Fresh Crabs with a Quick Marinara Sauce

My family and I headed down the shore to relax for a quick vacation. We had a great time doing the usual Jersey shore activities of skee ball, waffles and ice cream on Jenkinson's boardwalk, swimming at Sandy Hook, and one of our family favorites, crabbing. Being from this area, I assumed everyone had been crabbing. Now, we are far from experts. Actually, the locals on the pier laughed at us from time to time, but it is something we love to do on summer nights during vacation. My husband, who grew up much closer to the beach than myself, had never been crabbing! Well, he is a now seasoned crabber!

We knew we had to cook those feisty buggers soon so I whipped up a quick marinara sauce! This crab was not quite ready to be caught, because he held on to the rope very tightly. When you are away, you need simple and easy recipes with fresh ingredients. Well, this is it. The fresh Jersey blue crabs with sauce and pasta were lovely!

Marinara Sauce

6-8 blue crabs
4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1 can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp parsley (choppped)

1 1/4 tsp pepperoncino
3/4 cup red wine

1. Heat olive oil and fry garlic for one minute. Shake the pan to be sure it doesn't burn.

2. Add tomatoes, pepper, salt, oregano, and parsley slowly, stirring after each addition.

3. Continue to cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

4. While your sauce cooks, time for crabs! Bring salted water to a boil. One at a time gently place crabs in the pot with tongs. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

4. Add red wine and pepperoncino. Continue to cook for 3-4 more minutes.

5. Toss in cooked crabs and let simmer until ready to combine with cooked pasta.

Hearts of Love Sugar Cookies

As I shared in a previous post, I made sugar cookie favors for one of my closest friend's wedding rehearsal to her high school sweetheart. After 10 years together, they tied the knot this past weekend!

These are the cookies I made for the rehearsal dinner. I used this sugar cookie recipe and royal icing recipe as taken from Annie's Eats. These little tasty tuxedos and wedding dresses were so fun to make that I even attempted a few of the bridesmaids and groomsmen attire!
Best Wishes to the Bride and Groom!

Mini Breakfast Frittatas

My husband wanted an omelet this morning, so I decided to make an Italian spin on it. I whipped up these frittatas for him and he was, well, thrilled. But that's my husband. Hope you enjoy these as much as he did!

The best part of a frittata is that it is customizable! If you like lots of vegetables, throw them in! If you like lots of meats, (pancetta, proscuitto, bacon, ham) go for it! Anything you want, you can make!

6 slices of bacon (chopped)

1 pepper (sliced)

1/2 onion (sliced)

2 small potatoes (shredded)

3 cloves of garlic (chopped or pressed)

3/4 cup mozzarella (shredded)

4 tbsp pecorino

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp oregano

just a pinch rosemary

fresh basil (chopped)

8 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1. Saute onions, potatoes, garlic, bacon, and peppers in a skillet over medium-low heat until tender (about 10 minutes). Set aside.

2. Beat eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and rosemary together in a separate bowl.

3. Grease muffin pans and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4. Layer each cup with a few tablespoons of vegetables and potato mixture (about half way full).

5. Top with a few tablespoons of eggs mixture. Tap the pan so it spreads evenly and then bake for 18-20 minutes.

Cookies Make the House a Home

I've been reading a lot about decorating with royal icing and have been dying to try it myself, but I needed a purpose to get myself in gear. Well, it just so happens one of my best friends of over 15 years is getting married next weekend. So I offered to make favors for the rehearsal dinner. I knew I needed to get in some serious practice first though. So I made a batch of cookies, made my "cookie cutters", and made a batch of royal icing and went to town decorating! It was such a fun baking adventure !This same friend of mine and her soon-to-be hubby happened to be buying their first home the same day I was practicing, so I knew just what to do with the extra dough and icing. I first saw this post a few weeks before on Annie's Eats and this was the perfect excuse to make these cookies. I am truly in love with royal icing !

Sugar Cookie Recipe (taken from Annie's Eats)
These cookies were prefect for decorating because they don't spread)

1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

1. Cream butter on medium. Add powdered sugar.

2. Add in egg, almond extract(I was out of almond so I doubled the vanilla), vanilla, salt and flour. Let chill in fridge until firm.

3. Roll to about ¼” thickness on well-floured surface.

4. Cut with cookie cutters. Or you can do what I did and trace your design on a piece of card stock and cut it out. Then using a paring knife, go around the edge of your design. Place on greased cookie sheets.

5. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown.


Royal Icing Recipe (also taken from Annie's Eats)

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water

1. In a stand mixer, mix all ingredients together with a paddle attachment on low for about 10 minutes.

2. Place icing into air-tight containers, depending on how many colors you will need.

3. Add a very small amount of water to each container and stir it in well. When it has reached the consistency desired for piping, you can add food coloring if desired. I used the Wilton gel food coloring, which was wonderful.

4. Fill pastry bags and pipe around the outside edges of each cookie or any area you want to partition off. Let set for about one hour.

5. When finished piping, thin out the rest of your icing for flooding by adding small amounts of water until it reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be able to drop off a spoon and smooth back in with the rest of icing within 10 seconds.

6. Fill plastic squeeze bottles with flooded icing. Fill the desired area with icing and use toothpick to pull icing to the edges and fully cover the entire area.

7. Let set for 12-24 hours. Then decorate or trim with remaining icing. If it is too thin, you can add more powdered sugar to thicken it and pipe on decorations.

Cookie Sandwiched Cheesecakes

This is quick and simple variation of my cheesecake recipe made into cute little sandwiches. It's very easily adaptable to your own tastes. I'm a fan of chocolate chip cookies (the chewy kind) and Oreo's too! The only way to improve on this recipe would have been to have my own chocolate chip cookies or be really brave and make my own Oreos. Someday...
But for now, please enjoy these yummy handheld snacks! They are a perfect kid-friendly version of cheesecake!

1 1/2 lbs cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 package of chewy chocolate chip cookies
1 package of Oreos (or any other cookies you like)


1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.

2. Add sugar and continue beating on low.

3. Add eggs one a time and keep on low speed.

4. Add flour, lemon juice, and vanilla.

5. Stir in sour cream.

6. Place cupcake liners in pan. Put one half of an oreo(icing side up) or chocolate chip cookie(flat side facing up) in each liner.

7. Spoon cheesecake filling on top till just about full.

8. Top with corresponding cookie to finish.

9. Bake on 325 for 15 minutes.

10. I also took used some chopped Oreos as topping and some combined in the filling for a slightly different approach in some sandwiches.