comfort food...

this could mean a variety of things to many people, moods, & preferences. for me, today, it was an "om" moment & end to a wild & unruly day.

not even 8:30 this morning & the neighbor text me "are your chicks supposed to be out?" my half full cup of coffee would suddenly be in competition with the laps around the yard, hollering at the beagle dog, & near panic attack i was encountering (yes, i said hollering...i'm southern, y'all) anyhoot, after that fiasco, my morning proceeded to go downhill. who's the guy that turned everything to gold with a single touch...midas? yea, i was the opposite of him! just my whole body, mind, spirit, & voice was exhausted, worn out, & hoarse...all before lunchtime. (this week had been so amazing up until this point. what the heck happened?)

i have to admit, my one constant when i'm fighting off the negative voojoos of the universe is food...as bad as that sounds. i totally eat my feelings, hence the comfort part.

today i really needed something creamy or cheesy...a dip & chips...something warm & savory. i checked out the pantry to see what loveliness i could whip up. i saw a can of crabmeat. eureka! crab dip. i've never actually made crab dip before, but i do love it. a little bit of this, a block of that...here's what i came up with:

nonstick pan lightly coated with cooking spray (it's non fat, ladies...wink)
about 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (real or imitation) 6 oz crabmeat (i used the bumblebee brand pink crabmeat)
1 8 oz block neufchâtel cheese softened (or cream cheese)
1 10 oz can rotel, drained (hot with habanero)
worcestershire sauce

after the raw onion starts to sauté a tad, add the next 3 ingredients & marry together until everything is nice & creamy. stir in a few healthy drizzles of worcestershire. but wait, there's more...

pour the mix into a small baking dish. on top, add a mixture of panko & grated parmesan, a sprinkle of monterrey jack shredded cheese, & a few jalapeño peppers. bake 10 minutes at 350* or until cheese is melted.

a warm, yummy end to a most wonky day. clearly the kitchen gods were looking out for me, at least!

try it out if you have no crabby dip recipe yet & experiment to your own taste buds. as always, i never really measure, but you folks get the gist, yes?!

ah, comforting...i see some artichoke in the next batch...mmm! cheers to a much better tomorrow!