Could it be

Could it be that just by texting an old friend back and forth has brought me to the conclusion of what passion I need to be following for my future. Perhaps... Perhaps I have just discovered that I no longer want to follow my passion for helping animals and begin following my passion for cooking and creating amazing meals for everyday people. Or perhaps I knew all along... Right now I cant tell. But I will say that I am going to think very hard about what I really want to do and begin taking an interest in myself once more. This year for me has been filled with quite a few tragedies and I have spent time dwelling on them and focusing on other people instead of myself. Im not complaining, but on many occasions I have known to just focus on everyone else and not do one thing for myself. This is the year for Ragan... And my family of course.

So for those of you who follow Morningbells cooking blog I promise you I will begin posting more, being more specific with ingredients and taking better pictures. Through my eyes you will see my world of food and why I love to craft certain dishes, why I take my time with each step and what feedback I get from my family and my friends about each meal. I think that by doing all of this for myself and for my followers and future followers I will find myself and begin to feel a sense of purpose and maybe finally make a decision to go into the business of catering or being a personal chef. It would be a dream come true.

All I ask in return is that if you do follow one of my recipes, please post a comment and let me know how you felt about it. What your family said and if you would make it again.

The next special meal I make will be posted for all to see!

Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Finally the day has arrived that I am posting a new recipe!  My life has been so busy over the past few months, I am so sorry...  Please remember that my recipes are like variations of recipes that I kind of make up and find.  I usually make it my own by changing most things about it.  I change the amounts, flavors, ingredients and I never measure unless it needs to be specific.  All of my recipes can be altered and if you have any questions just ask!  Maybe you can recommend something to me.  One of my rules...  Approach love and cooking with a reckless abandon!  Just go for it!

I made these for Tom the other night and he just loved them!  Well that is what he said at least...  I made this with baked pasta.  Baked pasta is easy...  Pick your favorite pasta, cook it, pick your fav sauce and some ricotta cheese and mix the cooked pasta, ricotta and sauce all together in a big bowl and the put it in a casserole dish or a deep baking pan.  Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for about 20-25 minutes on 350 uncovered.  

Shopping list

Crab meat already cooked and shelled

Stuffing in a box chicken flavored

Chicken Broth 1 can

Roasted Red Peppers in a jar

1 Roma tomato

1/2 onion

1-2 cloves of garlic

Balsamic Vinegar

Cream cheese (softened)

EVOO

Shredded Mozarella or Parmesan Cheese, or both!

Salt 

Pepper

Butter

Portobello Mushrooms, large or babies

OK!  Ready!  First do the sauce...

Sauce is simple...  1/2 jar of roasted red peppers only, leave the water in the jar. 1 roma tomato, 1 garlic clove.  Add that to the food processor and puree...  Taste it...  Add a drizzle of EVOO, and a drizzle of Balsamic.  Process again to mix then add to a sauce pan and add salt and sugar and possibly a little black pepper to taste.  Simmer on low and just let it reduce and don't worry about it till the end.  If you let it simmer on low it wont reduce too much so you have nothing to worry about.  If you want to add more red pepper or more tomato do it!  Its your mouth!  You have to eat it!  I like the sauce a little sweet so I am heavier with the sugar, but some may like it saltier or more tomato based.    

The Stuffing

Begin with making your stuffing in a box according to the directions...  Set aside in a large bowl

while that is cooking and sitting clean out your portobellos, do not rinse with water, just use a paper towel or a wet cloth to clean them, mushrooms absorb water or any liquid like crazy so do not hold them underneath any water.  Just wipe them down .  Cut out stems and with a metal spoon clean out the dark part inside.  I forgot what it is called, but I believe they are called gills.  Just use a spoon to scrape the gills out.  They have a dark and very potent color and you do not want to get many of the gills in your recipe, but definitely save the stems.  The gills will discolor anything you are cooking and turn it dark black or brown.  Just toss them.  

In a food processor chop up your garlic, onion, and stems and set aside

Then open up your crab and rinse and check for shells...  Squeeze out any water and add to your prepared stuffing.  

 

Preheat oven to the broil setting

Now you can begin sautéing your chopped stuff, onions, garlic and stems, add just a little EVOO and cook them until they are soft.  about 5 minutes on medium.  Add to stuffing and crab mixture.  Finally you can add in your cream cheese.   I decided to get the cream cheese in a box shaped like a brick.  I added 1/2 of the brick.  I love cream cheese!  So I added more than maybe someone else would add.  But add to taste and the cream cheese binds the crab and the veggies and the stuffing together.  Mix the stuffing mixture well with all ingredients.  

The Mushrooms

Grab a nice size baking pan, cookie sheet or what ever you have that works and line up the mushrooms, cap up.  Brush the caps with EVOO generously, you will notice that the caps absorb the oil almost instantly and it will look like you didn't do it at all.  But just keep track of the ones you coated and where and you should be fine.  Place in oven and broil the mushrooms cap up for about five minutes.  Just to make them a little harder, perhaps crispy for when you fill them with the stuffing.  

Once you have broiled them until you are happy with the crispiness you can pull them out and flip them over.  Turn oven to bake and temp should be about 350.  Begin filling the mushrooms with the stuffing mixture.  Yum!  Top with mozzarella or parmesan cheese and bake for about 15-20 minutes on 350.  

Pull them out when they look yummy and golden brown and the cheese should be bubbling over!  I think that is my favorite part...  Watching the cheese begin to bubble!  Drizzle with the red pepper sauce and enjoy!  

Pair with your favorite wine!  

So....  Yeah I have been so lazy about posting some good recipes and taking pictures of my food.  

Sorry...

But I promise, this christmas season will be good.  I have 3 adorable children coming here for Christmas, plus my Grandparents and my Mother and Sister will be here.  So...  Stayed tuned.  I have a menu planned for Christmas that should be packed with yummy goodness!  

There will be a party in your mouth!  So thank you my six followers, I love you!  LOL!

Mango Tango

This is a recipe for a frozen drink.  Not an original, but what is these days...

Ingredients

Mango Nectar

Meyers Dark Rum

Coconut Rum Cruzan is really good!

Triple sec

Pineapple Juice

Lime Juice, Just a splash!

The Procedure

Begin by freezing the Mango nectar in an Ice tray.  Fill the whole thing.  Do this instead of using ice cubes.  Ice cubes just add water to your frozen drink which will just eventually water everything down.  Do this a couple of hours before you are ready to make your Mango Tango's!

Now here is where you want to just have fun, its a mixed drink so begin mixing!  

In the blender add your frozen mango cubes...  as many as you want!

Add the dark rum first, then coconut rum and maybe a shot or two of your triple sec.  Then the pineapple juice.  Top that off with your splash of lime and blend!  There is no exact science to this.  I would think that the mango cubes would be the hardest part.  And honestly the fact that I have to wait for them to freeze is a little irritating to me!  Why cant they just sell frozen mango cubes!  I want to drink it right now!  But it will be worth it with a little pre-planning.  

This drink will be a hit with all of your guests, or just for yourself sitting at home relaxing by the pool or on the couch!  Its nice to feel a little summery when the temp drops in these months!  Florida is always tropical so I have no problem drinking this anytime of the year!  

To serve, grab your favorite margarita glass or martini glass or just a big mason jar if thats what you want and dip the rim in a shallow dish with water to coat the rim and then dip the rim in some sugar!  Some stores have specialty sugars made up with different colors, its a nice touch if you are entertaining!  Garnish with a pineapple slice or a fancy little umbrella!!  

Enjoy!   

Bananas and Meyers Dark Rum go great together too!  Be creative!  

Crab Cakes

Hi!  Well this is my first recipe.  I just tried it today and I was amazed at how wonderful they came out.  I have always wanted to make crab cakes and never have.  So this is my first try.  I must say that I certainly did surprise myself.  

