Boiled Lobster Tails w/ Herbed Wine Cream Sauce, Corn, & Roasted New Potatoes

Lobster is one of those deals that come about on a whim in our house.  It's something we have on occasion when we're feeling like treating ourselves. 

And why not treat ourselves in an end of the year celebration?  I mean, the world didn't end, so why not celebrate with lobster, right?!

Ingredients:

Boiling Liquid:

2 cups white wine
1 cup seafood stock
2 cups water
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
4-5 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
4 lobster tails
salt and pepper, to taste
2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Herbed Cream Sauce:

1 cup reduced lobster stock (reserved boiling liquid)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

2 cups frozen or fresh corn, cooked

1 lb. new or red potatoes, quartered
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine the the potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are a nice golden brown.

In a medium stockpot, combine the wine, seafood stock, water, onion, carrot, celery, parsley stems, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and tarragon.  Bring mixture to a boil and add lobster tails.  Cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until shells are a bright red color and flesh is just cooked through.  Remove the tails and transfer to a cutting board.  Carefully cut each lobster tail in half and transfer to a bowl with 2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter.  Toss in the butter until well coated, then set aside.

Strain the cooking liquid and reserve about 2 cups.  Reduce liquid to about 1 cup. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour and the 1 tablespoon of butter to form a paste.  Whisk into the reduced stock and bring to a boil.  Let mixture slightly thicken, then add heavy whipping cream.  Reduce mixture until it is at desired sauce consistency.  Stir in parsley and chives and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To plate, mound the potatoes and corn in the center of the plate.  Top with a couple of lobster tail halves.  Then top lobster with sauce.

This was definitely delicious!  The lobster was naturally buttery and the sauce complimented it very well!  Andy has been in the mood for corn lately, so I included that with the simply roasted potatoes and it was both a filling and satisfying weeknight meal! 

How do you like to have your lobster?

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Corn Cookies

Sorry for the horrible picture, didn't dawn on me to take pictures with my actual camera, and not my phone!

This year, I was part of something amazing.  The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!  Hundreds of other bloggers joined in all of the fun and cookies were sent all over the country.  It was so amazing to find a couple boxes on my doorstep when I came home from work of a variety of different cookies!  And it was even better to discover new blogs in the process! 

I received Dark & Stormy Cookies from Kathy Can Cook, Toffee Cookies from Anna from Girls Can Tell, and Lime Cookies from Creative Crops.  I'd never been do any of those blogs before, but I'm now a regular because they're all so sweet and have great blogs!

It was definitely hard to choose a cookie to send to my lucky recipients as well.  I didn't want to send a "normal" cookie, but something different.  So I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks of the moment - Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi.  I made the Corn Cookies, which are my absolute favorite out of everything I've made out of the book so far.  They're different, like a cross between a butter and a sugar cookie, with that slight hint of corn in the background.  Definitely amazing.


Ingredients:
From Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi

2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 & 1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup corn flour
2/3 cup freeze-dried corn powder 
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the egg and beat for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.

Add flour, corn flour, corn powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until dough just comes together, no more than 1 minute.

Portion the dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350F.

Arrange the chilled dough 4 inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for 18 minutes, or until faintly browned on the edges and bright yellow in the center.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans and store in an airtight container for 5 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

I hope my lucky recipients enjoyed their cookies as much as we did!

And I can't wait for this fun event to happen next year too!

Steamed Salmon w/ Greens, Corn, & Pickled Vegetables

Happy Friday guys!

We've got a big Labor Day weekend planned, too!  Our great friends Ike & Becca are getting married tomorrow - so congrats to the future Lehrs! 

Sunday, we'll probably head out to World Fest - which showcases the cultural diversity of Louisville by food, music, and shops!  We went last year and had a great time, so looking forward to that one! 

Still don't have any Labor Day plans, but if all else fails, I know we'll be lounging around - which is good enough for me!  Anyway, let's get to today's dish!

We haven't been eating a lot of red meat around these parts.  I don't know why, we've just been opting for lighter meals.  Salmon is always a favorite of ours, and when I saw this simple dish over at Joanne's Eats Well With Others, I knew I had to try it out!


