All you have to do is follow these simple steps and you can serve delicious crab cake burgers as an entrée at your next dinner party! Crab cakes are a very popular dish, and burgers are an American favorite, therefore, as soon as I heard of a recipe for crab cake burgers I knew I had discovered a wonderful solution to break the same-old same-old, of the everyday dinner party. With delicious seafood recipes like this one, an average get-together becomes a festive and savory meal to share with friends, family members, office associates or anyone else who comes to dinner.

The entrée takes about 20 minutes to prepare. The measurements used in this recipe will serve about six people. Depending on the size of your dinner party, you may want to double the recipe. To make the crab cake burgers you will need the following ingredients: one pound of crab meat, one egg, a half-cup of bread crumbs, a quarter cup of mayonnaise, light mayonnaise, or ranch dressing (it is up to you). You will also need two tablespoons of minced chives, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard (also optional), a tablespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of celery seed, a teaspoon of onion powder, a half-clove of fresh garlic (also optional), a pinch of fresh ground pepper, hot sauce (approximately four dashes or to taste), one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, and two teaspoons of unsalted butter. Once your ingredients are ready, begin this simple two-step process for the best crab cake burgers you have ever tasted!

First, mix together crab meat, egg, breadcrumbs, mayo (or ranch dressing), chives, mustard, lemon juice, celery seed, onion powder, pepper, and hot sauce in a large mixing bowl. Form the mixture into six medium-sized patties.

Heat the oil and butter, as well as the garlic (finely sliced) in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-to-low heat until the butter stops foaming. Cook each of the patties until they appear golden brown. They will need to remain over heat for approximately four minutes on each side before they are fully cooked.

Serve on artisanal rolls or even regular old hamburger buns, toasted or not.

Many foods will go well with your crab burgers such as a seafood salad, seaweed salad, or mouth-watering soups such as crab, lobster, or plain tomato bisque. You could also serve gourmet French fries, homemade potato crisps, or fancy breads, crackers and cheeses to accentuate your meal.

There are several ways to add a dramatic flare your delicious seafood dinners with sides and appetizers. For a side of fruit you can serve up a fruit salad with tropical flare. For example: instead of oranges, use mangoes, instead of apples use pineapple or star fruits, add bananas for their sweet, unique flavor, or perhaps add a twist of lime-juice for extra flavor. Delicious seafood recipes and simple additions of tropical or otherwise unique flavors to the dinnertime norm can turn your everyday BBQ party into a high-scale and super savory hit that people will be certain to remember.

By: Anne Clarke

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Muffin n. a small, cup-shaped bread, often sweetened and usually served hot.

The derivation of the word muffin comes from the French word moufflet which is often times applied to bread and means soft.

The two main types of muffins are English muffins and American style muffins. They vary in style as well as flavor and history.

English muffins are a flat yeast raised muffin with nooks and crannies that are cooked on a hot griddle. English muffin history dates all the way back to the 10th and 11th centuries in Wales. Early English muffins were cooked in muffin rings which were hooplike and placed directly on a stove or the bottom of a skillet.

American style muffins on the other hand are more of a quick bread that is made in individual molds. The molds are necessary due to the mixture being a batter rather than dough. These muffins were originally leavened with potash which produces carbon dioxide gas in the batter. When baking powder was developed around 1857 it put an end to the use of potash as well as to the profitable potash exports to the old country.

Muffin recipes first began to appear in print in the mid 18th century and quickly caught on. By the 19th century muffin men walked the streets of England at tea time to sell there muffins. They wore trays of English muffins on there heads and rang there bells to call customers to there wares.

Three states in the United States of America have adopted official muffins. Minnesota has adopted the blueberry muffin as the official state muffin. Massachusetts in 1986 adopted the Corn Muffin as the official state muffin. Then in 1987 New York took on the Apple Muffin as its official muffin of choice.

So next time you bite into a warm muffin think about its sweet history.

