Broiled, breaded, lemoned Shrimp or Scallops

I have this great memory of these amazing white scampi dishes coming out of the oven sizzling, bubbling and smelling of heaven. I don't really have the exact recipe, but to commemorate the golden globes I made homemade Caesar Salad and broiled scallops ...my mouth was experiencing the senses of garlic, lemon, bread, butter, shellfish ...need i say more?

Scallops

Ingredients:

• 24 medium raw scallops (or shrimp)
• 4 T butter (softened)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 C bread crumbs
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 3 gloves garlic, pressed
• 3 T chopped parsley
• 2 T capers
• 1/4 c white wine
• 1/4 c vegetable broth
• S&P
• Sprinkle of paprika

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400
• Mix all of the above in medium bowl
• Separate into 4 scampi dishes (broil proof)
• Sprinkle with paprika
• Bake for 10 min
• Broil for 10 min
• Serve!

Appetizer Dinner

Growing up, we enjoyed the 'appetizer' dinner. Different appetizer food was enjoyed at the island on Friday nights with my Dad and Pam and typically Sunday nights around the coffee table with my Mom and Bryson. Regardless of the food ...or the family... it was always more fun than dinner plated and was the perfect setting for healthy conversation with the family. Of course, now that I do my own appetizer dinners, I realize it's also a great way to clean out the refrigerator and use leftovers! So get the kids involved. Let them have a say in what foods are placed on your lazy susan. Maybe it's even a good activity for them to create their own appetizer plate to add to the mix. No matter what you serve, the arrangement of finger foods, toothpicks, crackers, platters, lazy susan, ramekins and cocktail napkins make for real friend and family fun. So get creative and make it your own. Here are some ideas to get your first appetizer dinner started...

• Have leftover pizza? Cut into bite-sized square pieces and broil leftover ...use toothpicks to eat


• How about leftover steak? Cut into bite-sized squares, make some horseradish sauce and use toothpicks to eat


• Leftover chicken? Cut into strips and serve with BBQ sauce for dippn'


• Steam an Artichoke and melt some butter


• Shrimp cocktail


• Yummy cheeses and crackers


• Using a melon baller, serve small bowls of cantaloupe and honeydew


• Carrots and sliced red peppers served with ranch (great way to get the kids to eat veggies)


• Pepperoni and olives


• Bread sticks

So gather your favorites, place on many different platters, take off your shoes, sit around the coffee table and enjoy your family.

Happy Sunday Eating!

Artichoke Parmesan Stuffing, Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeno Cream

Nothing like posting the perfect Christmas Menu ... on Christmas Eve day! Well, these days it's better late then never. I had the distinct culinary pleasure of enjoying these side dishes on Thanksgiving...thanks to good, new friends Terri and Michael (and Sunset Magazine). Let's just say these updated side dishes really woke up the traditional Thanksgiving buffet and the leftovers were fantastic.

From my table to yours...

Menu:

• Turkey
• Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing (recipe below)
• Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeno Cream (recipe below)
• Chilled Green Bean Salad with Feta and Dill
• Need more carbs? Add smashed potatoes with apples and brie

Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing (serves 10)
Ingredients:

• 1# mushrooms, rinsed , ends trimmed and sliced
• 1t butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1C chopped celery
• 2t minced garlic
• 2C chicken broth
• 1 loaf sourdough bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cans quartered artichoke hearts drained and chopped (24 oz)
• 1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 t poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 T minced fresh rosemary leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• In a frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms butter, onions, celery and garlic.
• Cook about 15 min, until vegetables are lightly browned.
• Pour into a large bowl.
• Add a bit of the broth to the pan and stir to scrape up browned bits. Add bits to bowl.
• Pour 2 C broth into bowl and add bread, artichoke hearts, parmesan, poultry seasoning and Rosemary. Mix well.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Make a well in stuffing.
• Add egg and beat with a fork to blend; mix egg with stuffing.
• Spoon stuffing into shallow casserole.
• Bake until hot and lightly browned about 50 min.

Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeno Cream (serves 8)
Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash (about 3#)
• 2 C milk
• 3 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 2T butter
• 3T flour
• 1t salt
• 1C shredded jack cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Cut squash in half legnthwise and use a spoon or melon-baller to remove seeds surrounding fiber.
• Put squash, cut side down on a lightly buttered baking sheet and back until tender (30-40 min)
• In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, warm milk and jalepeno until bubbles are along the edge of the pan
• Remove mixture from heat and let sit 15 min
• Strain and discard jalapenos
• When squash is cool enough to handle, use a large spoon to scrape the strands out of the skin and into a large bowl.
• In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, melt 2 T butter.
• Whisk in flour and salt and cook, whisking until flour smells like a pie crust (about 3 min)
• Slowly pour the jalapeno infused milk while whisking.
  Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until mixture thickens slightly (about 3 min)
• Pour mixture over squash and stir to combine
• Transfer mixture to buttered baking dish and sprinkle with jack cheese.
• Bake until bubbling and brown on top (about 30 min)

Grilled Portobellos Filled with Wild Rice-Almond Pilaf and Piquillo Pepper Vinaigrette

Tons of snow outside, back in bed with my third cup of coffee and inspiration from Mr. Bobby Flay is in full play. For those you you who are being asked to bring a side dish or if you are looking to freshen up your Thanksgiving menu, this is a creativity, taste, visual winner. Also, who doesn't want to give the guys a job on the BBQ? Of course make sure grilling duties hit at half-time and after Madden has shared his 6-legged turkey!

