Our Anniversary recipes, and a blog award!

Happy Fourth Anniversary to Jeff and I!

When Jeff asked what I wanted as an anniversary gift, I quickly replied "A new purse." However, Jeff was less quick when I asked what he wanted. No matter how many times I asked what he would like, he simply couldn't think of anything. So yesterday as we did some quick shopping (had to pick up a prescription for my little broken-legged Thomas), he finally decided that I could get him some eggnog, ice cream, and imitation crab meat - three of his absolute favorite foods - and use them to make him some yummy foods for our anniversary.


With the crab meat, I chose to make a delicious crab salad. This recipe was originally one for coleslaw. But a couple years ago I thought it would be fun to try crab instead of cabbage, and this delicious crab salad was born!


Crab Salad
4 cups shredded imitation crab meat (oh, alright, if you can find real crab for really cheap, you can go ahead and use that instead!)
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 or 2 carrots, shredded (I almost always add carrot, but today we were out, so I didn't add them)
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Prep crab meat and vegetables, and set aside.

Combine sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.

Add crab and vegetables and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving. This allows all the flavors to blend properly, and really makes this salad delicious!



As the main dish of our anniversary dinner, we made these delicious Sweet and Sour Pineapple Meatballs, using ground turkey instead of ground beef. In the interest of not making this long post too incredibly long, I'm not posting the recipe here, just linking to it. But here's a picture of tonight's sweet and sour goodness!



Next, what to do with the eggnog and ice cream? I thought it would be fun to make a frozen pie that incorporated cream cheese, eggnog, and softened ice cream. Doesn't that sound good? It sure did to me! As I was making this pie, I hoped that it would be good, despite the fact that it was so simple. I needn't have worried - it was incredible!


Incredible Anniversary Freezer Pie
(or Cream Cheese, Eggnog, and Ice Cream Pie;
or The Best Frozen Pie I Have Ever Ever Tasted!)

Filling:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup eggnog
1/2 cup butter pecan ice cream, softened
1 9-inch graham cracker crust

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggnog and ice cream. Pour into crust and freeze until firm. Remove from freezer 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to soften the pie. Return any uneaten portion to the freezer.


Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used those homemade crackers I made earlier today)
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. melted margarine

Combine all ingredients and press into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate.




In other business, Melissa of Mrs. Sac's Purple Kitchen has given me an award! Yippee!

** Please find at least 10 more blogs, of any kind that you love to read. Write a post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is done and be sure to let them know too!!! (If you don't come up with 10, that's fine too!)

Okay, here goes! I'm passing this award on to:

Southern Plate - Christy's blog is one of my favorites, and has been ever since I first discovered it. We've already made several recipes from Southern Plate, and so far every single one of them has turned out deliciously!

Megan's Munchies - Megan has been in a pumpkin phase for a while; she's enjoying Autumn as much as I am! Not only is she posting some seriously delicious-looking fall recipes, but she also is rounding up a variety of pumpkin recipes she wants to try, and boy, do they look tasty!

Real Mom Kitchen - Laura specializes in tasty recipes that are good enough to serve a regular family. Her recipes are simple and hearty, and are the kinds of food that can be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

Mommy's Kitchen - This blog is full of delicious southern recipes that just look fabulous. Also, the little kitchen helpers, or "chefs in training," are just so adorable!

What's Cooking? - Ben's family owned a restaurant in Mexico, and he shares his love and talent for Mexican foods on his drool-inducing blog.

What's for Dinner - Marisa seems to share my love for sweets and simple meals. Her baked goods especially look fantastic.

My Kitchen Cafe - This blog could seriously win this award based solely on her Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. I have this recipe bookmarked and plan to make it very soon!