By: Shauna Hanus

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Take one collection of pie recipes, sprinkle in some quotes and trivia, add generous portions of the author’s passion for pies and you have the right mix of ingredients for Garden County Pie.

In the tradition of John Michael Lerma’s previous cookbook Garden County, this book reads like a cross between a personal note to the reader and a journal of the fond memories that inspired many of the recipes. Explanations on the different qualities of the various forms of fat to tips on making things simple, will inspire bakers at all levels to bask in the pleasure of the aromas and creations coming from their own ovens.

Every recipe pairs the appropriate crust with each pie to eliminate nearly all of the guesswork needed to begin. However, deciding which pie to try first from the mouth-watering array of fruit, berry, cream, custard, chocolate, citrus, savory, holiday and nut recipes will likely present a pleasant challenge.

John Michael Lerma reveals the secrets to his award-winning recipes that have garnered him distinction from local festivals and fairs to the Food Network and the APC Crisco National Pie Championships. About his signature Vidalia Onion Pie he says: “My readers and ‘foodies’ have cherished the appealing flavors and luscious taste of this pie, both for dessert and as an entrée.”

Of particular delight in this book are the fascinating pie fun facts and trivia. It might not come as much of a surprise to learn that one out of four Americans prefer apple pie, but how many people know that the plane Buddy Holly died in was named the “American Pie?”

Offering so much more than typical “how to” cookbooks, Garden County Pie will have everyone from the novice to the experienced relating back to the origins of the expression “easy as pie!”

By: Jean Holewa

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Sweet Delights

Whether you are planning a kid’s party or a more grown up, flash from the past party, if you have decided on a disco party theme, the best way to pull it all together is to have disco party games sure to please everyone. The most natural disco party games are the obvious ones, dance games and costume contests.

Disco Dance Party Games

Perhaps the easiest disco party games are dance games. Apart from the obvious, it is a must to have plenty of disco music. Especially for bigger crowds, large twister games may be constructed on large pieces of plastic sheeting. Simply cut out colored squares of contact paper. Place them on the sheets. Of all the disco party games, this is one of the most fun. Have everyone begin by lining up and starting the music. When he music stops, the “DJ” calls out a color. Each person bends down to place a foot or hand on that color. Each time the music stops, another color is called, and players become intertwined until they have all fallen or one person remains standing, victorious.

Consider having disco party games of dance and dance instruction. Recall the dances that made disco what it was, and break those down into a learning experience that will be their own disco party games. Teach these dances to the participants and allow them to have a dance contest at the end. The winners of the disco party games dancing contests will win a prize and the over all winners will be declared Saturday Night Fever Winners.

Disco Costume Contest

Finally, no list of disco party games would be complete without a costume contest, so judge the participants on big hair, leisure suits, men’s high heeled shoes, wide ties and lapels, bright, nylon shirts, and floaty nylon dresses. Any disco party games just take on a life of their own and the most obvious ones are actually the best disco party games that participants look forward to day after day.

By: Gail Leino

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Even the busiest parents can significantly reduce the amount of refined sugar their child eats, and still let their child enjoy treats. I have three young children and they love treats and snacks, but I don’t feel good about pumping them full of refined sugar. As a grown adult I can choose to educate myself about health and nutrition. I can learn to make foods that taste delicious and will nourish my body. But kids eat what they are provided. Unfortunately, we are the one’s guilty of allowing them to eat excessive sugar.

It might surprise you that the average American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar each week! This is partially because we consume more than we realize. We expect it to be in soda pop, candy, desserts, and sugary cereals. But it is disappointing and upsetting to find out how much is being added into baby food, food targeted to young children, and food marketed as “health food.” Processed sugars are found in almost everything that comes from a box, bottle, bag, jar, or can. Some of the biggest culprits are: yogurt, bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and many frozen dinners. The terms change to throw us off, but some of the most popular highly refined sugars will be listed as sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup. This is so concerning because of the many health conditions that are correlated with sugar.

