Red Pepper Crab Burgers

Having lived in Iowa my whole life, I pretty much know nothing about cooking with seafood. But I love seafood, so I do the best I can. One recipe I like to make that gives me a briny taste of the ocean is made from ingredients that come from a can and a jar: roasted red pepper crab burgers.

I'm really happy that we now have Whole Foods in our community, because I have been happy to pick up some tasty canned crab meat there. The Heron Point brand has great flavor for these burgers.

 

Here's how you make them:

RED PEPPER CRAB BURGERS

For the dressing:

1/4 c. mayo

2 thinly sliced green onions
2 T. minced jarred roasted red pepper
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. ketchup

1 T. chili sauce

1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

For the burgers:

1 egg

1/4 c. mayo
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. ketchup
1 tsp. chili sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 T. minced jarred roasted red pepper
1 thinly sliced green onion
1 lb. crabmeat
1 3/4 c. panko

2 T. butter

2 T. vegetable oil

ciabatta rolls & romaine lettuce leaves

Mix egg, green onion, mayo, lemon juice, ketchup, chili sauce, salt, and roasted red pepper in a medium bowl, then gently mix in crabmeat and 3/4 c. panko. Sprinkle remaining 1 c. panko on a rimmed baking sheet. Form burgers into 1/4 c. patties and press into crumbs to coat. Leave burgers on baking sheet, cover and chill at least 1 hour.

While the burgers chill, make the dressing by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute burgers until brown on both sides. Serve on buttered, grilled open-faced ciabatta buns with a lettuce leaf and dressing spooned over the top.

Mini Apple-Blueberry Crisp

So this week is Valentine's Day -- a holiday of which I never used to be a huge fan but have softened to a bit over the years. (I still think spending $100 on a dozen roses that cost $29.99 the other 364 days of the year is ridiculous, however, and I stand by that statement.)

For a variety of reasons, the husband and I will not be going on any Valentine's Day dates at fancy restaurants this year. But food is one of the handful of ways I know to express love, so I am celebrating the holiday by spending as much time as I can planning at-home meals that I know will put a smile on my man's face. Yesterday I went to the office and worked late, so we ate Papa Murphy's heart-shaped pepperoni pizza. (Hey, it worked. Everyone loves pizza.) Tonight it was baby back pork ribs with barbecue sauce, followed by a tasty dessert inspired by Ben's love for Dutch apple pie.

I made this with honeycrisp apples and blueberries, but lots of fruit combinations would work -- peach and raspberry, pear and blackberry, etc. Whatever you and/or your significant other like!

It's a pretty simple dish and can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge, so yay.

MINI APPLE-BLUEBERRY CRISPS

For the topping:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, diced

For the fruit:
2-3 honeycrisp apples (or peaches, etc., etc.)
1 1/2 c. blueberries (or any kind of fresh berry)
1/4 c. + 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Appx. 2 tsp. grated lemon zest

Cut apples into large bite-sized pieces, discarding core and seeds, and place in a heavy saucepan with 1/4 c. sugar, 2 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/2 c. water. Bring to boil over medium heat; once water begins boiling, cover and cook 2 minutes. Remove apples immediately from heat, drain, and rinse in cold water. (Note: Process is the same for pears. However, if substituting peaches or a softer fruit, simply poach the whole fruit in water for 1-2 minutes, dunk in cold water, and cut into pieces after poaching.)

Transfer apples to bowl and toss with berries, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 tsp. lemon juice, and 2 tsp. lemon zest. Spoon fruit into four ramekins so that ramekins are nearly full but not overflowing.

Meanwhile, put all topping ingredients into a food processor on the dough setting or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is just beginning to become doughy but is still crumbly. Cover the top of each ramekin with topping.

Place ramekins on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Bake 40 mins. at 400 degrees. Serve with French vanilla ice cream.

Fit to be black tied

I realize that complaining about black tie fundraisers is the ultimate first-world problem, but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway. And don't get me wrong: I love attending these and they're almost always for a good cause and I almost always have a good time. But seriously: the getting dressed part!

It started over the holidays in Memphis, when my family and friends began giving me crap for skipping the "Liberty Bowl Parade," which I've since only heard described as a hillbilly disaster, so that I could go back to the hotel and paint my toenails for the Liberty Bowl Gala to which I needed to wear open-toed shoes.

The irony, of course, is that I am one of the least girly/primpy types in the world. The fact that I would ever miss anything remotely sports related for anything remotely grooming related is itself a wonder. But indeed toenail painting is just one of the many activities that must be done, because...

• Inappropriate footwear is the first essential ingredient in a female black tie ensemble. Would men walk out in the snow in open-toed shoes? No. Because that would be stupid -- kind of like me shuffling through a snowdrift in strappy sandals last Saturday night. Flat shoes are also inappropriate, so after you regain the feeling in your feet from walking through a snowdrift you can use them to stand on concrete socializing for several hours in pain, trying not to look like a 4-year-old boy who has to pee. 
• You must spend all night carrying random items in a "bag" with no handles. Husband needs to take along his wallet? Sure! Just throw it in this highly practical "evening bag," which is not at all a bag but actually a fabric box that you must shove under your sweaty armpit all night or hold awkwardly in your hand -- sometimes with a mixed drink balanced on it.
• Only the men get to wear a full outfit of clothes. Men don't have to think before getting dressed for a formal event (save the approximate 45 minutes my husband says it takes him to tie a bow tie), and they don't have to be cold because they get to wear pants, socks, and even a jacket. Women are supposed to wear dresses and be cold so that men can give them their jackets. This arrangement would not work in a combat situation. I'm just saying.
• Women have to wear something different to every event, thus requiring shopping. That being said, last Saturday night I literally wore a dress I bought for $8 at a Dillards clearance sale in 1999. Take that, The Man.

I'm pretty sure men rule the world because, while they are networking at events, their wives are having a seat in the corner and rubbing their aching, painted toes.

But hey, you can probably fit a foot massager in your clutch if you try hard enough.