Crab Stuffed Tilapia, Sole or Flounder

This is a repost but fitting as we are having crab stuffed tilapia tonight and instead of reinventing the wheel, it's just as well to post this from my archives since so many visitors to An American Housewife are new or first time visitors and probably haven't seen many of the recipes before.  This works with almost any thin, white fish but also works with salmon as well as long as it's not too thick.

Normally I serve these with a very simple Hollandaise sauce with lemon but this time I seasoned them with a sprinkle of lemon, pepper, garlic seasoning and served them sans white sauce.  I like them both ways.


Crab Stuffed Flounder or fish of your choice

6 fish filets  (sole, flounder, tilapia)
1/2 lb. real crab meat
1 T onion, diced fine
1T red pepper, diced fine (*optional)
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T celery, chopped fine
6 T butter
1/2 c cracker crumbs
1 egg
lemon pepper garlic seasoning


Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper. Coil each fillet into a buttered muffin tin. Saute the onions, parsley and celery in 3 T butter. When tender, remove from heat. Add the crumbs, flaked crab meat and the egg. Mix and season to taste. Spoon into the center of each fish fillet. Brush with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake 20-30 minutes or until your fish is done.
















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Homemade Rice Mixes you can Pack in Mylar, glass jars or baggies. (Great for Emergency Storage)

Originally, these were posted on my blog years ago and I've featured them once before.  I revisited them last summer but now I'm posting them today because they are perfect for a project I'm going to be working on soon for our emergency storage kits and our 72 hour bags.  You might also be interested in these for hiking, camping and backpacking.

To make them you simply add water or another liquid you prefer (like broth if you wish).  The project I'm going to working on involves mixing these recipes together then dividing them equally between 4 empty Capri-Sun packets and resealing with high heat from a hair straightener set to 450 degrees. I saw this idea on a few different emergency and camping boards and I thought it would be fun to try.  These individual packets are light, small, thin and easy to pack in a backpack.  You can adapt preparation by adding boiling water, resealing and waiting 10-12 minutes and then enjoying.  I happen to have Butter Powderin my storage as well so I can add that to the mix - but you wouldn't have to do so of course.  Also, if you are preparing these for a long term storage option and are not using a FoodSaver, I would insert an oxygen absorber packet.  This will suck the moisture and air out of the packet and allow you to safely store them as long as they were properly sealed.  I'll let you know how my 'capri-sun' packaging endeavor goes in a future post!

If you are not using these for backpacking or storage, think about making these and then storing them in an air tight Mason or other canning jar.  I think you could even put them in a Ziploc style baggy - and if you wish, freeze the mix. 



Onion Rice Mix
4 cups uncooked rice
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 T. parsley
1/2 t. salt

Lemon Dill Rice Mix
4 cups uncooked rice
1/4 cup grated lemon peel
1/4 cup powdered chicken soup base
2 T. dill
1 T. chives
1/2 t. salt

Vegetable Rice Mix
4 cups uncooked rice
1 envelope vegetable soup mix
2 T. dried minced onion
2 T. dried minced celery
2 T. dried minced pepper
1 t. salt

Spanish Rice Mix
4 cups uncooked rice
1/2 cup Mexican seasoning mix (if you don't have a purchased mix try something like this);

• 1/4 c dried oregano
• 3 T dried chile powder
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 t salt

1/2 cup dried corn
2 T. parsley
1 T. basil

Creamy Herb Rice
4 cups uncooked rice
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup dried minced celery
2 T. parsley
2 T. thyme
1 T. marjoram

Combine the ingredients specified for each different mix, and store each different mix in a glass jar or tightly closed container on the pantry shelf for up to 4 months.

To Use: Mix 1 cup of any of the rice mixes with 2 cups of liquid, either water, juice, broth, or a combination along with 2 tablespoons of butter. Place the rice, liquid, and butter on high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Immediately reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer the rice for 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

To cook in a microwave, combine the rice, liquid, and butter in a 1 1/2 quart casserole, and heat, uncovered on high or full power for 12 minutes. Top and stir once or twice during the cooking. Cover the casserole and let rice stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Variations: It's easy to make a meal in one pot if you sprinkle a cup of rice mix around a roast or several meat or fish pieces before baking. Just remember to add 2 cups of liquid, cover, and bake for at least 30 minutes or until meat is tender. Or, try serving the prepared rice combined with stir fried vegetable, shrimp, or chopped ham. When making Spanish Rice, it's a good idea to use tomato juice or sauce as the liquid. The mixes make 32 oz. each.




