Best.Dinner.Ever

Last night, we finally had a moment to celebrate all the things we have to celebrate: our anniversary, grad school being over, a new job, going back to school, quitting old jobs. We spent the day napping and playing tennis and eating ice cream. For dinner, we had crab cakes, celery soup, and roasted potatoes. For dessert, fresh little strawberries and cream. The best part was that we moved the table into the backyard (no patio or patio furniture) and enjoyed a beautiful early summer night. It was truly gorgeous. To wit:


This is the most fun dinner to prepare, too. The soup can (should) be made the night before:

Celery Soup
10 stalks celery, 1/2 inch dice
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
8 cloves garlic
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
Veggie or chicken broth or water
1/2 cup milk
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2 additional stalks celery 1/4 inch dice
1 Tbsp butter

Melt butter in pot and add onions and garlic. Sweat for 5-7 minutes. Add celery, potatoes, and broth/water to cover. Add dill, parsley, and celery leaves. Boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree solids until smooth. Add milk until smooth and thick. In a separate small pan, sautee the 2 additional celery stalks in 1 T. butter until brown. Add to soup and serve, garnished with dill and parsley.

Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs roaster potatoes (I love to add blue and pink ones to make it look purdy)
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and soak in salt water for 15 minutes. Drain and dry potatoes on a towel. Place in shallow dish, add garlic cloves whole and unpeeled. Cover with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 20-30 minutes. (Keep an eye on the taters. When the little guys get overdone, they are exceptionally gross.)

Maryland Crab Cakes

1 lb jumbo lump crab
2/3 cup breadcrumbs or panko
1/3 cup finely diced red pepper
1/4 cup finely diced green onions or scallions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp Old Bay
1 egg and 1 egg white
2 Tbsp mayonnaise

Poke through crab meat, and remove any stray shells. Break into slightly smaller pieces. In separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, red pepper, green onions, parsley, and Old Bay. Stir until mixed. Add crab and stir again. Stir in egg, egg white, and mayonnaise until well combined. Form into patties (this should make 12-15 of them) and chill for two hours before frying. Fry in peanut oil, and serve with lemon wedges.

Enjoy!