I’m probably going to have to break down and get a salad spinner this year and maybe even a toaster.  After completely exhausting myself last year hand making nearly everything from scratch, I’m looking for ways to bring back the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) plan to at least some of our meals.  When I make toast for my kids or husband I burn approximately six slices for every one that’s edible.  I know you *can* make toast in the oven, but apparently that’s not my strong suit.

As I was cleaning out my refrigerators this morning, I was trying to think of a system where I could *easily* keep track of what’s in my fridge and therefore what I can make.  It’s all well and dandy if I can see that I have a red bell pepper then use my search box to utilize it, but what if it falls to the bottom of the drawer?  Maybe in five years I can pay for my groceries with my iPhone, then automatically add ingredients and quantities to my kitchen database, then click a button on my website to suggest all the recipes I can cook for dinner.  Wouldn’t *that* be convenient? ; )

Homemade croutons from a stale baguette are sooooo much better, but a box will do in a pinch.

Chopped Romaine Salad with Lane’s Favorite Vinaigrette Recipe

(serves 8 as a side dish)

Leaves from 1 and 1/2 hearts of romaine lettuce

2 cucumbers

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

Parmesan cheese

croutons

Lane’s Favorite Vinaigrette

Rinse romaine leaves and gently pat dry.  Chop into 1-inch segments.  Peel cucumbers, then halve lengthwise and slice into 1/2 inch segments.  Gently sprinkle cucumbers with sea salt and  pepper.  Use vegetable peeler to shave slivers of parmesan cheese into Romaine lettuce.  Sprinkle with croutons, then add the seasoned cucumbers.  Top with vinaigrette and toss with tongs.

Lane’s Favorite Vinaigrette Recipe

(makes approx 1 cup of dressing)

3 and 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

7 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chives

1 tsp Murray River Salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

12 turns fresh ground pepper

3 shakes dry mustard

Combine all ingredients, then whisk with a fork to combine.  Serve immediately after stirring.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received several coupons from Fresh Express redeemable for one free bag of salad each and the challenge to create a recipe featuring the salad.  I jumped at the chance as we already eat a lot of Fresh Express Salads around here.  My favorites include the Baby Spinach, the 50/50, and the Fresh Herb Salad.  Any of those three would create a terrific base for this crab cake salad, but can you think of anything more tender than a 1/4 pound of lump crab meat?  A cake like that deserves a bed of pillows provided by tender baby spinach leaves.  If you’d like to give this salad a shot, or come up with a fresh salad creation of your own, post a comment and I’ll mail you a coupon for a free bag salad, compliments of Fresh Express.

Did you read that right? Yes, 1/4 pound of lump crab meat.  I use the super lump crab meat from Costco.  It’s $13.99 a pound compared to the fishmonger’s $25 a pound.  There are almost never shell pieces mixed in and it tastes and smells delicious, sweet, and delicate.  I cooked these in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in my Calphalon Unison Slide Non-Stick Griddle.  Crab meat is so tender, frying crab cakes in loads of oil is blasphemous.  This non-stick griddle has such a slippery surface, you can use very little oil when browning, but not run into any sticking or falling apart issues, just be sure not to flip before your first side is completely browned.  As an added bonus, the Unison line is dishwasher safe!

Crab Cake Salad

1 pound super lump crabmeat

1/2 a large white onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 egg

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp capers

3 tbsp Italian Parsley, chopped

3 tbsp panko

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

panko for coating

olive oil

1 bag Fresh Express Baby Spinach

In a large bowl, pick through crab meat and remove any shells you find.  In a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, then onions.  Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add garlic.  Cook one more minute, then add mixture to the crab.  Add egg, mayonnaise, capers, parsley, and panko to crab mixture.  Add old bay, 3 dashes of cayenne from shaker top, salt, and pepper.  Mix all together, then divide mixture into four equal portions.  Form each portion into a round disk about 1 inch tall.

Preheat oven to 300.  Cover the bottom of a rimmed plate with panko.  Place crab cakes one at a time on panko, then coat completely in panko crust.  Heat a non-stick griddle over medium high heat.  Add two teaspoons of olive oil and swirl to coat.  Brown the crab cakes on one side for about 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.   Turn, then brown the second side for 3 minutes.  Add small bits of additional olive oil if pan looks dry.  Move pan to oven and bake 5 more minutes.  Serve over a bed of Fresh Express Baby Spinach, top with blue cheese and Sherry Vinaigrette.

