Whew! I know I said last weekend was busy… but this weekend was even busier! Fun times, though. Finished up watching the Harry Potter movies, met up with friends visiting from Florida for lunch Saturday, went to a birthday party, and saw Cars 2! Here are a couple of photos from the weekend:
Princess and Buzz Lightyear – and good buddies!
Loved this shot of C next to a bouncy slide at the birthday party we went to on Saturday – he looks so tiny! He was really nervous about the bounce houses the whole time and didn’t really do much other than run around squealing, but he had a blast so I guess that’s all that matters.
Movie time! I promise I took this right before trailers started and not during the movie or anything. :) The boys thought it was so fun going to the movie theater and eating popcorn! We all really enjoyed Cars 2. I had heard it’s geared more towards older kids, which is probably accurate. J and C still really liked it a lot. If you’re thinking about seeing it, just know that there are weapons and explosions, because this is somewhat of a spy flick. The boys were never scared, though. Brian and I actually laughed out loud several times, and we both agreed we like this one a lot better than the original.
Food time! I’m instituting a new feature for Menu Plan Monday throughout the summer – I’ll be sharing a grilling recipe from Weber’s site! We absolutely love to grill, but sometimes get stuck in the rut of grilling the same things over and over again. Weber has some great ideas that would be fun to incorporate into your weekly menu plan. When we make any of these recipes, I’ll be sure to let you know what we think. Here’s the first installment!
Dungeness Crabs with White Wine Garlic Butter
Photo and recipe courtesy of Weber-Stephen Products LLC
Ingredients:
- 2 large live Dungeness crabs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted bugger, cut into 8 equal pieces
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2/3 dry white wine
- 1 baguette, torn into bite-sized pieces
Directions:
- Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).
- To kill each crab, place it on its back and hold it down with a large cleaver. Use a hammer to tap the top edge of the cleaver and cut the crab in half lengthwise all the way through. Remove and discard the dangling tail flaps and mouth parts. Turn the crab over. Pull off and discard the top shell. Remove and discard the gills. Rinse each half of the crab under cold running water and use your finger to scoop out and discard the dark viscera. Slice each half into five pieces by cutting between each leg and through the body. Using the hammer again (or a nutcracker or crab cracker), crack each section of each leg to make eating easier after the crabs are cooked.
- In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet combine the butter, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Place the skillet over direct high heat and cook, with the lid open, until the butter melts and the garlic turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it comes to a boil. Remove the skillet from the grill and set it down on a heat-proof surface.
- Grill the crab pieces over direct high heat, with the lid open, for about 4 minutes, turning once, and then move them to the skillet. Return the skillet over direct high heat and gently turn the crab pieces with tongs to coat them with the sauce. Cook until the liquid boils and the crab is fully cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with pieces of bread to dip into the liquid remaining in the skillet.
To print or email your grocery list for this recipe, click here. You can find a ton of other grilling recipes on Weber’s Recipe of the Week page.
I hope you’ll check back later this week for a review on one of Weber’s portable grills. We made fajitas while trying it out – one of our favorites!
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On to meals for the week:
Monday: We’re making one of our favorite recipes ever… if you know me, you know what I’m talking about! Here’s a hint – it involves Stove Top Stuffing. Think you know? Check back Tuesday to find out, and for a video of how to make this great crowd-pleaser.
Tuesday: Burgers for the guys and grilled chicken for me!
Wednesday: Chicken stir-fry with zucchini, broccoli, carrots and onions, and Jasmine rice.
Thursday: Busy day, so we’ll probably pick something up for dinner.
Friday: Homemade pizza!
Oh, and I have to update from last week’s menu plan – we tried both frying and baking the lasagna wontons, and I have to say – they’re SO MUCH better fried! Have any of you tried baking wontons before? I wonder if maybe I didn’t have the heat high enough – even though I sprayed them with cooking spray, they still didn’t really crisp up. Brian handled the fried ones and they were amazing.
Have a wonderful week!
I’m glad the kids liked Cars 2, and that recipe sounds fantastic! I need a new grill!
Mmm…sounds YUMMY!!!!!