Classic Crab cakes ....

I made these crab cakes last Sunday and they

are delicious

I always look for recipes that have the least amount of filler

because I like actually tasting the crab meat, not all

of the other stuff

these were perfect

here's the recipe with my notes

1 1/2 lb cooked crabmeat

6 tablespoons mayo (I think 5 would have been enough)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used regular because we eat 

no sugar)

1 cup panko bread crumbs (I used more)

1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (fresh is best)

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil (I used olive oil)

1/4 cup butter

Place crabmeat in a large bowl. Add mayo, mustard, 1/4 cup of the panko bread crumbs, parsley, onions, garlic, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Fold to combine.....add eggs, fold to combine

Form your cakes...because you don't have a bunch of fillers, you

have to really handle these gently or they fall apart

lay on a tray with wax paper. Cover with plastic and put in

fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will help to firm them up

Have a plate with the rest of the panko bread crumbs. This is where I had to add a little more than what the recipe called for

In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Coat each side of

the crab cakes and add to skillet. Press lightly with a spatula

cook 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Transfer to a tray and top each crab cake with a slice of butter.

seriously, these are the best!

a couple of days later I was in a local restaurant and I ordered 

crab cakes.....full of filler!!! No where near as good as these!

I remembered to take a picture halfway through eating

later.....

Staying organized ....

I'm a visual person....I have to see things

So even though our calendars are on our computers

and phones, I still need a paper one....one that

I can see the whole month and know what is going on

it helps me to not overbook, keep appointments

and I can always look back to when something happened

When the kids were young we kept a big calendar

on the fridge and oh boy....that calendar stayed jam packed

with activities and reminders.

without it, I would have been lost

but now I only have to keep up with me, Johnny and the 2 dogs

So I now carry a planner with me

and I love it!!

for this year I bought my planner at Target

it's not thick, light enough for me to keep in

my pocketbook

I purposely blurred out some things :)

later....

Another chicken recipe ....

here's a chicken salad recipe that is the best

how do I know it's the best......well, my hubby Johnny tells me it is!!

Cook a couple of chicken breast in the oven 

with your favorite seasoning

I used a lemon, thyme and rosemary seasoning

remove, set aside to cool

in a small bowl whisk together....

1/2 cup mayo (I use Tessamae mayo to keep it clean)

2 tablespoon fresh parsley

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon tarragon

cut up the chicken

add to bowl......1/2 small red onion, slice thin

2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced

1 tart apple, diced (I used granny smith)

mix together, pour the mayo mixture over
add some salt and fresh ground pepper

and mix thoroughly 

cover and chill one hour

serve over a bed of mixed greens

yummy!!

later......

Chicken recipe ....

Made this the other night

really, really good and easy!!

Baked Chicken with Spinach & Artichokes

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 to 6 chicken pieces (I used chicken breast)

salt and ground pepper, to taste

1 14oz can artichoke , quartered, rinsed and drained

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, sliced into rounds

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 bag (6 to 8 oz) baby spinach

1/2 cup vegetable broth ( I used chicken broth )

*Preheat oven to 425

*heat butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet that is safe 

for stovetop and oven

*Season chicken with salt and pepper

*Add to skillet and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes each side

*Remove from skillet and set aside, leaving oil in skillet

*Add artichokes, onions, carrots and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly tender, stirring occasionally

*Add spinach, continue to stir and cook for one minute

*Remove from heat, add broth and chicken

*Place in oven and bake for 18 minutes or until 

chicken is thoroughly cooked

*Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes.

*Plate and ladle liquid and veggies over chicken pieces.

ENJOY!!

later.....

Aging ....

Have you ever heard that saying.......

"getting old ain't for sissies"

well, it's true!

and what I think is hard is that in your mind, you are still young

you're thinking how in the heck am I 59 years old!

I'm doing all I can to stay in great shape

I'm eating so good and exercising as much as I can

I have laid low on running right now as I do not enjoy 

running in the heat. But I'm keeping up with my Jazzercise

and I do some weights, planks and ab work on my off days

But here's what happened.......I played a whole bunch of corn hole

while we were at the bay. And you would think ok, that's a pretty

safe activity. And it is......maybe a little soreness in your throwing

arm because of the MASSIVE amount of games we played...haha.

But I made one mistake and that was when I had some good

throws, I jumped up and down. You know, like a kid........like I'm still

young enough to do that. What I forgot is that I'm not 25, I'm 59.

So my ankles did not like that.
and I ended up with a sprained ankle...yep, from 
playing corn hole!
Went to Urgent Care to get an X-ray
and wasn't all that happy to have to say how I did it

this was on July 4th that I sprained it
and now it's July 25th and I'm still limping
haven't been able to exercise, still swollen

ugh....aging ain't for sissies!!!

later.......

Canning ....

It's that time of the year......fresh tomatoes

and in order to enjoy those throughout the winter, I like 

to can as much as I have time to do.

It's a bit time consuming......like all day time consuming...ha!

But it's fun, especially if you have others to join in

Momma has been canning with me for the past few

years so it was a bit sad to not have her with me this year

She always kept me laughing

But my sisters, Vickie and Kandi, wanted to learn how to can

so we got together last weekend and we also had

lots and lots of laughs. Especially me splashing super hot

water all over the place!!

We did 22 quarts on Saturday

I finished up on Sunday with 17 more quarts

39 quarts = 13 quarts each = $2.02 per quart

pretty good

I'll be looking to do a little more canning on another

date and hope my sisters can join me.

We have decided this will be a new family tradition of us!

getting everything set up

Counting jars.....

I sterilize my jars in the dishwasher on the sanitize setting

all cut up and ready to cook

 all ready to be covered up to keep warm until they seal

later.....

Avery Grace ...

Thought I would put up a few pics of our Princess

she's 10 weeks old now

and sweet as can be

loves to give some really cute smiles

but what I like the most is her little side grins

when she hears a new noise, she raises her left eyebrow

Jacquelyn did that as a child and still does........

isn't it precious how your children carry on little things like that

Declan loves her so much

As with all new babies that enter our home, poor little Pippa Lou

wants to mother her so badly.......I really wished I had let her

have puppies...have never seen a dog be so motherly!

here's some really cute pictures of our little Princess
with her crazy hair

and here is Avery Grace with her beautiful mommy.....

later.....

July 4th ....

We spent nine days down on the

Chesapeake Bay with our brother-in-law Tommy 

and sister-in-law Joanne

They have retired now and invited us down for

the week.......how generous of them :)

We don't see them often enough so spending that

much time with them at such a beautiful location

was super special.

It's very relaxing.......sleeping in, big breakfast,

bloody mary's on the porch in the morning, summer walks, checking

crab pots, going for a boat ride, hanging out at the pool,

playing lots and lots of corn hole, evening cocktails on the porch,

lots and lots of fabulous food.

you see.......nothing but relaxation!!

view of their home from the pool

first day corn hole winners....Johnny and Joanne
looks like they are singing something...haha

yumm...steamed crabs caught right off of the dock

Joanne and I having fun.....

Joanne and I love boat riding and so a lot of times when

the guys go run errands, we take off in the boat and check

on all of the Osprey nest

this view from their porch just never gets old...so beautiful
and only one crummy day out of 9....that's ok!

later.....