Feeling Crabby?

We went to the grocery store and I saw that they were having a sale on whole crabs. The kids and I have been trying new recipes and crab cakes was on our list of things we wanted to make. I walked up to the counter and the young man in a white butcher coat asked if he could help me. At this point Amy and Jack pretended they were with another shopper.
“I am making crab cakes” I told him. “How many crabs do I need for a pound of meat?”
I could tell that Amy was wondering why I couldn’t be like the other woman who had walked up to the counter, gave a request for a half dozen bright red crustaceans, then left.
Give me a break!

What did I know about shell to meat ratio, the closest I have gotten to making seafood is putting together a well crafted tuna sandwich.
I settled on three crabs, he offered to clean them. I just nodded my head yes and decide against asking anymore questions that would alert others of my seafood rookie status.

After we carted our catch of the day home I called a friend who happens to be an amazing cook. She loaned me her crab-cruncher tool and after an hour or so Jack and I extracted every ounce of meat we could for our recipe.

Sometimes it feels like I am in a rut. I rotate the same hand full of recipes for dinner. I barely keep up on laundry. Some days feel like everything that can go wrong- does. I am usually an optimist, but there are times when I just want to crawl back into bed, pull the covers up over my head sleep until spring.

Ever feel that way?

But being in a crabby state of mind has its perks.

Sometimes being crabby gets your blood pumping and mind flowing with new ideas and possibilities.
Maybe, God has something else in mind and I need to be O.K with just waiting to see what will happen next,even if it means tackling something I have never done before, like cracking  crab legs. Maybe I need to stress less about life’s circumstances and be thankful for what we have. Each other.

Skip the lemons and lemonade, if life’s circumstances leave you crabby, make crab cakes!

Here is a recipe Jack and I are going to make this holiday season.

Barbara Winnie’s Up Scale Crab Cakes
1lbs crab meat
1/3 cup Ritz crackers
½ cup Mayo
½ squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/3 teaspoon garlic salt
Flour for dredging

Heat two tablespoons peanut oil in skillet. Form 8 medium patties or 16 sliders size patties. Pan sear for 4 minutes on each side.

Chipolte Aoili
1 cup mayo
1 chopped chipolte pepper
1 tablespoon capers – chopped
½ squeezed lime
3 tablespoons chopped gherkin pickles

Mix well and serve along with crab cakes.