September 20 - Crab cakes, corn, mashed potatoes

Acme had a great sale on crab meat and I had a couple of $2 off coupons, so I picked up a bunch of crab meat and decided to make some seafood! I knew the kiddos wouldn't eat them (although I swear Linds scarfed them down before, but maybe I'm imagining that?), so I made them nuggets. It was funny looking at their nuggets, mashed taters and corn...totally reminded me of an elementary school lunch!

Everything came out really well, but it never fails - my cakes always fall apart when I try to flip them. I think I need to form them earlier and pop 'em in the fridge for a couple hours before hand just to firm them up. Regardless, they still tasted fantastic!

Crab Cakes
Ingredients
8oz. Phillips crab meat
1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning
1 egg
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1.5 tsp. mustard
1.5 tsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 c. breadcrumbs

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for crab meat. 
2. Gently fold in the crab meat, being careful not to break up the lumps. 
3. Shape into cakes. 
4. Pan fry until golden brown.

I didn't take any photos since I was a little embarrassed about the floppiness of the cake. You know what they  look like though!

September 19 - Restaurant Fest!

The 31st annual Restaurant Fest in West Chester was today, so a few of my mamas and I decided to go. I've never been...and now I know I'll never miss it! We had a BLAST! There were over 50 restaurants from the area and hundreds of craft vendors that lined Gay Street and some of the side streets nearby. It was hella packed, but the crowds were definitely worth it. All of the restaurants offered different dishes from appetizers through desserts, and there were so many different flavors that every palate left satisfied.

We started the day off with shots at Kildare's (they let us use their bathroom, so we felt we just HAD to give them some business?!), then went booth to booth sampling everything from reuben egg rolls, to sausage/spinach/crab stuffed mushroom caps, seafood crepes, chicken satay, hawaiin chicken skewers, "up cakes" (upside down cupcakes...more frosting coverage...brilliant!), kettle corn...the list goes on. We spent some time in the "beer garden" where they served a few different brews and some pinots (both red and white). Naturally we had to add a shot of Jameson to the mix at Landmark, too. It was a fab time with fun friends! Below we all hopped on one of the motorcycles they were raffling off. When Linds saw the picture later, she told me, "mommy - you HAVE to buy a motorcycle so I can ride on it like you, Miss Christy and Miss Sarah!" Suuuuure, kid... ;-)

Salsa!

After looking through all of the delicious veggies we got from Vollmecke Farms, I realized we had all the ingredients to make a really kick ass salsa. I never made my own, so I looked up some other recipes, but threw together my own little thing. I pulsed the stuff individually in the food processor so it was good and chopped up and did a lot of draining, but man, when that was finished - well, let's just say jarred stuff will NEVER be as good. I was amazed how delicious it was and how well I did with no recipe (you know me - I just *have* to have something to go off of when I cook).

I used about a dozen cherry tomatoes, an onion, a green pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 jalapeño peppers, 1 habanero pepper, a splash of red wine vinegar, a drizzle of EVOO, a little sugar, a little salt and some cilantro. It had a GREAT kick to it after you swallowed it, but a sweet tang to it, too. I brought it over to a dinner party we had with some friends and came home without any left. I was happy it was a hit (but super bummed not to have any to much on today!).

Veggies Galore!

Thanks to my fabulous neighbors friends, Joy and Kortney, we got to go pick up another share from Vollmecke Farms this summer! The two are enjoying a vacation in the Grand Canyon, so we reap the benefits of them missing pick-up.

This time around we got tons of great fruits, veggies and spices! Our loot included:

• 1 quart cherry tomatoes
• 1 quart tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 green pepper
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 1 habanero pepper
• 1 basket of beets
• 1 bag of green beans
• 2 buttercup squash
• 1 basket of potatoes
• 1 bag of apples
• Basil (both regular and Thai)

I can't even begin to imagine all of the possibilities of what we can do with this stuff! I already used the cherry tomatoes, onion, some garlic, and all of the peppers in a salsa. A lot of the other stuff will go with our meals for the next week or two (they must have known I had TONS of potatoes in the works). I'm a little excited about the beets, too - I've never had them (except with pickled eggs), so I want to try doing something a little fun with them. I contemplated making another pie with the apples, but after eating 3/4 of the last one by myself, I think it's in my best interest (as well as my thighs' best interest?!) to just snack on them plain :)

Thank you again, Joy and Kortney! <3

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This is an incredible deal and only good through Sunday...use the code SPORK to get your discount!

Free recipes!

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