Lenten post from a far away land...

While in NC over the weekend, I prepared a lovely Friday night in Lent meal for myself and my parents of crabcakes to start and dinner of mac 'n' cheese with roasted asparagus. They were a bit scared by all the picture taking, so I tried to limit myself to the highlights.

Crabcakes with easy remoulade sauce. I generally rely on the Barefoot Contessa recipe with some modifications, very small ones. Saute one red bell pepper, one red onion, several stalks of chopped celery in some olive oil. Add some Tabasco and worcestershire. Add Old Bay (if you don't have Old Bay, use a mix of cinnamon, paprika, celery salt, ground ginger), salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool. Once cool, add 1/2 pound shredded crab meat, 1/2 c mayo, 1/2 c fine breadcrumbs, 2 tsp Dijon, and 1 egg. Form into small patties - about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Fry up in batches in olive oil. The best way to keep them intact is to put them in the pan and DO NOT TOUCH for at least 4 minutes. Four minutes per side will get them nice and crisp. For the sauce, mix 1/2 c mayo, a big dollop of sweet pickle relish, 1 tsp Dijon, salt, and pepper.Delish mac 'n' cheese. Grate gruyere and cheddar. Cook 1 lb pasta (I used pipettes, which were like smushed elbows), and remove from boiling water about a minute before al dente. Melt 3 tbsp butter, add 3 tbsp flour, add about 2 1/2 c milk, wait to thicken, add some salt, pepper, a TINY pinch of nutmeg (hmm) and a TON of your grated cheeses. Add this to drained pasta. Put in casserole. Top with breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees (or any moderate temp) until very bubbly and browned.Roasted asparagus - asparagus on baking sheet, drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, bake in oven for 10-15 minutes. I overdid it a bit, and they got a bit soft, and a bit salty, but if you keep an eye on them you are in for a treat.