Barack O-Spam-a Musubi (Spam Musubi)

I'm finding that I have a lot in common with our soon-to-be-president Barack Obama.

First of all, we're both self-described bi-racial "mutts."

And then there's the Occidental connection. He attended Occidental. I eat pizza at Casa Bianca, a favorite of Occidental students.

He likes to body surf in Oahu. I attempt body surfing at Santa Monica Beach.

And after a day in the surf or on the green, we both like to chow down on spam musubi, that simple but satisfying snack of Japanese steamed rice topped with fried Spam and wrapped in nori (dried sea weed). (For the record, the rice is the plain white stuff, not sushi rice. PLEASE don't call it Spam sushi.) The New York Times (and hundreds of other news outlets) reported that Obama ordered the popular finger food for lunch during a golf outing in Hawaii.

In honor of our new Commander in Chief, I'm bringing O-Spam-a musubi for a breakfast inauguration party tomorrow. I first made this treat a few months ago. For the O-Spam-a version, I upgraded to teriyaki Spam with this recipe from Recipezaar. The sweetness of the teriyaki sauce (1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 T. sugar) masks the saltiness of the canned meat.

Now go ahead and sneer and put your nose up in the air as I bite into my Spam musubi. I'm secure in the knowledge that Obama and I both love it. We have a lot in common, ya' know.

Mission: Ultimate Crab Cake

Is this the ultimate crab cake? I'm getting closer.

I started out the year 2009 on a mission to find the ultimate crab cake.

I used a Williams and Sonoma recipe for the first batch I made for New Year's Eve. They were delicious, but, alas, not the ultimate.

Then I remembered the crab cakes I sampled at the Turf Club at Santa Anita Race Track five years ago. Now that was a crab cake. Slightly crisp outside, moist (but not mushy) and meaty on the inside. It was as though Merlin waved his magic wand and the fresh lumps of crab clung together without the help of bread crumbs, mayo or eggs.

I found the recipe online and decided to whip up a batch for a friend's birthday party. The first instruction was to reduce one cup of heavy cream to 1/3 cup. It provided no clue about how to reduce the cream. Should I put it on a Weight Watcher's diet?

I poured the cup of cream into a sauce pan over a low flame. I stirred and watched and watched and stirred. After 20 minutes it became a little thicker. I turned up the heat and stirred and watched for another 10 minutes. It still hadn't reduced to 1/3 cup, but I was running out of time. I needed to cool the cream before I could move to the next step.

I rushed the process and ended up with a soggy concoction that didn't stick together. I dipped the gooey crab mixture into flour, then egg and bread crumbs. I gave up after four crab cakes. The process was excruciating, but the cakes were exquisite.

I squeezed some lemon juice into the left over crab mixture and called it crab dip.

The next day I took the left over dip and made three more crab cakes. This time, the cakes stayed together a little more easily after a night of chillin' in the fridge. My hands were a mess, but the crab cakes were very close to being the ultimate. If only I could get that cream to reduce.

Santa Anita Crab Cakes
(Adapted from fabulousfoods.com)

1 lb jumbo lump crab
1 cup cream
4 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely minced
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

flour and fresh breadcrumbs

Reduce the cream until it is about 1/3 the volume and is thickened. Add the red peppers at the end of the reduction -- do not cook further. Allow to cool slightly.

Place the crabmeat in a mixing bowl and separate the lumps very gently to avoid breaking apart. Make a "well" in the center of the bowl. Now add everything including the cream mixture to the center of the bowl. Very lightly and carefully toss this mixture together until all of the ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until well chilled, then remove and form into balls about 5 oz each, return to refrigerator until the crab cakes are firm.

Bread the crab cakes in flour, then egg, then fresh bread crumbs. Fry either in a pan or Fryer at 325 degrees until golden brown. Drain Slightly. Finish the crab cake in a 400 degree oven for about 7 or 8 minutes.

NOTES:

• Make sure to start several hours in advance because of all the chilling time required.

• I added a 1/4 tsp. of the Old Bay seasoning to the dredging flour.

• I skipped the last step of finishing off the cakes in the oven.

