Cozy Winter Meals

Do you remember me telling you how I have an embarrassingly large collection of the little cooking magazines (the kind you find in the checkout aisles)? I was browsing through them (again) this week and discovered three things:  my collection of little cooking magazines goes back more than 20 years and the two recipes I'll be sharing with you this week!

Creamy Crab au Gratin

I was pleasantly surprised at how much flavor this dish offers. It's the perfect, elegant alternative to ordinary tuna casserole. Creamy Crab au Gratin comes from Betty Crocker's  January, 2001 Comfort Casseroles.

Serves:  4

6 tbsp. butter, divided

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 cup sliced celery

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) chicken broth (or stock)

3/4 cup half-and-half

3 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. red pepper sauce (Tabasco Sauce)

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) refrigerated imitation crabmeat chunks or 2 cups chopped cooked crabmeat

1 cup soft breadcrumbs


Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly spray rectangular baking dish (11x7x1 1/2 inches) with nonstick cooking spray.

Over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp. butter and add mushrooms and celery. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until celery is tender.  Add the flour and continue cooking for about a minute. Whisk in the chicken broth (or stock) and mix until smooth. Stir in the pepper sauce and half-and-half. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil for about a minute. Stir in the crabmeat and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking until sauce is thickened. Check for seasonings and adjust to your taste.

Spoon the crabmeat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter and mix with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the crabmeat. Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes or until heated through.

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Beer Cheese Soup

I found this recipe the March 4, 2011 edition of Pillsbury's Best One Dish Meals. A wintry-mix of snow and freezing rain was in the forecast for only the second time this winter and this soup seemed to be the appropriate meal for the night. While the weather raged on (kind of) outside, we enjoyed warm bowls of beer cheese soup complete with popcorn!

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken broth (or stock)

1 cup cream

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sharp is best, but any flavor will work)

1 can (12 oz.) regular or nonalcoholic beer


In a 4 quart Dutch oven or stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and  onion and cook for 10 minutes, until celery and onion are translucent. While the vegetables are cooking, mix the flour, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Add to vegetables when the celery and onion are ready. Add the chicken broth (stock) and stir to break-up any lumps that may form (use a whisk, if necessary). Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat and stir in the cream and cheese. Stir occassionally and heat until cheese is melted. Stir in beer.

**  Popped popcorn is the classic garnish for beer cheese soup!  **

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