Sea Scallops in Massachusetts

I hate it when I forget passwords and sign ins...it is exasperating.

I haven't been cooking as much...I have been traveling working and going about a hundred miles an hour.

The last new thing I cooked was ever so simple. Sea Scallops .

I was in Massachusetts visiting my sister and she had a meat store not too far away from her house. The scallops were about the size of my fist. First things first, Pat down the scallops with a paper towel to remove some of the excess water.

In a hot skillet melt butter and add a bit of EVOO, how much you ask...that depends on how many scallops you are cooking. Do not let the butter burn. Add chopped shallots and leeks to the pan at the same time you add the scallops. Turn down the heat and let them steam. Add a bit of cream towards the end. Salt and pepper to taste.

So easy, I didn't really measure what I used of anything, but it was heaven in my mouth.

From Susi, Braised Chicken with Peanut Sauce.

Yummy recipe that I made for dinner tonight. I am watching my calories and so this is a Weight Watcher recipe!

Ingredients:
2 t olive oil
6 (1/4 lb.) chiken breast halves, it didn't say so I used boneless/skinless
1 Lg onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped and seeded
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1 C reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 (6 oz can) tomato paste
1/4 Cup reduced fat peanut butter, OK, I used the regular Skippy.
2 t lemon juice
3 C hot cooked white rice
3 T chopped dry roasted peanuts

1-Heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Tranfer to a plate.

2-Add the ohnion and garlic to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the bell pepper, cumin, curry powder, oregano, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant , about 2 minutes.

3-Add the broth and tomato paste; bring to a boil, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

4-Combine the peanut butter with some of the liquid from the Dutch oven; mix to form a smooth paste. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer , stirring constantly. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the peanuts.

We both liked this very much....fyi, one chicken breast with rice and 1/2 cup of sauce is 8 points WW.

The Best Tortellini Ever!

Boil tortellini according to pkg

The sauce

One pound pork and beef sausage links-sliced into thin rounds
1/2 C chopped onion
1/4 C butter
1 C fresh spinach
1 tsp pesto-tubular
1 tsp sun dried tomato-tubular
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Can stewed tomatos
1/2 cup black olives
1/2 Cabernet-optional
1 C cream
1/2 cup grated english white farm cheddar
1/2 cup feta-cow based
salt and pepper to taste

drain the olives.

Saute sausage-onion in the butter. Add pesto, sundried tomato, garlic, and stewed tomatoes. Mix gently. Add cream. let come to a bubbling simmer, turn down the heat a bit. Add the spinach, gently fold. Add the cheeses and olives. Heat through and let the cheeses melt.

Blend with drained tortellini. Great Sunday afternoon dinner

Teriyaki Meatballs

One bottle teriyaki sauce
One can of pineapple chunks
1/4 c of brown sugar

One bag of pre-made meatballs.

mix all together. Heat thoroughly...Watch it get devoured. This can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish. For a main dish, steamed rice is an excellent choice for a side dish.

It is even better with thinly sliced onion or even bell pepper

Deviled Ham Pate`

What is a Pate? It is minced meat mixed with a "fat" to a spreadable consistency.

This deviled ham Pate is minced ham(put through the food processor) mixed with Mayo and minced green onion. It is not smooth. It is delicious and almost anyone who tastes it LOVES it.

Three ingredients. Simple, yet delicious and delightful to the taste. It is wonderful in a sandwich, on crackers, on small cocktail rolls, on dark rye bread, and I have actually seen folks eat it with a fork.

Ingredients for filling a medium size mold-It is moldable and holds it shape which is very nice.

2.5 lbs of a good deli ham- note that you can use leftover spiral ham
1.5 c mayo
1 bunch green onion

Process Ham in food processor until finely chopped. I chop the green onion separately. Mix all three ingredients together and press into a plastic wrapped lined mold.

garnish with sliced black olives or whole black olives.

Confetti Chili

Confetti Chili was on the menu yesterday.

1 lb of finely sliced pork

2 lb of finely sliced beef

cup of onion chopped coarsely

add 2 TBLS of minced Garlic


brown all of this in a melted stick of butter in a nice sized dutch oven

Add Dark Chili powder-2 TBLS Add Light Chili powder-2 TBLS

Add 2 TBLS ground cumin

Add almost 1/4 C of Masa (corn tortilla flour)

Add 1 Can Chopped tomatoes- do not drain

1 C liquid- water or a liquid of your choice

1 drained can each of the following, Black Beans, Light red Beans, Dark Red Beans, Pinto Beans

a pound of yellow Cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

I added about 1 tsp of smoked salt.

Let this simmer on low for about an hour, The tomatoes pop, the broth is thickened. and it is ready to go.


This was perfect for a rainy blustery day yesterday...And the best part...it is perfect warmed up today.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

2 (10 oz) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
2/3 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. evaporated milk
4 chicken breasts, cooked & diced
1/2 C. shredded cheese (any type)( It looks gorgeous with a yellow sharp)
1 T. lemon juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 t. curry powder(optional)
1 C. bread crumbs(optional)

Cook broccoli according to package directions and drain well. Place in a
lightly greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish and top with chicken. Combine
remaining ingredients (except bread crumbs), stirring well.

Spoon mixture over chicken. Top with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.