Beka's Cream of Crab Soup

I made this trying to re-create this amazing crab soup I had at a restaurant that is no longer in business. I did lots of research and here's my version.it's very heavy and very thick so it can be a dip as well. If you want it thinner, just leave out the flour.

• 1/2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat


• 1/2 cup chicken broth


• 1/4 cup minced onion


• 1/4 cup minced celery


• 2 tbsp flour


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp celery salt


• couple twists of the pepper mill


• 3 tbsp butter


• 1 pint half & half


• 1/4 cup dry sherry


• fresh grated nutmeg (to taste)


• pinch of ground cloves


• 1 bay leaf

Cook onion & celery in the butter until onion is transparent & tender.

Blend in flour (if using) & seasonings and saute over medium to medium-hi heat.

Add half & half and chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Stir in crabmeat & lower the heat so it stops boiling (low to med-low).

Stir in sherry.

Leave on low heat & taste to make changes till it's a flavor you want. I ended up adding more nutmeg.

Roast Yourself Some Garlic

Roasted garlic goes great in so many pasta recipes and is awesome just spread on a piece of crusty bread. Maybe mash it in with some potatoes? The sky is the limit. It smells wonderful too (if you like the smell of garlic as much as I). Here's all there is to it:

• 1 full head of garlic
• olive oil
• aluminum foil (thorough, aren't I?)

Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic head and remove any extra skin (still leave some on, though).

Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic.

Wrap garlic in a bit of foil and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Chocolate overload in 3...2...1...

• 1 9-inch pie shell (used Pillsbury)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat eggs in in a large bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar & brown sugar.

Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips & nuts.

Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out relatively clean.

James' Baked Yuca

Yuca is the root of the cassava plant and starts out looking like the above. It's a tuber (just like the sweet potato) and has a really addictively good flavor when done right. It's really popular with our friends in South America, Africa, Central America and the Carribbean. And man, do they know what they're talking about. James made this for us last night and we went crazy for it.

• 1 yuca root
• non-stick cooking spray

Peel the yuca with any regular vegetable peeler.

Slice the peeled yuca into 1/2-inch discs.

Put the yuca slices in already boiling water and par boil them for exactly 5 minutes. Then strain and let them cool completely.

When the yuca has cooled enough that you can pick it up and hold it in your hand, stack them in a glass pyrex type baking dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes and you should have lovely lovely baked yuca. Very similar to the potato but much more flavorful.

Mango Salsa

Made this tonight to go with some lovely jerk chicken. I think the lime is what really gives it it's punch. You could vary this by adding red onion instead of green, or throwing in lots of avocado, pineapple or papaya, but it's great just like this, too!

• 1 mango, peeled, seeded & chopped
• 1 red bell pepper (I used a bit of red, a bit of yellow and a bit of orange)
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced thin (I think it may have been better with a little less)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice, with pulp (dig the pulp out with a fork or just use your hands)
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (other vinegars would do as well)
• 1/2 tsp lime zest
• salt & pepper to taste

Mix it all up and you've got salsa. :)

Leftovers Frittata

Made this this morning with leftover bits from the fridge....

6 eggs, beaten

1-2 oz grated cheese (I used the gouda I had leftover from Jossie's birthday canapes)

fresh ground salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp butter

1/2 - 1 cup chopped leftovers. I used tomato, ham & onion

Chopped fresh herbs (I used wilted arugula from the fridge. Yes I know it's not an herb. Whatever. I also used a bit of sage and parsley. Happy now?)

Preheat oven to broil.

Blend eggs with a fork, adding cheese (parmesan, cheddar, etc.), salt & pepper.

Heat 12-inch non-stick oven-safe saute pan over medium heat (lot of hyphens, there...).

Add butter to pan & melt.

Add veggies & meat to pan & saute for 2-3 minutes.

Pour egg mixture into pan & stir with rubber spatula.

Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the egg mimsture has set up on the bottom and begins to set on top.

Sprinkle with herbs & put the pan in the oven to broil for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned & fluffy.

Remove from pan & cut inot servings.

Suggestions: try drizzling it with truffle oil/salt, sprinkle more grated cheese on the top, mix other herbs in there as well as leftover meat, peppers, corn, etc.

Mustard Spice Glazed Ham

I'm not roasting a ham or anything over here. Just have a few yummy slices of ham steak and wanted to spice things up a bit. I researched a few recipes for homemade mustard, and then made this mustard spice glaze for the ham. It was sweet, spicy and really really good!

• 3oz mustard seeds (I used black but others would do fine, I think)
• pinch of mustard powder
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp tumeric (or any bright yellow curry blend)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp cloves

Put mustard seeds, powder, brown sugar, salt, tumeric & black pepper in mixer or blender and blend. Then add wine. Mixture will be watery.

Move to saucepan, add flour (to thicken) and bring to a boil.

Serve as a dipping sauce or pour directly over ham.