Delectable Shrimp Cakes...

I am always looking for more ways to get fish into our meal rotations, and these delectable shrimp cakes are  a winner with everyone. If you remember, a few weeks ago I shared a recipe for salmon cakes, and they are yummy too, but my husband doesn't eat salmon, so those cakes only work for meals when he is not at home. This recipe comes from my Mom....and is sooo good and works as a great lunch or dinner. You could add a bun and serve them 'burger' style or just with a crisp salad as I have shown here.

Shrimp Cakes

{makes 6 regular patties or 12 mini patties}

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup minced red pepper

1/2 cup minced celery

1/2 cup minced green onion

1 lb. peeled clean shrimp, finely chopped {I used a handy chopper or a slap chop}

2 eggs slightly beaten

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Old Bay or cajun seasoning

1 1/2 cups crushed saltine crackers or panko breadcrumbs or regular breakcrumbs

Oil for frying cakes in pan

Directions:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan. Saute red pepper, celery, and green onion. Cook until tender. Let cool. In bowl, combine egges, mayo, dijon mustard and shrimp. Add cooled veggies and stir in crumbs

Shape into patties.  Let rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in frying pan. Add patties to hot oil. Fry until bottom side is golden brown...about 4-5 minutes. Flip over and cook other side until golden brown. Serve wiith a crisp salad.

This is a great recipe to make early in the day and then set in the fridge until meal time. We like to eat our shrimp cakes with a side of chutney, or tzatziki, or cocktail sauce. Here I have shown my shrimp cakes with a side of apple chutney. Yummy!

This would also be wonderful to serve for a luncheon, along with a fruit dessert.

The recipes also double easily and if you have hungry boys in your family, I would recommend doubling it for sure.

I have heard complaints from my boys that I didn't 'make enough!'

Wishing you a wonderful day and thank you so much for visiting!

 

This post has been linked to these parties:

 

Teens, Acne & Accutane...

It's long been a noted teen rite of passage that a little acne at times throughout the teen years is normal. The drugstores shelves are loaded with products designed to combat this common teen problem and there is also an expensive acne "treatment' peddled by celebrities on tv. They all promise cleaner and clearer skin...all you have to do is shell out the dough to buy the stuff. We tried all of them and spent hundreds of dollars on a drawer full of products. In the end....they just weren't helping. Today I am going to share our story of our journey with this teen issue.

Let me give you a bit of history. My daughter has always had beautiful skin with hardly any acne that was noticeable. Then last fall, something changed...either hormones or the stress of high school  or some factor unknown to us. Her forehead became an angry hotbed of acne. She became increasingly upset about this and our response was to spend more money on more products and her nighttime skin regime kept getting longer and more frustrating as she was not getting the results she hoped for. 

She started asking me if she could go see a Dermatologist. I didn't think it was necessary at first because I didn't think it was that bad, or I was just in denial. Then she started doing her own research online and she came to me asking about Accutane. I was so reluctant to entertain this idea because I had heard about the side effects of Accutane....extremely hard on the liver, and a reported increase in suicide among teens. Scary, right?

After looking at her forehead after a shower one day, and noticing that the acne was starting to spread down the sides of her cheeks, I became more concerned,  and I decided to make an appointment with a dermatologist to discuss our options for handling this. We went to the appointment and spent an hour with the dermatologist as he examined her skin and went over possible courses of treatment. Just by looking at Hunter's face, he didn't think her acne was bad until he lifted  up her bangs....and then he agreed that there was some serious acne that needed treatment. He suggested a low dose course of Accutane for a number of months.As soon as I expressed my reluctance to try Accutane, big tears started sliding down my daughter's cheeks and she looked at me with those blue eyes and said softly, "Mom, I 've had enough." I truly felt heart-wrenching  pain for her and I immediately had a complete change of heart. If the Dermatologist recommended Accutane as a course of treatment, then we were going to give it a try. After all, if I could prevent my daughter from living a lifetime with scars on her face, why wouldn't I do everything in my power to make that happen? My husband was totally supportive of my decision.

