there is nothing like a baby, or a blog to put time in perspective. today is the tenth anniversary of the creation of newfoodtuesdayz. i’ll save you the click on the why tuesdayZ page and sum it up for you. i got a cooking bug. i was a twenty-four year old, trying to figure out what i liked and who i loved and what my future held. tuesday was my only free day of the week. some dick took newfoodtuesdayS.com and posted once. so on may 19th, 2010, newfoodtuesdayZ was born. if you want to read some painful writing and young feelings, you can see my original post, and my early days, HERE.

never in my wildest dreams could i have imagined where ten years would take me. i could have never predicted how that itty bitty little kitchen i learned to cook in would prepare me to cook for hundreds out of a miniature home kitchen.

i had NO FREAKING IDEA i would be a baker. that i would have the honor to be apart of people’s BIGGEST life moments.

while the website never had an end goal, it really has grown up. the pages were originally splashed with bad photography, worse editing and a lot of oversharing. thanks to an iphone, thousands of hours in the kitchen and lots of talent around me, i have a little internet home i am very proud of. and i keep the oversharing for my instagram stories.

enough gibber jabber. it’s a big moment for me, but we are all really here for the food. the first thing i ever made for a “newfoodtuesdayz” dinner was crab cakes. i’ve made different varieties over the years, but this version takes the cake. pun extremely intended. do your best to dry your crab well. a drier mix will make for a crispier cake. i make my own spice blend, but if you have it on hand, old bay seasoning is a classic you can’t go wrong with. if you don’t have all the spices i used in my blend, you could mix and match for herbs and spices you have and enjoy. the best food, is the food made to YOUR taste.

crab cakes + zesty greek yogurt aioli

serves: 8 cakes (2.5-3 inches in diameter)

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 15 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb jumbo lump crab, pick out any shells that may remain and pat the crab well to dry. 2 green onions, light parts and green parts, finely chopped and separated. finely chopped celery. 2 tbs finely chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper. 2 tbs freshly chopped parsley, divided. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. 1 large garlic clove, minced. 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges. 1 egg. 2 tbs greek yogurt. 2 tbs mayonnaise. 1 tsp dijon mustard. 4 tbs vegetable oil. 2 tbs old bay seasoning OR home made spice blend (1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp turmeric. .25 tsp cumin. .25 tsp cayenne pepper). 4 cups arugula. nasturtium flowers optional. large, heavy pan, ideally cast iron. spatula.

start by combining your spice blend (unless you are using old bay, then skip this step). then combine the yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard and set it aside.

in a large bowl, combine the crab, light parts of the green onion, celery, bell pepper, half the parsley, panko, half the garlic clove, the egg and half of your greek yogurt mixture. add in half your spice blend and stir it all well to combine.

use your hands to shape your cakes and lay them on a dry plate or rack. place the cakes in the fridge, uncovered for 15 minutes so they firm up and dry out a bit.

while they are in the fridge, combine the rest of your yogurt mixture with the rest of the garlic, dark green parts of the onion, and the remaining spice blend. squeeze in the juice for 4 of your wedges and stir it all together.

place the arugula on your serving tray. when you are ready to cook, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.

when the oil is hot and very shiny, add in half of the cakes. cook 3-4 minutes a side, until browned. set them on a paper towel to dry. cook the remaining cakes. drizzle your greek yogurt aioli onto the bed of arugula. don’t mind the pacifier. this is my life now.

place your cakes on your platter, garnish with the remaining parsley and edible flowers if you have them and serve hot with the remaining lemon wedges.

xo, a

crab cakes + zesty greek yogurt aioli

serves: 8 cakes (2.5-3 inches in diameter)

prep time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 15 minutes

cook time: 15 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb jumbo lump crab, pick out any shells that may remain and pat the crab well to dry. 2 green onions, light parts and green parts, finely chopped and separated. finely chopped celery. 2 tbs finely chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper. 2 tbs freshly chopped parsley, divided. .5 cup panko bread crumbs. 1 large garlic clove, minced. 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges. 1 egg. 2 tbs greek yogurt. 2 tbs mayonnaise. 1 tsp dijon mustard. 4 tbs vegetable oil. 2 tbs old bay seasoning OR home made spice blend (1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp turmeric. .25 tsp cumin. .25 tsp cayenne pepper). 4 cups arugula. nasturtium flowers optional. large, heavy pan, ideally cast iron. spatula.

start by combining your spice blend (unless you are using old bay, then skip this step). then combine the yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard and set it aside. in a large bowl, combine the crab, light parts of the green onion, celery, bell pepper, half the parsley, panko, half the garlic clove, the egg and half of your greek yogurt mixture. add in half your spice blend and stir it all well to combine. use your hands to shape your cakes and lay them on a dry plate or rack. place the cakes in the fridge, uncovered for 15 minutes so they firm up and dry out a bit. while they are in the fridge, combine the rest of your yogurt mixture with the rest of the garlic, dark green parts of the onion, and the remaining spice blend. squeeze in the juice for 4 of your wedges and stir it all together. place the arugula on your serving tray. when you are ready to cook, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. when the oil is hot and very shiny, add in half of the cakes. cook 3-4 minutes a side, until browned. set them on a paper towel to dry. cook the remaining cakes. drizzle your greek yogurt aioli onto the bed of arugula. place your cakes on your platter, garnish with the remaining parsley and edible flowers if you have them and serve hot with the remaining lemon wedges.

cinco de mayo may have come and gone, but lucky for us, taco tuesday comes once a month to this here blog. don’t let the wide variety of ingredients on these tacos deter you. they are all easy to come by ingredients, many of which you may have on hand and they all come together to make one BOMB ass taco.

these quick pickled onions and avocado cream are great on shrimp tacos, but they are also great on tons of other things. i like to use the pickled onions in quesadillas or on my breakfast eggs and the avocado cream is great on this delicious corn or as a salad dressing.

now, if you aren’t a crispy taco fan, by all means, skip that step and enjoy the soft tortilla. but if you like them crispy, i have a sure fire way to make the most delicious at home crunchy tacos.

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs. paper towel or dish towel lined drying rack or baking sheet.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges.

stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half.

while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt.

pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside.

roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp.

now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time.

once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream.

top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges. stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half. while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt. pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside. roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp. now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time. once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream. top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.