Grilled Achiote Shrimp

I never met a shrimp I didn't like.  My husband, on the other hand, doesn't care for my favorite crustacean.  Especially the large varieties.  Still, every now and then I sneak them into the menu rotation because I just love the sweet flavor and tender meat.  And, since he doesn't like them as much, I get all the leftovers!  Of course. this dish can certainly be made with smaller shrimp if your guests agree with my husband.  I made a "surf and turf" style meal serving these shrimp kebabs alongside a delightful beef tenderloin for a fabulous Brazilian Theme Dinner...just in time for the Olympics!

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

1/2 teaspoon achiote powder

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on

Heat oil, garlic, achiote powder, and zests in a saucepan over low heat until bubbles form at the surface.  Remove from heat and let mixture steep 15 minutes.  Whisk in cilantro, lemon juice, orange juice, salt, and pepper.  Pour marinade over shrimp, toss to combine, and refrigerate no longer than 45 minutes.  Thread shrimp onto skewers (I normally do 3 shrimp per skewer since they are so large).

Preheat grill to medium and brush grates with oil.  Grill shrimp until opaque and cooked through, about 90 second per side, until grill marks appear.

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home.

Grilled Lobster Tails with Cilantro-Mint Butter

Lobster always seems like such a decadent meal that it's easy to be intimidated.  But when I came across this recipe in one of my favorite magazines, I knew I needed to get over my fears and go for it.  After all, I had an anniversary coming up and work schedules were getting in the way of a nice dinner out.  To celebrate our eighth anniversary with a dinner date at home, I surprised my husband with lovely grilled lobster tails and corn on the cob.  It was a light meal full of warm-weather flavors (perfect for April, which is when we ate this meal) and special enough for a celebration!  The next time you need to impress your special someone, try this.  It's not as hard as you'd think and you'll definitely get the same wow factor you'd see at a quality seafood restaurant!  Enjoy!

For the butter:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

zest of 1/2 a lime

For the lobster:

2 lobster tails, split

1 lime, halved

Preheat grill to medium-high.  Brush grates with oil.

For the butter, combine butter, herbs, salt and pepper, and zest in a bowl.  Giving them a whirl in a mini food processor works just as well and only takes a few seconds!

For the lobster, split the tails in half lengthwise, discarding the vein if present.  Gently loosen the flesh from the shell without removing it completely.  Pat the tails dry and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Grill tails, covered, flesh side down, until slightly charred, about 3 minutes.  Flip tails and grill, covered, until cooked through and shells turn red, about 4 minutes more.  Grill lime halves, cut side down, until charred, about 4 minutes.

Spread 1/4 of the butter on each of the warm lobster tails and serve with grilled limes.

Serves 2.

Serve with grilled corn-on-the-cob, using remaining herbed butter on the corn.

Recipe adapted from Cuisine at Home, August 2015.

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

Growing up, I thought the fish taco craze was a bit strange.  I couldn't wrap my arms around it, and told myself that anyone who wanted anything other than a sizzling chicken fajita was insane.  But then I tried the fish tacos at a neat little restaurant that used to be down the street from my church.  I was hooked!  After that, we moved to California, where fish tacos reign supreme, and I remember eating them on the pier in Santa Cruz, even though it was February!  my husband still stood firmly on the non-fish side of the taco debate.  Until I made these and didn't tell him!  After he devoured two tacos, he asked me what he was eating and he couldn't have been more surprised!  That evening, he agreed with me that fish tacos aren't that bad, but he still prefers steak on his tortillas over fish (or even chicken).

Slaw:

2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Avocado Cream:

2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream

1/2 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 medium avocado, chopped

1/2 of a jalapeno, seeded

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Fish:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes, drained

1 4.25-ounce can diced green chiles

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1 pound mahi mahi filet

1/2 lime

10 white corn tortillas

For the slaw, combine the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, and salt together in a large bowl.  Toss well and set aside.

In a blender, combine all ingredients for the avocado cream plus 2 tablespoons water.  Blend until smooth.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine the flavors.  If the mixture seems dry, add about 3 tablespoons water to the pan.  Reduce heat to medium and place fish in the skillet.  Cover and cook until the fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily, 6-7 minutes.  Use a wooden spoons to break up the fish and mix it into the tomatoes.  Squeeze lime over the fish.

To serve, heat the tortillas in a hot skillet over high heat, about 30 second per side.  Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup fish, top with 3 tablespoons slaw, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon avocado cream.

Serves 5.

Recipe adapted from The Skinnytaste Cookbook, by Gina Homolka.

