Let Them Eat Crab Cake!

To celebrate Fathers' Day we planned dinner and a movie with the Parentals.  We decided on an undoubtedly comforting comfort food menu: Paula Deen's Savannah Crab Cakes, the Mister's Fresh Corn Chowder, and a loaf of bread (I'm proud to say we baked the bread from scratch!!), and a medley of cupcakes and brownies baked by Mother.  I had such a wonderful evening enjoying delicious food and the company of the people I love.

Paula Deen's Savannah Crab Cakes 

Ingredients

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells

1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)

3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne pepper

Flour, for dusting

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.

first image via here

Grey & Gold

I selected a sheet of grey and gold Papyrus gift warp for my drawer project, and each time I open that drawer the color combination grows on me a little bit more.  I love that the combination looks sleek and chic.  I love that the gold adds a touch of warmth and level of sophistication to the cool and structured grey.  And I love that the color combo reminds me of the Mister and me: masculine and strength with a little bit of sunshine and sass. 

image via here

A Place for Everything and...

Everything is finally in its place!  I am so proud of myself that the slightly dreaded "drawer project" has been tackled and completed!  It didn't take as much time as expected, but it did take a lot of space to completely empty out the drawer and sort everything into "like" piles and decide what should stay and what had to go (into the trash or another room).

After sorting, everything was put into six groups (there were only six compartments) and then into a drawer organizer.  Then a sheet of gift wrap plus some two-way tape was used to up the pretty factor, and, finally, voila!  Everything is visible and accessible.  This project might have been designed by me, but it is definitely Mister approved!  

Love Gives Life

This weekend we were treated to sunny skies and the wedding of a good friend and her Mister.  The bride and I have known each other since Kindergarten, played soccer together, and even went to colleges just minutes apart; she is an amazing person and we are so happy that she has found someone who loves her and makes her happy.  The wedding was simple yet very beautiful and chic in its own way: it was on the beach, just steps from the ocean, there was handmade signage throughout the wedding, a finger print "family tree" in lieu of a sign in book, all white blooms on handmade table runners, and a shaved ice truck to provide cool refreshments for all the guests.  

Conquer the Day

Some mornings call for a special pair of heels, and some mornings I feel like I need extra bling.  But this morning, after a send-off kiss from the Mister and some Starbucks, I know I'm officially ready to conquer the day!
image via here

Good Morning!

What started off as a few weeks turned into two years.  And finally, after almost two years of conflicting work schedules the Mister and I have similar working hours! What does this mean? It means that at long last I will get to see the Hubs every morning and evening! 

It's been just a couple of days into the schedule swap but I am already so thankful for the additional time with the Mister, even the mornings when we are jockeying for bathroom space.
One day however, I hope that our mornings will be a little more leisurely and involve breakfast in a cute little nook...
image via Pinterest

Nothing says I Love You like Bacon

A very Happy 1st Valentine's Day to my Mister!  

I love you more than bacon.  ;)

Semi-HomemadePizza Party

An outing to the Made In Hawaii Festival helped to build up a hearty appetite, and a Macadamia Nut Pesto purchased there inspired a pesto chicken pizza.  A few store bought items like ready made pizza dough, fully cooked rotisserie chicken, and fresh mozzarella made our pizza not only a quick, but also an inexpensive dinner!  This pizza creation has inspired us to create other pizza creations, and to maybe even purchase an official pizza stone!  

Wedding Wednesday - Congrats Donne!

On Saturday, July 30, 2011 Donne married her Mister in an amazing wedding at the Riviera Country Club surrounded by family and friends.  It was a beautifully sunny day and picture perfect for a wedding.  The ballroom was stunningly decorated with hundreds upon hundreds of flowers, the food was delicious, and of course, Donne was absolutely radiant!  Along with most of the other guests, and the bride and groom, the Mister and I had a great evening and danced the night away...  

:: the rehearsal dinner @ Napa Valley Grille, Westwood :: 

:: before ::

:: after ::

:: college friends ::

:: a bridesmaid and her Mister ::

Congratulations to Donne and her husband! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day.  We love you and wish you both lots of love, laughter, and happiness (and good food too!) XO!

Strawberry Pie!

The Mister strained his back at work the other week so I decided I'd bake him a pie to make things a little better (and to eliminate another item from my Thirty Before 30).   I baked a fresh strawberry pie (with help from my favorite sous chef, the Mister) using Ina Garten's "Perfect Pie Crust" and a strawberry pie recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  

Ingredients (crust):

12 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

 We rolled the dough using my newest kitchen gadget, my French rolling pin!

 The rolled dough was rolled over the pie pan and fitted.

 I tried to make the crust pretty, like the pre-made crusts I usually buy from the store.

 I poked some air holes to let the crust breathe while baking.

We didn't have pie weights so I filled the foil lined crust with the glass beads we usually use for our flower vases.

The Barefoot Contessa pie crust recipe isn't written for blind baking so I followed the baking instructions I found for another pie crust recipe:

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes 

Bake the crust at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

Remove from the oven 

Lower the oven temperature to 350, and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes (I ended up baking the crust for about 15 minutes)

While the crust was chilling, baking, and chilling again we worked on the pie filling.

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh strawberries

1 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch 

3/4 cup water

 Placed half of the strawberries into the cooled pie crust.

 We put the other half of the strawberries in a food processor and placed it in a saucepan with the other ingredients.  I decided to add a gelatin mixture (1 1/2 teaspoon and 3 tablespoon iced water) to the saucepan so the finished pie would be easier to cut, hold its shape, and the wouldn't be a big mess in the pan when just a couple pieces are left.

Voila!
Unfortunately we had to wait a few hours for the pie to set and cool.  It was beyond delish!

 I only have one pie pan so we had to think of what to do with the extra pie crust dough... we made an A&G creation: "pie snackers!" The Mister rolled the dough and cut them into circles, then we buttered them lightly and filled them with some goodies from around the kitchen: blackberries, strawberries, bananas, dark chocolate, Reese's peanut butter cups, and a cinnamon sugar mix.

 Yum yum yum!