The dermotologist  explained to us that when Accutane first came on the market in the early 1980s, it was considered a 'miracle drug' because it  worked for patients with hard-to-treat face & body acne. It works by shutting down the oils glands in the body...which is the source of the acne cycle. In doing this, it also lowers serotonin levels...the body's feel-good hormone. Other side effects include extreme dryness as a result of shutting down the body's oil glands....especially around the lips and mouth, as well as affecting the liver. And staying out of the sun while taking Accutance is a must. He explained to us the need for a once-a-month blood test to monitor the liver function and a monthly visit to his office to monitor progress. He also suggested some gentle cleansers Hunter could use on her face while being treated. as well as moisturizing products to combat the dryness. We left his office feeling hopeful...and with a prescription for a low dose Accutane treatment. We stopped at a drugstore on the way home to have it filled and to pick up a gentle cleanser and some of the moisturizers that  the Derm had suggested.

Hunter started taking Accutane that day and within a month, we noticed a difference. When we went back for the 1 month appointment, the dermatologist agreed the treatment was working and advised her to continue. Hunter found that basic Vaseline worked on her lips to combat dryness and used it several times a day. I bought her a large jar of Vaseline for at home and a smaller sample size tube for her school bag. I took her for her monthly bloodwork and the liver function was fine.The Accutane continued to slowly work and by the 2 month appointment, Hunter had started wearing her bangs off of her forehead at home.

As I shared our Accutane treatment with a few girlfriends, I heard stories  that I had never heard before.One girlfriend told me that Accutane had "saved her life!". She had taken it when she was 17 to treat acne that she described as "horrible" and it had cleared her skin completely. Another girlfriend told me how her nephew had taken Accutane as a teen to treat severe back acne and she would not hesitate to use it for her son if he got bad acne during his teen years.

I  have to honestly say that we struggled with Hunter's emotions at times.She seemed to be more sensitive then usual...but we knew it would be a short-term situation for long-term benefits.Every week that passed was a week closer to the end of treatment and  the end of acne {hopefully}.

We are now at the 5 month mark and  Hunter has finally crossed the 'finish line' of treatment. We are relieved that the course of treatment is over, but mostly we are SO happy that our daughter can choose to wear whatever hairstyle she likes because she has nothing to hide! Oh Happy Day!

Although this is our experience with choosing Accutane as a treatment plan, I know every parent has the right to choose a course of action that works best for their child and their situation. Looking back, I really regret not taking her to see a Dermatologist sooner, in fact, I could kick myself. No one in my family or circle of friends had shared any experience with Accutane before, and I was left  initially feeling very alone on this path. But as I shared this story with  some best girlfriends and learned of how it had changed people's lives, I am so glad that we tackled this problem straight on as we did. It was the right thing to do...especially when I see my daughter's beautiful, confident smile.

 

Active Kids & Healthy Snacks & Drinks....

I have been taking a little unexpected break from blogging this past week as I have been busy focusing on my children. August is not only the last month of summer vacation before school begins, but also the month of sports camps for hundreds of kids across Canada. My  youngest is enrolled in a few hockey camps to help him get ready for hockey try-outs later this month. We also have a young friend from Nova Scotia staying with us to visit and attend a figure skating camp to help polish her programs for the upcoming skating season.

To get ready for our busy week, I prepared a a bin of healthy snacks for the kids to 'grab & go'....things that could quickly go into a sports bag on the way out the door.

I made up several small servings of veggies and fruit {cherries & grapes}, along with ranch dip, single servings of guacamole, Greek yogurt, and Babybel cheese, along with 100% juice boxes.

And another important part of the day is making sure the kids drink lots of water!

I make sure that everyone fills up a water bottle before they leave.

I stopped buying cases of water years ago because I made a conscious decision to do our part as a family and not contribute to the 365 billion cans & bottles that make their way to the landfill each year.

The kind folks at Wenger contacted me and asked if we'd be willing to try out the latest in their water & sports bottles.

We said we'd love to because, honestly, we are always in need of water bottles around  here.

Wenger Bottles are made with no toxins or harmful chemicals{Phthlates} and feature a Swiss made BPA free liner... important features I look for when shopping for water bottles.

I tested this style and I like the wide mouth top because I love lots of ice in my water.

My son grabbed this Wenger sports bottle and claimed it as his own. He has been using it everyday and one thing that this Mom likes about this bottle is that the Sporttop closes so easily with a 1/2 turn which means we have less spilled water inside the sports bag because of a bottle top that wasn't turned all the way! ! This bottle also features a straw inside so you can sip easily too.

Another thing I liked about these bottles is how light they are to carry around. And the red bottle fit well into the cup holder in my car...bonus. We were really happy with these water bottles and would not hesistate to purchase them in the future.

