Recipe Corner: Crab Cakes

I honestly had never thought of making my own crab cakes before. But when I saw how much they cost at a local restaurant, I decided that I should try to figure it out. I hopped over to my favorite allrecipes.com, and can you believe that they were featuring a crab cake recipe on their home page. How lucky am I?!? So I decided to share my luck with everyone else. Enjoy the recipe! And don’t forget to contact me if you are interested in having your blog and your yummy recipe featured in a Fabulous Food Friday Post. Whether you bake it, sauté it, or just microwave it, send it in! Share your yummy food and you may find yourself with new visitors. Please email me directly if you are interested. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com )

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 3/8 cup olive oil
• 1 (6 ounce) can canned crabmeat, drained
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 8 ounces buttery round crackers, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular dry bread crumbs

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Saute green onions briefly until tender; cool slightly.
2. Combine crabmeat, sauteed green onions, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, crushed crackers, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties. Coat the patties with bread crumbs.
3. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook cakes until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess what movie this quote came from?  Bonus if you know the character.

"Do you believe in U.F.O.s, astral projections, mental telepathy, E.S.P., clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full-trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster, and the theory of Atlantis?"

Take a guess in the comments below.

A Happy Workout Week and Friday Follow!

Happy Friday!

Has everyone had a great week? This week I have gotten back into a consistent workout routine so I’m am definitely happy about that. I’ve had a few problems with old injuries getting in my way, but this week the pain wasn’t too bad. Did you know that it is better to work out in the morning? I’ve always done this, just for scheduling sake, but I read an article this week about the benefits of it. If you are interested in reading the article just click here.   I also wanted to remind everyone that starting next Friday, I would love to feature one of your delicious recipes on Fabulous Food Friday! Whether you bake it, sauté it, or just microwave it, send it in! Share your yummy food and you may find yourself with new visitors. Please email me directly if you are interested in being featured next Friday or any Friday in the future. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com)   Also, swing back over on Wednesday because I will be hosting my first ever giveaway!  Thanks and have a fantastic weekend!

Recipe Corner: Angel Lush Cupcakes (from KraftRecipes.com)

Are you trying to eat healthy, but need to satisfy your sweet tooth? Try this delicious recipe from Kraftrecipies.com for only 90 calories per cupcake.  (you can see their prettier looking cupcakes at Kraftrecipes.com) And don’t forget to contact me if you are interested in having your blog and your yummy recipe featured in a Fabulous Food Friday Post. Whether you bake it, sauté it, or just microwave it, send it in! Share your yummy food and you may find yourself with new visitors. Please email me directly if you are interested. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com ) Enjoy!

What You Need!
1 pkg. (16 oz.) angel food cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cans (8 oz. each) DOLE Crushed Pineapple in Juice, undrained
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
2 cups assorted fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries)


Make It!
HEAT oven to 375ºF.
PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; pour into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until tops are golden brown and cracks feel dry. (Note: If baking in batches, refrigerate remaining batter in bowl until ready to pour into lined muffin cups and bake.) Cool cupcakes in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
MIX dry pudding mix and pineapple in medium bowl. Gently stir in COOL WHIP; spread onto cupcakes.
TOP with berries.

DOLE is a registered trademark of Dole Food Company, Inc.

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess what movie this quote comes from?  Bonus if you can guess the character!

"Did you order the code red?"

Take a guess in the comments below.

Are Video Games Harmful?

Like TV, there is an ongoing debate about whether video games are harmful to our children. The quote, “Too much TV will rot your brain!” sticks out vividly in my mind. However, I actually feel that video games can be beneficial to our children. Of course, like everything else they do in life, they should be played in moderation. Video games have come so far since we were children. Kids no longer sit still in front of a computer with a small joystick. They are up and about with wireless controllers working on their eye hand coordination while doing physical activities. The video games that require movement are not the only ones that are beneficial. Many of the children’s games improve fine motor and cognitive skills as well. My girls love playing games that have jigsaw puzzles and mazes. Completing these tasks with a controller or stylus is much harder than completing them with a pencil. My girls also have games that help reinforce reading, math, and social skills. They think, create, and explore through a medium that they couldn’t do elsewhere. Handheld games, like the Nintendo DS, are also great for travelling or when your child isn’t feeling well enough to play with other kids. Why not let your kiddos have some fun instead of sitting around all day being bored? Do you think video games are harmful or helpful to our children’s development? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Fabulous Food Friday!

Starting next Friday, I would love to feature one of your delicious recipes on Fabulous Food Friday! Whether you bake it, sauté it, or just microwave it, send it in! Share your yummy food and you may find yourself with new visitors. Please email me directly if you are interested in being featured next Friday or any Friday in the future. Thanks!


betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess what movie this quote comes from?  Bonus if you can guess the character!

"When I was your age I never chased a boy or called a boy or sat in a parked car with a boy."

Take a guess in the comments below!

Random Questions

I know this is not my typical blog post, but I figured while I have you all here, I might as well ask you a few questions. Nothing better than a pop quiz in the morning, right?

