Mommy is in Timeout

I had several of you comment via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook last Saturday night when I talked about the seared scallops I was making for Charlie. I thought I would share the recipe because they are very easy and quite tasty.

What You’ll Need:

Jumbo Bay Scallops (For this recipe, I used 5 but they were just for us as an appetizer. If it’s your main protein for an entree, I’d say you want at least 4-5 per person)
Salt, Pepper & Garlic
Butter & Olive Oil
Frank’s Red Hot
Soy Sauce

The key to cooking scallops is to dry them first.  Lay out a few pieces of paper towel, then lay the scallops down. Pat them completely dry with paper towel. Make sure you get all edges. This will get off that mushy chewy gunk (obviously, I don’t know a term for it) and make it so that they are dry enough to sear.

Once they are dry, sprinkle them with salt, pepper and garlic. In the picture, you’ll see that I used fresh group black & red pepper. Use what you have.

In a pan, start to heat up butter and olive oil. I always suggest using both. Have just enough to give a slight cover to the bottom of your frying pan. Turn it up to a high heat.

Note: You’ll see I cooked all 5 at the same time because they fit. Don’t cram them in there. If you cram, they won’t sear. If you are making a lot, do them in shifts or use a few pans.

Once the butter is melted, drop in the scallops. Do not touch them. If you want a good sear, let them get it. After about 2 minutes, then flip. Sear on the other side for about 2 minutes.

Once you have a good sear on both sides, turn down to a medium heat to allow them to cook all the way through. Continue flipping as needed. Once the sides are turning white instead of pink, they are probably close to being done.

I would say total cook time for me takes about 10 minutes.

In a dipping cup, pour in Frank’s Red Hot and Soy Sauce together. Put that in the middle of the platter and surround it with your scallops. Enjoy!

I’m linking my Sunday recipe posts up with Eve from Beautiful Spit Up for Scrumptious Sunday.

Need a side dish for your Fourth of July BBQ? Here’s a simple recipe that can go right on the grill with all of your other items.

It’s a recipe I stole from my sister-in-law a few years back. I now make them at least once a week in the summer.

What You’ll Need:

1 Package of Baby Red or White Skin Potatoes
2 Cloves Chopped Garlic
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
Salt & Pepper

Lay out a large piece of foil and drizzle the bottom with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.

Chop the potatoes into cubes.

Remove the rosemary from the stems and chop into fine pieces.

Combine all of these items on your foil and add the rest of the olive oil. Toss around until all potatoes are coated in olive oil and the rosemary and garlic is spread around.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Close up the foil bag completely. Set it on the grill. Check periodically. I typically cook them for about 20 minutes. This part really depends on how well done you like your potatoes.

Once they are done, set the bag on a plate, open and serve. Enjoy!

Happy Fourth of July!

Today’s post is the final in a 3 part recipe series.

Three weeks ago, I shared with you how to make Shrimp and Salmon Fajitas.

Two weeks ago I shared my award-winning recipe for Guacamole.

Today I will be sharing with you how to make Carne Asade.

Combine them all and you’ll have a Surf-n-Turf Mexican Fiesta summer night out on the deck. I’d highly suggest adding in a few Margaritas or Corona with lime.

What You’ll Need:

2-3 Lbs. Flank Steak
2 Cups Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Frank’s Red Hot
2 Smashed Garlic Cloves
1 TSP Maple Syrup
4 Dashes of Tabasco
Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Coarse Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

6-8 hours before grilling: In a large bowl (or some other type of dish where you can marinate the meat) combine the ingredients for the marinade: soy sauce, brown sugar, red hot, maple syrup, garlic cloves and tabasco. Stir all of them together. Add in the meat and refrigerate.

Once the meat is ready to cook, pull out of the marinade and set on a cutting board.  Use paper towel to dry off the excess marinade.  Season the meat with montreal chicken seasoning, salt and pepper.  Turn the grill on to a high setting.

Once the grill is ready, put the meat on. I cook this in one large piece – no need to cut. Grill the meat to your desired temperature. The piece I had was fairly thin and I do grill at a high temp, so I probably only did about 10-12 minutes total.

Pull off the grill, let the meat rest for about five minutes and then cut it into strips for fajitas and serve.

Aside from Mommy Knows Best and Crazy Mommy Monday, another series I have at my blog is to post a recipe each Sunday. Bon Appetit!

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Recipe: Stuffed Red Peppers Appetizer*

What You’ll Need:

3 Large Red Bell Peppers
1 Package of Cream Cheese
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Tube/Package of Bob Evans Sausage (uncooked)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Saute the sausage in a pan in a little bit of olive oil. As you are cooking the sausage, chop it up into smaller pieces. Once the sausage is cooked, remove from heat. Add in the package of cream cheese. Let it melt and then mix together with the sausage. Set aside. Wash & cut the red peppers. Stand them up and cut them in half first and remove the seeds & stem. Then, cut each half into thirds. Add 1 cup of the parmesan cheese into the sausage mixture and stir. On a cookie sheet, lay out all of the red peppers. Spoon even amounts of the mixture into the red peppers. Top with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, checking regularly. Near the end, you can turn on the broiler for a crispy top. Serve & enjoy!

*Recipe credit to my friend, Jen, who made these stuffed peppers for a recent girls night in.

This appetizer is so easy but really tasty. It’s a definite crowd pleaser!

Pizza Dip

What You’ll Need:

1 Jar of marinara sauce or pizza sauce (any brand – I prefer Trader Joe’s pizza sauce or Prego)
1 package of shredded mozzarella (or italian blend) cheese
1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 scallion, diced
1 loaf of french bread
Shredded parmesan cheese
Any pizza toppings

Diced into small pieces – pepperoni, tomato, green pepper, etc.Preheat the oven to 350. In a pie dish (or any oven safe casserole dish) spread the cream cheese around the bottom. Then add a layer of marinara/pizza sauce. Try and have the cream cheese & sauce layers the same thickness. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese. Add any of the diced toppings you chose. Bake for about 15-25 minutes until cheese is completely melted & browned to your desire. Slice the french bread. Serve as a dip for the bread. Enjoy!

Step away from the traditional tomato based lasagna and make something new for your family. It’s easy and sure to please. Even the toddler judges table approved this dish.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom condensed soup (feel free to make your own white sauce if you don’t use canned foods)
• A few splashes of milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• A few dashes of soy sauce
• White pepper
• 3 breasts of chicken
• 1 package Trader Joe’s no boiling-oven ready lasagna noodles
• 1 package Trader Joe’s mozzarella cheese block (shred or slice – you decide!)
• A few dashes of Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• 1 cup chopped broccoli

Grill, saute or boil your 3 breasts of chicken (I sauteed them). Dice the chicken into bite size pieces. Preheat the oven to 375. In a bowl mix the 2 cans of cream of mushroom adding in some milk, red hot, brown sugar, soy sauce & white pepper to taste. Use enough milk to thin out the soup. Coat the bottom of a lasagna pan with a layer of the soup mix. Then layer – noodles, chicken, broccoli, sauce, cheese. Repeat this process twice. For the top layer do only noodles, sauce & cheese. Rest the lasagna for about 15 minutes to let the noodles absorb the liquid. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for a remaining 15-20 minutes until cheese is slightly browned on top. Remove from oven and let rest again for about 10 minutes. Cut, serve & enjoy!