Fast and Easy Crab Mini Pizzas

Sometimes, I am craving something decadent fast. Sometimes, I don't want to slave over a stove or do a whole lot of chopping.  Thanks to some ingredients I had on-hand, I was able to whip up these creamy, crunchy crab pizzas with just 5 ingredients in under 20 minutes!


Ingredients (serves 4):
4 wheat pita breads or flatbreads (about 7 inches in diameter)
1 cup of alfredo sauce
2 roasted red bell peppers
1 cup of lump crab meat
1 cup of mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Spread a couple tablespoons of alfredo sauce on each of the pitas.
3. Chop the bell peppers, and divide them evenly among the pitas.  They don't have to be perfect; they're going to be covered in cheese.

4. Evenly distribute the crab onto the pitas.
5. Sprinkle the cheese over the bell peppers and crab. 
6. Bake the pizzas in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Let the pizzas sit for a few minutes before slicing them up and serving. Enjoy!


Note: I realize that crab is expensive, so if you don't have crab on hand, feel free to substitute grilled chicken or even bacon.

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Creamy Salsa Chicken with Avocado

During the holiday season, there is a lot going on. Between waiting in line at the UPS store or braving the traffic near the mall, who has time for dinner? This creamy salsa chicken recipe comes together quickly and reheats nicely.

Creamy Salsa Chicken with Avocado (serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 cup of shredded cooked chicken (could use leftover rotisserie chicken)
1 cup of canned or prepared black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of corn kernels (could be frozen, canned or fresh)
1 16 oz. jar of salsa (I used Trader Joe's chipotle salsa)
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
4 cups of cooked rice
2 avocados

Directions:
1. Mix the chicken, black beans, corn, salsa, cream cheese, and rice together in large pot over medium heat until heated through.  Stir to incorporate the cream cheese.  This should take about 8-10 minutes.
2. While everything is cooking, peel and pit the avocados. Chop them into bite-sized pieces.
3. Serve topped with the avocado. Enjoy!

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Sunday Brunch Special: Pumpkin French Toast

Who doesn't love pumpkin? During the holiday season, I feel inclined to go a little bit overboard with pumpkin. Thus far this season, I have had pumpkin spice lattes and whipped up pumpkin cheesecake and cupcakes. I even made a pumpkin face mask (If you think it sounds weird, you should try it. Pumpkin is full of vitamins and enzymes that help skin cell turnover).

This particular dish is seriously decadent. I took pumpkin bread and turned it into french toast.  I found it was easier than making stuffed french toast with a pumpkin filling.

Ingredients:
1 loaf of pumpkin bread (at least 1 day old)
3 eggs
1/3 cup of whole milk
Whipped cream and cinnamon for topping
Unsalted butter for the pan

Instructions:
1. Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium heat, and add the butter (slightly less than 1 tablespoon).

2. Slice the pumpkin bread into thick slices, at least an inch thick. Because the bread is moister and more cake-like, slicing it too thin will cause it to fall apart.

3. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl. 

4. Coat each slice of pumpkin bread in the egg mixture for about 20 seconds on each side. Add each slice to the pre-heated pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Be careful when flipping.

5. Serve the toast topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!

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Seriously Simple: Salmon in Parchment

This salmon in parchment is so simple; the total prep time was only 5 minutes! When I worked at a seafood restaurant in college (Berret's in Williamsburg, VA), the chef would feature a parchment presentation every night. The fish always came out ridiculously moist and succulent. This was my first attempt at cooking in parchment (or en papillote as the French would say), and I was not disappointed.  As an added bonus, the clean-up process is equally easy.  This recipe would work well for a dinner party, because you can prepare everything before your guests arrive and leave each parchment pouch in the refrigerator until you want to bake it.

For each serving, you will need about 2 feet of parchment paper.



Ingredients:
6 ounces of salmon
10 asparagus stems, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon of butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Instructions:
1. Lay the parchment paper on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the salmon in the middle of the parchment. Arrange the asparagus and butter on top.
3. Sprinkle the rosemary, garlic, and lemon juice over the fish.
4. Fold the parchment paper, and roll the ends up to create a pouch. It should look something like this:

5. Bake in the oven for 18 minutes and then enjoy by cutting into the parchment.

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Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad

There is something so clean, fresh, and uncomplicated about a caprese salad. But it can be easily ruined by watery, mealy tomatoes or less-than-fresh mozzarella. This salad features mini heirloom tomatoes, which provide an extra splash of color, mozzarella ciliegine, basil from our plant in the office, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. The salt brings out the flavor of the tomatoes and contrasts with the creaminess of the mozzarella. Make sure to drain the mozzarella and wash the tomatoes first.

It would work great as an appetizer for two or a light dinner.

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Back from Hiatus

This summer has been busy, busy, busy. Due to all my travels, blogging has sadly fallen to the wayside. But I should be back in force now that my schedule has calmed down a little bit.  I hope everybody is having a good summer. Have you been to any great food destinations?


Here are some photos from all the fun places I've been checking out. Of course, they are food photos. I try not to photograph a lot at restaurants out of respect for other diners, but do sneak in a few shots here and there with my little point-and-shoot, especially if a place isn't too busy. How do you feel about photographing at restaurants?

Oysters at Awful Arthur's, Kitty Hawk, NC

A food truck in Market Square, Knoxville, TN

Beers on the rooftop overlooking the Cape Fear River, Level 5, Wilmington , NC

A mini banana cream cupcake at Sweet Melissa's, Park Slope, Brooklyn

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Quinoa with portabello mushrooms and gorgonzola

Quinoa gets dressed up with halved cherry tomatoes, fresh chopped basil, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and grilled portabello mushrooms.  The dish is finished with a simple mixture of extra virgin olive and lemon juice, making it an ideal light summer dinner.

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