First Question: Being a SAHM, I always have a child with me. Can anyone relate? Well, as you all know this makes it a little harder to workout. Luckily for me, I have a treadmill in our basement that is full of toys and crafty activities. On a typical morning, I can run for about two miles before the basement full of toys becomes boring. Then I can usually continue another mile, while assuring the kiddos I’m almost done. I would love to be able to run longer than three miles on a daily basis. So my question to you is…What ideas do you have to keep the kiddos occupied while Mommy has some “me time”?

Second Question: My second question is also an exercise related one. I love to run, but sometimes my old knee, feet, and ankle injuries get the best of me (gymnast back in the day). I’m thinking of purchasing either a bike or an elliptical machine, but need some input before making the big decision. I know that the elliptical is probably better for you, but it is so bulky. The bike is smaller, but may not give you a complete workout. What are your experiences and opinions on each of these pieces of exercise equipment?

Third Question: My third question is in a completely different from the precious two. I am currently working on a query letter for a middle grade historical fiction book I’ve written. I’ve researched how to write a proper query letter, but all the websites and books I’ve found are based on adult fiction. Does anyone know of a good site to research writing a query letter? Does anyone have any experience or knowledge they’d like to share?

I can’t wait to hear all your responses. Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Cinnamon Bread

For those of you who missed this wonderful recipe from when I first started this blog, I had to share.  This is by far the best cinnamon bread recipe out there!  Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two 5x9 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Sprinkle the bottoms of the loaf pans with cinnamon sugar, and divide the batter between the 2 pans.

3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean.

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess which movie this quote is from?  Bonus points for guessing the character!

"See, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you need to watch out for, because you never know when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid."

Take a guess in the comments below.

Coaches

In your mind, what qualifies someone to be a coach? I’m not talking NFL or MLB, just Pee Wee Football and Little League. In my mind, to call yourself a coach is equivalent to calling yourself an instructor. To call yourself an instructor is equivalent to calling yourself a teacher. To call yourself a teacher is equivalent to ensuring the parents who trust you with their children, you know what you are talking about. Right!?! Unfortunately, this is not always true. My little girls have been participating in a gymnastics program this past semester with instructors who are unaware of how to properly teach gymnastics. As a former gymnast and coach, I gave them the benefit of the doubt for many weeks. I thought that maybe my past experience was making me too critical. However, after watching the unsafe spotting for a few more weeks and watching numerous children fall on their faces, I decided to say something. I asked the main teacher if she was aware of her assistants’ spotting techniques and how many kids were getting hurt. She acted as if she was shocked and promised to teach them the proper way to spot. This made me feel a bit better, although I still couldn’t figure out why they let her teach before instructing her on the safe way to spot. So I’ve waited now for another four week and I have seen no improvement. They are still teaching the kids to perform things incorrectly and spotting them unsafely. I probably won’t say anything else to them (I’m not a very confrontational person), but I definitely won’t be signing them back up for next semester.


A friend of mine is about to go through the same experience with her daughter’s soccer team. The coach of the team has openly admitted that he doesn’t know how to play soccer. A coach who doesn’t know a thing about the game he’s teaching???? How does that make any sense? Unfortunately for her, I don’t think you can pick a team when you sign up for a grade school soccer league. Do you think there should be requirements for being a coach? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Taco Seasoning

Are you tired of buying individual packet of taco seasoning? A close friend of mine found this recipe on allrecipes.com and loves it. She made a big batch and now she has taco seasoning on hand whenever she needs it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess what movie this popular quote is from?

"Name's Barf. I'm a Mog, half man half dog. I'm my own best friend."

Take a guess in the comments below!

Restaurant.com

I know most of you have probably heard of restaurant.com before, but I’ve just discovered it and wanted to share with the few of you that may have missed it. Restaurant.com is a website where you can purchase gift certificates to various establishments in your area for a reduced price. They most often sell $10 and $25 certificates, but I’ve seen them as high as $50 and $100. On a typical day, you can purchase a $25 gift certificate for $15. Right there is an easy savings of $10, but you can do better than that. I would suggest you don’t buy on a typical day. Yesterday, there was a 70% off code! With the code, I bought a $25 gift certificate for $4.50. A week ago, there was a 60% off code with a bonus $10 certificate to restaurants.com. With this deal I bought $30 worth of certificates and received a voucher to spend $10 more dollars on their site (and $10 on their site can go a long way). This only cost me $4.80. I think this is a great way to save money, but one word of caution. Check the fine print before buying. Most of the certificates have a minimum purchase required and some specify lunch or dinner. Just read carefully before purchasing. Have you used restaurant.com? Has it saved you big? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Have you been looking for some variety for your morning breakfast routine? This yummy oatmeal recipe will have you asking for more. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup milk

Directions
1. Combine the water, apple juice, and apples in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and stir in the rolled oats and cinnamon. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 3 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls, and pour milk over the servings.

Tricky Trivia

How did soldiers protect their rifle barrels from salt water damage during World War II?
Take a guess in the comments below!

Silent Sunday

My Upside Down Sleeper!

Gotta Love Her!!