Quarantine got ya a little crabby? Looking for something to cook while self isolating? This cheesy, crabby treat is easy to make and is a delicious dish for dinner or brunch!
This is a variation of another Morrison’s Cafeteria favorite and anytime we put it on the menu back then I would treat myself to it. I prepared these in small 12 oz casserole / rarebit type dishes, but it can also be prepared in one large casserole dish. In the past, I have used half & half for this recipe, but that tended to make it a little too rich so I used whole milk this time.
Cook / Prep Time – About an hour
Servings – 4
Ingredients:
8 ounces lump crab meat
8 ounces shredded cheddar/jack cheese
1 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs (or croutons)
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
A sprinkling of paprika
For the sauce…
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp ap flour
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sherry wine
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot sauce (I like choulula)
2 tbsp shredded cheddar/jack cheese
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan
Cut and toast the bread cubes. I made croutons using some sourdough bread I made last week.
Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. When melted, add the flour and continue to cook while stirring to make a roux. Do not brown.
When the roux starts to bubble, continue stirring while adding the milk. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble again and add the sherry, mustard, salt, hot sauce and the two cheeses. Turn on low heat continue to stir until well blended. Remove from heat.
Line up the dishes. Spray them with pan spray and add 1/4 cup of sauce to each dish.
Divide the bread cubes between the 4 dishes and place them on top of the sauce.
Pick through the crabmeat to check for any shell pieces and remove them. Then divide the crabmeat evenly and add to the 4 dishes on top of the bread cubes.
Divide the remaining sauce between the 4 dishes and cover the crabmeat.
Top with the cheeses and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes until brown and bubbly around the sides. You can also wrap them and freeze them for up to a month.
Enjoy!
Here are some quarantine songs to listen to while preparing the crab….
“Alone Again (Naturally)” by Irish singer songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan from 1972.
“Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol from his album of the same name from 1981.
Since Tommy James turns 73 today, how about “I Think We’re Alone Now” by him and the Shondells released in 1967.
“Lonely Too Long” by The Young Rascals from 1968.
“Isolation” by John Lennon from his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
(Ain’t Nothin but a) “Houseparty” by the J. Geils Band from 1973.
During the Covid-19 Stuck at Home order, I have spent a lot of time cooking, baking, and gardening. (Thank God for spring).We haven’t been able to see our children or grandchildren for a month. 😒 Although I am a sports fan, I’m not into watching reruns of sporting events I have already seen. I also love to listen to music and ride my bike. While I have always read, I’ve recently had to time to increase my reading, too!
First of all, I’m going to share a list of my favorite authors:
Pat Conroy – the late Pat Conroy was a true poet with words. Author of such classics as The Water is Wide, Prince of Tides and The Great Santini among others.
Michael Connelly – a crime fiction novelist and creator of characters such as Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller. Check out his Bosch tv series on Amazon Prime. The new season starts Friday.
Greg Iles – a great southern author out of Mississippi, his descriptions of the South and its culture is spot on. I wish he would publish new books more often.
Stuart Woods – he published a classic novel, Chiefs back in 1983. He lately has become a kind of a book producing factory similar to James Patterson, and like Patterson’s, in my opinion, the quality of their later novels have deteriorated. I do, however, still enjoy his Stone Barrington novels as some fun escapism.
Harlen Coben – a mystery novelist, he is a master with plot twists. I am currently reading his latest, The Boy from the Woods.
James Patterson – see my above comments about him. The only series I still read by him is his Alex Cross series because I have been reading them so long I feel as I know all the characters.
John Grisham – Another good Southern author, although I think the quality of his newer novels are not in the same class as some of his earlier titles such as The Firm, A Time to Kill, and The Pelican Brief.
Linda Castillo – I have always been fascinated by Amish life and I enjoy her series featuring Kate Burkholder, who left the Amish life, but returned to her Amish village as the chief of police.
Current Reads….
Since my blog is mainly a food blog, I will start with a few food related books.
Do you like love stories? Check out Jim Gaffigan’s book, Food – A Love Story. This hilarious humorist and acclaimed lover of food talks about his love of delicacies such as bacon, gravy, BBQ, steak, donuts, pizza, French fries, and and greasy burgers and hot dogs and about his distaste for terrible foods such as salads, vegetables and fruits.
Cookbook…
I love this bread cookbook by Peter Reinhardt. He is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina his cookbook Crust and Crumb was the 2002 James Beard cookbook of the year, and his recipe for San Francisco Sourdough bread, while quite complicated, is my go to sourdough recipe. I made a few loaves last week.
Sourdough Bread I made using Peter Reinhart’s San Francisco Sourdough Bread recipe.
Fiction:
Cemetery Road by Greg Iles. A fantastic southern crime story. I thoroughly enjoyed it but I wish he would publish more books. I hate waiting, but the quality of the writing is worth the wait! Here is a description of the book from the publisher…. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy returns with an electrifying tale of friendship, betrayal, and shattering secrets that threaten to destroy a small Mississippi town.
