Celebratory Crab Treats Recipe

I've talked to a few people about the cookbook my sister and I are working on together. We decided to do this not only to share some of our favorite recipes, but also because of the role food has played in our lives and healing. After losing our mom, our mutual love of baking helped bring us together and turn us from sisters into friends. 

This recipe is one we both instantly knew we had to include- the appearance of Crab Triangles at any event growing up signaled celebration! Despite living in Maryland and having crab readily available, it was expensive and, frankly, our family was e a bit on the broke side often. So every party got sausage bread (and you may just have to wait for the book for that recipe), but New Years, milestone birthdays, graduations, etc. called for something extra special. 

Crab was on sale at the grocery store this morning, so it seemed a perfect time to make a batch so I could snap some photos. Little did I know that this was going to remind me of exactly why we're writing this book- food can connect you to the past. One taste of these made me feel like a kid again. I remembered waiting so anxiously for the cheese to get bubbly, and slowly savoring each bite (because each kid was only permitted 1-2 triangles). I ate (at least) 6 this morning, and was almost expecting Mom to pop up and yell at me for it. 

If you know me, you know I cannot abide processed cheese items when real cheese is so good and so, well, real, so I've swapped out jarred cheese for cheddar. I also added some seasoning and significantly backed off the mayo and butter amounts so they would be less greasy. 

I hope they make you feel like celebrating. 

Ingredients

8 ounces of lump blue crab

1/2 stick butter, softened 

1/4 cup mayonnaise

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar

1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning 

6 English muffins, halved

Directions

1.        Set your oven to broil- this comes together really quickly!

2.       Mix crab, butter, mayo and cheddar together.

3.        Spread the crab mix generously on each of the English muffins.

4.        Broil for 3-4 minutes until the mixture bubbles and starts to brown.

5.       Cut each half muffin into 4 equal triangles and serve.

Chocolate, Raspberry, and Almond Cake Recipe

We simply call this “Shauna’s cake” around my house, because it includes so many of my favorite combinations: chocolate and raspberry, chocolate and almond, almond liquor and my mouth…

I spent a long time thinking I didn’t like chocolate cake, but as it turned out, I am just very, very particular about it. I don’t like overly sweet chocolate cake, and it has to be rich and light at the same time. This one is perfect for me. Some may need to up the sugar, depending on your preference. And yes, there are a lot of steps… but the end result is worth it.

Ingredients 

Cake:

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

½ cup coffee or hot water

¾ cup dark  or semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups cake flour

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ cup cocoa powder

2 tbsp black cocoa powder (optional)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

¾ cup full fat buttermilk 

Soak/Frosting:

½ cup almond liquor

6 ounces mascarpone, room temperature

2 cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup cocoa powder

1 ½  cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

¼ cup water

3 tbsp granulated sugar

Filling:

9 ounces raspberries

2 tbsp almond liquor

½ tsp almond extract

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ cup water

Directions 

Cake and Soak

1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 3 8” cake pans with parchment paper (or butter and flour the pans).

2.       Add ½ cup almond liquor to a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes until it starts to reduce and darken in color. Remove and cool.

3.        Add butter, coffee, and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

4.       In a mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixer, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder(s). Whisk together.

5.       Add in eggs, vanilla, cooled chocolate mixture, and buttermilk. Beat on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until all ingredients are just incorporated. Overmixing will result in a chewier cake.

6.       Divide equally among three pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7.        Cool the cakes completely.

8.       Add 1 tbsp of reduced almond liquor to ¼ cup of hot water. Stir in 3 tbsp granulated sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool slightly.

9.       Trim the tops of the cake and brush liberally with the water mixture.

Raspberry Filling

1.        Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and place over medium heat.

2.       Bring to a slow simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and the mixture resembles a thick sauce.

3.        Optional: push sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds.

4.       Cool mixture completely.

Frosting

1.        In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the mascarpone and beat on low speed until smooth. Add the heavy whipping cream.

