tasty treats on a budget.

okay so i guess i was hiding under a rock when the memo was sent out letting us know that crab meat costs a small fortune. i always knew crab legs were pricey, but i thought that buckets of the meat would just be regular fishy prices. kinda like tuna....you want a fillet? lay out the cash. you want chunks? pick up a can el-cheapo. no dice with crab. needless to say i was astonished that 8 ounces of lump meat was $10.99. and this recipe requires 16 ounces. jeepers.

now i don't know about you, but the mister and i are on a budget, so i decided to get creative and try out the imitation crab (it does contain some crab, so it is not 100% imitation). 19 ounces for $3.99. now that's our kind of price! and it is already cooked, so you simultaneously save money and eliminate the need to worry and fret about cooking it all the way through. and happy times...the imitation meat worked brilliantly. we still have not had real crab cakes, but our tummies are appeased by the deliciousness of the fake crab cakes.

our semi-imitation crab meat.

once I got past that hurdle everything was delightfully straightforward. the crab cakes held together nicely and i was able to squeeze a bunch into the pan, so it only took two rounds to cook them all. i added wild rice to our plates. it was a perfect compliment to the vegetables. and the plate was delish delish delish. the mister and i have enjoyed it for lunch and dinner twice and we keep wanting more.

yummy yummy!!

and the pear cobbler? amazing.