I served the crab cakes with spinach sauteed in olive oil with garlic and dried cranberries.

It's in the Bag

If a "sanctimommy" is a sanctimonious mom, then what do you call someone who cops a "greener than thou" attitude?

Susan?

Yes, I'm a little full of myself when it comes to living green. I drive a Prius and blow the EPA estimated miles per gallon out of the gas station. I walk errands. We use those twisted compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the house. We keep the thermostat set at 68 in the winter and 80 in the summer. We insulated the attic and installed a whole house fan. I recycle and freecycle. I've forsaken plastic water bottles. I only buy appliances and office equipment with the Energy Star seal of approval. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

The truth of the matter is that I still have a long way to go.

For example, I can't seem to get the hang of bringing my own shopping bags to the grocery store. It's not for lack of totes. I scored these five bags in one week at a YWCA event and The Women's Conference.

I love City of Hope, but I wouldn't be caught dead carrying their bright blue tote bag.

Add the freebies to my home totes, and my collection looks like this:

I find fault with every one of these bags.

This Jensen's bag is a great workhorse, but I never seem to have it in the car when I need it.

At last, I found the perfect solution at The Women's Conference. A set of these three stylish nylon tote bags from EnV sells for $24.00.

Each lightweight bag can hold the equivalent of two plastic grocery bags.


I love the colors and patterns and lack of logos.

I finally moved the bags from my closet to the car and used these totes when I shopped at Super King this afternoon.

And, yes, I think the other shoppers were a little green when they saw Altadena's newest bag lady.

Do you say "paper" or "plastic" or do you bring your own tote? Do you have a favorite?

Live Simply - Crab Cakes and Champagne

Life is full of quests. The search for "the one." The quest for the perfect purse. And the pursuit of the ultimate crab cake.

If crab cakes are on the menu at a restaurant, I will order them, but, more often than not, I am disappointed. Too much filler. Not enough crab. Mushy texture. Not enough flavor.

It finally occurred to me that the ultimate crab cake might be found in my own kitchen. On the advice of a woman I met at Fish King on Christmas Eve, I used the recipe on the Williams Sonoma website. I cut the amount of breading in half and used Tabasco sauce instead of cayenne pepper. I used half and half instead of heavy cream. I doubled the amount of lemon and parsley.

The results were good. In fact, they were very good, but they were not the ultimate crab cake.

But the year is young, and who knows. I may find the perfect purse AND the ultimate crab cake in 2009. The search for "the one" may take a little longer.

Not the Ultimate Crab Cake but Pretty Darned Good

(Adapted from williamsonoma.com)

Ingredients:

2 slices French or Italian bread

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/4 cup minced green onions, including some tender green portions (3 or 4 onions)

1 lb. fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell fragment

4 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup half and half

2 eggs

4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. Tabasco sauce

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

Remove the crusts from the bread and discard. Cut or tear the bread into small pieces and put into a food processor fitted with the metal blade or into a blender. Pulse a few times to make coarse crumbs; you should have about 2 cups. Place the crumbs in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small sauté pan over low heat, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter. Add the green onions and sauté until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onions to the bread crumbs along with the crabmeat and parsley. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the half and half and eggs until well blended. Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper. Slowly add to the crab mixture, stirring continuously so the bread crumbs are evenly moistened. Form into 8 or 12 oval or round cakes about 1 inch thick. Put the flour on a plate or on a piece of waxed paper. Lightly and evenly coat each crab cake with the flour, shaking off any excess.

In a large sauté pan or fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter with the vegetable oil. When hot, fry the cakes in batches, turning once, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a warmed plate and keep warm until all the cakes are cooked. Serve immediately with lemon wedges. Serves 6.

Adapted from Chuck Williams Collection, Simple American Cooking, by Chuck Williams (Time-Life Books, 1994).

In 2009, I plan to live simply and consume more champagne, sparkling wine, prosecco and cava. I also plan to continue my search for the ultimate crab cake recipe.

Seafood Diet

I just got back from Fish King, the popular fish market in Glendale. I was a little concerned when I pulled the number 24 and looked up to see they were serving customer number 150. Just 75 more customers to go.

