Crab Cake Salad

Ingredients:

1 shallot, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 light cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon worsteshire
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
1 large egg
Hot sauce, to taste
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage and shell fragments
Butter leaf lettuce,
Fresh mozzarella balls
Cherry tomatoes
1/2 lemon
Olive oil
Champaign vinaigrette
Directions:
Add shallot, garlic and red pepper to pan with olive oil and cook for on medium heat in pan until garlic is golden.

Mix all remaining ingredients into large bowl and add shallot, garlic and red onion. Note do not add oil from the pan.

Mix well then create small patties to fry in pan. Add vegetable oil to pan about a half an inch thick. Cook patties till golden brown on both sides.

Dressing:
Mix ½ lemon juice with a tablespoon of spicy Dijon mustard with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a splash of Champaign vinaigrette

Halibut Fish Sticks w/chive-caper Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce ingredients:

1/2cup light mayonnaise
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons finally chopped dill pickles
2 tablespoons green onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoons hot sauce
1 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Mix all ingredients together and chill

Halibut fish sticks ingredients:
Wild Halibut
Panko crumbs
2 tablespoons chives
1/4 cup vegetable oil]
1 egg

Directions:
Slice halibut into strips
Whisk egg with salt and pepper
Dip fish strips into egg
Lather with panko crumbs and chives
Fry fish sticks on high

Baked Artichokes

2 large artichokes, rinsed and trimmed
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise (light)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Tabasco sauce (to taste)

Directions:
Boil artichokes for 10 minutes
Slice artichokes in halves and clean out the heart
Bake in pan at 400 degrees glazed with white wine, garlic salt, and olive oil for 8 minutes

Mix remaining ingredients together and chill

Tuscon Black Bean Salsa

3 tablespoons corn oil
1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed
1 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1 15-ounce can Great Northern white beans, drained
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 large jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon cholula
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Easiest/Best appetizer to bring to a party. I have an account with Berryman and love love love to order fruit and vegetables from them in large quantities. I have been working on a box of dates (500 dates) for the last 2 months so its been a popular appetizer.

Ingredients:
Bacon
Pitted dates
Honey

Directions:
Slice bacon into 3rds for each bacon slice
Wrap bacon around dates
Bake in oven at 400 degrees
Drizzle with honey

Babyback Pork Ribs

Tonight’s meal was a huge hit with the boys. I had leftover BBQ Sauce from Monday's dinner to prepare a delicious set of pork ribs. I was concerned about time with having work and the gym, but it is really a hands off type of dish with little to no preparation. I was able to cook while relaxing and working on around the house.

Ingredients for ribs:
Babyback pork ribs
Homemade BBQ sauce from Monday’s recipe (Sean snuck some whiskey in the sauce demanding that it was a must for ribs)
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Place oven at 400 degrees
Glaze ribs with 3/4 of the BBQ sauce into Pyrex dish
Add half a cup of water
Cover tightly with tin
Place ribs in oven and cook for 1.5 hours till meat is falling off bone
Add additional layer of BBQ sauce to ribs and place on BBQ for a quick char
Add additional layer of BBQ sauce and serve

I also served baked artichokes and Brussels sprouts as sides.

Recommended drink to serve meal with - Piraat Ale

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Taco Tuesday!

Tacos are a huge hit at our house and with constantly having Sean's friends over and dinner parties; this is a reoccurring weekly dish for us. Since this is a popular dish, I try to serve it in a variety of ways with either shredded chicken, ground turkey, carne asada, ground bison or pastor and sometimes even veggie or fish tacos (Sean's least favorite).

Last night we went with carne asada from Mayo's Market on De La Vina. This is as authentic as it gets in Santa Barbara.

Ingredients for carne asada marinade:
1 Lime
1 Orange
1 Garlic clove
1/2 Onion
Cilantro
1 Teaspoon season salt

You can either BBQ the carne asada or sauté it in a pan. If you sauté the meat in a pan, I like to add habanero infused silver tequila to spice it up.

Tacos:
Corn tortillas fried in a deep fryer with vegetable oil (1 minute each side)
1 Diced tomato
1 Diced onion mixed with cilantro
Crumbled queso fresco
1 Wedge of lime

Popular hot sauces used:
Cholula
Tapatio

Paired drink: Michelada (My absolute favorite drink ever!)
Ingredients:
Negro Modelo
1 Lime
1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Tapatio
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire
1 Teaspoon soy sauce
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of Mexican salts