Corona-Steamed Shrimp

Many, many, many years ago, on the side of Jefferson-Davis Highway, there was a ramshackle place that served up the best steamed shrimp to go.  They sold crabs, too, but the shrimp were what had my family going back week after week.  Years would pass and I'd buy steamed shrimp from the seafood counter at the grocery, but I'd still remember that place on the side of the road, even though the family that owned it would come to have several more locations and a riverfront restaurant.  Nostalgia aside, I saw a steamer basket in the kitchen gadget aisle a while ago and decided that this was the year I started steaming my own shrimp...and loved all the wonderful memories that came flooding back with the first bite!

2 12-ounce bottles Corona

2 pounds large shrimp, deveined, but unpeeled, with tails on

1/4 - 1/3 cup Old Bay (more or less to taste)

Cocktail sauce, for dipping.

Pour the beer in the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot with tight-fitting lid (I used my soup pot).  Place steamer basket in the bottom of your pot.  Rinse shrimp and toss with Old Bay according to preference.  Place shrimp in steamer basket and arrange in an even layer.  Cover the pot and raise heat to medium-high.  Keep an eye on the shrimp and toss a few times.  Using your own judgement, you may choose to raise the temperature to high for the last few minutes of steaming.  Shrimp is done when it's bright pink and fragrant.

Serve hot, with cocktail sauce and extra napkins to clean the Old Bay off your fingers!

Serves 2-4, depending on your appetite!

New England Clam Chowder

On a cold snowy day, nothing beats a hot bowl of soup.  Especially a thick velvety clam chowder like this one.  Even better if when your husband, after being told of your dinner plans, offers to stop by Panera on the way home to pick up a few bread bowls for serving!  Yesterday, as my family was walking along the National Mall during DC's first snow of the year on a family outing to the Smithsonian, I was dreaming of this soup.  It's rich and comforting, filling but not overly heavy.  And it reminds me of our weekend trip to San Francisco, when our oldest was a baby, and we had bread bowls and chowder for lunch on the pier after touring Alcatraz.  So many happy memories, ladled into the perfect bowl of sourdough, warming my heart!

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 pounds fresh clams (littleneck or Manilla), scrubbed well

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 thick slices bacon, minced

2 small yellow onions, finely diced

1 large rib celery, finely diced

1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 cup half and half

1 1/2 cups milk

1 large or 2 small Yukon potatoes, peeled and finely diced

leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over low heat.  Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until it forms a roux.  Don not allow flour to brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine 2 1/2 cups water and the clams to a large saute pan, discarding any clams that do not close when tapped gently.  Place over medium heat, cover, and cook until clams open, 2-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the clams and cooking liquid cool slightly.  Discard any clams that did not open while cooking.  Using your fingers or a small spoon, pick the meat from the clam shells, allowing juice to fall back into the soup pot and removing meat to a cutting board.  Discard the shells.  Strain the cooking stock to remove any grit.  Chop the clams coarsely.  Set clams and stock aside.

Heat the olive oil over low heat in a large stock pot.  Gently saute the bacon, onions, celery, and carrot, stirring constantly, until tender.  Do not brown.  Add the clam stock, half and half, milk, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes.  Stir 1 tablespoon on the chowder mixture into the roux and stir until smooth.  Add the roux back to the chowder, stirring to thoroughly incorporate.  Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Just before serving, add the clams to the chowder and simmer 2-3 minutes longer.  Add salt, adjust seasonings to taste, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook, by Gayle Pirie and John Clark.

Red Snapper Veracruzana

I love Mexican food.  So usually on Cinco de Mayo, I whip up a batch of creamy cheesy enchiladas, but this year I wanted to make something different.  Something a little bit healthier.  Yet still in keeping with my favorite flavors.  I stumbled upon an entire menu in a cookbook I've had for ages but haven't really sampled.  I knew I had to try it.  This dish is not complicated, but it also isn't something that comes together in five minutes.  Give yourself a little time to babysit the fish and you won't regret it!!  Enjoy!

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 jalapeños, seeded and minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes and juices

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup minced cilantro

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

8 4-ounce red snapper filets (or use another firm fish, like mahi!)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic, onions, and jalapeños.  Saute until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the wine and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  Stir in tomatoes, sugar, cilantro, and bay leaves.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper.  Place each filet on the sauce and spoon additional sauce over the top side.  Cover and cook 8-10 minutes.

Serve, garnished with additional cilantro and lime wedges if you'd like.

Serves 8.

Recipe adapted from The Comfort Table, by Katie Lee.

