on a different flavor.

Add the broccoli water to the pan, whisking constantly. It will thicken up very quickly. Keep whisking in cream until it reaches the desired thickness / consistency.

Add layers of cheese, about 6 slices at a time. Whisking them in to the sauce until melted, then repeat the cheese layers until all the cheese has been melted in.

Season with nutmeg and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.

Stewed Pasta

Oh My is this recipe one of my All-Time Favorites!

 So simple, yet so delish!
(Having a hard time adding photos from my new phone)
I'll add one from the computer later on

I solved the photo issues by installing the blogger app on to my phone.

ingredients

1 pound Elbow (macaroni) Pasta, cooked

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter

1 Tablespoon Dried Sweet Basil

2 teaspoons Dried Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Onion powder

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 pound of Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese, I use a zester

2 (15 oz) cans Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes, pureed

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions

Melt butter, then season with basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper

Layered the bottom of a 13x9" glass PYREX baking dish with some buttered pasta

Spoon on 2 cups pureed stewed tomatoes

 Then cover with cheddar cheese

Repeat the layer again 

Cover with foil, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Seafood Stuffed Cannelloni in Spinach Béchamel Sauce

Hubby and I are both big seafood lovers, and we were both very interested in this recipe. It was one from chef Giada De Laurentiis. I added my own touches to come up with the versions below.

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) box Cannelloni or Manicotti Pasta (about 12 shells)
1 cup Ricotta Cheese

1 cup Fresh Mozzarella, diced
3/4 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 Large Egg Yolk
1/2 cup Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves

1/8 cup Chopped Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
1 pound Lump Crabmeat

1/2 pound Steamed Shrimp, Deveined, Peeled and Minced, recipe below
1 dozen Sun-Dried Tomato Roasted Scallops, diced, recipe below
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground White Pepper
Spinach Béchamel Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally,

about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain pasta.

In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, 3/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup spinach béchamel sauce, egg yolk, basil, crab, shrimp, old bay, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill the cannelloni with the crab mixture and place in a buttered PYREX baking dish.

Top the filled cannelloni with the Spinach Béchamel Sauce and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

Bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Spinach Béchamel Sauce aka Creamed Spinach
I came up with this creamed spinach while trying to duplicate Boston Markets. I was extremely happy with the outcome. I normally add two boxes of spinach when not using the recipe as a sauce.

Ingredients
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter - divided
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black  Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Freshly Ground Nutmeg
1 cup Half and Half cream
4 ounces Cream Cheese - softened
1/2 teaspoon White Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Vidalia  Sweet Onion - minced
1 Tablespoon Roasted Garlic
1 (10 ounce) box Frozen Chopped Spinach - thawed and drained
1/4 cup Low-Sodium Chicken Stock or Broth
1/8 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/8 cup Freshly Grated Romano cheese

Directions
In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter 3 Tablespoons butter;

Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; cook 1 full minute 

Then slowly whisk in warm cream; stir in cream cheese and sugar.
Increase heat to medium; whisking mixture constantly, until sauce is thick and smooth

Remove from heat, cover to keep warm and set aside.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onions in remaining 2 Tablespoons butter until transparent; stir garlic, spinach and chicken broth into pan.
Reduce heat to medium-low; cover; simmer, stirring occasionally.

Using a wooden spoon, stir spinach mixture into creamy mixture; return to medium-low heat;

Simmer, stirring often, until warmed throughout.
-Remove from heat; fold in parmesan and Romano.
NOTE
Reserve 1/2 cup to add to the cheese filling mixture.

Sun-Dried Tomato Roasted Scallops
If you prefer not to use the oven, you may pan sear the scallops
They're delicious either way.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in oil), roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
2 Tablespoons Pitted Black Olives (about 10 olives), chopped
1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 dozen Sea Scallops, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, add the tomatoes, basil, olives, and olive oil and process until finely chopped.
Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper.
Rub each scallop with the tomato mixture.
Place scallops in a buttered baking dish.
Bake until scallops are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Cut into chunks, then add to the cheese filling mixture.