We need to educate ourselves so we understand just how much refined sugar our children (and ourselves) are consuming. We need to provide alternatives for them that we know are loaded with health and nutrients. Children are going to want sweets, so why not hand them something that will build their health as opposed to destroy it?

We all want to give our children the best opportunities in life. We go out of our way to create rich opportunities and experiences for our children. We spend time, money, and energy taking them to lessons, tutors, and classes. Why not create the opportunity for our children to have true health and vitality. If you feel like your child is healthy now, imagine what he or she might be like when filling his or her body with nutrient rich foods. You and your child could experience a new level of health!

Make the choice to eat naturally sweet foods that nourish the body and soul.

By: Carolyn Pennington

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What is it about creative baskets, edible delights and creative keepsakes that keep us coming back for more? Is it their beauty, the multiplicity of gifts, the quality of products or is it the fun of all of it rolled into one?

Themed gift baskets with edible delights and creative keepsakes have been making people happy since the days of Moses. Unique and creative baskets certainly have their place as one of the top gifts for everyday giving.

Whether you make them yourself or take advantage of the conveniences of having gourmet food gifts delivered to your friends, family, coworkers or other exceptional people who have touched your life, you can bet the unique and creative baskets will be well received.

It is not just all about giving a gift that makes us feel good. It is about how good it makes us feel to receive one. When you know you would like to be on the receiving end of a gift, then you know it is worth sending to your recipients.

Having gourmet food gifts delivered can do all of this for you and more:

Send corporate thank you gifts to the hotel for business clients flying in. The gourmet snacks are certain to be appreciated, remembered and devoured in the early morn or late evening hours. Share your hello and love from afar when you are out of town. Let your loved ones know they are right there with you. Send mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, girlfriend or boyfriend a gourmet food snack and watch as the good karma come bouncing back.

Creative baskets are thoughtful thank you gift ideas, ideas for mom and dad, grandmothers, kids, infants, corporations, families and guy friends. That must be why we keep coming back to the trusty friend of a gift basket.

The list goes on and on for making creative baskets top notch all around gifts for everyday giving. Why not take advantage of the jewel of gift idea with gourmet edible delights, creative keepsakes and beauty that makes you sparkle in the eyes of your recipients?

By: Shirley Bass

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Their culinary use is renowned but in addition growing Italian herbs will make a fantastic contribution to the delight of your landscape design. These herbs can be displayed both for color and for aroma and by planting the strongly scented Italian herbs amongst other plants, you will be graced with the sweet scents that would give the illusion of being in Italy, while you admire the lovely flowers.

Growing Italian herbs is a fascinating specialisation on herb gardening and gives many variations in growing culinary herbs. It is no surprise that some of the best cuisine comes from Italy, undoubtedly because the most famous and tastiest herbs in the world all seem to come from or have been adopted by Italy.

Although there are so many to choose from when starting to grow Italian herbs you really need to consider which herbs you will use. Also it is necessary to think about the growing conditions each plant needs and work out if you can or can’t provide them.

Basil is a well know Italian herb used in many Italian recipes as is parsley which is a relatively hard herb plant to propagate, but it is so useful as a garnish on a variety of meals, and of course eating fresh raw parsley after a meal eradicates the offensive breath left after eating any type of spicy food, as well as garlic.

Oregano when it is fully mature it will sprout pretty little purple flowers. It is best not harvested until it has flowered because then the plant will have developed most flavor, unlike many culinary herbs grown for their leaves, such as fennel, which loose their flavor as they mature.

Rosemary, just like basil, offers very beneficial help to the garden by attracting bees. It grows into a large tough evergreen perennial shrub that sprouts pretty little blue flowers. Rosemary must be harvested regularly to provide the needed young tender shoots.

No Italian herb garden should be without probably the most used herb in Italian cuisine. That is garlic, which will thrive in just about any garden with very little attention so is an ideal choice for the novice gardener.

New shoots of the sage plant contain the most flavor so new shoots should be encouraged to grow by continual harvesting. Sage is used in a variety of Italian dishes from meats to salads.

