Full Swing Spring - Sally's Crabcakes

Spring is in full swing a little early this year. There are so many beautiful trees and flowers in early bloom that I don't have room to post them all.

I found some sweet, peaceful Lily of the Valley in the backyard and they brought a little spring into the kitchen one day. For some reason, Lily of the Valley always make me think of Tennessee Ernie Ford singing in his deep voice "there will be peace....peace in the valley for me". Love finding peace anywhere these days.

The pink, graceful blooms on the Weeping Cherry tree is something that I look forward to every year. This tree is down the street from our house and it takes your breath away when it seems to appear out of nowhere overnight.

The redbud is on the grounds of a local church and I literally jumped out of my car the other day to snap a picture. Mama sometimes calls the redbud "The Jesus Tree" so I guess it is really appropriate to have it on the church grounds. I googled and learned that the Eastern Redbud is sometimes called "the Judas Tree" because it is thought to be the type of tree mentioned in the Bible when Judas hung himself after betraying his friend, Jesus. It's ironic that two brilliant and lovely trees have such sadness in their names - Weeping Cherry and Judas. But then life is like that. Full of love and beauty and sometimes sadness.

We were sad to say goodbye to Steve this week. I have posted several times about the wonderful organic potatoes that Steve has kindly shared with us over the years. He loved digging around in the dirt and we loved him for it. We will miss those potatoes and will miss his kind and gentle spirit even more.

We dug around in the dirt ourselves and got our spring garden started. So far we have several types of lettuce, spinach, strawberries, onions and garlic in the ground. Hopefully the 80plus degree weather won't be too hard on these tender plants because I'm looking forward to Mama Crowder's Wilted Lettuce and Onions sometime soon. (recipe posted March 31, 2010)

March is birthday month for a bunch of us including Mama. Mama loves Red Lobster and I snapped a pic when Libby and I took her there for a birthday lunch. She turned 86 this year and who knew anybody could look that good at 86? But the more amazing thing about Mama is how her beauty is not just skin deep. I've heard Daddy say, "Ruby got the right name because she's a real jewel".

We didn't have crabcakes at the Red Lobster but I did fix some really good ones the other day. As usual I started out with several recipes and used parts that I liked from each one. Hats off to Chicken of the Sea, Fresh Market, and my friend, Beth for various ideas in this recipe. Oh, and hats off to Nishie, Dad and Mom for my experience with making Salmon Patties the Lattimore way. That experience helps alot when making crab cakes.(Salmon Patty recipe posted Jan 30, 2011).

We like crabcakes to mostly taste like crab so I didn't use a whole lot of bread for filler. I did use some seasonings but not very much of anything so you really taste the crab more than anything. The jalapeno is there for a little kick but is not overpowering. We served the crabcakes with a lemon slice and Nishie's Slaw. (recipe posted April 11, 2010)

Crabcakes with Nishie's Slaw turned out to be a satisfying, fairly light and easy early spring supper.

Sally's Crabcakes

Mix together the following:

1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp fresh parley (less if using dried)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp horseradish mustard
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
a shake or two of black pepper
2 pieces loaf bread, crust removed and bread finely crumbled

Without breaking up the crab too much gently fold in:

1 lb lump crab meat

Make 8 patties, place on cookie sheet, cover and put in fridge for at least an hour. You can leave in fridge for 5 or 6 hours if needed. This is great for making ahead of time and the chilling helps keep the patties together when frying.

When ready to fry:

Heat 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Fry four at a time for about 4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels for a minute or two to remove excess oil. This is quicker and easier than it may seem and if you love crabcakes it's worth a try. As always, feel free to tweak to your own hearts desire.

In (and out) Like a Lion - Simple Southwestern Chicken Soup

February went out and March came in like a Lion.

The last week of February brought David, KC, Jay, Devin, Will, Turner, Rhett, Steve and Kathe, Dino and Kassie, Linda and Richard, Paul, Jackson and Marybeth....and others to our table for various get togethers. It was great having a house full of family and friends for some planned and some totally unplanned dinner parties.

Gardner Webb Runnin' Bulldogs ended their regular season at home with a crowd to say goodbye to the seniors. Seniors David Brown and Laron Buggs and families were honored prior to the game. Jay will be graduating with them a year early this May but, with eligibility left, his plans for next year are up in the air so he opted out of the senior ceremony. Mom, Dad, cousins and friends came out to the game anyway and we got a nice picture of everyone. We also got a picture of Jay with Molly, who has cheered him on through high school and college. Both will be graduating early which is pretty impressive with the time and energy that college athletics requires.

David and I followed the Bulldogs to their tournament game at High Point University and there the 2012 season ended. It was a tough season with many ups and downs but, as always, the lessons learned along the way and the many wonderful relationships that developed will always be remembered.

Leaving High Point we traveled on to Raleigh-Durham and among many things we got in a variety of visits with a lot of different folks - including our newest family member, Mary Eden. Lynn snapped of cute pic of Mary Eden with her new BlaBla doll but no doubt Mary Eden is the real doll there. Mary Eden's 2 year old sister, Maggie is very observant and must remember visiting in Shelby with our menagerie. When she saw David she immediately called him "Mr. Cat"! I'm not sure if David or Mr. Cat would be prouder.

We carved out some time in Raleigh to take a long walk in the park near Mom and Dad's condo and noticed pretty pink buds on the trees. It's always a joy to take time out to recognize the beauty of spring. Last year at this time, I wrote about a poem I learned in college which tells how just the sight of daffodils can lift your spirits and make your heart sing. (posted March 1, 2011)

So here's to spring flowers, lifted spirits and especially to singing hearts.

Simple Southwestern Chicken Soup

We needed a quick supper one night after all of the traveling and craziness so I made up an easy and Spicy Chicken Soup. I had cooked a lot of chicken breasts in my slow cooker (like Susan taught me to do!) and after I made several chicken pies, I had enough left over to make this soup. If you don't have time to cook chicken, you can always get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Nothing wrong with a shortcut now and then.

Shred or chop cooked chicken (about 2 cups or so)
Add:

Garlic powder, Chili Powder, Black Pepper and Cumin and to taste
I didn't measure the spices, but I used more Chili Powder than the other spices. Just shake them over the chicken until it looks right! And remember - Mom says, "You can always add more but you can't add less!"

Then add:
1 jar of Salsa (I used chunky, medium hot salsa)
1 32 oz box of Chicken Broth
About 1 tablespoon of Lime Juice

Simmer till flavors blend and serve with grated Jalapeno Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream and Tortilla Chips. That'll make your heart and your tongue sing. Enjoy.