So glad you have stopped by

I love to read comments from folks visiting me in blogland.

I look forward to new ideas, suggestions, requests

and even any alterations you may have made to one of my recipe posts.

So please leave me a comment and I will buzz by your blog and do the same for you.

Come Back Soon

*&* Often

You're Welcome Anytime!

Aim ♥ 

Have The Best Day Ever

Hearty Maryland Blue Crab Soup

Grab a cup of tea or coffee and a comfy seat, this is a long post.

I started writing this week's ago.





GORGEOUS Views, even on land.

This is Baby, No not the same Baby from Dirty Dancing.
Baby was reenacting the scene from Titanic.

There is nothing quite like a day on the Wye River,



BIG Boy

IMO There's no better tasting crab than Blue Crabs from the Wye River.

OMGoodness Are They Huge

Filled with Lumps of Sweet White Meat



Meat from half a crab

And No one steams crabs like my hubby.

He really is the best at steaming crabs.

He taught me his recipe and techniques, but swore me to secrecy.

I've kept his recipe secret for close to 20 years now.

I recently convinced him to share it.

Why not let everyone enjoy the best blue crabs possible, right?

:^)

I'm sure most spouse's brag that theirs makes the best of this or that.

Honestly, between his recipe, and the Wye Rivers Blue Crabs...

they truly are the most delicious steamed crabs ever.

After two days of crabbing, and lots of picking
we needed to decide on a recipe to use the crab meat in.

Hubby wanted crab cakes, and we all wanted Maryland crab soup.

So both it is!

I will be sharing all three of our family crab recipes that I mentioned...

Blue Channel's Maryland Steamed Crabs

Wye River Maryland Crab Cakes - will add soon

Hearty Maryland Crab Soup

__________
Check out this site http://www.chow.com/recipes/30377-basic-steamed-blue-crabs#! for how to clean a Blue Crab

Making Crab Stock

Rather than using plain water...

I start my Hearty Maryland Blue Crab Soup by making a Crab Stock.

In a large stock pot, I add the shells / bodies, claws and legs from at least 12 freshly steamed blue crabs that have already been picked fairly clean, and 1.5 gallons of water.

I boil the shells on high heat for 1.5 hours

Then I strain the broth, and pour it in a 24 quart aluminum stock pot.

Do not use the last of stock in the bottom of the pot

It will be full of debris.

Discard the shells, etc.

I only use the shells and water because I add lots of vegetables, herbs, and spices to the crab soup, besides the shells are loaded with seasonings from being steamed, plus they also have their own natural seasoning... "the mustard".

Rich Flavorful Crab Stock

__________

If you want to get more depth of flavors you can add...

Carrots, roughly chopped

Celery stalks, split

Onion, peeled and diced
Fresh Garlic
Turnip, split
Leeks
Fresh parsley
Fresh thyme
Bay Leaves
Lemon juice
White Wine

Shrimp and Lobster Shells

I do not recommend additional salt or pepper, there's a lot on the shells already.

Look at all that flavor

Honestly, it doesn't need it, and I prefer just the steamed crab flavor.

Let's start with steaming the crabs

Steam ingredients

16 to 18 Blue Crabs

12 ounces Beer

2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

2 cups Water

5 Tablespoons Old Bay, J.O. Spice, or Costas Inn Seafood Seasoning

1/2 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

6 Tablespoons Sea Salt

Pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Hubby's Special Steam Sauce

In the bottom *sauce* pot add beer, vinegar, water, 5 old bay, 6 tablespoons course salt and a pinch of pepper.

BIG Boy

Place the top steamer pot on then add a single layer of live crabs

Time to start layering.