The variety of dishes that can be created using Italian herbs is almost limitless and the continual harvesting of these plants will give you an endless supply of fresh herbs with which to enhance all your cooking

By: John Beaver

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Eek, the stress of it all! Last minute holiday gift ideas can be a headache if you are at a loss for ideas. The gifts you decide upon will depend on who you want them for and why. Fun and fantastic Halloween gifts for the kids or gracious Thanksgiving gifts can help determine your gift giving needs for the fall season.

One idea that can help you out of this tight spot is quality and tasty holiday food gifts. Everyone likes to eat! Creative baskets are a sure-fire gift for families, neighbors, friends, coworkers and clients. The edible delights are bites of pure deliciousness. And, they are wrapped and designed in fun and festive works of art that you can feel proud of.

Those last minute holiday gift ideas come easily with Halloween gift baskets and Thanksgiving food gift baskets. Flavorful and stylish, quality creative baskets can be delivered directly to your recipients, making your holiday shopping, wrapping and deliveries a pleasant and fast experience.

Fun and tasty last minute holiday gift ideas for Halloween are:

ghostly boo baskets and bags filled with sweets for the big or little kids in your life, gives them a night of ghostly fun. Make your own boo ghost bags with white paper lunch sacks or make them out of fabrics. Use a black marker or crayon and fabrics to create the ghostly image. Fill it with edible delights for the kids and have a great Halloween. jack o lantern containers filled to overflowing with Halloween gifts of sweet edible delights, will delight any spooky participant of Halloween night. Stuff a tee-shirt in the bottom and fill it up with edible delight the kids will love. big bags of treats and plush toys for the ghost and goblins you know are spooktacular gifts of tasty goodies. Add a soft plush toy for the kids to remember how good Halloween treated them.

Last minute holiday gift ideas for Thanksgiving are:
autumn creative baskets filled with gourmet specialty goodies of vegetable dips, crackers, café lattes and many more edible delights are gift ideas for mom and dad, grandparents, and any other friend you know or just met. fall snacks are perfect gifts when someone has made an impression on you or you want to make an impression on them. It is always nice to say thank you with gifts of good taste. gourmet Thanksgiving food gift baskets are filled with scrumptious gifts of cheeses, meats, snacks and sweet treats that can be topped off with a cup of gourmet coffee. They are gifts of good taste for those last minute gifts of the season.

If you need fun Halloween gifts or ones of thankfulness, holiday creative baskets are the gifts you are looking for. Ghoulish or gourmet, creative baskets can come to the rescue for last minute holiday gift ideas.

By: Shirley Bass

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Sweet Delights

We have once again reached the wonderful magical time of midsummer,
when the garden is aglow with sensational blooms and a fantastic
array of colors. Many of these wonderful blooms fill the air with
their tantalising perfume.

I often pause for a while especially at twilight when the scent
from the blooms are at their stongest, and I feel extremely proud
of the effort that I have put into my garden.

This is when I really appreciate how worthwhile it has all been.

No doubt your garden is looking really special as well, but if by
any chance you feel there are any gaps, or plants that you think
could be doing better, might I suggest that you take some
inspiration from some of these wonderful blooms which I find
truly magnificent.

In my opinion these are some of the blooms that will enhance any
garden and delight the senses with their combined scents.

Rose eglanteria – This sweet briar rose is valued for the strong
apple aroma which comes from the leaves, but there is also much
more than a pink flower in summer, it is followed by a deep red
in the autumn.
I think that it is an extremely handsome bush, and it also makes
an impenetrable hedge.

Agastache faoeniculum (anise hyssop) – This is a stately herbaceous
perennial, whose silver green leaves release a liquorice aniseed
fragrance. The rich violet blue color flowers are particularly
loved by bees, butterflies and goldfinches among others.
I find the rich beautiful color delightful when it bursts into my
garden in the late summer, and lasts right through to autumn.