You can add any veggies you like to this in addition to the Red and Green Peppers.  Possibly Carrots or Celery...  I would also like to add that cooking for me is usually something I do by taste and what I think tastes good.  Remember to always begin with a little then you can always add more if it needs more flavor.  I love spicy food so I go all in, but some people can't handle heat, so remember, start light then add more if you like.  You can always add but you cant take away when it comes to cooking.  

Here we go!

Ingredients

12 oz. crabmeat  The better quality, the better the crab cake.

1 sleeve of butter crackers such as Ritz, or panko bread crumbs if you like

2 tsp. hot sauce, Louisiana or tabasco any is fine...

1/2 C. mayo

1/4 C. chopped parsley, flat leaf or italian

1/4 C. chopped red pepper

1/4 C. chopped green pepper

1/4 C. chopped shallots/or yellow onion

1 T. old bay seasoning

pinch of cayenne 

salt + pepper to taste

1 egg

EVOO

Lemon juice

The Procedure

Begin by chopping all of your veggies

Chop Red pepper, Green pepper, Shallots, and Parsley (finely)

Seperate Parsley from the Peppers and Shallots.  

Also take a full sleve of ritz crackers and crush finely in the packet or put all of the crackers in a ziplock bag and pound them so you have crumbs.  Leave in bag.

Saute peppers and shallots in EVOO (Just a drizzle) for about 3 minutes, you want everything to still be firm but just softer.  Remove and set aside and begin to let cool.  

In a mixing bowl add the crab, and begin with just 1/2 of the mayo.  Then add crumbs, hot sauce, parsley, sauteed peppers and shallots, old bay, cayenne, use a silicone spatula or something non stick and fold all of the ingredients until well mixed.  If you have to add more mayo use the rest of the mayo at this time.  Taste it...  See how it measures up on flavor then add salt & pepper or more old bay, or what ever you like.  Then add a teaspoon of lemon juice fresh or not, if you use fresh add the zest into the crab mixture.  Yummy!  The mayo is going to add flavor of course but also helps your patties stay formed.  If you need more, add more than what I suggest.  If you add too much by accident, just add more crumbs!  

So once you have the crab mixture to taste add the beaten egg to bind it all and begin making your cakes.  You can make any size cakes you like, after forming cakes, place them in fridge for about an hour to cool.

When ready to cook heat a non stick pan on Medium with a bit of EVOO to coat pan.  Put in cakes when heated and ready and sautee on each side for about 4 minutes each.  

The pictures are out of Order, Im sorry!  The first one is of them frying, this is what they should look like when you flip them.  The second is the finished product, the third is a close up of a formed cake, veggies popping out!  Yummy!  And the final one is of the first batch, I got about 8 from the first batch and about six from the second batch.  

I decided to use the remaining peppers and Shallots and dice them very fine.  I put them in a bowl and added some sprigs of parsley chopped very fine, a little rice vinegar and sugar and made a pepper salsa.  It came out pretty good.  You can make any kind of topping that you like with this.  Ask me for some ideas if you are at a loss!  Ask me if you have any questions at all!  

Hooray!  So I was inspired to create a cooking blog from a friend on Facebook!  She is a busy super mom with an awesome career and Super Family!  I love cooking, I usually post the menu as a status update on Facebook, so I thought hey she can do it, we can do it and anyone else who wants to do it can do it and tag along with the whole cooking blog!  So this is my first blog to get me going!  Recipes are to come!  I just gotta find them!  By no means am I like some create it yourself, totally original cook like Emeril, I take a recipe and I add a twist.  I watch cooking shows whenever I can to help guide me on techniques and mixing of new flavors.  But I love to cook, and I am patient and good at it.  So I hope that you find my taste and cooking style appealing and I hope you post your comments and tell me if you used my recipes or something like it!  Lets have fun with this!