Birthday Crab Cakes

Happy 26th birthday Tyler!  To celebrate I made Tyler a tasty dinner of crab cakes, pecan crusted salmon, asparagus, and couscous.  No dessert however, we are both completely burned out on sweets and still have lots of Christmas candy floating around if we need a fix!  I’ve been wanting to make crabcakes forever, but finding quality lump crab meat in Kansas that isn’t ridiculously expensive is quite a challenge.  So I bought a package of these babies at Costco for about $16.

and I whipped up a nice sauce to go with them!

Lemon Aioli Sauce (adapted from The Neelys at Food Network)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped chives (I used parsley)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I also added about a tablespoon of dijon mustard and a pinch of sugar

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

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Apple-Stuffed Tenderloin

Tyler has been exploring pork tenderloin recipes in recent months and this was last night’s dinner.  It was less labor intensive than I imagined it would be and so delicious!  It may not look very attractive, but believe me, it was good!

Apple-Stuffed Tenderloin with Praline Mustard Sauce (from Southern Living)

Ingredients

1/4  cup  raisins (we used craisins as we had them on hand)

1/3  cup  bourbon or apple juice

2  (3/4- to 1-pound) pork tenderloins

1  medium-size cooking apple, thinly sliced (we used granny smith)

1  medium onion, thinly sliced

2  to 3 garlic cloves, halved

1  tablespoon  chopped fresh rosemary

1/4  cup  maple syrup

2  tablespoons  dark brown sugar

2  tablespoons  prepared mustard

Preparation

Combine raisins and bourbon in a bowl; let stand 1 hour.

Cut tenderloins lengthwise down center, cutting to but not through bottom. Alternate apple and onion slices down center of each tenderloin. Top slices evenly with raisins, garlic, and rosemary.

Close tenderloins over filling, and tie at 1-inch intervals. Place on sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Stir together syrup, sugar, and mustard; brush half of mixture over tenderloins. Close foil, and fold to seal. Place in a 13- x 9-inch pan.

Bake at 325° for 25 minutes. Open foil, and brush with remaining syrup mixture. Close foil, and bake 20 to 25 more minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion reaches 160°.

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Beef Stew with Red Wine

Tyler found this recipe online that made use of many of the leftover ingredients we had from the bolognese the other night (needed to use up that red wine since we don’t really like to drink it).  This stew took just over an hour to make and was delicious!  Next time we will definitely add potatoes though!

Red wine beef stew (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds stew beef

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 to 2 medium carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups beef broth

1 cup dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary, or a dash of crumbled dried rosemary

1 jar (15 ounces) small onions, or 10 to 16 ounces frozen small onions, thawed

Preparation:

Trim stew beef and cut in small bite-size pieces. Put in a food storage bag with the flour, onion powder, and seasoned salt; toss to coat well.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; add beef to hot oil and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the onion and celery; continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add carrots, garlic, broth, wine, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add drained or thawed onions. Continue cooking for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until beef is tender. Serve with biscuits or hot cooked noodles

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Vegetarian Bolognese

Yeah that is Tyler’s portion, not mine I am swamped with schoolwork now that the end of the semester is in sight (2 days, yikes!)  Tyler planned the meals, did the shopping, and the cooking this week.  It is rare we cook with red wine, but this was worth the extra trip to the liquor store (stupid Kansas not selling wine in grocery stores!)  We both thought this was an excellent vegetarian meal!

Vegetarian Bolognese (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1/4  cup  dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce)

1  tablespoon  olive oil

1 1/2  cups  finely chopped onion

1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot

1/2  cup  finely chopped celery

1  (8-ounce) package cremini mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2  cup  dry red wine

1/4  cup  warm water

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1  (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained

1  (2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

12  ounces  uncooked whole-wheat penne (tube-shaped pasta)

1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Place dried mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes. Add wine; simmer 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add 1/4 cup warm water and next 4 ingredients (through cheese rind) to onion mixture. Stir in ground porcini. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes. Keep warm. Remove rind; discard.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Place 1 cup of pasta in each of 6 bowls. Top each portion with 3/4 cup sauce and about 1 tablespoon cheese.

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