Grilled Portobellos Filled with Wild Rice-Almond Pilaf and Piquillo Pepper Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 8 medium-sized portobello caps
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Wild rice pilaf (recipe follows)
• Piquillo Pepper Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  

Directions

• Heat grill to high.
• Brush both sides of mushrooms with oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill caps until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Fill the caps with the wild rice pilaf, drizzle the piquillo vinaigrette and sprinkle tops with the toasted almonds.
  

Wild Rice Pilaf:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups wild rice
• 3 cups chicken stock, plus 1/2 cup
• 2 cups water
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  

Instructions:

• Place wild rice in a colander and rinse well with cold water.
• Combine 3 cups of the stock and the water in a large saucepan with a tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.
• Add the rice and cook until the grains open and are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Drain well.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat.
• Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Add the cooked wild rice, thyme, rosemary and remaining 1/2 cup of stock and season with salt and pepper and cook until heated through and flavors combine, 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and fold in the parsley.
  

Piquillo Pepper Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

• 5 piquillo peppers, chopped (these are really just jarred, roasted red peppers in olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 8 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup canola oil (you can use less)

Instructions:

• Combine peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
• With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified.

Make it Your Own Chili Bar

Ok, it's 3:30 p.m. and we are planning on hitting the trick-or-treat circuit at 6:00 p.m....dinner, right! Well, if you are hosting your crew or a few additional goblins, here is a quick, wonderful fall dinner for a crowd.

Make it Your Own Chili Bar
Ingredients:

• Safeway/Pavilions/Vons (depending on where you live in the country) Stomping Steak Chili - This is in the deli section, in the gourmet, refrigerated soup cooler. One container should serve 3ish.
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped red onion
• Sour cream
• Chopped cilantro
• Corn bread muffins, butter and honey
• Chalula
• Crusteaz corn muffin mix

Instructions on tossing it all together:

• No shame in pouring the Stomping Chili into a crock pot or large pot on the stove, turn to low until heated through.
• Display above ingredients in fun colored bowls on your dining room table or kitchen island
• Bake Crusteaz corn bread muffins, and place in basket with fall colored t-towel
• Let guests choose their bowl, top with desired ingredients and perfection.
• This is great with cheese quesadillas or mixed green salad...

Nobody needs to know if you made it or bought it...it's all in the presentation baby.

Happy Halloween!

Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto

A few weeks ago we were invited to an Octoberfest party. As usual, I was late, rushing around and hadn't had time to really think... let alone plan what I was going to bring to this annual neighborhood event. So to the refrigerator I went...searching, thinking, searching...and inspiration came to me. I found sea scallops in the freezer and prosciutto in the refrigerator...and the rest is history. This is a quick, easy, tasty and fun new recipe for your next happy hour.

From my table to yours!


Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto
Ingredients:

• 6 Sea Scallops (halved or quartered depending on how large they are)
• 1 package Prosciutto
• 1-2 T Olive Oil
• 1 T Capers
• 1/4 C Blackberry brandy
• 2 T Fat free half and half
• Toothpicks
• Fresh herbs for garnish (I used sage and flat leaf parsley to add color to the plate - sliced cantaloupe would be perfect too)

Directions:

• Rinse scallops
• Quarter or half depending on their size (make them bite-sized)
• Slice prosciutto into 1/4 inch strips (Should be a little more narrow than each piece of scallop)
• Wrap each piece of scallop in prosciutto
• Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat
• Brown wrapped scallops (I like to make the prosciutto crispy) - about 4-5 min/side (until cooked through)
• Remove to serving bowl (I used a wide, shallow bowl) and top with a sprinkle of capers
• In the same pan, add Blackberry brandy. Use wooden spoon to get all the yummy prosciutto bits in there!
• Cook for 2 min, add half and half
• Pour sauce over scallops
• Garnish and serve with toothpicks

Interesting sweet and salty combination...my favorite. Enjoy.

Chicken Orzo Soup (Mamma Adams)

My dear friend Liz Adams-Mohan is a giver. She gives of herself, her hopes, her thoughts and her fantastic outlook on life and love. She touches the souls of all she meets. And this is just the surface of this woman. As they say, the apple doesn't fall from the tree - and what a tree it is. Liz is part of a very large, Long Island family...yes, the Long Island Adams family!

I am lucky enough to have been accepted into the 'A-list' by Mr. and Mrs. Adams...which I am extraordinarily proud to share. I hear it's a pretty exclusive list. I love hearing stories of the Adams dinner table. The amazing meals that were cooked, lively conversation and the abundance of love and creativity. One of many Adams meals Liz shared with me was her mom's (or really Grandmother's) Chicken Orzo soup. We all know Chicken Soup is good for the soul ...and this one will knock your socks off! I have added a few little twists to this Adams classic, but the recipe and all its glory is attributed to the legendary Mrs. Adams.
From my table to yours....

Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients

• Whole chicken
• Onion, chopped
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 box orzo
• 1 lemon
• 1 cube butter (you can get away with 1/2 cube)
• 1/4 C creamed sherry

Directions

• Rinse whole chicken (remove any neck or nasty junk shoved inside the cavity...ewww)
• Place chicken in large pot, cover with water
• Add chopped onion, carrots and sage leaves
• Bring to a boil, reduce and cook 30 min (until chicken is cooked)
• Remove chicken from broth and cool a bit (so you don't burn your fingers as you try to remove all the meat from the bones)
• Pull meat from the bones, shred and add back to broth (I ditch all the fat, skin, random parts...again ewww)
• Bring broth and chicken to a boil
• Add orzo, juice from lemon, butter, salt and pepper
• Reduce to medium and cook until orzo is cooked (20 min)
• Add sherry
• Cook for another few minutes
• Remove bay leaves and serve!