Spicy Mussels

To celebrate my graduation from nursing school last August, my mama took me to Charleston for a Girlie Get-Away.  One evening, we enjoyed refreshing cocktails and a bowl of mussels at the rooftop bar of our hotel.  It was my first experience with mussels and I'm so glad I was adventurous enough to try them!  A few months later, when my best friend came to visit, I thought it would be fun to serve mussels for dinner one night.  My BFF's family has a summer home in Maine, and they frequently gather fresh mussels right off the beach for a tasty meal, so I was glad to have her help selecting my mussels at the grocery.  Mussels are an inexpensive, healthy, and elegant main course sure to treat guests at your next dinner party!  As long as your friends don't have shell-fish allergies, serve up something different and try this recipe!

2-4 tablespoons olive oil 

1 small purple onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup fresh basil roughly torn/chopped 

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

¼ cup water

1 can diced tomatoes with juices

4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and beards removed

Clean the mussels under cool water with a soft vegetable brush.  Pull off the "beard" (the long stringy/weedy part attached to some shells).  Discard any mussels with broken shells or any that don't close after you tap them gently.  Mussels must be cooked while alive to prevent contamination that causes illness!

Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add basil, red pepper flakes, wine, water, and tomatoes. 

Bring everything to a boil, cook for 1 minute. Add mussels, give them a big stir, pop on the lid, lower the heat to medium, and cook about 10 minutes, until the mussels are open.  This time, discard any mussels with tightly closed shells.

Serve hot, with lots of bread to soak up the yummy sauce!

This Month: Holiday Brunch

Last year I was in charge of Christmas.  Totally in charge.  My mom and my in-laws were in town.  Both my brothers were here.  We had a 6-month old and a 2 ½  year old.  It was a crazy few days of cooking.  Since Mama's birthday is Christmas Eve, in addition to hosting Christmas Brunch and Dinner, I also prepared a birthday breakfast and dinner at our house.  It was hectic.  My kitchen was a mess.  My dishwasher didn't stop running for three days.  But I wouldn't complain.  Ever.  Because my whole family was here, and having spent a Christmas in California without any extended family just two years before, my husband and I decided that we had little desire to be "alone" during the holidays ever again.  Anyway, here's my version of Christmas Brunch, which was served after we opened stockings but before we tore into the wrapped gifts under the tree.

Hot Mama Bloody Marys

Vanilla-Pear Muffins

Grapefruit Brulee

Shrimp & Grits

The whole menu:

Bloody Marys

Peach Bellinis

Fruit Salad 

(Honeydew, blackberries, raspberries, star fruit, 

and a sprig of rosemary drizzled with Grand Marnier)

Sweet Potato Biscuits with 

Raspberry-Peach Champagne Jam

Vanilla-Pear Muffins

Shrimp & Grits

Tomato Tart

Sautéed Flounder with Garden Vegetable Ratatouille

When "they" tell you to eat from the rainbow, I imagine that rainbow looks a little like this ratatouille!!  We just got  back from a weekend of painting our rental property.  Several days of manual labor, and a family celebration mixed in, made for 96 hours of binge eating, junk food, and no time for the gym.  When we got back home, we decided we needed a little "detox" to resurrect our good habits.  One quick trip to your favorite farmers market and fish monger and you can whip up a colorful, healthy, and delicious summer meal perfectly paired with a glass of crisp white wine and enjoyed with the fireflies on the back porch!  

Ratatouille:

2 tablespoons olive oil (I used herbed)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 eggplant, quartered and chopped

1 purple onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 zucchini, sliced into thick medallions

2 yellow squash, halved and sliced into thick half-moons

1 red bell pepper, sliced

10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

salt and black pepper to taste

Flounder:

4 6-ounce flounder fillets

salt

lemon pepper

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon cayenne

olive oil, for sautéing

Make the ratatouille.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add the scallions, eggplant, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the zucchini, squash, and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.  Add the basil and season to taste.

Make the flounder.  While the veggies are sautéing, rinse the fish and pat dry.  Season with salt and lemon pepper to taste.  Mix the flour, cayenne, more salt and paper in a shallow bowl.  Pour enough olive oil into a second non-stick skillet to just cover the bottom and place over medium-high heat until hot.  Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, coating evenly on all sides.  Sauté the fish, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve the fish over a bed of ratatouille.  Goes great with quinoa, wild rice, or even just herbed brown rice!

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen, by Sara Foster.

