Scallops and Pasta with Capers

A few nights ago, Kyle decided he wanted to make a fancy dinner.  Now this dinner is really a fancy dinner in disguise, as it is relative easy to make. The recipe is called Scallops and Pasta with Capers, but we call it YUMMY.

First, you will need:

1. 12oz package of scallops (we buy the frozen bag from the seafood section of the grocery store). Only make as many as you're going to eat as this does not save well.
2. 1 TBSP olive oil
3. 1 TBSP peppercorn (we couldn't find ours. Used normal pepper instead.)
4. 1/2 tsp parsley, chopped up (or sprinkled from your favorite spice brand jar)
5. 1/2 cup dry white wine - Chardonnay is good - use a good white wine for this, because you will be drinking the rest of it with dinner
6. 1/3 cup capers, drain off the juice
7. juice of 1/2 a lemon
8. 2 TBSP butter or margarine
9. Your favorite pasta, cooked and ready to eat. We like linguine because the noodles are so thin and this sauce will be light. You don't want big, thick noodles because then you will taste more noodle than sauce. This recipe goes quickly, so start your noodles first and then while they cook you can do all the other stuff.

Directions:

1. Put scallops in bowl. Okay if they are frozen as they will thaw quickly, but you don't want them to have ice or freezer burn on them. Season scallops with peppercorn and parsley. Toss to coat well.
   
2. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add seasoned scallops to pan, saute quickly until scallops are brown on edges. Set scallops aside out of pan, but keep juices in pan.
   
3. De glaze pan with white wine - simmer until evaporated by half. Add capers, more parsley to taste if you like, lemon juice, and return scallops to pan. Swirl in butter 1 TBSP at a time until sauce thickens.
   
4. Serve immediately over your favorite pasta and enjoy!
   
   Step #3 is really where you start making things up. If you like the sauce thicker, add butter and cook a little longer to thicken up. If you like more of a wine taste, let more wine evaporate to leave the alcohol taste in. We've made this twice now and it wasn't exactly the same each time, but both times it was very yummy. Plus, it's not entirely bad for you (besides the pasta and butter) because you're eating scallops. I'm sure if you have a favorite cream sauce that would work too. This is supposed to serve 4 people, but Kyle and I cut back on the pasta and eat a double helping of scallops and it is just fine for the two of us.
   
   Enjoy!

Yum! Pasta Salad.

I know, I know...I'm quite behind on my posting.  I do have a few posts in mind, just need to get around to doing it. 

In the meantime, my gift to you is my most-favorite pasta salad ever, made from Amy Owen's recipe.  In fact, we now know it as "Amy's pasta salad".  It's yummy, it's easy, and it's the little things in life that make me smile.

Enjoy for now. More posts later. Recipe below.

~ 1 package dry rainbow pasta (or whatever your favorite is. Rainbow is fun because of all the colors.)
~ 1 head of broccoli
~ 1 package kielbasa
~ 1 block (16 oz) of cheese
~ 1 bunch green onion
~ italian salad dressing - I make it with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and the italian seasoning packets, but use whatever you like.
~ I also like to add cucumbers, tomotoes, black olives...whatever floats your boat.

Cook pasta according to box directions. While that is cooking, cut up everything else. I like to add more broccoli than you think you'll need because it tends to hide. For the green onion, I cut up all the white part, plus a bit of the green as well. The smaller the better so you don't see it on your fork, but you taste it when you eat it. I also like to mix up the cheese. I usually use 8oz of pepperjack and 8oz of cheddar, but again, use whatever is your favorite.
I have one of those salad dressing carafes I make my own dressing in. Put all items chopped up in your favorite large plastic container, and pour cooked and rinsed pasta on top of it. I pour half of the bottle of dressing on top of pastsa (no mixing yet) and put it in the fridge for all the juices to mingle. When it's time to eat, I pull it out of the fridge, mix it up, put some in a bowl, and then put a little more dressing on top. The pasta will soak up some of the dressing, but I like to add a little bit more right before I eat it. Add whatever else you like! It's one of those things where you have to make it once to figure out what else you want to add.

Enjoy!

Bacon 'n Eggs...and Cocktails?

This weekend found us in a bit of a funk. We were busy, but when the time came to sit down and do something fun, we were at a loss for what to do with ourselves.

Saturday Kyle went out golfing, while I ran my errands and visited Casa de Comer for lunch and playtime with Jason and the kitties. Saturday night rolled around, and Kyle and I weren't really sure what to do with ourselves. We watched the Dodgers vs. Cubs game, and had put our minds together to go out to dinner and a movie, but never really got dressed and ready to go in time. We had a snack, and that pretty much did us in. Finally, about 10:30pm, we decide we were, at the very least, hungry. What do we make? Bacon and eggs and cocktails! Everyone should at least have bacon and eggs for dinner every now and then, cocktails are optional. I must say the cocktails do help the grease from the bacon go down a bit smoother.

Sunday morning Kyle surprised me with breakfast in bed! I think that was my hint it was time to get out of bed, but it was yummy just the same. We ran around and did the grocery shopping, had a wonderful lunch at home, and then decided it was time to go to the park and play. We both have soccer in our past, but that's pretty much where we left it, until now! We went over to the park to kick the soccer ball around, and promised not to hurt each other, much less not hurt ourselves. We had a great time playing out in the sun, and realized just how out of "soccer shape" we really are.

We are still very excited about our new water filter! After 4 years of living in the condo, we can finally run the dishwasher with ease. The new water filter also makes washing the car so much easier as well! The Murano was very happy last night to get a bath and drove to work that much faster, after becoming more aerodynamically clean.

Yesterday also gave me the chance to go through a few old family photos and scan them to share with the rest of our family. Here are few of my favorites so far...

Mom and Dad getting married, and Mom, Dad, me, and Jason in mom's tummy.


Jason, dressed in Grandpa Comer's Marine uniform jacket from the 1940's. I can't believe he fit in it. Below that is a picture of Kyle when he was little.

More pictures to come later!