Last night my husband and I indulged in a mid-century meal to celebrate the premiere of my current fave show, Mad Men. Digging out my 1968 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, I planned out the menu. Since vodka martinis (I don't do gin) were a must (with lots and lots of olives), I decided to begin the meal with some cocktail snacks. We had clam dip (made with bleu cheese and cream cheese) on triscuits, roasted almonds, some crisp veggies (radishes cut like roses!), and some really delicious deviled eggs. Why is it that the older I get, the more I love deviled eggs? I couldn't stand these things when I was young.
Dinner itself was a grilled ribeye for hubbie (I also don't do red meat), twice baked potatoes, and a classic caesar salad. I realize that there's some debate as to what constitutes classic, but I love anchovies, so they were a must. I also used a raw egg!! I know, shocking. But these eggs were from Celebrity Dairy, where the chickens roam free, so I felt pretty safe.
Tonight we're having crab cakes (crabby patties to the young), sweet potato fries, and steamed asparagus. I've worked hard on trying to get my crab cakes perfect. And now I'm not satisfied with restaurant crab cakes unless I'm on the Chesapeake bay. One big improvement is when I started using Panko for the breadcrumbs. My recipe is simple: lemon juice, Old bay seasoning, egg, mayo, some chopped green pepper and green onion, a dash of tabasco, pound of crab meat, and a bit of the Panko. Once they're made into patties, I cover them with some more of the Panko and then refrigerate them until it's time to fry them in some canola oil. They're light and super crabby.
Once I get the hang of blogging, I guess I'll need to post pictures of food I've prepared.
My other recent obsessions: trying to recreate dishes from our recent trip to Italy and trying to eat as locally as possible. So I'll probably post on those meals soon. Tomorrow night: the satisfaction of an omelet, salad, and really good bread from Weaver Street Market.
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