Something to Crab About

Janet Groene’s
Hot ‘n Creamy “Crab” Gravy
    Serve this rich seafood sauce over baked potatoes, wide noodles, cheese grits or, for a low-calorie base, French-cut green beans.

8-ounce brick of cream cheese (regular or low fat)
8-ounce jar mayonnaise or salad dressing (1 cup), regular or lite
12- to 16-ounce package flaked imitation crab meat
1/4 cup very finely minced onion
Tabasco sauce
    Put cream cheese in a microware bowl and soften by zapping for 30 seconds at a time on Defrost.  If crabmeat is not finely flaked, chop it. Stir  mayonnaise thoroughly into cream cheese then fold in crab and onion.  Nuke on Defrost (or Low or #5)  one minute at a time, turning each time, until it’s heated through. Stir and ladle over your chosen base. Serves 4 to 6. 
    Cook’s note: Canned crab or a pound of pasteurized crabmeat and also be used. Drain and pick over crabmeat to remove any bits of shell or cartilage.
   
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Sloppy Joe Lasagna for Lazy Cooks

Janet Groene’s
Two-Night Sloppy Joe
    Make up a sloppy joe mixture at home or in camp using 2 pounds ground beef. Serve half in buns. Use  the other half to make this delicious lasagna.

6 lasagna noodles
About 2 1/2 cups leftover sloppy joe (use your favorite recipe)
8-ounce can tomato sauce
15-ounce can ready-to-serve beef broth
12-ounce carton cottage cheese, regular, lite or non-fat
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheese such as Cheddar
½ cup shredded cheese such as mozzarella
    Grease a casserole and place three dry noodles in the bottom to form an even layer. Cover with sloppy joe. In a bowl, whisk together cottage cheese, egg and shredded Cheddar and spoon over sloppy joe. Top with remaining noodles. Wipe out the bowl with a paper towel (it’s OK if it is not completely clean) and stir together tomato sauce and beef broth. Pour over casserole. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
    Remove foil, add remaining cheese and return to the oven until lasagna is bubbly and cheese melted. Serves 6.

See more of Janet Groene's RV-ready recipes at Camp And RV Cook .

Make It With Mushrooms

Janet Groene’s
Mushrooms Bourguignon
    Who needs meat when a filling, satisfying main dish can be made with flavorful, toothsome mushrooms? If you’re a gatherer, you’ll need three pounds of morels. I just wait for a sale at the supermarket. Any mushrooms are good, a mixture is even better.

3 pounds mushrooms
½ stick butter
Large onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups rich red wine such as burgundy 
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
    Clean and slice mushrooms and saute in melted butter, gradually stirring in onion and garlic powder until mixture is caramel brown. Add wine, cover, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes. Stir cornstarch into water to make a smooth slurry, then stir into mushroom mixture over medium heat until sauce thickens.  To serve as a main dish, spoon mushroom mixture over cooked rice, noodles, quinoa or wild rice  and top with a dollop of sour cream. Mushrooms also can be served over grilled steak, braised chicken breast or fried pork chops. Serves six as a main dish or 10 to 12 as a sauce.
See more of Janet Groene’s RV-ready recipes at http://CampAndRVCook.blogspot.com
New posts each week include an RV Galley Recipe and a Campground Potluck Recipe.
Janet Groene's weekly blog featuring easy recipes for camping, RV travel, boating and such is available for Kindle subscription at http://tinyurl.com/7j354zo

Snack Attack

Janet Groene's

Pretzel Lover’s Gorp
    Try to find  smallish pretzels that are all the same size and shape.  This is a savory snack, ideal for the trail, at the wheel of your RV or for a Happy Hour treat for the whole gang.

4 cups low sodium pretzels
2 cups each wasabi pretzels, cheese pretzels, honey mustard, jalapeno, onion, etc. (total 8 cups)
2 cups unsalted sunflower nuts
2 cups roasted, unsalted almonds
2 cups turkey jerky sticks, snipped into small bite size
    Combine everything in a big bag and shake gently to mix. Serve in a big bowl or package in bags for hiking. Keep cool and dry. Makes 18 one-cup servings.

See Janet Groene's healthful, homemade, money saving trail mix recipes published weekly at http://www.CreateAGorp.blogspot.com