Sherry Vinaigrette

4 tbsp sherry vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp water

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp kosher salt

12 turns fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk like crazy.  Serve.

My fresh mozzarella came from the Dallas Mozzarella Company, a local factory making fresh handmade cheeses of truly exceptional quality.  I’ve been meaning to take their Hands on Cheese Making class for at least five years and just haven’t made it happen yet.  Trust me, I look hot in a hair net.  And the class includes a factory tour, a wine and cheese tasting, and take home samples of your own creations.  I think that’s a description of about my perfect day!  I’ve had a fascination with factories ever since I worked in a service company who sold things via service, but didn’t actually produce anything.  Apparently, the grass is always greener.  It’s a shame I never managed to tour 3M in college when I had the chance.  At that point, of course, endless lectures on the processes, software, and plants involved in making Scotch tape were hideously boring to me.  In any case, the Hands on Cheese Making Class is on my Bucket List.  I can knock out a factory tour and food creation in one fell swoop!

Caprese Salad Crostini

Baguette

1 clove garlic

olive oil

1 /2 lb ball fresh mozzarella

3 vine ripened tomatoes

12-15 basil leaves, halved

Garlic Balsamic Vinagrette

Preheat oven to 425.  Cut baguette into half-inch slices – or approx 25-30 pieces.  Smash garlic with a large knife, peel and break into two halves.  Rub top of each baguette slice with one of the pieces of garlic, as it disintegrates, switch to the other piece.  Using a brush, paint the top of each slice with olive oil.  Place each slice on a cookie sheet and bake 5-7 minutes until your crostini are lightly browned.

Slice mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices, then half or quarter as necessary to fit onto crostini.  Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices, then quarter.  Top crostinis with mozzarella, then basil, then tomato, then drizzle with Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. water

1.5 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Murray River salt

8 turns fresh ground pepper

For the vinaigrette, combine vinegar, oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper.  Whisk together then let rest for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine.  Whisk again before serving.  Keep remainder in fridge for up to two weeks.

The original recipe was created by Bill Bayley in 1947. Mr. Bayley was a restaurateur and guarded his recipe for years until it was eventually published in the 1964 edition of the Junior League of Mobile’s cookbook. I’ve adapted the recipe slightly from Wesson vegetable oil to grapeseed oil, since I just can’t stand to use vegetable oil anymore. Grapeseeed was a great substitution since it’s lighter than olive oil and has such a delicate flavor. I also added chopped chives for color. This salad would be lovely at a luncheon served on a bed of butter lettuce, but I generally serve it with crackers as an appetizer.

I used the Whole Foods Whole Catch Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, but you can also use Costco’s lump crab meat for about half the cost. The advantage to the Whole Foods line is that in two containers – there were no shells at all to pick out. If you haven’t prepared lump crab before after rinsing, just squish the lumps between your fingers to ensure that there are no shells left and separate the crab meat.

I keep promising photos of my mountain adventure so here are a few. I’m hitting at least four outdoor concerts a week. This is actually from the Wednesday Deer Valley free concert series – that’s my son Quentin after he spilled his grandmothers red wine all over his shirt.  Trust me – wine on the side of a mountain can be tricky.  You absolutely have to have these wine bottle and glass holders. 

And this is my best friend Lisa who brought her boys out to stay with me for awhile.  These concerts are a cornucopia of dining al fresco, friends, wine and children running around everywhere.  And here’s me – at the top of the mountain.  I’m spending my days hiking in the quiet and planning luxurious picnics for my evening outdoor concerts.  Rough life, eh?  I highly recommend it for your mental health!

West Indies Crab Salad

1 and 1/2 large yellow onions, very finely chopped

1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through for shells

4 oz grapeseed oil

3 oz apple cider vinegar

4 oz extremly cold ice water

1 and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp finely ground black pepper

2 tbsps chopped fresh chives

In a bowl, layer half the onions, then top with the crab meat, then the other half of the onions.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vinager, and water for the dressing.  Pour over the crab mixture  and let marinate in refrigerator 6-12 hours – the longer the better.  An hour before serving, stir, add the salt, pepper, and fresh chives.  Stir again just before serving.

Serve on a bed of butter lettuce or on crackers as an appetizer.