Can't say I've gotten a lot of cooking done this summer. Lots of burgers and dogs on the grill. Tacos once a week. I'm going full time at work which means only 2 days to cook. There will certainly be some slow cooker meals when the weather cools down, soups and stews.

I do miss cooking though. The smell of food in the oven. Decorating cupcakes. Kneading bread dough. It's going to be weird cooking so few days a week. My daughter is taking over one of the days. She plans to start with Hamburger Helper but I'm going to try to convince her to attempt some recipes that are easy.

Crabs are a summer tradition in my family. When I was too little to pick my own my grandfather picked them for me. Poppy was a man that liked to keep his hands clean but he made an exception for crabs and just used a lot of paper towels. I remember him passing along sweet morsels of choice lump meat. Only the best for his little girl. When I was old enough, I'm thinking 6 or 7, he taught me to pick my own.

When I was a girl my grandparents lived on the water and we caught our own. Every morning we would go out and check the pots putting what we had caught in the live box. We also chicken necked for them which was a lot of fun. I would slowly pull the crabs up and Poppy would scoop them up with a net. When the box was full it was time to steam and enjoy.

I loved watching the crabs try to escape from the hot pot. Cruel, yes, but delightful to a 6 year old. Granny would load them up with old bay and the scent was heavenly. When they were done we would spread newspaper all over the table and dig in.

The house on the water is a thing of the past and Granny no longer steams them, they are bought that way. I'm older so a few beers replace the sweet coke and the taste is that much better. These gems were had at my parents home. Stuffed with meat they were the most amazing crabs I had in a long time. My husband is a master picker and leaves me looking like a big old crab waster. My 10 year old picks his own. The 13 year old didn't make it and missed out. Ha.

I miss my Poppy. I would have liked it if he could have taught my kids to pick. But when they were little he always picked out the choice lumps and passed them down to their chubby little fingers. I also wish that my Granny had been there but I get to go to the shore and see her in a few weeks.

Lots of things have changed in my life since those early days on the water. But crabs are still my favorite and I don't mind getting my hands messy at all.

Black Bean Corn Fritters

1/2c yellow cornmeal
1/2c all purpose flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne
1/2c milk
1 egg yolk
1c cooked black beans
1c grated sharp cheddar(4oz)
2tbs minced cilantro
1/2c fresh or frozen corn
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2tbs diced green chili peppers(available canned)
2 egg whites
1/2c canola oil

Stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne in a medium bowl.

Beat milk with egg yolk and add to dry ingredients, mixing well.

Stir in beans, cheese, corn, cilantro, red pepper and green chilies.

In another bowl beat egg whites with electric mixer(or by hand if you are less lazy than I) until stiff. Gently fold into batter.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet(I like cast iron) over medium high heat.

Spoon in 1/4c batter for each fritter, making 3-4 at a time, Fry until golden, 3-5 minutes, then flip and fry other side. Drain on paper towels.

This recipe serves for an comes from the Beyond the Horn of the Moon cookbook.

I love to serve these with the salsa I posted earlier. We also eat them with sour cream. I like a nice green salad with lots of cucumber and grape tomatoes and goddess dressing.

WIth the weather warming up I'm not in love with cooking as much as I am in the colder months. These are nice as they do not heat the kitchen up too much.

Next week my meals include sloppy joes, flank steak on the grill, and a linguine with brie, tomato and basil . Nothing requires the oven and that makes me very, very happy. I do miss cupcakes, though.

There's nothing I love more than a good burger. I make mine very simply. A pound of ground beef, a few shakes of worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Shape into the size burger you like. That's it. Cook until desired doneness. A tip I have it don't smash your burger down. It releases the wonderful juices. Best grilled these also work broiled if your parade is rained on.

Everyone in my house likes their burgers different. I generally use red onion and bbq sauce. Tonight I am trying something new by adding some coleslaw. I have a great bbq macaroni salad recipe which I'll share soon to serve on the side. I also like coleslaw and potato salad or just a fresh bag of Utz potato chips.


This weeks meals include baked spuds with ham, spinach, and gouda, shrimp scamp(shrimp on sale!)i and salad, and our fav taco night. I've been enjoying cooking lately and plan to make some lemon bars on this rainy Saturday. Also some nice(cheap! and delicious) white wine.

Mango Avocado Salad
2 Ripe Avocados
1 Mango
1/2 red onion(small) finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
dash of lime zest
dash of garlic powder(this can be left out and it will still taste good)
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, minced, to taste(I like a lot but it's a matter of taste).

Mix all ingredients together and a medium bowl. I like this on black bean and corn fritters(recipe to follow soon) but it's lovely on chips. It's also nice with hot sauce if you are into that thing but I like it best without.

Adapted from a recipe on the curious domestic blog.

Easy Fajitas
1 1/2lbs of flank steak
Salt and Pepper
2TBS vegetable oil
2TBS fresh lime juice
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
2TBS water
1tsp chili powder
1tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2tsp cumin
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

1. Pat steak dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1TBS oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown steak on first side, about 5 minutes.

2. Flip the steak over and continue to cook to desired doneness, 3-6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and drizzle with lime juice. Tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, add the remaining oil to skillet and heat on medium high until shimmering. Add peppers, onion, water, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, cumin, and 1/2tsp of salt. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

4. Stack tortillas on plate and cover with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave until soft and hot, about 30 seconds to a minute.

5. Slice steak very thin across the grain. Arrange on platter and serve on tortillas with the veggies.

This recipe is from The American Test Kitchens Family coobook

Fajitas can be topped with many things. We like tomatoes, avocado, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and lime wedges. You can leave the hot pepper sauce and serve at the table if you have spice haters like I do. My kids love the fact that they can put these together at the table themselves.

Very easy meal that I love.

Saturday is the day I drink gin and tonic. A classic, crisp drink I love the touch of bubbles and lime. Perhaps the easiest drink to make I have the simplest way ever. Eyeball it. I start with 3 inch glass(often known as and old fashion glass). To the it I add about 3/4 inch of gin, 1 inch of tonic and ice to fill. Run a lime around the edge of your glass and squeeze the rest of the juice into your cocktail. Yummy. The best way to make a good drink is to taste so play around with it and see what you like.

Perhaps this blog is back? Fajita recipe to come.