Pam, We are nothing here if not enablers. We all enable each other, whether it comes to gardening, preserving or cooking. I have heard of Linda Amendt's book, but don't have it. I think you could do a search on the Harvest Forum and find reviews of it there. The three non-Ball canning books on my bookshelf that I use the most are these: "The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving" by Ellie Top and Margaret Howard. My copy is from the second edition, published in 2007. They may have a newer edition or a more current revision out, or even a newer book. I haven't checked lately. This book has marvelous small batches many of which make only 2 to 6 half-pint jars, which is a great way to try new recipes without making huge batches you might never eat. It also is ideal for items you grow in smaller quantities or can purchase at the Farmer's Market. This book has a lot of great recipes for everything from the usual jams, jellies, salsas and pickles to flavored vinegars, mustards, marinades, dessert sauces, syrups and even liqueurs. I use this book pretty often. "The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden and Market" by Linda Ziedrich. I have the second edition, published in 2009. This book has a huge variety of recipes and they are different from a lot of the standard pickling recipes. For example, she has a whole chapter on recipes for sauerkraut, kimchi and other cabbage pickles, and a different chapter on rice-bran, miso and soy-sauce pickles. There's a full chapter on fermented pickles, and also full chapters on sweet pickles, quick pickles and freezer pickles....as well as chapters on pickled meat, fish and eggs, and a chapter devoted to chutneys, salsa and other relishes. I love this book. "The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits" by Linda Ziedrich. My copy shows a copyright date of 2009. I am not positive if all the recipes in this book are free of commercial pectin, but nothing I've made from this book has included commercial pectin. It is full of amazing recipes for anything and everything you possibly could make from fresh fruit, including these: apple cider syrup, apricot-pineapple jam, cantaloupe jam with mint, maraschino cherries, fig jam, rose petal jelly, rose petal syrup, red grapefruit marmalade, lemon curd, lime syrup, orange jelly, peach-fig jam, hot green pepper-lime jelly, plum-apple conserve, pomegranate syrup, pumpkin butter, quince jelly, raspberry jam, raspberry vinegar, strawberry-orange jam, tomatillo jam, tomato marmalade, yellow tomato-pineapple preserves, watermelon rind preserves and watermelon molasses. If you are looking for recipes that are a little different from the usual fruit recipes in canning books, this book is full of them. I was watching the same football game and thinking at times that it looked like they were playing the game inside a snow globe. I know you'll be busy today ahead of the brutal cold front. It is almost noon and we're still below freezing. It is hard to imagine that a week ago we were in the 70s and hit the 80s a couple of times. Today it is a whole different world, and a very cold one at that. Dawn

This makes a nice first course or a light lunch/dinner. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Layered Crab And Spinach Terrine ================================ From the California Culinary Academy Crab Layer 1/2 pound crab meat, picked over and flaked 1/4 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 large eggs Spinach Layer 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoons flour 1/2 cup whipping cream 2/3 cup half and half 1-1/4 pounds cooked spinach Drained and squeezed to remove excess moisture 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt to taste Sauce Mix together, 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon finely minced roasted red pepper 1 clove of minced garlic Salt and pepper to taste. Clives for garnish . Preheat oven to 375�F. For the crab layer: In a medium bowl combine the crab, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in eggs and set mixture aside. For the Spinach layer: Melt butter in a heavy saucepan until foamy. Whish in flour and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Whisk in whipping cream and half-and-half. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer slowly 10 minutes. Stir occasionally, scraping down the sides and around the bottom as necessary. Mixture will thicken as cooks. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Let cool. Stir in eggs, one at a time then add black pepper, nutmeg, sugar and salt. To assemble the terrine: Grease an 8 cup loaf pan/terrine pan with butter. Spoon half the crab mixture in the bottom and cover with all of the spinach mixture. Spoon remaining crab mixture over the spinach. Set the terrine in a baking pan and pour 1 inch of hot water into the baking pan. Bake uncovered until golden brown and puffy. Approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack and then refrigerate. To serve, run a knife around the edge and invert on to a serving platter. Slice about 1/2 thick slices and place two on each plate. Decorate plate with a lettuce leaf and place a dollop of the sauce on the lettuce leaf. Garnish with a few chives.

More ideas: CRAB BENEDICT 6 oz. Lump Crabmeat 1 tsp. butter or olive oil 2 toasted English muffins (cut in half) 4 poached eggs 4 oz. Hollandaise sauce Sauté crabmeat with butter. Place poached eggs on top of toasted English Muffins. Top eggs with Hollandaise sauce. Top with Lump Crabmeat. Garnish with chopped black olives if desired. CRAB ROLL-UPS 1/2 lb. pasteurized processed cheese spread 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter 1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional) 1 tsp. dry mustard, optional 1 lb. crabmeat, picked for shells 20 to 25 slices of soft white bread 2 cups sesame seeds Tony Chacheres seasoning 1. Melt cheese and half of the butter (1 stick) in the top of a double boiler. Add the Worcestershire sauce and dry mustard, if desired. Cool slightly and add crabmeat. Stir until mixture is spreadable. 2. Remove crusts from bread and roll out flat with a rolling pin. 3. Spread the bread with the cheese/crab mixture. Roll up each piece like a jelly roll. 4. Melt the remaining butter. Brush the rolls with butter. 5. Mix sesame seeds with a few sprinkles of Tony Chacheres seasoning. 6. Roll the buttered bread in the sesame seeds. 7. Freeze on cookie sheets. Store in airtight containers. To serve, cut frozen rolls in thirds, and broil about 6 inches from the heat until golden on all sides. CREAMY CRAB SOUP 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup flour 1 small onion, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 6 cups seafood stock (seafood bouillon cubes and clam juice will work) 1 tsp. Salt 1/2 tsp. White pepper 1 bay leaf 1-1/2 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 (7oz.) Jar chopped pimientos, drained 1 lb. Crabmeat, picked clean of shell 1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup Sherry In pan melt butter, stir in flour until smooth. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until golden brown. Gradually whisk in seafood stock, salt and pepper and bay leaf. Heat to boiling. Keep stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally, add cream, pimentos and Worcestershire sauce and remove bay leaf. Just before serving, add crabmeat and sherry. Serve piping hot!!

LOL CEFreeman, grammar police :) When my mom served them, she always called them "crab meatS" and I wasn't sure if that was the official title of the recipe or not. Thank you cat_mom and louisianapurchase. Either of those recipes sound like they potentially could be right (no creole seasoning though in my mom's). I'm going to try to make cat_mom's first and then louisianapurchase's to see which one gets closer to what my mom's tasted like. I am so happy to have found recipes that could work! raee maybe start your own thread with a "lost recipe- seafood casserole" and someone will come along with your answer? We could all be reunited with our childhood favorite foods thanks to the brilliant minds on GW!