Sorry, there are no exact measurements for this step

Reference photos

Working on the third layer

Best I can say is to go heavy on the seafood seasoning and mustard

Be very generous with the Old Bay *&* Dry Mustard

Season with a 50/50 mixture of Costas Inn & Old Bay or J.O. Spice & Old Bay

then sprinkle on dry mustard

Sea salt

Pepper

Course salt

Mixing the seafood seasonings makes the perfect blend of spicy sweet

Keep repeating the layers until the crabs are a few inches from the top.

Time To Steam

Place over medium-high heat

Steam for 30 minutes.

Cut heat back to medium, steam an additional 10 to 15 minutes

or until the shells turn orange / red, and the belly is white.

Costas Inn is a delicious milder than Old Bay seafood seasoning

Note:

I started this pot of crab soup at 11:30 am...

I finished 12 hours later.

It cooked all day and it developed so nicely

Hearty Maryland Blue Crab Soup

ingredients

3 1/2 pound Boneless beef chuck roast, seared

Soup Base:

1 gallon Crab stock

4 quarts V8 100% Vegetable Juice

2 cups (16 oz) Swanson low-sodium beef broth

2 (14.5 oz) Del Monte Original Stewed Tomatoes, pureed

3 cups (24 oz) Hunt's petite diced tomatoes

2+ tablespoons Old Bay

1/8 cup French's Worcestershire sauce
3 fresh bay leaves
Pot Roast
1+ dozen steamed crabs, cleaned and cracked in half
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked free of any broken shells
1 dozen steamed crab claws
1 bundle fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley leaves, 6 to 8 tied together

2 pound bag baby carrots, sliced

1 bunch celery, diced (leaves and bottom trimmed off)
8 ears of corn on the cob, sliced into circular disks
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and chopped
2 boxes frozen lima beans
2 bags shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix)
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
3 pounds baby red potatoes, rinsed, diced and boiled
Note:

Shrimp would be great in this soup also

I love the flavor of shrimp

I'm going to add shrimp next time

Crab Soup Directions:

In a 24 quart stock pot over medium-high heat...
Place the seared pot roast in first

When I shredded the roast I made hubby a sandwich

Then add...

Crab Stock

V8 Juice
Beef Broth
Pureed Stewed Tomatoes
Diced Tomatoes,

Season with...

Old Bay seasoning, if desired

Worcestershire Sauce

Bay Leaves

Parsley Bundle

Pureed Stewed Tomatoes

Tossing in whole herbs makes it easier

Stir to combine.
Add all the vegetables, by this point it should be just slightly bubbling.
Add the crabmeat, crab halves and claws.
Reduce heat to low, simmer for 8 to 10 hours.
Season with more Old Bay, if desired.

Serve garnished with oyster crackers, 1 Tablespoon cooked crabmeat, a
pinch of Old Bay and finely chopped parsley.

With the exception of the boiled potatoes

I pretty much just dump everything in at the beginning

Once the soup is done, I add the boiled potatoes and let them soak in the crab soup for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Once the roast is nice and tender, remove from pot, shred with a fork, then place back in to the crab soup.

Most of this batch (about 2 gallons) went to the firehouse with hubby.

I was honored that a fellow firefighter of my husbands liked this so much that

he wanted his wife to try it as well.

He took her to Seaside Restaurant for Maryland Crab Soup

Unfortunately, they ended up with cream of crab, and didn't like it as much.

Personally, I prefer Mo's Seafood Factory to Seaside.

Seaside is outdated inside, and has a musty smell, I just can't eat there.

And the food isn't nearly as good as Mo's.

Plus Mo's is very clean, and their portions are double or better.

I wish the firefighters had some leftover for Mr. Chang to take home to his wife.

I was told placing a wooden spoon over a boiling pot prevents it from boiling over

Using a coleslaw mix shortcut

Baby Carrots

Chopped Celery

Cutting the corn takes some muscle

Rough diced onion, cooks down to almost nothing

Fresh Green Beans, only way to go.

Small Red Potatoes

Turned out great.