2.       Every 1-2 minutes, increase the speed slightly. This will help create a more stable whipped cream.

3.        Once the mixture starts to thicken, add the rest of the reduced almond liquor, sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder.

4.       Continue to slowly increased the speed, periodically scarping the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a very thick whipped cream.

Assembly.

1.        Place 1 trimmed and soaked cake on your plate or pedestal. Spread with a very thin layer of frosting. With a piping bag, pipe a thin “wall” of frosting around the outer edge of the cake. Fill the inside of the cake with half the raspberry sauce.

2.       Repeat with layer two.

3.        Top with the final layer of cake, and spread a thick layer of frosting to cover.

4.       Optionally, top with fresh raspberries. Serve slightly chilled.

Make-ahead apple sausage monkey bread

I love monkey bread. I’d say “as much as the next guy” but it’s probably more. I mean, biscuits coated in sugar and drowned in butter- what is not to love?

 That said, breakfast needs more than white flour and sugar to me. In years past, I’d made a traditional version of this and then be scouring the house for some nuts or bacon or something. This usually ended up in me eating leftover peanut butter cups from Christmas, you know, because I needed more sugar at 9 am.

 I have been working on this recipe that adds a little protein and fiber into monkey bread. Healthy? No. Delicious? Absolutely.

This is also a great make-ahead meal that we usually have on holiday mornings. Since you can prep a day or two before, it is an ideal New Year’s Day breakfast since you can just pop it in the oven while you nurse your champagne head ache.

                                        

Ingredients

1 lb breakfast sausage

2 cans refrigerated biscuit dough

2 medium green apples, peeled and sliced into ½ inch squares

1/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup maple sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp clove

1 stick butter

¼ cup bourbon

¼ cup maple syrup

½ cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 (unless making head).
2. In a skillet, brown sausage on medium heat. About halfway through cooking, add the apples. Cook until sausage is no longer pink (do not overcook!) and drain.
3. In a large bowl, combine granulated sugar, maple sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
4. Cut the refrigerated biscuits into 4 pieces each and toss with the sugar and spice mixture.
5. Spray a Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange a layer of biscuit pieces on the top. Add a layer of half the apple and sausage mixture, followed by more biscuits, the other half of the apples and sausage, and finished with biscuits.
6. Melt the butter and mix in the bourbon, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Pour over the prepared pan.
7. If you’re making ahead, cover the pan and refrigerate.
8. Once ready to cook, bake for 50-60 minutes, or until biscuits are cooked through.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for approximately 10 minutes. Invert onto a plate and enjoy!

A little less old ladyish?

I read an article the other day about the health benefits of crocheting. Apparently, spending your time with hook and yarn in hand lowers stress and can add years to your life.

I KNEW IT.

I really crochet to keep my hands busy while watching TV with my husband. In the last three years, I've definitely gotten more crochet crazy, cranking out blanket after blanket. I love giving these handmade items as gifts, as I think giving such a keepsake is a good way of saying "you are special enough to me that I spent the time to make this for you!"

The only issue is that I really struggled to find patterns that didn't look like something your great grandma would have thrown over the back of her plastic slip-covered couch. I did some fun stuff with bright patterns, and then I discovered appliques!

These baby blankets are three of my favorites I've every done.

I really think these retain the "keepsake" nature of a gift, but also allow for something very personal and more modern looking. As an example, the bottom blanket was for a friend who used a pond theme in her daughters nursery.

All of these patterns are available on Ravelry saved in my queue. http://www.ravelry.com/people/CrochetShauna 

Gifts for Baby...

My mother believed that every newborn should have something handmade. This is an idea she instilled deeply in me when teaching me to crochet at age 9.

I've tried to keep up with her ideals- making sets for all of my pregnant friends. However, now that I myself am pregnant, my crocheting time outpaces the conception rate of my circle of friends. Thus, I have an Etsy shop to sell some of my extra items... like this one...

This one make me question my "we're only having one..." mantra, especially since my one is a boy!