The good kind of crabs!

This post is a lil different... it's about great food combined with a fun learning experience.

I am a BIG nature person but the cities I live in are not exactly conducive to the great outdoors... It's frustrating, but hey, political communications and social sciences are hard to come by when you are in the middle of a lake, and I love those too...

Either way, I was in desperate need of a trip out of the city and an offer came up!

This tale begins with a visit to some friends who live off of the Chesapeake Bay where I got a refresher course in fishing and then we used the fish I caught to bait crab traps... then I was taught how to steam the crabs that I caught.  It was awesome. 

Thoughts on fishing:

Eeeep. First Catch! 

I used to know how to fish when I was little.  My uncle taught me at the family cabin in Canada, but I found it very upsetting when the fish flopped around in the boat, so I chucked the fish back in the water to save him.  Little did I know... that was probably the biggest fish my uncle had ever caught... To this day, I am still a little surprised that he  didn't throw me in after the fish. 

This is when I started apologizing to the fish... Clearly
a little terrified... Oh well, fear conquered. 

For fishing round 2.... we kayaked for about 40 minutes to a small inlet that was home to a lot of creature including a beautiful Great Heron. I was also home to a lot of sticks... I caught 2 sticks in a row. I know, it is very impressive... But FINALLY after learning to keep the tip of the fishing rod town, I finally had a bite and reeled in my first catch of the day.  It took me a minute to balance holding the rod while trying to conquer a mild fear of grabbing a fish (no judgement zone... I don't palm fish everyday, so it is OK to be a little jumpy).  Once I finally got him, I felt like apologizing to him as I tried to delicately remove the hook from him mouth... but it turns out that it is not an entirely delicate task, even when a fish has sharp fins. 
Long story short.... fishing is like gambling... you keep saying "just one more cast" until you get a fish and then the cycle repeats itself. 


CRABS:
Once we got back from the fishing adventure, we tossed the fish into the crab traps at the end of the dock and waited for a day or so... they had a few crabs in the keeper trap so we fed them too...  

Around lunchtime the next day for lunch... INTO THE POT FOR MY NEW CRAB FRIENDS!  
This was another "experience" for me... we put them directly into the pot and my job was to keep them from wondering off... We went back into the house... did the Old Bay dance, and steamed these blue crabs... 

Because it was early in the season, they were still a little small so overall I ate 5 of them, but honestly... Most satisfying lunch EVER.

Polenta and Squash

Making this one up as I go... and blogging about it between sections.  

- getting ready to go out of town and I want to use up some of the things I have laying around! 

(I was trying to decide whether to go Italian~ish or Spanish~ish... I think I'll go with the latter for the sake of experimentation)

What I have/ What you need:

1 Butternut squash

Frozen Corn

Frozen Okra

Can of black beans

Salsa

Pre-made polenta

Cheddar 

(wish I had fresh cilantro....) 

-spices...? RED PEPPER FLAKES. (there should always be red pepper flakes)... 

Begin by baking the squash!  I usually just cut 'em in half and toss them in the oven at 400 for about 30-40 minutes... I also recommend tossing the butternut squash seeds in the over with some old bay... there aren't usually very many, but it's like the benefit of pumpkin seeds without waiting for halloween!  It is also an excuse to eat more old bay....

Once the squash is done, let it cool enough to scoop some out to cut into pieces.  

Slice up the polenta into circles and spread out onto a lightly oiled pan.  Put a scoop of black beans on the polenta and shred a little bit of cheddar cheese over top of them before sticking the pan under the broiler to let the cheese melt and bubble a little.

Mix together corn and okra and toss in the cooked squash, salsa, and a squirt of sriracha.  Spoon out the mix onto the polenta with cheese and black beans and put the whole dish under the broiler for about a minute.  I added more cheese too...   

Take out... and enjoy!!!!

Oh, chick p(le)as/ GarbanzYO

I couldn't think of a good title for this one... but this is just a friendly reminder that this is a judgement free food blog... Heinous food jokes are more than acceptable as long as they are gluten free! 

Rosted Chickpeas/ Garbanzo beans recipe. 

ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES... I make them almost every week...

What You'll Need:

Olive Oil

Canned Garbanzo Beans

A Nice Rack (OF SPICES)

*Recommended Spices- Old Bay, red pepper flakes, everyday seasoning from Trader Joe's, garlic powder... 

Preheat the oven to 375 and coat a pan in a light dousing of olive oil. 

Strain the garbanzo beans and pour them into the pan and shake them around so that they get a light coating of olive oil.  I usually put two or three cans of garbanzo beans in one pan and I don't recommend doing more than that in one batch... 

Sprinkle a generous amount of spices over the garbonzo beans and aim for an even coating (then just shimmy the pan back and forth. That works too).  I like them with a bit of a kick, so dont be afraid of the red pepper flakes. 

Bake the garbanzos on the bottom rack for about 30 minutes. Stir with a spatula every ten... Once you hit the 30 minute mark... stir them and test a couple every 5 minutes or so until they are cooked to your liking! It usually takes about 45 minutes to get to my desired crunchy level, but hey, YOU DO YOU!