Ken Verheecke's Gifts and Lee Ann's Crab Dip

This is a two part blog post, so bear with me.

The first thing I want to share with you is this talented guy my daughter works with.

Of course, since she works in a music store, there are a lot of talented people around!

Ken Verheecke is a musician and a photographer. Listen to one of his pieces while you read the rest of today's post:

Ken's photographs are fabulous. With his permission, I thought I'd share them with you today. These are from a hike he took last week in our beautiful Black Hills.

photo by Ken Verheecke

Ken said this was "a quick shot" (photo by Ken Verheecke)

And then a couple he took on Saturday -

"Evening Tree" photo by Ken Verheecke

"Beneath a Prairie Moon" photo by Ken Verheecke

Aren't those spectacular? We are so blessed to live a lovely part of the world, both the Hills and the Prairie.


Now for part 2 of this post -

One big change in my life last year was that I switched to a smart phone. I wasn't sure I wanted to give up my trusty flip phone, but the deal was too good. It's a love/hate relationship.  But a couple months ago, I joined a new (for me) social media site called Two Grand by downloading the app. It's a way to keep a food journal by keeping a photo log - but it's also a social site. I've connected with other women who have the same dietary goals I do and we give each other a lot of support.

And sometimes we swap recipes! Now, how cool is that?

Last week, Lee Ann posted a picture of her snack. Right away, I knew I had to have this recipe.

Before I share it though, keep in mind that this is really Lee Ann's Mom's recipe. She said her mom probably compiled it from several church recipe books, and then she was guessing at the amounts...sounds like my kind of recipe :)

Lee Ann's Crab Dip

Ingredients:

About one pound crab meat (I used the fake "crab" meat and it was delicious)
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons finely minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
a couple shakes cayenne pepper
black pepper
(small dash of sweetener if you use real crab)

Flake the crab meat and mix with the other ingredients in a medium bowl, and then put the mixture in a greased 9" x 9" square baking dish.

Bake at 450° for about 20 minutes.

Serve with crackers. Or if you're doing the lo-carb thing, make lavash crackers.

Lavash Crackers

Look for lavash bread in your supermarket's deli section. One brand is Joseph's. Lavash bread is a flat bread - look for the lo-carb package.

Take 1/2 lavash bread, and slice it into cracker sized pieces (I use my pizza cutter for this - easy-peasy). Lay the pieces on a piece of paper towel on a microwave safe plate. Microwave for about 1 minute. Crackers!

This is a great snack for winter afternoons - especially Sunday afternoons as you watch the Broncos head to the Superbowl in the playoffs :)

Or as a light supper while you watch the new season of Downton Abbey :)

Happy January, everybody!