Here is something perfect for the seafood lovers out there – crab cakes. This is a very easy recipe for crab cakes that has only a few ingredients. I used canned crab for my cakes but if you want, fresh crab tastes so much better. A major problem people have when making crab cakes is getting them to hold together. The secret is to chill the crab cakes for about an hour before frying. Crab cakes are very delicate and because of this you need to be careful when flipping them. You can see from my step by step photos I had one crack apart on me when I flipped it. Serving crab cakes with lemon wedges and tartar sauce is a must! This recipe should make 6-9 crab cakes depending on the size. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb lump crab (canned or fresh)
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
oil (for frying)
lemon wedges (to serve)
tartar sauce (to serve)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium bowl mix together eggs, mayo, old bay seasoning, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and mustard until creamy. Add bread crumbs and mix in evenly. Last, add in crab meat and mix evenly.
Step 2: Shape into patties (you should get about 6-9 depending on the size).

Step 3: Heat a little bit of oil in a sauté pan. Sauté crab cakes in batches for about 5 minutes on each side. Try and keep an eye on them to make sure they are not burning on the bottom. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
(Makes 3 servings)

Chocolate chip pancakes are the perfect treat for that special breakfast. There are many ways to make pancakes but this has to be one of the best. For this recipe you can use regular chocolate chips but I used minis and they turned out great. Making pancakes is fairly easy; it’s always a good idea to keep the heat well under control so they don’t burn on one side. After all, nobody likes a burnt pancake. Make sure to check the bottom of the pan cake frequently to make sure it doesn’t become to dark. What’s great about this recipe is cinnamon goes into the batter and adds great flavor to the pancakes. Making chocolate chip pancakes should take very little time and be prepared to impress chocolate lovers with this delicious morning treat. This recipe makes about 6 medium pancakes. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a separate bowl mix together eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Beat the wet ingredients with the dry mixture until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Step 3: Heat pan or griddle. Pour or spoon batter into pan (each pancake should be about ½ cup of batter).
Step 4: Flip the pancake when the top begins to bubble. Fry for 1 minute. Remove from pan and repeat until batter is gone.

Are you getting tired of the same old sweet and sour chicken or pork? If so you might want to give this recipe for sweet and sour fish a try. Sweet and sour fish is breaded fish in a delicious sweet and sour sauce with an assortment of fruits and vegetables. You can basically use any kind of white fish for this recipe such as tilapia, halibut, bass, cod, ect. It is always good to try and find nice meaty fillets if possible. I would recommend frying the fish in a deep fryer because in my opinion they just come out better than pan frying. However, if you do not have a deep fryer, feel free to give it a try in the wok. The fruits and vegetables going into this dish include pineapple, tomatoes, green peppers and onions. If you are in a rush and would prefer to use store bought sweet and sour sauce that would work as well. Serve on top of white rice. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2lbs tilapia, cod, halibut or any other whitefish (cut into 1” chunks)
1 large green pepper (cut into 1” chunks)
1 large tomato (cut into 1” chunks)
1 large onion (cut into 1” chunks)
1 can pineapple chunks (with juice)
Oil (for deep frying)
Breading-
¼ cup cornstarch
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups water
Sweet and Sour Sauce-
½ cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch 

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Toss fish with cornstarch in a bowl and coat well. In another bowl whisk together flour, 6 tablespoons of oil, baking powder, seasoning salt, and cayenne pepper. A little at a time, add 2 cups of water whisking until the batter has become smooth. Pour batter over the coated fish pieces and stir to coat.  
Step 2: In a deep frying fry fish pieces in batches for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven.

Step 3: In a wok heat a tiny bit of oil. Stir fry green pepper and onions for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Step 4: To make sweet and sour sauce – In the wok mix vinegar, sugar, salt, orange juice, pineapple juice and ketchup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in 1/8 cup of juice, pour into the sauce and stir until sauce has thickened.  Add tomatoes and pineapple chunks to the sauce and heat.
Step 5: In a large serving dish mix fish pieces, sauce and green pepper and onions. Serve with white rice.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Thanksgiving may be over but it’s never too late to make pumpkin cookies. This recipe for pumpkin cookies makes a great treat for any holiday or special occasion. Make a batch of these for Christmas this year, you won’t be disappointed. These cookies are light and extremely moist. They remind me a lot of pumpkin bread only with glaze. The glaze is very delicious and really is a great addition to the cookie. If you’re not a fan of icing, not to worry, they will still be great without it. The cookies get most of their flavor from spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The cookies should be baked for 15-20 minutes depending on how moist you want them. These are very easy to make and you will be eating them in no time at all. Pumpkin cookies are great for the holidays. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoons nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter (softened)
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze-
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin puree, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients until well combined. Drop on a cookie sheet by the tablespoon fools. Flatten slightly.  

Step 3: Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool.

Step 4: While cookies are cooling to make the glaze – Combine confectioner’s sugar, milk, butter and vanilla. Mix well.
Step 5: Drizzle glaze onto cookies with a fork.
(Makes 36 servings)

I love stuffed shells… From Italian and taco stuffed shells all the way to chicken stuffed shells. Chicken stuffed shells are a great way to make good use of left over chicken. I have seen many different recipes all using different methods but I decided to try this one. I prefer Italian flavors over cream of mushrooms soup and such. Even though I am not a big fan of ricotta cheese a lot of it goes into this recipe. Not only does ricotta go into this recipe but mozzarella and parmesan cheeses go into it as well. I really like the fresh garlic in the stuffing mixture; it adds a great amount of flavor. This recipe is very easy and all of the stuffing ingredients can be mixed in a food processor to save time. Serve with garlic bread. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 box jumbo uncooked pasta shells
6 garlic cloves (minced)
2 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
1 (30 oz) container ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 ½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
6 basil leaves (torn)
1/3 cup half and half
28 oz pasta sauce
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, separate and set aside.
Step 2: Combine garlic, chicken, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, half and half, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil and parmesan cheese in a food processor. Process until combined. If you don’t have a food processor, mix well with a spoon.
Step 3: Pour half of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. Stuff shells 1 by 1 with the chicken/cheese mixture and place in rows into the baking dish on top of the sauce. Top the shells with shredded mozzarella and pour the over half of the sauce over the top of shells. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
(Makes 4 servings)