"7 Facts" Blog Game

There is a fun game going around the food blogging community called "Seven Facts." If you get tagged by someone, there are seven questions you have to answer using previous posts from your blog. I was tagged by Isabelle, from Isabelle at Home. Thanks for tagging me, this was fun!

Here are my seven answers based on my previous blog posts and experiences. Click on the recipe title to be taken to the recipe link!

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1. Most Beautiful Post(s): Caprese Salad (or Skewers)

Seared Sea Scallops with Pistachio and Parmesan Risotto

This was probably the hardest decision I made in this game... I'm not saying that I'm the best chef, nor that I make the best food ever, but I've noticed that the quality of my pictures has been improving since I first started blogging.

With this, though, it really was a tough decision. I've made some really yummy things in the past year, and some of the stuff turned out really awesome, so it was hard to choose just one... But, I did get it narrowed down to only two, even though I wanted to do four of them! I LOVE Caprese salads more than just about anything. It's the combination of fresh ingredients and flavors, and the little bit of crunch from the pine nuts (in mine), that just send it over the top. And the scallops with the risotto was so divine, I just had to include that too.  :-)

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2. Most Popular: Baby Back Ribs with Bourbon-Bacon Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Since this was the easiest one to choose, based on Blogger's nifty little gadget that tells what my most popular recipes are, this was the first one I completed. Technically, the nifty little gadget says that it's another one of my posts, Trio of Sweet Potato Fries, but I don't know where they're getting that... While all of my fries turned out yummy, there really were not very many comments on them. Unless they count how many times people are viewing them. Maybe?

Anyways...

This was my contribution to the National Day for Ribs and Bacon. What a great day that is!!

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3. Most Controversial: Lobster Roll-Style Crab Salad Sandwiches

Okay, so I don't know if these were actually controversial, but when I was writing up the recipe for them, I imagined all kinds of New Englanders would somehow find my little blog, and this recipe, and attack me like a pack of dogs on a three-legged cat. It's not the traditional lobster roll format, but it's kinda similar... I like that they toast the outsides of the split-top hot dog buns they use for the rolls. And that's what I meant by the style of this sandwich...

...Even now, I can still see ferocious fangs! :-|

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4. Most Helpful: Honey Ginger Salmon

This is another one of those recipes that didn't get a lot of attention, because it was back in my earlier days of blogging, when only my real-life friends were reading what I wrote. I had recently been told by a fellow blogger about another post that they found especially informative, but I did pack a whole lot of information into this particular post. I try to be as informative as possible when writing up my blogs, so if I forget something or you know something I don't, please feel free to bring it to my attention!

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5. Post That Was Surprisingly Successful: Fish Tacos with Fresh Strawberry Salsa and Chipotle Crema

Perhaps it's because I have so many friends who just can't get their minds around the concept of fish tacos, but I was pleasantly surprised by how popular this was with my fellow foodie bloggers. Apparently, when people hear "Fish Taco," they think of a regular chicken or beef taco, only with fish, with the same spice mixture and everything. *Shudder* I suppose if that were my preconceived notion, I would have a hard time getting past that too... But, they really are very yummy!

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6. Post That Didn't Get The Attention It Deserved: Tarragon Chicken Salad

This is, by far, my favorite chicken salad recipe. The "problem" was that I posted this at the beginning of my blog, when I was just getting started with all of this, and so not a lot of people really saw those earlier posts. One of my residents gave me this recipe, and she was so happy when I would make it and bring some in for her... She was always watching Food Network, especially Barefoot Contessa, and then telling me all about what she saw "Contessa" make in hopes that I would make it and bring some for her! She was a dear, sweet lady.

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7. Post I Am Most Proud Of: French Onion Soup

I am the most proud of this post/recipe, because it was one of my first real attempts at making a recipe my own and it's been so successful. Everyone I've ever made this for raves about how good it is, some even going so far as to say it's the best French Onion Soup they've ever had! This was one of my papa's favorite things, and he absolutely loved it, so this holds a special place in my heart...

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Thank you so much to Isabelle for including me in this fun game. And now to choose 7 of my favorite food blogging friends to play too... These guys have shown me so much love and support, I can't even begin to thank them enough. Be sure and check out their pages!

Becca at It's Yummilicious
Chelsea at Sprinkles of Parsley
Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny
Chef Dennis at A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis (I'm still wanting to call it by your old name!)
Janet at From Cupcakes to Caviar
Christina at Sweet Pea's Kitchen
Amy and Tiffanie at Chicks Who Love To Eat

Lobster Roll-Style Crab Salad Sandwiches

I got the idea for this recipe while researching New England lobster rolls for an upcoming dinner. Like most people, I can’t afford to keep lobster, or real crabmeat for that matter, in my freezer, so I generally suffice with imitation crabmeat, especially when it goes on sale at the grocery store. I love using the imitation crabmeat on lettuce salads and in wraps, but had never prepared it like this before. I came across this recipe for the crab salad and it sounded intriguing, and not cloying like a lot of them seem to be. I changed a few things, based on what I had on hand and my own personal tastes, but I think this was a really good base recipe!
The next part was the bread… Of course, you can serve this on croissants and it will taste delicious! But, because I had lobster rolls on the brain, and leftover potato bread from roasted vegetable paninis, I thought it would be a really yummy variation on this particular classic. It was delicious!! If you have the New England style hot dog buns, feel free to use those instead, and prepare them just as you would for lobster rolls!
What I really enjoyed the most was how light and refreshing the crab salad was, and in combination with the lightly buttered and toasted bread, it was a wonderful combination. And what’s even better is that this is a great way to dress up the imitation crabmeat and make it taste a little more gourmet. Of course, if you have access to and can afford fresh crabmeat, I would highly encourage you to use that! But, most importantly, I want to emphasize that good food can be accessible to anyone, even if you don’t have a lot of money. For the most part, the ingredients in this recipe are all things that I always have on hand, so it was a cinch to put this together!

Printable Recipe

1 (1½ lb.) pkg. imitation crabmeat
¼ c. Miracle Whip
½ c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. dried green onions
1 Tbsp. dried minced onions
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onions
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 tsp. prepared horseradish
3 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
Potato Bread, toasted on one side or croissants

Break the crab into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside
Combine the Miracle Whip, mayonnaise, onions, lemon juice, horseradish, and two tablespoons of parsley in a small mixing bowl; mix well. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the crabmeat and gently fold to combine everything. (The mixture isn’t going to be mayonnaise laden, but will have more than enough.)
To toast the bread, spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Toast in a skillet, as you would for toasted cheese sandwiches, and sandwich the crabmeat mixture between the untoasted sides of the breads, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve.