It's summer and I can hear you humming a certain tune in your head and that little ditty is crabcakes.

It's a song we all know, but New Englanders claim to have written it.

But out here in California we have a pretty toe tappin' version ourselves. And I am talking about Dungeness crabcakes. Dungeness crabs are the sweet and delicious. Of course all crab is sweet and delicious but I hold a special place on my taste buds for dungeness. It is a sustainable west coast choice and it is regularly found at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

Now people hold some pretty strong opinions about crabcakes, and I fully endorse that. At their best crabcakes should be very crabby, we all agree with that. The traditional cakes of the Chesapeake Bay area are often lump (blue) crab and very little else. But that sort of gem is not commonly found because it can be tricky getting it into the pan, while still holding shape. Which just brings up even more questions. Should you roll crabcakes in breadcrumbs or add breadcrumbs to the mix? Some people cross themselves and turn away just at the mention of breadcrumbs. See what I mean? What about egg? Is that cheating? Well in my mind both the breadcrumb and egg discussions are valid, because they both address texture. But you have to be careful, too many ingredients make a wet, sticky mixture. Which may mold easily and hold its form quite well, but once fried up, you get something close to a hockey puck. It may look beautiful, but its virtues end there.

Eating light is what summer is all about, and this Crab Ravioli in Ginger Broth seems indulgent without feeling heavy. That's quite a juggling act between 2 seemingly different agendas.

It's also easy to make. It's summer and I don't really want to hang out in the kitchen all day. I have new sandals to wear and they feel like getting outdoors. It's what they were born to do. So to keep my sandals happy I try to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. But you know me, sandals or no sandals, I need to satisfy my urge for delicious too. Another set of opposing circumstances. What will I do?

Well, to keep my toes in the sand and my head out of the oven I look for shortcuts There are quite a few shortcuts in this recipe. For starters, the vegetable broth comes straight from the can and gets flavored with fresh ginger. That's it. It's done.

Another big time saver comes in the fact that you can stuff these ravioli ahead of time and freeze them for later. I made mine before the sandals were out of the box and making their outdoor demands on my time. When it's time to eat you simply boil water and simmer broth. You can do that in the time it takes to drip-dry from the pool.

I have also used frozen pre-shelled edamame. They don't even take cooking. Thaw them out and then warm broth is all that's needed to keep them delicious and bright green. Shaving the carrots into ribbons with a vegetable peeler is another time saver. You can blanch them in about a minute– in the very same pot of water you use to boil the ravioli.

Home Fries are crisp pan-fried potatoes. Home Fries are a simple and familiar bit of comfort. Home Fries make people smile because they feel like home. They make the whole house smell good too. (CLICK here for my Home Fries recipe)

Well I have a new home and new family I’d like to tell you about. It’s an online family and we are called HomeFries.

Our mom is Joy the Baker and our dad is Michael Friedman an Emmy Award winning writer and producer. I’ve got a slew of girl cousins Tsh (Simple Mom), Tracy (Shutterbean), Whitney (Brunellos Have More Fun) and Christina (Wine with Christina).

But I am mostly here to tell you what me and my HomeFries little brothers are up to. Andy (@windattack), Nathan (The Chocolate of Meats) and I get together and dish out entertaining tidbits about entertaining! We don’t mind if you eavesdrop either– because this family is a family of podcasts.

Our podcast is called The Table Set. We talk about parties. Your parties, our parties– parties we’ve been to. Parties we’d like to throw. Parties you want. Parties you need. Whether it’s a pool party in the kitchen or something a bit more chic. It’s our job to get you over the stress and into the swing of things. Because ultimately entertaining is just another way to express yourself. So loosen up with us. Listen and enjoy. Because this party is just getting started.