Crab Fondue

Growing up a child in the eighties, it seemed that every time my mom had a party, she made fondue. This particular fondue was always a favorite, and the one she made most often. Even though my sister and I usually didn't get to attend the parties, we always were anxious to get our hands on a pre-party sampling of the fondue! My mom would always keep this warming in a crock pot, so we would always beg for a taste before being banished to our rooms with a babysitter, and being the cute kids that we were, mom usually caved and gave us a taste! As kids, neither my sister or I were really fond of crab, but just about anything can be eaten if you cover with cheese! This fondue has a mellow, creamy taste that is just divine and it is a snap to prepare and stays warm in the crock pot, making it the perfect party food!

This is one of my sister's all-time favorite things, and she used to request it every year for her birthday dinner. She wanted to have it for her birthday this year, but we were out of town and just never got around to it. Yesterday was our friend Kristen's birthday, and she wanted to just come over and hang out and watch movies. I said I would take care of some snacks, so I decided to go ahead and make the fondue, my sister was so excited! Everyone really loved this, it is one of those things that is hard to stop eating....which is why I don't make it very often!

Crab Fondue

from Mom

1 (6 oz.) can crab meat, drained
5 oz. white American cheese (You get this from the deli counter, just ask for a chunk)
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (I left this out, I didn't have any on hand)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1" cubes and toasted in the oven

Combine all ingredients except for the bread in a fondue pot or crock pot and let melt, stirring occasionally. Once everything is melted and combined, serve with toasted bread cubes.

Green apple slices are also good dippers for this!

Crab Rangoons and Fried Rice

Last night as I was watching the Sun Devil baseball game, my stomach reminded me that it was time for dinner. When I opened the fridge, I noticed the container of cooked white rice that I had made last week in anticipation of making fried rice. Well, that night I ended up going out to dinner with a friend, and so the rice sat in my fridge for a week. I decided I better use it before it passed the point of no return, and while I was rummaging through my deli tray, I stumbled upon cream cheese and won ton wrappers. A can of crab meat was waiting patiently in my pantry...so it was decided...I was going to cook up an Asian feast!

This was my first attempt at crab rangoons, and I just threw in what I had on hand and what I thought would taste good...and it worked! I had a bit of an issue with the frying, I didn't really want to deep fry them (even though that tastes so good) so I put just a little bit of oil in the pan to pan fry them. I had some splattering issues and some of the filling started oozing out, but overall it worked. I think next time I will try baking them, and there will be a next time because I ended up freezing a batch without cooking them to save for a rainy day!

Crab Rangoons

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (I used light)
1 (6 oz.) can crab meat
4 green onions, finely minced
1 pkg. won ton wrappers
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Canola oil
(I guess I forgot the green onions in the picture, and disregard the ginger, I didn't use it.)

Soften cream cheese in microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir in crab, green onions, garlic powder and salt. Place a small spoonful of mixture on each won ton wrapper, fold over into a triangle, and seal the edges with water.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet. Add the rangoons in batches, turning occasionally until browned. Drain on a cooling rack with paper towels below. Repeat until all are cooked. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Fried Rice

(I basically just followed the directions on the back of the packet.)

1 packet Fried Rice seasoning mix

3 cups cooked rice, cooled

3 green onions, sliced

2 Tbsp. oil

2 Tsp. soy sauce (I used low-sodium)

2 eggs

1 c. peas and carrots mix (I just defrosted and let them warm up in the cooking, but you could pre-cook them)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add in green onions, saute for 1 minute. Add rice to the skillet, breaking up any clumps, and cook until heated through. Add seasoning mix and soy sauce; stir to combine. Push rice to one side of the skillet and crack in the eggs. Let eggs set for about 1 minute, then scramble them into rice. Add peas and carrots mixture; stir, combining all ingredients until combined. Heat on low until vegetables are heated through.