Cytisus battandeiri (Moroccan Broom) – When planted around the walls
of the house or around the patio, the crushed pineapple aroma which
comes from the cones of the yellow blossom will pervade the air.

It truly excites the senses on the warm still days of June and July,
with its wonderful aroma wafting into the house or patio area.
It should be encouraged to flower freely so that you get the most
from this absolutely wonderful flower.

Magnolia grandiflora – The large chalices are a joy in late summer
with a wonderful lemon zest aroma. It should be helped to bloom when
young by espalier-training the shoots against a warm sunny wall.
Train them horizontally, and shorten new shoots to five leaves in
August.

Dianthus (Brymton Red) – These lovely old fashioned dianthus have a
lingering clove fragrance and the “Brymton red” is a true peacock
among them. They yield a brilliant display of single deep red flowers
laced with darker markings, and are just scintillating in June. Be sure
to deadhead flowers weekly to channel your plants energy into
producing more shoots and blooms.

Eucryphia nymansay – This elegant evergreen is famous for its summer
and autumn display of large honey scented white flowers. The flower is coveted by nectar seeking bees. It needs a warm and sunny location.
I absolutely adore these.

Ferdinand Pitchard – This is an old fashioned rose with the beckoning
smell of fresh picked raspberries. The globular pink blooms striped
with crimson and purple will be your reward for planting this fantastic
rose. It thrives on humis rich soil in full sunlight, and it will bring
color to the summer season most beautifully.

Other Flowers To Bring A Fesival Of Color And Delight.

Gladiolus communis – Until recently people looked down their noses at
gladiolus but they do make really good border flowers. They are
excellent at cramming the other colors, and they barely take any space
at ground level.

Scabiosa “Ace of Spades” – This is one for the chocoholics, “Ace of
Spades” is a mass of velvet and maroon with little white pins that have
a pincushion effect. What a beautiful flower this is, nestle them amongthe green foliage of alchemilla for contemporary color scheming. Allow the last flowers to self-sow.

Delphinium Belladonna Group – If you are looking for grace and charm then Belladonna hybrids are for you. They are ideal for summoning
a romantic effect, look wonderful around cottages, and bring an English type of charm to your garden.
For a full season of color grow with peonies, poppies and dahlias.
Cut down the first spikes once they have flowered for a second
flush of blooms.

Papaver ” Lady Frederick Moore” – A charming peach poppy is much softer on the eye than the traditional pillar box red oriental, and is easier to blend with the pastels of early summer. Grow in the sun and
hope for gentle weather to prolong this tissue paper like flower.

Monarda “Capricorn” – Think magenta, think hardy geranium? Why not try an unusual monarda instead, with its beautiful aromatic foliage and spidery petals, totally adored by bees. The stunning color and shapes make it a good contender with spikes of lythrum and veronica.
It is best planted in the sun where the soil does not get too dry nor the space too crowded.

LLathyrus latifolius – A delightful sweet pea that is everlasting but
without the sweet scent I am afraid,,so you can never quite have it all can you!
However, with the strong aromas from the flowers above this pretty flower,I do think that it is worth having in your garden.
The flowers are much bigger than the annual L.odoratus,with iridescent
shells for petals, and twining tendrils that obliginly twirlup small trees or wires on sunny fences. Give them the occasional folier feed and cut down last years foliage in the winter.

Acunthus mallis – Most perennials have unremarkable leaves, but not this stunning bear’s breeches. Acunthus makes a versatile backdrop
for classic herbaceous borders or jungle style foliage. The dark
glossy leaves and spikes of dusky hooded flowers will make a show
all summer long. Water well in dry summers.

Achillea “Walther Funcke” – If pastels are not your bag, spice things up instead with paprika shades of “Walter Funcke”! Add a scattering
of yellow day lilies and mix in the wispy blonde leaves of ponytail grass, (Stipa tenuissima), for good measure. It makes a compact drought tolerant mix for a sunny border where space is tight.

