Cream, Here is a recipe that Sue shared on the forum a few years ago. I haven't tried, but I know that if Sue recommended it it must be good. Hot crab dip ============ Sue's Recipe I made this hot appetizer for our tree trimming last night and it was very good. It's a Kraft recipe that came with a periodical I get from time to time (don't know why) from Kraft. It called for canned crab, I believe the kind you buy in the grocery store. I used Costco's canned Blue Fin crabmeat and it was delicious. 8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened 1/3 C. mayo 1 C. Shredded swiss cheese 2 chopped green onions Fresh ground pepper . Mix ingredients and spoon into an ovenproof crock. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, stir and bake another 10 minutes. To brown the top, broil for 2-3 minutes. Serve with hearty crackers and celery and endive dippers. Yu can also top this with toasted sunflower seeds to give it a bit of crunch. i am sure there are a million things you can do to vary the recipe.

We are getting at least a foot starting late tonight...snow day tomorrow. On top of an existing foot or more so our driveway is getting very narrow! I ground some spices last night for an Adobo chicken dish. Made a big dutch oven version to have storm leftovers. The spice mix was a blend i just do by eye, about 3/4 cup total, then divided it and added smoked paprika and more dried chilis for some pork tips i need to roast/braise for pulled pork. I get storm anxiety about loosing power, so i need some things already roasting or resting when it hits. I'll start some bread tonight. I do save and re-wash old spice containers. But mostly use the French style working glass jars. I've had some since college and Costco has them now so i am stocked up. I make my own mustards, mayo and cocktail/ketchup style sauces so they are the most handy. Wide tops and snap-on lids. Great for salad dressings and sauces. I use ball jars for grains and seeds. The French jars are great that you can use a sharpie to label the tops and comes right off with a damp edge of a cloth with a bit of BarKeepersFriend powder. Penzeys has whole spices. I was given some spice mixes as a gift and never used them. I'm looking at one right now and it says salt, sugar, black pepper as the first three ingredients for a spice rub. Then paprika, nutmeg, sage, cayenne and red pepper. I have all that and so much better fresh ground. I just got this new batch of jars last week.

Asparagus! Have I got an asparagus recipe for you. I made this for DD when she was recovering from a broken jaw and needed soft foods. It was delish and a dish that I will make for company! It is even good the next day. I regret that the recipe looks long and complicated. It is not complicated at all. Asparagus Souffle from Simply Recipes INGREDIENTS 1 lb asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed and discarded, thick spears peeled, spears cut into 1-inch pieces Salt 1/4 cup chopped shallots 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 cup finely ground dry bread crumbs 3 Tbsp cake flour (can substitute all purpose flour) 1 1/4 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Pinch dry ground mustard Pinch ground cumin Pinch ground ginger Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (can substitute Parmesan, but frankly I prefer the Gruyere) 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten 5 egg whites 6 8-ounce ramekins METHOD 1 Blanch asparagus for 2 minutes in boiling salted water (1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water). Drain. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside to let cool. 2 Melt 1 Tbsp butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme. Cook gently until soft, do not let brown. About 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 3 Puree asparagus and shallot mixture in a blender. Measure out 1 1/4 cup of puree. 4 Butter 6 8-ounce ramekins. Coat well with the bread crumbs, reserving any leftover bread crumbs. 5 Make a thick bechamel sauce. Over medium-low heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add the cake flour and whisk to completely incorporate the flour into the butter, continue to stir for a couple of minutes. Do not let brown. Very slowly, add the milk to the mixture, little by little, whisking constantly. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the nutmeg, cumin, mustard, ginger, and some fresh ground black pepper. Lower the heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan. 6 After 15 minutes, remove the bechamel from the heat and stir in the cheese. Transfer the bechamel and the asparagus mixture to a large mixing bowl (if you have a mixing bowl with a pour lip on the side, use it, it will make it easier to pour out later). Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings. The souffle base should be well-seasoned. Stir in the egg yolks until well combined. At this point you can make ahead the souffle mixture. Refrigerate to store for up to two days. Return to room temperature before proceeding. 7 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 8 Prepare to make a water bath (a bain marie). Have ready a 9x12 baking dish with at least 2 inch sides. Put on a kettle of water to boil. 9 Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and using a mixer, beat the egg whites to firm but soft, almost stiff, peaks. (Make sure there are no traces of egg yolk or shell in your egg whites before starting.) Do not over-beat. Over-beating results in stiff peaks that are dry, somewhat reminiscent of styrofoam. Use a rubber spatula to first fold in one quarter of the beaten egg whites into the asparagus mixture, then the remaining three-quarters. Use a light touch to keep from deflating the egg whites. 10 Fill ramekins with the mixture up to a quarter-inch from the top. If you want, sprinkle leftover bread crumbs on top. Place the ramekins in the bain marie baking dish. Place baking dish on the middle rack in the oven. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around the ramekins until the water comes up halfway the sides of the ramekins. 11 Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degreesF, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 15 minutes more, until puffed up and golden brown. Don't open the oven door until the souffle is just about done, or it may fall. You can serve the souffles immediately or you can serve them later. To proceed for serving them later, let the souffles sit in the bain marie for 15 minutes. Then use run a sharp knife around the edges and invert the individual souffles to a buttered baking sheet. Cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before re-baking. Heat oven to 400 degrees F, bake the souffles on a buttered baking sheet, not in ramekins, for 7-8 minutes, and serve. Yield: Makes 6 individual souffles.

You could use the remoulade sauce from this seafood salad recipe and just add your pasta, crab, shrimp and tuna. Ann Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Seafood Salad ============== Combination plate of Cold Shrimps, Crab meat, or crab claws, or lobster, slices of avocado. Drizzle with Homemade Seafood Sauce. Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Shellfish sauce - remoulade sauce ================================= Source: My Own 1 cup Homemade Mayo, or 1 cup Hellmans mayo 1/4 cup Chile Sauce 1 garlic Clove minced 1 tablespoon horseradish 1 tablespoon dijon mustard (Coarse) splash of Worchestershire sauce 2 tablespoons HP Sauce (or A 1 Sauce) fresh squeezed lemon juice fresh dill salt and pepper . Mix all of the ingredients together. Taste and adjust to suit personal taste. If you like Horseradish, add more, or more mustard.