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!

Manly Meatballs I love the name of this recipe! I found it at The Food Maven website and it reminded me of something my mom used to make years ago (she spread ground round on firm white bread and put it in the broiler--I was crazy about these flat burgers). This was written by Arthur Schwartz: Alan Richman's Manly Meatballs Makes about 36 Alan Richman is the esteemed and always witty food writer for Gentleman's Quarterly magazine, but I take the blame for calling these his "manly" meatballs. He made them for a birthday party of our mutual friend Alexis Bespaloff, the well-known wine writer. As he was passing them on a platter, taking full responsibility for their simplicity and strong flavor, he explained that he made them because when he heard the menu planned by Alex's wife he felt there might be too much "sissy food" -- you know, pasta and salads. They are not, of course, anything like any recipe you've ever seen for Swedish meatballs, but to my mind they make an even better stand-in. Baking them on bread slices -- which, by the way, do not burn or get too hard, even though it seems as if they would -- makes them perfect finger food. 1 pound ground chuck (not leaner beef) 3 scallions, finely minced (use most of the green) 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce, if that's all you have) 1 firmly packed teaspoon brown sugar (a rounded teaspoon, if using regular soy sauce) 1 baguette or ficelle (a small diameter French bread), about 20 inches long, sliced about 1/2-inch thick (if the bread has a large diameter, cut the slices in half, just a bit bigger than the meatballs) In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, except bread. With your hands, mix and knead thoroughly until the meat is a fine paste. Make balls the size of smallish walnuts. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and place one meatball on each. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes in a preheated 450-degree oven until done to taste (Richman says "until just cooked through." I like them still rare.). Serve hot. source: www.thefoodmaven.com

Hand Cut French Fries with Spicy Ketchup Use direct/medium heat on grill 1/4 cup ketchup 1/2 tsp chile sauce 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar 2 russet potatoes, about 8 oz each 1 T olive oil 1 T minced garlic 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper In a small bowl mix together the ketchup, chile sauce and balsamic vinegar. Set aside Scrub the potatoes under cold running water and dry thoroughly but do not peel. cut lengthwise into 1/2" thick slices, then cut the slices into 1/4" thick wedges. Place the wedges in a medium bowl. Toss with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the wedges on the grill, being careful not to let them drop through the openings. Cook directly over medium heat until golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. For extra crispy fries, open the grill and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, turning once. Serve warm with the ketchup. Makes 4 servings. source:Weber's The Art of the Grill My note: I tried this with one large baking potato. Sliced maybe 1/4-1/8" thick slices. Rolled them in light olive oil,garlic powder and salt & pepper. Grilled until browned. My ketchup mixture was about 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup chile sauce and I drizzled a bit of balsamic vinegar. Very good!

Crab Cioppino a la Mary Panizerra Occidental Union Hotel Some of the greatest culinary treats are to be found in the tiny Russian River town of Occidental, originally founded by Russian explorers commissioned by Catherine the Great. Much after the Russians, Italian families settled in Occidental, and founded three of the most famous Italian restaurants in Sonoma County: Negri's, Fiori's, and the Union Hotel. Of the three, Mary Panizzera's Union Hotel was the place where our family and friends would always converge for a big feast, just before Christmas, when the fresh dungeness crabs were available in nearby Bodega Bay. 2 large Dungeness crabs (cooked or raw) 1/2 pound, fresh thresher shark or ling cod 1/4 pound, fresh prawns 1 pound, raw clams in shells 1/2 cup, olive oil 1 medium white onion, chopped 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 cup, fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 cup, Marsala sherry 1 small (about 12 ounce) can, tomato sauce 1 medium (about 16 ounce) can, stewed tomatoes 1/3 cup, dry Italian mushrooms, chopped 1/4 teaspoon, salt 1/2 teaspoon, white pepper 1/4 teaspoon, tarragon 1 small whole bay leaf 1 1/2 pounds, linguini noodles For sauce: Brown onion, garlic and parsley in olive oil. ' Add fat of crab. When onions are translucent, add to pot containing tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. Add sherry, mushrooms and seasonings. Add shark or ling cod, in two-inch square chunks. Allow to simmer on low heat for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. 20 minutes before serving, add crab, clams and shrimp. Shake pot occasionally. When mixture is looked, serve over linguini. For raw crab: If crabs are still alive, rinse well and plunge them whole into boiling water in a large crab cooker (about 5 gallon capacity). For cooked crab: Remove top of shell, and gills, but retain crab fat. Then remove legs, cracking each section with back of cleaver or pliers, but leaving crab legs whole. Split crab body lengthwise in middle, then crosswise, resulting in four large chunks of body meat. Add to sauce with prawns and clams. Recipe serves 6