Thalictrum delavayi – Verbena bonariensis is not the only see-through plant. The tall meadow rue is wonderful airy for the front of a border, with perenial ferny foliage and clouds of tiny, fluffy flowers on skinny purple stems.
Grow on the cool side of the garden where the soil does not get too
dry in summer.

These are just a few of my favorite wonderfully scented flowers and plants that I think will add a soft to dramatic color to your garden.

So why not let your imagination and flair for color work magic on your own garden.
I can tell you that I feel like a true artist when my garden is in full bloom.

By: Marie Fisher

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Nowadays there are so many different types of chocolate on the market, that we are literally ’spoiled for choice’.

With so much publicity on what we should and should not eat, many people are now eating plain chocolate. Not only does plain chocolate have less sugar than other types, but it also contains a high proportion of cocoa solids. These are formed of pure chocolate and cocoa butter – a hard, white fat. The percentage of cocoa solids is always listed on the wrapper of the chocolate. Some percentages are as high as 75% or even higher, indicating the chocolate is exceptionally smooth and of high quality.

The most popular chocolate of all is milk chocolate. Most children adore it. Sweeter than plain chocolate it has extra sugar, full cream milk, and vanilla added to it.

Then there is white chocolate, which contains only cocoa butter, milk, sugar and vanilla. Because of the added milk, both this type of chocolate, and also milk chocolate, need melting with care over a gentle heat. Otherwise they will thicken, and although edible, will not re-melt.

Chocolate drops (or nibs, as they are sometimes called) are easy to melt. They can be used as a decoration on cakes or as an ingredient in the popular chocolate brownie cakes.

Chocolate is used in the spectacular ‘chocolate fountains’. These make an eye-catching image for a special occasion, with the melted chocolate continually flowing like a colored waterfall – just ready for guests to dip marshmallows, strawberry’s and other small fruits, into the ‘fountain’. It is a good idea to have plenty napkins around to catch the drips!

Those who are diabetic often complain about how restricted their diet is, but at least they can have a piece of chocolate. Diabetic chocolate is on sale in various outlets, and has a lower percentage of sugar than other chocolate.

Apart from chocolates and bars of chocolate, we can also buy chocolate flakes, these contain both cocoa butter and vegetable oil. The butter adds flavor, and the oil helps give the flake its crumbly consistency

Some specialist shops sell blocks of cocoa butter, which can be melted, mixed with cocoa powder and used to paint sepia colored pictures onto cakes or plaques.

Vermicelli is yet another type of chocolate. These tiny strands are used for coating truffles and cakes. Occasionally the name can becomes confused with Italian vermicelli – fine strands of pasta!

A current fashion is to decorate a wedding cake with curls of chocolate, standing like tall rods around the sides of a cake. They can be home made but it is a time-consuming job and it is not easy to make them all a similar size. So it is a good idea to buy from a specialist shop, when you can be sure they will all be an equal length and thickness

Another type of coating used by confectioners is known as Ganache. This mixture of cream and chocolate is very versatile. Melted and flooded over cakes, it is delicious to eat, and sets with a gloss. The higher the quality of the chocolate used, the greater the sheen on the coating. Alternatively, Ganache can be left to firm and then piped on cakes, or made into truffles.

Modeling chocolate another commodity which can either be bought or home-made. This consists of liquid glucose and chocolate. The glucose makes the paste pliable and easy to model – chocolate roses are particularly popular.

And finally, we come to a type of ’so called chocolate’ which can cause confusion. Packaged under various headings it is often called Chocolate Flavor Cake covering, or Chocolate Flavored Coating. But whatever the title they all have one thing in common – although containing cocoa powder, the cocoa butter has been extracted and replaced with vegetable fat, which is why the manufacturers cannot call it chocolate.

The addition of vegetable fat makes the ‘chocolate’ easier to melt and work with. But it has a drawback – because of the lack of cocoa butter it does not have the same eating quality as pure chocolate.

By: Pat Lock

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Sweet Delights