Front Burner

Before the combination of "sweet potato" and "crab" turns you off to this recipe, let me assure you that I'm not even sure why they bear the name, when the scant 1/4 cup of mashed sweet potato lends only the very slightest flavor to the dish. I was thrilled to try them. I figured the odd combination might turn out well. And while I absolutely LOVED these cakes, it left me wishing for a little more "sweet potato-ness" :) Having said this, I will no doubt keep this recipe around as it was much better than the previous ones I attempted. Delicious with a good tartar sauce or aioli and served alongside steamed zucchini and roasted potato wedges! But if you're going to go to the trouble of peeling, dicing, boiling and mashing a small sweet potato, you might as well toss the whole thing in there.

I just might try that next time...

*Courtesy of Taste of Home*

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup mashed sweet potato
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. seafood seasoning
2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning
4 (6 oz.) cans lump crabmeat, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients through cajun seasoning. Fold in crab. Form into 12 patties; sprinkle with salt.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook crab cakes in hot oil in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Tilapia has always been a "plain" fish in my taste. Mild in flavor, to me it tastes similar to all the other mild white fish out there. So, in this regard, I'm never really sure what to do with it. Don't get me wrong, I like white fish... even tilapia... I use it in fish tacos. But when I ran across this recipe I thought "hmm... it's definitely worth a try!" Kids both devoured it and Joe enjoyed every bite. I'd say it was definitely worth the try :)

*Courtesy of Taste of Home Healthy Cooking*


Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

6 tilapia fillets
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. minced fresh basil or 1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay)

Place fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; spread evenly over fillets. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork and topping is brown and bubbling.

*serving suggestion: steamed asparagus and a pasta side dish*

This is not my recipe. Nor is it one that I've found in one of my beloved cooking magazines or books. To me, this is comfort food. We had these at LEAST once a month growing up and by the time I was in middle school, my mom had taught me how to whip up a batch. But somewhere in those years between leaving for college, getting married and developing my passion for cooking, these became a distant memory and I was on to newer, more exciting recipes. I may have made them once or twice but it wasn't until a few weeks ago as I contemplated something "cheap" to make for dinner that I fondly remembered this recipe. I even went as far as posting on my sister's facebook page:

"I'm making porcupine meatballs for dinner tonight... doesn't that remind you of our childhood? :)" to which my little brother replied "Porcupine meatballs! Oh man, the memories. You should have egg noodles and gravy with them..." and my sister seconded with " I want porcupine meatballs!!! That does sound so good, just the way Joey said. :) Mmmmmmm I can taste them now."

It warmed my heart to know the memory was still alive...


Porcupine Meatballs (courtesy of Rice-a-Roni)

1 (6.8-oz.) package beef flavored Rice-a-Roni
1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or cooking spray
2 1/2 cups water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Combine rice mix, ground beef and egg. Shape into twenty 1 1/4-inch meatballs. In a large skillet in vegetable oil or cooking spray over medium-high heat, brown meatballs on all sides; drain.

Slowly stir in water and special seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low; simmer 25 minutes or until meatballs are cooked. Remove meatballs with a slotted spoon to a bowl and keep warm. Mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and pour into remaining water/seasoning mix in skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened.

Serve meatballs on top of egg noodles and top with gravy.

These cute and delicious little muffins were so incredibly easy to make. So easy and quick, in fact, that I decided to whip them up one night while Joe was putting the kids in bed. I managed to mix the batter, bake them, clean up the mess and had them cooling on a rack by the time Joe bathed the kids, read them a story and came downstairs. THAT easy :) Not too bad on the taste buds either...

Cafe Mocha Mini Muffins

2 tsp. instant coffee granules
1/3 cup boiling water
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided

In a small bowl, dissolve coffee granules in water. Stir in oats; set aside. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla and oat mixture. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to oat mixture until moistened. Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips.

Coat mini muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter. Sprinkle with remaining chips. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack to cool completely.

So I changed the name of the original recipe. When I ran across this recipe in one of my beloved Cooking Light cookbooks I was intrigued. Pork Chops with Country Gravy? Sounds DELICIOUS! However, as my meal preparation progressed, I realized this would look nothing like I had imagined "country gravy" to look. More like a sauce, nothing like a gravy, I served this dinner with a slight sense of failure. It hadn't turned out the way it was supposed to and I followed the directions exactly! But such is the life of an adventurous cook... you sometimes end up eating your mistakes and failures....

Except that this wasn't. A mistake or a failure that is. It was something much better than I had even imagined. Maybe it was a combination of the braised chop atop warm mashed potatoes covered in this strange new "sauce." But all I could think was "WHOA!" And 4 cleaned plates backed it up as a "keeper" and maybe even a new favorite...


Pork Chops Braised with Country Sauce

4 boneless pork loin chops
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk (I used nonfat because it's what we have in our fridge)
1 teaspoon butter

Trim fat from pork. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large resealable bag. Add pork; seal bag and shake to coat pork with flour mixture. Remove pork from bag, reserving remaining flour mixture. place reserved flour mixture in a small bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Add milk mixture; cover, reduce heat to low and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn pork. Stir in 3/4 cup milk; cover and cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover skillet and cook pork 15 minutes or until sauce is reduced to 2/3 cup. Serve pork chops atop mashed potatoes. Spoon sauce over pork.

YUMM!! *courtesy of Cooking Light*