Hope you all had a fine Valentine’s Day – no matter who you spent it with. Ours was swell. Lets recap the menu:

Crab Cakes
Creamy Pasta
Fresh Green Salad
Lemon Souffle

It was all so good. The souffle was delicious, but needs some work. I thought it was pretty good for a first try. An oven thermometer would probably help to make sure it’s calibrated correctly.

Some photos?

Crab Cakes and Creamy Pasta

Eric whipped up the cream sauce with the most spectacular oregano and gorgeous Greek olive oil by Frixa, that was just sent by lovely Miss Leigh in St. Simons Island. The Chryssaidis family owns a restaurant, Athena, in St. Augustine, where they go through 20 liters of this elixir each day. Can you imagine? And you can buy both the olive oil and oregano online. Yum.

The sauce goes like this (thanks, Honey!): Melt 2 tbsp butter and add 2 tsp Frixa oregano, infuse with low heat while the pasta cooks. When the pasta is al dente, strain and quickly beat together 2 eggs, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup parmesan with a little pasta water. Dress the pasta in the sauce and drizzle with the butter to serve. (cooks note: boom done).

Eric’s crab cakes were essentially crab, a bit of mayo to bind and panko for coating. Perfect.

I dressed the table with three large pillar candles, red beaded placemats from Mexico, silver napkin holders, hammered silver flatware and red champagne flutes. Although I believe I forgot to shoot the table because I was so excited about dinner. Sorry, Darlings.

Here’s a peek at the souffle.

Fresh from the oven and dusted with powdered sugar.

To our plates.

And into our bellies! Nom nom nom. And having an excuse to practice my souffle skills is a delicious reason for dessert, yes?

But, Eric and I both agreed, the really special treat came this morning inside the delicate confines of four very fresh eggs, gifted to us by our oh-so-sweet friends Stephanie and Reeves, who raise chickens just a few blocks away from us. They taste nothing like what you buy from the grocery store. No, these are much more piquant, with a richness that betrays its supermarket brethren, and puts them to shame. And look, Stephanie puts the date each one, so you know exactly what day it was gathered.

Gathered 2 days ago! And more cooking in the background. In Beka!

We didn’t say too much during breakfast – we were too busy trying to savor every bite of those pristine eggs. Thanks Stephanie and Reeves!

Aren't they lovely?

Oh, and my Sweeties – I am giving away two tickets for The Wedding Experience tomorrow. You just need to comment here on this blog post. You don’t have to be a bride, you might have a friend who is getting married and could benefit from this – so get your comments in!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Nat King Cole – Love

Welp, today’s the day. The day we make those who are so special to us feel even more special. This does not mean you have to have a significant other – or more specifically, it means that a significant other can mean lots of different things.

It could be your best friend, your child, your dog. Doesn’t matter. Just give someone you love a big hug and enjoy the day together. And tonight, cook up something special.

Eric and I love to cook together and it’s a rare occasion on a weeknight. But tonight at our house it will be crab cakes and pasta with cream sauce, fresh green salad and lemon souffle for dessert. Crab cakes are one of those fab dishes that are super easy and impress everyone. Just add bubbly! Here is a great recipe from Miss Paula Deen, who knows what we southerners like. I would omit the bell peppers, but that’s just me. And I would let the cakes rest in the fridge before I dipped them in flour and fried them, just to make sure they keep their shape. And one more note: I like buying big king crab legs instead of the canned crab. This way I know where the meat came from and there is less chance of shells. You just cut them up the middle and pull out the crab meat. Easy peasy.

Paula Deen's Crab Cakes, Courtesy of Food Network.com

Ingredients
1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)
3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
Flour, for dusting
1/2 cup peanut oil
Favorite dipping sauce, for serving

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.

Don’t they sound good? See? Now go impress your loved ones. And don’t bother baking – let your neighborhood bakery do the work.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Ella Fitzgerald – That Old Black Magic

This past Saturday night was the last stop in my birthday celebration tour.  And what a night it was!  My darling bff, John, took to the kitchen and whipped up the most amazing meal ever. I’m serious. If we could have had some judges there, he would have won a James Beard Award. And there was also a fabulous gift for yours truly!

The Maestro at Work

Plus, this was the first time seeing John’s new place, which is super chic, of course.  John, Danny, Eric and I gathered in Alpharetta for my last birthday hurrah of the year. It was the greatest time, we ate, we drank, we laughed – hard.  Oh, and the food, that swoony meal? Here are the photos!

First up, individual shrimp cocktails:

I Love Having My Own Little Serving!

Second course, steamed mussels in wine. Honestly, haven’t you had mussels in restaurants that come out all dried out – yeah, me, too. But these mussels were perfection. Every bite a juicy, plump morsel from under the sea. Spectacular.

Just Beautiful

I was even allowed into the kitchen to help a bit!

John and Patti, BFFs

After we had savored every last bite of those incredible mussels, we took a break and let me open my present. Yay, presents!

Look at the Size of That Bow and Box! Yippee!

And as John and Danny have impeccable taste, their present was so beautiful. They know me so well. And all of this came with cards that made me laugh so hard I almost…well, never mind. LOL

Hello Beautiful!

This decanter weighs a ton – it is so fabulous and I cannot wait to use it! Thank you my darlings!

Back to the dinner now!  Third course – bay scallops gratin. Individuals. Yumtastic. Take a look.

Oh.My.Goodness!

Really, this was unbelievable. The scallops were huge and perfectly cooked. The topping was sheer indulgence.  After this course we all needed a little break, because there is MORE TO COME!

Danny and Eric Ready For the Next Course By Playing Xbox

And John cooks on….

Our Chef For The Evening!

Two more courses, y’all.  And did I tell you the champagne flowed? Oh, yes, it did. I felt so pampered! What’s next, you ask? Why crab cakes, my darlings!

One Pristine Crabcake

At this point, we have almost fallen into a champagne and seafood coma. And really, would there be a better way to go? I think not! But there’s dessert….

White and Milk Chocolate Strawberries, Hand dipped By John

Pinky swear, I don’t think Caligula ate this well. This was one of the most spectacular dinners anyone has ever prepared for me. And since it was so obviously prepared with such love and care, you could taste it.

John, you are a constant joy to me. Thank you so, so very much! I love you!

xoxo, Patti