{If you would like to learn more about Wenger bottles, please visit their website. Wenger bottles can be purchased at London Drugs in Canada.}

How about you? Do you have children attending camps this month? Or are your children starting back to school soon? Our schools don't start again until the last week of August. So we are revelling in a few more weeks of summer fun!

Wishing  you a lovely weekend!

Crazy Good Cherry Crisp...

 The world needs more cherry trees.

Those were my thoughts when I took the first bite of this dessert. So crazy good and sweet.

The summer I was sixteen, my best friend and I had a summer job working on her family's farm and while we had this job, we stayed with her grandparents.

Her grandparents were wonderful people and one of the many things I remember about staying with them was the cherry tree in their backyard.

It was large and beautiful and loaded with cherries.

I remember sitting in the cool shade of that tree eating cherries until our fingers were stained red and our tummies were full.

I think every child should have a cherry tree to sit in and eat cherries....it's a wonderful summer experience.

 I was really craving something cherry this week, so I made this for the first time and it did not disappoint.

It was delightfully sweet with the perfect crunchy oatmeal topping.

Cherry Crisp

You will need:

2 cups quick cooking oats {I used large flake oats from Bulk Barn}

1.5 cups flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cups butter, melted

4-5 cups pitted Cherries (thawed and drained if using frozen)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons lemon juice {lemon juice acts as a flavour intensifier.}


Directions:
Pour cherries into bottom of buttered baking pan. {I used 8.5 x 11 pan}. Sprinkle lemon juice over cherries.

 Add white sugar and corn starch to cherry pan. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

 In large bowl, add oats, brown sugar and flour. Stir to mix. Add melted butter and stir until butter is mixed into topping. Add a little more butter if topping looks too dry. Pour topping onto cherries. Spread with a spoon to cover the cherries.

 Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, until topping is golden and cherries are bubbling underneath.

I found the cherries and topping very sweet, so I served the cherry crisp with a dollop of sour cream.

It was the perfect.

I thought it tasted divine.

I love, love, love this topping mix, and I think I will you use it from now on all my 'crisp' recipes.

I just have one more summer fruit dessert I want to share with you.

It's a traditional Nova Scotian recipe.

Anyone want to guess what it is?

Wishing you all a crazy good day!

If you would like to see other delicious summer fruit desserts, please check out here and here.

This post is linked to these fun 

Decadent & Delicious Strawberry Soup Dessert...

Since I am on a summer fruit desserts kick lately, I want to share with you another favourite of ours....Strawberry Dessert Soup. This soup is so cool & refreshing and is a wonderful end to a meal on a sultry summer day.  Best of all, it is so simple to make....all it  requires is a blender and 10 minutes of time. It is GLUTEN-FREE and there is no baking or hot oven involved. This recipes comes from a cooking class I took  a number of years ago and it has been a summer classic for us ever since.  The kids love this soup and ask for it, and as soon as I say I am making it, they tell each other, "Mom's making strawberry soup today!".{I shared this recipe 2 years ago, but it's such a fav, I thought I would share it again since I have a lot of new readers}

Strawberry Soup

Base:

2 cups strawberries

1 c. brown sugar ( I have cut this back to 1/2 cup)

1 c. water

1 large orange

2/3 c. white wine {You can leave this out if you prefer, but it does add to the depth of flavour.}

1 c. plain yogurt (I have used both regular yogurt & Greek yogurt}

Directions:
Place brown sugar & strawberries in food processor/blender and puree 1 minute. Pour  strawberry mixture into a bowl.

Take orange and squeeze out fresh orange juice into strawberry mixture.  Add white wine. Stir. Add yogurt. If too thick, add water. If too thin, add more pureed strawberries. You want the soup to be somewhat thick.

To serve,  ladle the soup base into bowls and finish off with a scoop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream in the middle of the soup, with more fresh strawberries sliced on top. I also usually garnish with some whipped cream and a little finely chopped mint.

The ice creams melts down into the soup as you eat it, and it is oh-so-delicious and decadent!!

Store any uneaten soup in the fridge. I usually make double batches because it disappears so fast!

This dessert is a wonderful dish to serve guests. It's my go-to dessert to serve dinners guests in the summer!

Thank you so much for visiting... you are all so wonderful!

If you would like to see other delicious summer fruit desserts, please check out here and here.

This post is linked to these parties: