Crab Ceviche

Shrimp ceviche makes me a little squeamish. What!? Raw shrimp!? What!? It cooks in lime juice!? What!? That doesn't sound legit! 

But crab ceviche... totally my thing. Whenever we have a barbecue I request (i.e: demand) that Ronnie & Tiffany bring a giant bowl. I had a serious craving this morning and decided today was the day that I would make it for myself.

Meet my breakfast and lunch.

Crab Ceviche

• 1 (8-ounce) package imitation crab meat, flaked
• 2 large tomatoes (or 3-4 small), chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 jalapeno, diced (seed the jalapeno if you want a mild ceviche)
• 2-3 limes, juiced
• salt & pepper to taste
• little shake of garlic powder
• couple dashes of Frank's Red Hot*

Throw everything in a glass or porcelain bowl (preferably not metal or plastic). Chill for one hour. Eat with corn tortilla chips, wheat thins, or lavosh. 

*You can use a couple teaspoons of olive oil instead of Frank's if you prefer the way ceviche tastes without it. It's delicious either way.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork & Cilantro-Jalapeno Coleslaw

Two crock-pot meals in one week! Life has gotten easier on Indigo Street.
This recipe came from The Pioneer Woman, and it was freaking deeeeelicious! Michael said it was the most flavorful pulled pork he's ever had, the house smelled delicious, and I might make it the next time we have company over.

Crock-pot meals are so easy I really don't think they need the play-by-play with photos. I spent about 20 minutes prepping everything in the morning (it could have been cut down to 10.. but it was the morning, I was moving slow), and another 15 minutes doing the finishing touches before serving. In order to make this as easy as possible, I prepped everything for the coleslaw in the morning and stored everything separately (dressing, cabbage/jalapenos, cilantro- all in separate tupperware) so I could toss it together before eating. Definitely make this. And make a ton of it- the leftovers are amazing.

Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

• 1 large Onion, peeled & quartered
• 3-5 lbs. Pork Shoulder Roast 
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 can Chipotles in Adobo (I used a 12.5 oz can- you can use a 7 oz can if you prefer things more mild)
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper

1. Place the onion quarters in the bottom of the crock-pot. Generously salt & pepper the roast before placing it (fat-side up) on top of the onions. Pour the can of chipotle peppers (including the sauce) over the roast, add the brown sugar, then pour in the two cans of Dr. Pepper. 
2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, turning 2-3 times during the cooking process (I wasn't home- mine was never turned, no biggie).Continue to cook until the pork is falling apart (use two forks to test). If the pork is not falling-apart tender, cook it for another hour.
3. Remove the entire roast from the crock-pot and place on a large cutting board. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
4. While the meat is resting, skim the fat from the liquid in the crockpot. Discard the fat.
5. Shred the meat with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the liquid in the crock-pot, and keep warm until ready to serve.

Cilantro-Jalapeno Coleslaw

• 1/2 small head of cabbage, sliced thin
• 1/2 small head of purple cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 whole jalapeno, halved & sliced thin (including seeds & membranes)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•  2 cups cilantro leaves, barely chopped

1. Toss together the sliced cabbage and jalapeno slices in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, mix the milk, mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper together. 
3. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for one hour (or not- I didn't). 
4. Before serving, mix in the cilantro leaves.

To Serve:

Michael's Preference: Tuesday Night
Split a kaiser roll in half. Lightly butter and grill until golden brown. Top with shredded pork and a little juice, and coleslaw.

My Preference: Leftovers on Wednesday Night
Heat up a flour tortilla- preferably the delicious kind that you brown yourself on the stove (such as TortillaLand or My Nana's). 

Sidenote:

I knew I would have a ton of leftovers, so I mixed together half the coleslaw on Tuesday so I could have 'fresh' coleslaw on Wednesday. Hate soggy coleslaw.

