Bacon Wrapped BBQ Scallops

Sunday, March 27, 2011




I love scallops. Every time I go to a restaurant that has them I usually end up ordering them. They're just so soft, melt in your mouth delicious I can't resist. So, when a bag broke open at work and the large sea scallops were suddenly half off, I claimed the bag like it was my life! 

INGREDEINTS (serves 2)

8 large thawed sea scallops
4 pieces bacon
BBQ sauce
2 large potatoes (if you wish)


1. First, in a grill pan, cook your bacon on both sides until cooked through but not at all crispy. Remove from pan and let cool. 



2. Once cool, cut each bacon piece in half and wrap around a scallop. Secure with a toothpick.



3. In the same grill pan, on a medium high heat, grill the scallops on both sides until there are light brown grill marks. Maybe 4 minutes per side. Brush with a bit of BBQ sauce if you wish.


YUM!

You're done! It's really that easy! And may I say delicious! I made a baked potato in the oven as a side and had some BBQ sauce on the side for dipping. Four was hardly enough of the scallops though. My BF is lucky I like him because I really wanted to eat his four before he came home!!! 

Another great idea for this is to skewer them and put them on the grill, maybe even with some green peppers between them. Oh yea, I'm ready for summer!! Add in a small steak and you have surf n turf!


Tomato Spinach Chicken with Ranch Potato Slices

Friday, March 18, 2011


Both of these recipes have been sitting on my desk for a while. Well, the ranch potatoes was a commercial I saw and wrote down a reminder to make but you get the idea. 


The chicken is an adaptation to a pan sauce chicken with tomatoes I found in an old Kraft magazine. I think mine is awesome! 


Ranch Potatoes 
INGREDIENTS
4 potatoes, sliced
1 Tablespoon ranch dressing mix
Olive oil



1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Slice the potatoes and put in a plastic bag.


2. Add in the dry mix and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat the potatoes. Close the bag and shake!


3. Bake on a pan in a single layer. 10 minutes on one side, flip, then 10 minutes on the other.


I have to admit, the awesome smell of these made me nibble on them a little bit while I was finishing up the chicken! 


 Chicken
INGREDIENTS

2 - 4 Chicken breasts
Flour
Oil
3/4 cup chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
salt and pepper


1. In a plastic bag, dredge thawed chicken breasts in enough flour to just coat them.


2. Fry the chicken in a pan with the oil. Cook about 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through.


3. While that's going on, prepare the tomatoes and spinach.

 4. When cooked through, remove chicken from pan and keep warm under foil. Add chicken stock to the pan and scrape up all the fried chicken bits.


5. Whisk in the cream cheese. Let cook for 2 minutes or until thickened.


6. Toss in spinach and warm through.


7. Plate the chicken and cover with the sauce. Top with fresh diced tomatoes and serve.


The pan sauce was creamy and light. I love to add spinach to anything I can and the cool bite of tomato was my favorite part. The chicken has a light crisp to it... yum!

Black Bean Soup

Sunday, March 13, 2011

One of my favorite soups is a good black bean soup. I order it all the time at Panera and I've bought them from the canned soup section but none were ever... right. Well, I found one! 


INGREDIENTS

3 cans undrained black beans
14 ounces chicken broth
1 onion, diced
3 tablespoons diced garlic
Oil
8 ounces chunky salsa
Sour cream and cheese for topping

1. In a saute pan, brown the onions and garlic in the oil. I love the smell of sauteed onions!


2. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree two cans of black beans and all the broth. I'm sure a food processor would work too.


3. Once the onions are browned and the beans are blended, add both to a large pot. Then add the last can of black beans and salsa. Heat to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes. Sooo easy. 


I used some sour cream and cheddar cheese as a topping. Some sliced jalapeno would be great too! Or crushed tortilla chips... Or more salsa... think nacho toppings!


This is a nice thick soup with just enough beans, onion and salsa bits. The salsa adds a nice bite to the soup so it's not just pureed black beans. 

Enjoy! 

Lemon Waffles

Monday, March 7, 2011


Lemon waffles... doesn't that just sound light and fresh for the morning?! I loved these. Not as easy as a box mix but definitely worth it! 


INGREDIENTS

1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
juice of two lemons
3 eggs, separated

1. In one bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Set aside. 

2. In a second bowl combine buttermilk and lemon juice well. Whisk in three egg yolks. 



3. In a mixer, whisk three egg whites until stiff peaks form. 


4. Mix the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture until there are no clumps. 


5. Gently fold in the egg whites. Do not over mix. You will see streaks of white in the batter. 


6. My machine uses 1/2 batter for each waffle. I made about 8 waffles. Use a hot iron, greased, and a warming plate in the oven to keep them warm. 



I have to say, these were light and crispy and didn't weigh me down. They would be perfect with some berry syurp!!! I'll have to find a recipe! 

Also, we had some left over. I wrapped them individually and put them in a zip lock bag to freeze. They toast up in the toaster very nicely. Just in case you don't need 8 full size waffles! 

Enjoy! 




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