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The Best Salsa

This is a re-post but I just made a quart of it today and it seems right to post it again so everyone can enjoy it.


Easy Restaurant Style Salsa
about 1 quart

2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz size) or use equivalent of fresh, diced
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 - 2 t fresh, minced garlic
1/2 - 2 jalapeno peppers (I often use jarred, sliced jalapeno's since we have them on hand all the time)
1 - 2 t honey (I often use sugar free as well and it works great)
1/2 - 3/4 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1 T lime juice (approximate - how limey do you like it?  I use the juice of 1 lime)
Cilantro or Parsley -  about a tablespoon or two dried or a small handful fresh


Place everything in a blender or food processor and process by pulsing just until blended.  Longer for smooth and shorter for more coarse texture.  Taste... adjust accordingly with pepper, salt, lime, etc.  Serve with tortilla chips.  I store in a quart jar in the refrigerator.

Everything thrown in a blender or food processor

 

Dog Treats: Homemade Dog Biscuits Made from 'Spent Grain' from Homebrewed Beer

My husband enjoys making craft beers but we both feel guilty throwing out the spent grain after it cooks so we find creative ways to use it.  While composting it works and you can use 1/2 c to 1 c increments in homemade breads - I have started to use it primarily just for dog biscuits.  Our dogs know them as 'snacks' and you have to s-p-e-l-l out the word because yes, they know it and yes, they will immediately run to the laundry room door and wait for their human to go get them their 'snack'.

If your dogs like peanut butter, this has a faint peanut butter smell and taste as they do use about a cup of peanut butter.  My dogs love garlic and I like to give them garlic foods as a natural flea and tick deterrent so a garlic, pizza sauce flavored biscuit is a hit in our house.  I wouldn't use things like cheese in them though, as I assume they would go rancid... although I'm quietly asking myself if a cheese powder would work ok... hmmm.  I may have to play around with that idea!  But for now I use items I can incorporate that can be baked a long time, to a hard, crisp biscuit without going bad, molding or going rancid.  This one works great!

Why are they round?  Because it was easy.  I wish (!!!) I had a set like this;  Dog Bone Cookie Cutter Set but alas - with the 100+ cookie cutters I have, I do not have a dog bone cutter and shaping the dough into little bone shapes lasted for 4 bones before I got sick of it and started to roll out the dough and cut with a round cutter.  Fast. Easy. Perfect.  Shape them however YOU want.  Your dog doesn't really care.

Dog Biscuits

4 c 'spent grain' from homemade beer brewing
2-3 c flour
1 c peanut butter or 1 c pizza sauce
2 T fresh minced garlic (optional with the pizza flavor)
2 eggs


Mash everything together (I use my hands) and add more flour a little at a time until it comes together to form a nice ball of dough.  Roll out and cut into shapes or use a scoop and shape into flats with your hands, roll out and cut into squares with a knife... etc.  Completely up to you how you want to shape them.  NOTE:  About 1/2 inch is about as thick as you want to make them as thicker biscuits take longer to bake.

Bake about 30 minutes at 350 and turn your oven down to 225.  Let the biscuits bake a couple hours until completely dried and crisp - the centers need to be crisp and dry like a Milk Bone biscuits or the snacks will go bad if stored at room temperature.  I baked mine about 4 hours, turned off the oven and went to bed, leaving them in the hot oven all night. 

Spent grain

Form a dough ball

Roll out or shape as you and your dogs like best

Bake and bake and bake until completely dry and crisp all the way through

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Quick Crab Dip

This is one of the many photos I snapped on my iphone and made on the spur of the moment that usually sit in my files and I never get around to posting.

I made this as a last second appetizer to waste some time before a late dinner was being served as we were waiting for my husband to get home from work.  I loved it with plain crackers but my teenager preferred it with 'scoop' style tortilla chips.






















CRAB DIP

1/2 c butter
1 c green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T flour
1 c half and half
2 c cheese, shredded (I used Swiss, Parmesan & mozzarella mixed)
1/2 c parsley, fresh or about 1-2 T dried
1 lb. crab meat, flaked

Melt butter in a pan on stove top, saute the garlic and onion til tender. Add the flour, whisk in and add the rest of the ingredients.  Bake 40 minutes at 350.