Fig Spread

Fig Spread

• 6 ounces Calimyrna dried figs, stemmed and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces.
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Bring the water, sugar and figs to a boil in a small saucepan.
2. Reduce the heat, and simmer- covered- until the figs can easily be pierced with a knife and most of the liquid has evaporated. About 20 minutes.
3. Allow the figs to cool slightly before transferring to a food processor or blender. Add the lemon juice and puree until smooth. If the spread is too thick, you can add water, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches

Original recipe from bakingbites.com

• 3 1/2 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast
• 14.5 oz. Beef Broth
• 10.5 oz. Condensed French Onion Soup (I used Campbell's)
• 6 oz. Red Wine
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
• salt & pepper
• 4-6 Bolillo Buns or French rolls
• Provolone cheese, sliced

1. Trim excess fat off the chuck roast, season liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Pour the beef broth, soup, wine, and garlic into a crockpot. Place the roast into the liquid.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until very tender. Remove the beef from the crock pot, allow it to rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, then cut into thin slices. Place all the sliced meat back into the crockpot for another 30 minutes (I skipped this part because I was STARVING).
4. Lightly toast the bread, top with cheese, and divide the beef evenly between the rolls. 
5. Skim the fat from the crockpot, then spoon the beef juice (au jus) into ramekins. Serve each sandwich with it's own ramekin of au jus.
6. Dip. Bite. Chew. Delicious. 

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Best thing to do with all those damaged, mediocre, or extra tomatoes.

Roasting tomatoes concentrates the flavor, and turns them into the best condiment ever.

Start with cherry tomatoes, or any tomatoes.

Grab some fresh herbs, if you have them.

I used rosemary & thyme from my herb garden.

Halve the tomatoes. Chop the fresh herbs.

Gently coat the tomatoes & herbs with olive oil.

Just a little bit of olive oil.

Only enough to make them glisten.

Season with salt and pepper. But just a tad.  

Spread everything out on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Make sure all the tomatoes are gut-side up (skin-side down?).

Throw it in a 225 degree oven for.. are you ready? 3 hours or more.

I almost forgot! If you want roasted garlic,

throw in a few cloves. Leave the skin on.

3 hours later..

The outside is dry, the inside is still a little juicy. So fab.

Peel the garlic, and throw everything into tupperware with a little olive oil.

It'll be good for a couple weeks in the fridge.

We had pizza and wings for dinner. 

I put them on my pizza.

The next night I added them to pasta.

The next day I added them to my LeanCuisine for lunch.

I'm pretty sure they make everything taste better.

Pumpkin Bars

These didn't last long in our house. 

Obviously. 

Not long enough for me to take a decent picture, anyway.

Michael loves them.

I can't stop myself from eating them.

I love pumpkin bars. 

I want a pumpkin bar wedding cake someday.

Pumpkin Bars

Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

• 3 eggs
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning

Icing:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. 
2. In a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, sugars, applesauce, and oil until well-combined. About 3 minutes on medium speed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie seasoning. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture over low speed until well-combined. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*If you want a more cake-like, less dense pumpkin bar: increase the eggs to 4, and double the baking soda and baking powder.

Asparagus & Gruyere Tart

I don't know how to pronounce 'Gruyere'. Therefore, this dish is fancy.

Start by thawing Puff Pastry on your counter (approx 40 minutes).

If you want to ensure you're using a good quality puff pastry,

check the ingredients. 'Butter' should be the first ingredient listed.

After the puff pastry has thawed, unfold it.

Lightly flour your work surface, and roll it into a 16" x 10" rectangle.

Trim the rough edges.

I used a pizza cutter.

Transfer to a baking sheet.

Using the tines of a fork, mark a one inch border all the

way around the rectangle.

Then lightly score that border with a sharp knife.

Use your fork to puncture little holes, approx 1/2" apart.

Do that to the entire inner-rectangle.

Tedious, I know. But this will allow air to escape, 

so the middle won't puff up as much as the border.

Throw it into a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes,

until lightly golden.

While the pastry is baking, grab your gruyere. 

I purchased this at Costco.

Grate two cups, approx 5 1/2 ounces.

Next, trim your asparagus so it is all a uniform length.

Ideally, you want it to be equal in length as your pastry is in width (8 inches).

Remove the pastry from the oven. 

If the middle has puffed up, flatten it out with a pancake turner.

Brush the inner rectangle with 1/4 cup honey dijon mustard.

Top it with the cheese.

Lay the asparagus over the cheese, alternating ends & tips.

Lightly brush the top with olive oil.

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the spears are tender.

Asparagus & Gruyere Tart

Original recipe by Martha Stewart

• Flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 1/4 cup honey dijon mustard
• 5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt & pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Trim uneven ends. Place pastry on a baking sheet. 
3. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch from the edge to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove pastry shell from oven, brush with honey dijon, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. 
5. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender; 18-20 minutes (longer if the asparagus is especially thick).