Crabby Hatch!

 

This time of year is always so busy. The kid’s teachers always wait until the last semester to lump projects and papers on them. My son has a paper in Language Arts and History, along with two sketches due in his art class today. Add on top of that end of the year fund raising and community projects for bowling. This of course is heading into the USBC North Carolina State Youth Championships, this coming weekend. The worst part of all of this is I have the blahs, and the rain isn’t helping to make my mood any better.  

Yep, I am crabby. So what better way to get over the blahs and crabbiness, than to have crab. I know it is coming out of season, but you still might be able to get some!

If you love Stuffed Peppers, or crab, Hatch peppers, cheese, cream cheese and sour cream try these little beauties out. The recipe comes from Susan W. - 2010 Houston Hatch Chile Recipe Winner.

Ingredients

4 Hatch chiles

4 oz cream cheese

6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

6 oz lump crab meat

2 ears of corn, cooked with kernels removed

1/3 cup onions, chopped

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup sour cream

Lime juice, as needed for taste

3 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

Roast the chiles until blistered either over open flame or under broiler of your oven. Remove from heat and place in plastic bag for about 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from chiles. Carefully make a slit in one side of the pepper to remove seeds.

Mix the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Dijon mustard, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add crabmeat and mix carefully, trying to avoid breaking up the crabmeat. Stuff into cleaned peppers.

Place stuffed peppers in a baking dish and put in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 and place backing dish in middle of center rack. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until stuffing is melted and heated through.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and then add onion to saute, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and salt and pepper to taste and continue to saute another 5 minutes. Add half and half and sour cream. Turn heat to low and let simmer while peppers are cooking. Plate the corn and top with one of the stuffed peppers.

Not just for snacking…

 

I have this rule that the kids cannot open a new bag of chips until the old one is gone. Not a big deal, until you add my husband into the mix. If the kids do not close the chip bag or put the chip clip back on the bag he won’t touch the chips. Since he won’t touch them, the kids won’t touch them. Grrr… there is nothing wrong with them; my husband’s OCD is a bit out of hand. So instead of throwing them away, I found a few recipes that potato chips were a leading ingredient. I have to admit that potato chip cookies do seem a bit strange, but if you try them you might be surprised.

If you use potato chips in any of your recipes, please make sure not add any additional salt.  Also try using low salt or even baked chips.

Macaroni and Cheese with Potato Chip Crust

This recipe came from the Food Network courtesy of the Neelys.

If you love mac and cheese, bacon and potato chips this recipe should be at the top of your list of things to try. When I saw the recipe, I immediately thought of my sister, Angela. When she sees this, it should become her new favorite dish.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

4 cups milk, warm

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dash salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dash hot sauce

Dash Worcestershire sauce  

3 cups shredded Cheddar

1 pound cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente

1 cup crushed  potato chips 

5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions

Heat oven to 350 to 375 degrees F.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large saucepot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a boil, continue to whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken as the heat increases. Continue to stir while adding the dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Stir in the 3 cups of Cheddar until it melts.

Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and add to a 3 quart  casserole dish 

Sprinkle the chips, bacon and Parmesan on top and bake for 35 minutes.

 

The Potato Chip Omelet is from Richard Blais over at Fine Cooking.

 This is more of a frittata, and would work great for a last minute brunch. If you layer the chips they remain firm, which is good since soggy chips are yucky.

To finish this dish off, serve with a dollop of sour cream top!

12 large eggs
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. minced fresh chives
6 cups plain kettle-cooked potato chips
2 Tbs. unsalted butter or vegetable oil

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, white pepper, parsley, and chives together until combined. Fold in the potato chips until they are completely covered in the egg mixture, but try not to crush the chips too much. Let stand for 10 minutes, until the chips soften slightly.

Heat the butter in an ovenproof 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling the pan to coat the bottom completely, until very hot. Carefully pour in the egg mixture and spread it evenly in the pan, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook until the eggs are set and the bottom is light golden, about 15 minutes. If the bottom is golden but the eggs are still runny on the top, transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the eggs are completely set, 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, invert a large flat plate over the pan and flip the pan and the plate to invert the omelet onto the plate. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

 

 

CHEESY POTATO CHIP BREADSTICKS 

This a great way to give plain bread sticks or rolls a little pizzazz! Pepper jack cheese and sour cream and onion potato chips are perfect combination!   

 

12 Frozen Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold


12 strips pepper jack cheese


1/4 cup butter, melted


3/4 cup crushed sour cream and onion potato chips

 

 

Roll 2 dinner rolls combined into a 7-inch rope. Flatten each rope. Cut twelve 6-inch strips of cheese 1/2-inch thick. Place one strip of cheese on each flattened rope. Tightly pinch dough around cheese to form a breadstick. Place butter and potato chips in shallow bowls. Roll each breadstick in butter and then in crushed potato chips. Place seam side up on a sprayed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Need a new way to make chicken? Who doesn’t ! Try this recipe from Elizabeth Terry

Garlic Chicken with a Potato Chip-Basil Crust

For the marinade and chicken:
6 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne
3 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each)

For the coating:
One 6-oz. bag potato chips, crushed
1 cup well-crushed cracker pieces (about 10 crackers)
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. melted butter

 

For the marinade: In a nonreactive bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, mustard, and basil. Rinse the chicken breasts, pat them dry, and add them to the marinade; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.

For the coating: In a large, shallow dish, mix the chips, crackers, basil, and pepper. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumb mixture and toss until well combined.

To coat and cook the chicken: Heat the oven to 450°F and butter a baking sheet or rack. Take a breast from the marinade with one hand--this is now your "wet" hand. Don't wipe off the marinade. Lay the chicken on the crumbs. Scoop and pat the crumbs over the breast using your other hand (your "dry" hand), patting until both sides are thoroughly coated. Put the breast on a buttered baking sheet or rack and repeat with the remaining breasts. Roast the chicken until it's crisp, browned, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. If the chicken is getting too brown, reduce the heat to 400° and add 5 minutes to the total cooking time.

 

Potato Chip Cookies

5 cups crushed potato chips

2 cups flour

1 cup each, brown sugar and white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix crushed potato chips with the two sugars. Beat the two eggs and add to sugar and chips. Stir in milk and vanilla. Mix the flour and baking powder together and then slowly add to other mixture. Mix well. Grease baking sheet and drop by rounded teaspoonful. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.