Shrimp Cocktail

Janis and Florian made these beautiful shrimp cocktails last year that I took pictures of and have been saving to post (ok, not saving exactly - I totally forgot I had them!). I love the presentation and think they look very Valentine's Day dinner appropriate - Janis made a similar version last night at our Palentine dinner and it reminded me that I should share this idea.

The ones from last year have two sauces side-by-side in martini glasses with large cooked shrimp propped around the rim of the glass, and garnished with a piece of fresh chive.  So pretty and the combo of sauces was nice - one is cocktail sauce and the other a creamy horseradish sauce (mix prepared horseradish into sour cream, maybe add a bit of lemon juice).

Last night Janis just put cocktail sauce in the glass and it was equally pretty and a fun way to serve shrimp cocktail (which I love love love!).

they put the sauces into ziplock baggies and snipped the corner to make
getting it into the glass clean and could control where the sauce went. 

or with just cocktail sauce - still pretty!

Happy Palentine's Day!!!
Janis also brought champagne with raspberries, and a
decadent chocolate dessert that I'll share with you once
she gives me the recipe! So good!

one year ago: how to make a heart sun catcher

two years ago: Valentine's Day wine label

Baked Crab Cakes

I've never made crab cakes but love them and have been wanting to try...yay they turned out SO good. I combined a couple recipes and got lucky - this is a keeper and I will definitely be making them often now.






Mix together in a bowl: 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 eggs, a big handful of plain breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, and a dash of worcestershire sauce. Gently fold in 1 pound crab meat pieces (note: I bought 2 containers of 8 oz crab meat located in front of the meat and seafood counter). Form into 6 big patties using just a little shy of 1/2 cup each (or you can make little appetizer sized ones by scooping 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 16 mini muffin cups) and place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350' for about 30 minutes until crispy and browned.


I served this with my version of a remoulade - I have no idea if this is actually remoulade sauce but it's what we've always called it! In a small bowl mix together some ketchup and creamed horseradish (that makes cocktail sauce by the way, in case you didn't know), then add equal parts mayo and sour cream (you can use all mayo or all sour cream if you want) and mix well.