And a quick review from The Washington Post… “An ambitious stand-alone thriller that is both an absorbing crime story and an in-depth exploration of grief, betrayal and corruption… Iles’s latest calls to mind the late, great Southern novelist Pat Conroy. Like Conroy, Iles writes with passion, intensity and absolute commitment.”— Washington Post
Dear Edward by Ann Neapolitan – a story of a twelve year old boy who is the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed all the other passengers including the rest of his whole family. Angie Kim of The New York Times called it “a haunting novel that’s a masterful study in suspense, grief and survival” and Stephanie Larratt of The Today Show wrote “its a book about shared humanity, new beginnings and finding hope through even the most trying experience” personally, I thought it was a little depressing but had some good insights into the mind of the twelve year old protagonist.
The Boy from the Woods –Harlen Coben. My current read, I am about halfway through and I am enjoying it. Here is the publisher’s description.
A man with a mysterious past must find a missing teenage girl in this shocking thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away.
Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn’t know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing.
No one seems to take Naomi Pine’s disappearance seriously, not even her father-with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde-with whom she shares a tragic connection-to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.
Wilde can’t ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it’s too late.
Next on my reading list….
Camino Winds by John Grisham. Due out on April 28th, 2020. Here is a brief description from the publisher’s website…
When Hurricane Leo threatens Florida’s Camino Island, the Governor is quick to issue an evacuation order. Most residents flee but a small group of diehards decide to ride it out. Amongst them is Bruce Cable, proprietor of Bay Books in downtown Santa Rosa.
The hurricane is devastating: homes and condos are levelled, hotels and storefronts ruined, streets flooded, and a dozen people are killed. One of the victims is Nelson Kerr, a friend of Bruce’s who wrote timely political thrillers. But evidence suggests that the storm wasn’t the cause of Nelson’s death – he had received several mysterious blows to the head.
Who would want Nelson dead? The local police are overwhelmed with the aftermath of the storm and in no condition to handle the case. Bruce begins to wonder if the shady characters in Nelson’s novels were more fact than fiction. And somewhere on Nelson’s computer is the manuscript of his new novel – could the key to the case be right there, in black and white? Bruce starts to look into it and what he finds between the lines is more shocking than any of Nelson’s plot twists – and far more dangerous.
Hit List by Stuart Woods. The 53rd book in the Stone Barrington series, (I read the other 52). He is a former cop turned P.I. turned lawyer turned millionaire.I like the escapism and the familiar characters in this series. Stone’s favorite things are beautiful women, Knob Creek bourbon, airplanes, fine wine, yachts, and vodka gimlets (in that order). I must say that the earlier books in the series were better. I’m hoping for the best with this newest one.
Fair Warning by Michael Connelly. Due out on May 26, 2020. Connelly is a former police reporter for The Los Angeles Times and a fantastic crime novelist. This will be his third book in his Jack McEvoy series, following The Poet and The Scarecrow. I’m looking forward to this one.
Outsider by Linda Castillo. Due out on July 7th, 2020. The 12th book in the Kate Burkholder series. This one is supposed to be an electrifying thriller about a woman on the run hiding among the Amish.
Happy Reading and stay safe!
Looking for something to listen to while doing some quarantine reading? In honor of Al Green’s 74th birthdayyesterday, enjoy his 1975 greatest hits album featuring all of his classics songs.
Also, a quarantine song suggestion by my sister Cathy, how about The Bee Gees 1977 disco classic “Stayin Alive”
Also, Happy Birthday today to another sister, Debbi!
I was looking through our pantry to see what we had that I could use to make something to satisfy my sweet tooth while sheltering in place. I found some coconut, oatmeal, and a few partial bags of baking chips. Hmmm… let’s see what we can make using those items!
Note: I had a variety of baking chips available, but you can use any flavor or combination of flavors in this recipe. Just make sure they equal 1 2/3 cup total.
Cook / Prep Time – 1 hour
Servings 1 1/2 dozen
Ingredients:
1/2 can condensed milk
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Toast 1 cup of the coconut in the oven until browned. Remove and set aside. In a double boiler, melt the butter, the condensed milk and all of the baking chips together, stirring frequently.
In another bowl, mix the oats, the toasted coconut, and the other coconut flakes.
When all the baking chips are melted, add the sea salt and vanilla and blend together.
Place some parchment paper on a sheet pan and spray with pan spray. Use a scoop or spoon and spray it with pan spray, too.
When the baking chips are melted and smooth, take off the heat and stir in the coconut and oatmeal mixture. When blended, scoop up the mixture by the spoonful and place on the parchment paper. Sprinkle sea salt on the top of each.
These are sinfully delicious!
Place in the refrigerator and chill until cooled and firm. That’s it!
**Warning – you may consider adapting a self isolating exercise regimen after eating several of these!
Enjoy!
Suggested self quarantine playlist to listen to while preparing these….
“U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer from his 1990 album “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” that features the opening riff of the Rick James song, “Superfreak”
“Too Much Time on My Hands” by Styx from their 1981 album “Paradise Theatre”
“Alone” by Heart from their 1987 album “Bad Animals”
“Keep Your Hands to Yourself” by The Georgia Satellites from their 1986 album, Georgia Satellites”
Kerrys Food Thymes 