Crab Salad

We have purchased this crab salad from our grocery store for years, but then we were given the recipe and now we make it at home.

Crab Salad

1- 8oz package of imitation crab (we like to use real crab when we can find it on sale.)
3 stalks of celery, sliced
8 oz. cooked pasta, optional
2 cups mayonnaise
1 c. sliced olives
1 c. grated cheddar cheese (or more, as you like)

Intp a large bowl, cut up crab with scissors. Add celery, pasta, mayonnaise, olives and cheese. You could add pickles, peas or chopped onions for more variety. Refrigerate.

Brattans Clam Chowder

Curtis recently went clam digging at Long Beach, WA. He was excited to go to the first clamming of the season in Long Beach. He dug up 17 clams and brough them home to Grandma Brinkerhoff's house to share. Curtis likes to lightly batter them and broil them and serve them with tartar sauce.

Grandma Brinkerhoff shared this recipe for clam chowder with us. It is from Karen Noel. And, is one of her family's favorites.

Bratten's Clam Chowder

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups finely diced potatoes
2 cans (6  1/2 oz.) minced clams and juice
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter
1 quart Half and Half
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
(Buy extra clam juice)

Drain clean juice and pour juice over vegetables in a sauce pan. Add enough water to barely cover (use extra clam juice, as desired.) Simmer over medium heat until barely tender. In another saucepan, melt butter, add flour and blend, stirring constantly.

Add Half and Half. Cook and stir with wire whip until smooth and thick. (Important.) Add undrained vegetables and clams.  Heat through and season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly because chowder tends to stick on the bottom.

Chill uneated portion.

Reheat on low in microwave or on the stove. Add extra clam juice, as necessary.

Serves 8-10.

Seafood Joe

I took a cooking class at an upscale grocery store when we lived in Olympia, WA. The teachers of the class were the owners/chefs of a restaurant at the Washington coast, named the The Ark. They taught us their recipe of Seafood Joe. It is a variation of a recipe that they created when they owned a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, that was a breakfast recipe with eggs and sausage. We love this recipe and serve it on special occasions. This is their recipe from the class, with my changes in Red.

Seafood Joe

Recipe is per serving: multiply as needed

Seafood Bits*
2 tablespoons clarified butter (I'm lazy. I just use regular butter.)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (Fresh Mushrooms, of course!)
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shot of Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced shallots (I use minced onion.)
1/2 cup fresh, chopped spinach
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup dry vermouth (I never use this.)

Garlic Toasts (They showed us to slice french bread into thick slices and spread with a mixture of melted butter and garlic, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil the garlic toasts until browned.)

For each serving, saute 6 or more seafood bits* in clarified butter with 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms. Add juice of 1 lemon wedge, salt, pepper to taste, 1 shot of Tabasco, minced garlic and shallot. Saute until fish flakes. Total cooking time is about 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Toward the end, add 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach. Deglaze with 1/4 cup dry vermouth. Bind with one whipped egg. (That means add in the egg and gently stir it around until the egg cooks.) Serve open faced on toasted garlic bread. (The garlic toast is a must! It supports the fish and egg mixture perfectly.)

Chef's Notes:
* For seafood bits, cut into 1/2" cubes- salmon, halibut, ling cod, perch, scallops, prawns or any other perferred fish. (We love to use the salmon and halibut. And recently we have started including shrimp. You can't go wrong with any mixture, though.)

This recipe works well with italian sausage. One sliced link per person. (This makes the breakfast version.)

Serve with lemon wedges and tomato wedges on the side.

My option: Serve over rice. Serve the garlic toasts on the side. We found that we like a bed of rice, but it is still important to serve the garlice toasts.

Garlic Crusted Salmon

I have had this recipe for years and today I actually looked at it closely and noticed that it came from The Cozy Apron. I love it and want to share this fantastic recipe with you.

Garlic Crusted Salmon

4 skinless, thicker cut salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, cut in 4 wedges

In a small dish, combine garlic, sea salt, pepper, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, whisk with a fork to combine. Place the salmon fillets on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub garlic-olive oil mixture onto each fillet. Set aside to marinate for 35 minutes, then broil for 8-9 minutes until moist and flaky inside and crust is golden brown.

Serve with Tomato-Basil Relish, Roasted Teeny Potatoes and Lemon Asparagus. Recipes are included on the blog.

Recipe shared by Robin

Raspberry Chipotle Grilled Salmon

Raspberry Chipotle Grilled Salmon

1 1/2 lbs. fresh salmon fillet
2 Tbsp. lemon infused olive oil
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
1/4 cup raspberry chipotle marinade

Brush fillet with olive oil, season with fresh pepper. Place on grill, close lid and grill at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush with more marinade and grill 3 more minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

If you can't find the raspberry chipotle marinade, try:

Tangy Raspberry Sauce

Grilled Salmon:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 salmon fillets

Mix paprika, salt and pepper together. Drizzle oil over salmon and sprinkle on the spices.
Grill about 10 minutes.

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. red raspberry preserves
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey

Whisk all ingredients together and serve over grilled salmon.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a recipe that came with Jay when we got married. His family ate it often when he was growing up.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 c. canned milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of tuna
1 c. uncooked egg noodles

Cook the noodles according to the package. Mix together all of the ingredients. Top with crushed potato chips or buttered bread crumbs.  Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Dad's Tuna Noodle Casserole

Another recipe that we ate a lot while growing up. Why we called it "Dad's Tuna Noodle Casserole", I have no idea. Did Dad make it for us all of the time? I wonder.

Dad's Tuna Noodle Casserole

3 c. egg noodles
1- 10 oz. can mushroom soup
1- 12 oz. can canned milk
1- 6 oz. cans of tuna

Boil noodles, according to package directions. Drain noodles. Pour into a greased baking dish. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Sprinkle with crushed potato chips or butter bread crumbs. Serves 8.

Recipe shared by Robin.