House Renovation #2 and Crab Wontons

The painter is finished and the walls and ceilings look great! 

House renovation #2 coming up - hard wood floors.

In lieu of vacation this year, as well as a nod to our crazy economy, we are investing in some much needed renovations to the house. 

KC, our shepherd who died last August, was the first dog to do major "oops" on the carpeting... then along came Holly Bear (now nine months old) and well, you get the idea. 

So carpeting is coming up in the living areas and hallways and hardwood is going down. Ugg... 

I hate having the house in an uproar, but it has to be done. 

Before I have wood workers crawling all over my home I've got some major cooking to do. I'm going to start with a crowd pleaser. Everyone loves these Crab Wontons. They are easy to make, feed many and freeze and reheat beautifully so you can make them in advance. I made these last night after the house was [somewhat] back in order.

While you're at it, make two batches. Eat one, freeze the other and use it as your "go-to" when company stops by:

Crab Wontons: makes 48 wontons 

1 package wonton wrappers

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat 

1 stalk celery, minced

1/4 red bell pepper, minced

dash of worcestershire sauce

pinch salt

pinch pepper

Oil for frying (use peanut or canola)

Duck Sauce for dipping

Mince the celery and pepper - and I do mean mince:

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, crab, worcestershire, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper and blend well. 

Lay out 9 to 12 wonton wrappers in front of you. If you're new to this, start with 9 and work slowly. Have water and a small pastry brush ready to help you seal the wontons. Place 1/2 teaspoon of the crab filling slightly off center of the wonton wrapper. Brush edges with a little water.

Fold in half, pressing the sides and ends together to form a tight seal. 

Now, take the wonton in your hand, make a fold with your finger at the top of the wonton and pull the two pointed edges together at the top, folding over slightly to seal. 

Place on waxed paper and continue filling and folding until all your wontons are filled. 

Now you're ready to fry the wontons. Fill your dutch oven or deep fat fryer with 2-3 inches of oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Working quickly, fry only 6-8 wontons at a time. Do not crowd. The wontons only take about 2 minutes. Remove when golden and drain on paper towels. 

Continue frying until all your wontons are cooked. They are a thing of beauty as they come out of the fryer - but watch out! That filling is hot! 

Now, you can eat these right away, serve warm with duck sauce for dipping OR store in your fridge for a day OR you can freeze them once they are cool in a ziplock bag for up to a month. 

Reheat in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Keep your eye on them, they will heat quickly. No need to defrost before reheating. 

A Cook's Notes: Make these when no one else is home. If you do make them with others in the house be prepared to double the batch as they will disappear as they come out of the fryer... they are just that good.

PS - What is your "go-to" appetizer or hors doerve when company stops by?

ps: Pride and Joy and Lobster Guacomole

Oh - by the way - I have decided that my brand new Blogger Award is now my Pride and Joy. Oh boy am I going to be impossible to live with now. 

I am in such a good mood I'm going to share a brand new recipe with all of you. Isn't it amazing how some positive recognition for our efforts can just lift our spirits? So, never before seen on this blog.  It's fresh and easy and the prettiest thing you ever wanted to see sitting on an Hors d'oeuvres plate. It will make you the host / hostess or guest of the year when you whip this one out:

Lobster Guacamole with Mango on a Tortilla Chip: (you can substitute shrimp or crab for the lobster) - makes 2 cups or about 48 tortilla chips

2 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and pitted (save the pits)

1 large garlic clove, mashed to a paste with salt

3 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 big tablespoon cilantro (or parsely) chopped

1/4 cup scallions, minced

1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice

salt and pepper

1 cup cooked lobster, shrimp or crab, chopped very small

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced very small

1-2 teaspoons honey

"Scoops" tortilla chips

Mash avocados with fork. Add garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, lime or lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Put the pits in the mixture and it will not turn brown. (it's an old cook's trick that you don't have to be old to use)

Cook the seafood of choice (lobster, shrimp or crab), dice small and set aside. (keep cold)

Dice the mango very small and mix with the honey. Set aside. 

Spoon a nice teaspoon into the Scoop tortilla chip. Top with seafood of choice, then top with a few pieces of mango. 

These little hors d'oeuvres will become your Pride and Joy!