Tilapia with Salsa Verde

This super fast and super delicious dish is perfect for a summer night with a south of the border or Mediterranean flavor!  I serve it with a side of my favorite gazpacho, sautéed summer veggies, and a crisp green salad.  Not only is it flavorful, but it's light and healthy and easy on the waistline, a bonus during bikini season.  Try the salsa on other fish, like grouper, red snapper, or ocean perch.  It's equally tasty over chicken or pork, or even stirred into rice.  No matter how you try it, it's sure to be a hit on your dinner guests!  

9 ounces canned diced green chiles

1/2 small onion, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic

1/2 fresh jalapeño

4 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/3 cup cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

4 6-ounce tilapia filets

Combine all but the fish in a blender and puree until smooth.

Heat a non-stick skillet or grill pan to medium-high.  Brush the fish with olive oil and season with salt.  Sauté or grill until just cooked through and flakes with a fork, about 5 minutes.

Transfer fish to a plate and top with the salsa verde.

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook, by Arthur Agatston.

Mango Salsa

Nothing says Island Fever like a fresh tropical salsa!  I love mangos; I love spicy food; and I love bright, fresh, vibrant ingredients on my plate!  I didn't necessarily eat mango salsa on my honeymoon in Jamaica, but this dish instantly took me back to the cool blue water and hot sun of the Caribbean when I made it a few weeks ago. In fact, I loved it so much that I went and bought the ingredients to make it a second time.  This salsa is fabulous on grilled tilapia (the way I served it) but it's also tasty on a plain cheese quesadilla (my lunch the following day) and would likely be amazing over grilled chicken (I haven't tried that yet!).  Or, if putting salad on a main course isn't your thing, simply serve this as a cool summer salad or for chips and dipping when you host your first cookout of the season!

1 large mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (alternatively, drain a few of the fruit cups of prepared mango found in the produce section of your grocery near the bagged lettuce)

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Gently toss to distribute the flavors evenly.  Serve over grilled fish or chicken at room temperature, or slightly chilled as a salad.

Recipe adapted from The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook by Arthur Agatston.

Shrimp Etouffee

Ever since I read The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood for the first time, I've wanted to try etouffee, but never had a recipe.  My mama found one somewhere, that she swears by, but I've never been at her house when she made it.  So, when I saw this version, I couldn't wait to try it!  Feel free to change up the seafood to your liking, and experiment with sources of protein that aren't seafood too!  I used frozen shrimp and scallops in mine, and they worked just fine (and were less effort for me to prepare!).  To serve, just whip up a pot of rice:  mix 2 cups rice (I used Texmati Royal Blend with Flaxseed), 4 cups chicken stock, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over high heat; bring to a boil, stir, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 red or green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 large tomato, cored and chopped

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock

juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) crushed red pepper flakes

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound large scallops

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

10-12 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Dirty rice, for serving

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until melted and hot.  Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture changes from light to golden brown.  Adjust the heat to low if the flour burns too quickly (it should be about 5-10 minutes).

Add the butter, celery, bell peppers, and garlic.  Cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes more, until the onion is soft and golden, the celery and peppers begin to soften, and the roux turns a reddish brown.  Add the tomato and cook, stirring, one minute longer.

Slowly add 1 cup of the stock, stirring constantly, until all is incorporated.  Add the remaining 3 cups, 1 cup at a time, and combine to form a creamy sauce, about 2 minutes.  If the mixture remains very liquid-y, add some more flour (I had to add another 1/3 cup).  Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick.

Add the shrimp, scallops, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, thyme, and basil.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp are bright pink and the scallops are cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm over rice and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Feel free to mix and match the protein in this dish.  Most shellfish (crawfish, oysters, lobster), as well as chicken, duck, or andouille sausage would all taste lovely!

Coconut Shrimp Beignets with Pepper Jelly Sauce

I couldn't tell you where I got this recipe, but it's so worth the trouble of heating oil and frying these bad boys up!  With Mardi Gras tomorrow, this month's meal them is Fat Tuesday Favorites.  Check back Mondays this month for recipes for your own fabulous festival foods.

Vegetable oil

1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup apple jelly

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper

2 cups flour

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 12-ounce bottle amber beer (I used Yuengling)

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the apple jelly, cider vinegar, mustard and hot sauce and cook until the jelly is melted. Pour the pepper jelly sauce into a serving dish.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook until pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a papertowel- lined plate and let cool.

Fill a heavy, medium saucepan halfway with oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil registers 360° on a deep-fat thermometer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together the flour, coconut, scallions, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the beer and 1/4 cup water. Stir the shrimp into the batter.

Using two soup spoons, scoop some shrimp and batter into one spoon, then, with the other spoon, scrape the batter into the hot oil. Fry 6 beignets at a time, turning once, until puffy and light brown, 1 minute on each side. Transfer the beignets to a paper-towel-lined plate; season with salt. Serve hot with the pepper jelly sauce.

Serves 4 as a main dish or 8-10 as an appetizer.

She-Crab Soup

As you know, I grew up "in the Marine Corps" and moved every three years.  It's hard to call any one place home, but since my family moved to Chesapeake the summer before my senior year in high school (yes, I survived!), and I lived there for the next eleven years, I consider Hampton Roads home.  And there isn't a dish that says Chesapeake like she-crab soup!  I've served this as a meal on its own, along with a big green salad, or as a first course for Christmas dinner (served in china teacups, as pictured).  It's elegant, super easy, and delicious!

1 pound quality crab meat, picked over for shells

4 cups seafood stock

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (about 3 leeks)

3 cloves chopped garlic

pinch of cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

1/4 cup brandy

1/4 cup dry sherry

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven.  Add the leeks and cook 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the cayenne and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the brandy and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer.  Transfer to a food processor (or blender) and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter.  Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the pureed leek mixture, crab, stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling.  Season to taste and serve hot.

May be made ahead!

Serve 4-6.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten.

That's right!  A SECOND feature at Miz Helen's!

Sweet and Spicy Orange-Glazed Salmon

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  We had both sides of the family in town, and now we're gearing up for New Year's!!  My husband and oldest son were sick a couple of weeks ago.  My husband had the chills and no appetite.  My son couldn't keep anything down.  He was surviving on Eggo waffles and apple juice.  I know, Mother of the Year award there, but I just wanted him to eat something that wouldn't make him sick!  After two days of not eating much more than toast, my husband appetite started to come back and I jumped on the need for a good, healthy, hot meal.  I'd had the ingredients for this dish on hand for days and couldn't wait to try it.  And let me tell you, if there's one way to coax a man out of his sickness and off the couch, it's a hot, yummy dinner!  This worked wonders for perking my husband right up!

3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (salt free)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 boneless salmon fillets (6 oz each)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoons lime juice

Combine Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, and salt. Rub over all surfaces of the fish. I even rubbed into the skin side.

Saute fillets in oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn and saute an additional 2-3 minutes.

Blend marmalade and lime juice. Swirl in skillet until melted. Turn fish to glaze on all sides.

Serve immediately.

I served with Home-Style Fries and Boursin Creamed Spinach.

Tuna Steaks with Balsamic Glaze

Who says you can only eat fish in the summer time?  I try to cook light, even in the winter months.  I check out the deals at our seafood counter, and when something's on special, I grab it as quickly as I can and scour my cookbooks for a fabulous recipe.  I often have a list of seafood dishes I'd like to try, and mark them off the list as fish becomes available.  But I'm not afraid to admit that every now and then I break down and buy frozen, only because I can't count on the fresh varieties all the time.  And, being a coastal chick, I need to fulfill my seafood craving every so often!  Enjoy this hearty meal year-round, and change up the fish to see what you like best!

4 tuna steaks, cut 3/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the fish in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes.  Stir in the marmelade and vinegar.  Cook until of a glaze consistency.  Serve over the fish.

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from My Mama Made That, by the Junior League of Hampton Roads.

Chesapeake Crab and Pumpkin Soup

Halloween might be over, but that certainly doesn't mean you have to give up on all things pumpkin.  After all, everyone else has a pumpkin-spice something on their menus or product lineups this fall; why shouldn't I?!  This is a recipe I've had earmarked for trial for months and months, but kept questioning whether it'd really be good or if I'd be wasting money on crab meat.  Not to mention that my husband tends to shy away from many of my culinary experimentations, even if they are someone else's recipes!  Even my own mother, who tends to love trying new things, thought this sounded sub-par.  I'm so glad I didn't listen to either of them.  This soup is divine!  It's the perfect marriage between curried pumpkin soup and she-crab soup, both of which are personal favorites of mine.  I hope you'll try it...I just know you'll love it!

3 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, halved and sliced into half-moons

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups chicken stock

1 29-ounce can pumpkin (make sure you don't get the pumpkin pie filler)

1 pound crab meat (I used lump), shells removed

2 cups half-and-half

fresh basil leaves for garnish

freshly ground black pepper for garnish

Melt the butter in a stockpot.  Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Stir in the sugar, salt, cayenne, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add the stock, pumpkin, and crab meat.  Bring to a boil and reduce the heat.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.  Stir in the half-and-half.  Simmer 10 minutes more.  Ladle into soup bowls.  Garnish with basil and ground pepper.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe adapted from My Mama Made That, by the Junior League of Hampton Roads.