But the ultra-efficient employees called my number in less than 40 minutes and it took less than ten minutes for them to crack my two fresh dungennes crabs and two Alaskan king crab legs.

While I waited, I got to chat up other customers to find out what they were buying and what they planned to make. I'm nosy that way.

- One lady was purchasing fresh crab for crab cakes. She first made these as an appetizer for a fund raising dinner for PAWS-LA, and her 24 guests raved about them. The recipe is from the Williams and Sonoma recipe site. I love crab cakes (or crab anything) but have never made them at home. This goes on my list of what's cookin' in 2009.

- The same lady purchased a pound of herring because she's Norwegian. I got so excited. I almost told her that my cat is also Norwegian, but managed to restrain myself. I think I'll skip the herring in 2009.

- Another couple, who I had met at a party last Saturday, was purchasing several quarts of the ready-made lobster bisque. They were also purchasing fresh lobster to add to the soup and planned on adding a touch of sherry. Now that's my kind of recipe - easy, rich and boozy.

- A well heeled couple was purchasing several lobster tails ($59.95 a pound) for their Christmas Eve dinner. They also planned to serve fresh cioppinno. I wish I could finagle an invitation to that party.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday filled with all of your favorite family, friends and food!

Fish King Seafood & Poultry

722 N Glendale Ave
Glendale, CA 91206
(818) 244-2161

Cookies and sprinkles and icings, oh my!

Tools of the trade - brightly colored buttercream frosting and a set of inexpensive paint brushes

Sometimes baking and decorating Christmas cutout cookies can be a bit overwhelming - the mixing, the chilling, the rolling, the cutting, the baking, the glazing, the icing, the sprinkling, the cleaning . . . the collapsing.

But this time I rolled with the dough, provided the tools and sat back and watched a little magic happen.

My daughter, 19, is responsible for the "pretty in pink" doll on the left. Her boyfriend's little sis, 10, made the adorable little "beach boy," complete with eye lashes on the right. Both used paint brushes to apply food coloring or buttercream frosting.



Little Sis created this masterful Christmas tree with a simple technique: Glaze the cookie in a concoction of powdered sugar and water and then add the fine strokes with food coloring and a paint brush. She sprinkled on a little sugar glitter for pizazz.

Granny's Sugar Cookies
(From a 32-year-old Tupperware recipe I found in my box.)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
- Cream together butter and sugar.
- Blend in egg.
- Sift together salt, baking powder and flour. Add to mixture.
- Blend vanilla into mixture.
- Chill dough approximately one hour.
- Roll dough to desired thickness (about 1/8") and cut out shapes.
- Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet (or cookie sheet with parchment paper) in 375 degree preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Easy Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons water

Combine ingredients until lumps disappear. Spoon on cookies or dip cookie directly into the glaze.

Buttercream Frosting
(Will post this later.)

I like the minimalist look in decorating. My contributions are the red-nosed reindeer in the back of the plate.

Hate to make it, love to eat it - Butternut squash and sweet potato gratin

Butternut squash and sweet potato gratin - irresistibly delicious

Let me count the reasons why I shouldn't make this dish.

• I love butternut squash, but hate working with it. Am I the only wimp who feels like peeling a butternut squash is as much work as whittling an oak branch? And slicing the dense veggie is as taxing as chopping wood.

I feel like a lumberjack when I work with butternut squash. Here is the first of two layers of the dense veggie.

• The ingredients - machengo or gruyère cheese and heavy cream - make it a bit expensive for this frugal cook.

• Those same ingredients - oodles of cheese and heavy cream - make it a bit high fat for this health-conscious cook.

Let me count the reason that, in spite of all the negatives, I've made this dish twice in the last two weeks.

• It is irresistibly delicious. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes. The nuttiness of the butternut squash. The richness of the cream and cheeses. The savory goodness of the thyme. Who could ask for anything more?

Pinch My Salt provides the recipe and excellent photographic instructions for this tasty dish.

Do you have a dish that you hate to make but love to eat?