Musings of a Housewife: Careers You Love and Crab Cakes Too!

Today during my long and oh-so-frustrating commute home I was thinking about the old adage that you should find something you love to do... and do it for your job. But then I sort of chuckled when I thought of the other adage that is almost as popular that says 'don't' do something you love as a career because you'll come to hate it!

I always see the gray side of everything instead of black and white so debated this as I drove bumper to bumper with idiots who don't know what that little thing called a 'blinker' is. In the end I figured this... you have to like what you do to be able to do it full time every day of your life. If you love the ocean you should find a job that allows you to work around it. If you love computers you should do an IT job search and if you love to cook you should... not become a chef? LOL.

I say that because as much as I love to cook and bake, I have done some catering for friends and of course there is those 1000 cookies and candies I make at Christmas. This allowed me to realize that if I did cooking and baking as a career.... I wouldn't enjoy cooking for my family as much. I'd be burned out.

As it stands I've been married almost 22 years now and I still enjoy cooking and still enjoy baking. It's probably good I went into the non-profit industry instead of the food industry. This allows me to enjoy what I love... and do what I like!



Mini Crab Cakes with Homemade Aioli Sauce
from Sunset Magazine back in January 2002

12 ounces shelled cooked crab
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/4 cups panko (see notes) or fine dried bread crumbs
Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli (recipe follows)
Fresh chives, rinsed and cut into 1-inch lengths

Sort through crab and discard any bits of shell.

In a large bowl, combine celery, minced chives, mayonnaise, egg, mustard, and hot sauce; mix well with a fork. Add crab and 1/4 cup panko; stir gently just to mix.

Put remaining 1 cup panko in a shallow bowl. Shape crab mixture into 24 cakes, each about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Turn each cake in panko to coat on all sides, pressing gently to make crumbs adhere. Place cakes slightly apart in an oiled 12- by 17-inch baking pan.

Bake in a 475° regular or convection oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. With a spatula, transfer crab cakes to a platter. Spoon a dollop of Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli onto each cake. Garnish platter with fresh chives. Serve hot.

Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli. In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped drained canned roasted red peppers, 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Makes about 1/2 cup.