Ingredients:
Adapted from Eats Well With Others' Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-inch thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup kale, chopped
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 cup mizuna greens
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling
2 6 oz. salmon fillets
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups fresh corn
pickled vegetables

In a large skillet under medium high heat, add both oils.  Add the ginger and garlic powder.  Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add kale, spinach, mizuna, soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons of water.  Saute until the greens start to wilt, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spread the greens in an even layer in the skillet.  Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place the fillets on top of the greens in the skillet.  Cover pan and lower heat to medium.  Steam fish for about 5-7 minutes, or until just cooked through. 

You can choose to cook your corn if you'd like, but I'm weird and I like the taste of raw corn.  Divide corn among two plates and top with salmon fillets.  Serve alongside the greens and pickled vegetables.  Drizzle additional sesame oil, soy sauce, and/or remaining steam liquid in pan (it was infused with the garlic and ginger, so it's tasty!).

This was a great meal.  Andy and I both had our plates cleaned on this one.  That's a sure sign of a winner there!

Hope you guys have a great holiday weekend and I'll be back Monday!

Duck Breasts w/ Panzanella

Happy Monday everybody! 

How was your weekend?  Ours was pretty relaxed, nothing new right? 

We had our first Fantasy Football draft of the season (we're in 3 leagues!) yesterday and I ended up with a pretty solid team.  I'm just so happy that #1.  NFL Football is actually happening this year. & #2. That the season is actually here!  Sundays = Football in our house!  And I can't help but laugh when I think about when I first met Andy, he didn't like any sports whatsoever.  I guess we do rub off on eachother.

Anyway...

I usually don't post something I've made right away.  I usually wait a day or two most of the time.  I've just got tons of things in my Lightroom gallery that it's hard picking what to do next.  However, we had this for dinner last night, and it was so amazing that I couldn't wait to share it.  Seriously, if you like duck (it's probably my favorite protein) and want something special and elegant - this is it.  Trust me.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

2 boneless duck breasts
4 ears of corn
2 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
15 asparagus spears, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 slices of bacon, chopped
5 slices of bread (we used a local bakery's Cereal Loaf), cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

I'm so glad I decided to buy a whole duck instead of just the breasts.  It's a lot cheaper, plus I have the rest of the duck to use to make a confit (which is actually in the works as we speak! The house smells so good right now!).

Food & Wine recommends aging the breasts for 4 days - but I didn't have 4 days.  So I quickly aged the duck breasts for about 2 hours.  Just place the duck breasts in a glass dish, skin side up.  Season with salt and pepper and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 7 days.

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line up corn, asparagus, and potatoes on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, stirring occasionally.  You'll want to flip around your corn every once in a while too.  Let vegetables cool slightly, then cut off kernels from corn cob.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large cast iron skillet under medium heat and add bacon.  Cook until bacon is crisp, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Add the bread cubes to the bacon fat (this was genius!) and coat well.  Transfer skillet to the oven (on a rack underneath the vegetables) and bake until crisp, about 13-15 minutes.  Season croutons with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden and crisp - about 12-14 minutes.  Turn duck over and cook until medium-rare (if you're not comfortable with that, cook it a little longer) about 4-6 minutes. 

Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice thinly.

While the duck is resting, you can prepare your panzanella.  In a large bowl, combine the corn, potatoes, asparagus, bacon, croutons, tomatoes, scallions, and oregano.  Toss well. 

In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil.  Season dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables and croutons in bowl.  Toss to mix well.

Divide the panzanella among plates and top with slices of duck. 

Seriously, this was absolutely amazing.  I think it took Andy all of 5 minutes to clear his plate.  He said it was so good he couldn't help but keep shoving it in his mouth.  Me, I took it slow.  So I could enjoy every bite because it was really the perfect meal! 

Have a great Monday guys!

Corn & Purple Pepper Fritters

It's another late post. 

Blame it on my sporting events.  Had a softball tournament yesterday.  And Wednesdays are reserved for volleyball - which we won all 3 games by the way (one of them being a comeback from 15-3... so how's that for awesome?!)

But enough excuses, let's talk corn.

It's starting to burst out on the scene and I couldn't be happier.  Corn is probably one of my favorite vegetables of the season.  I can eat it cooked or raw, by itself or mixed into a side dish.  If corn is present, I'm there.

These corn fritters are absolutely delicious, very reminiscent of a savory corn cake with the addition of the purple bell peppers.  I was definitely snacking on these hard.

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Deep Dish's recipe

1 cup flour
3 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cob
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 purple bell pepper (or any color for that matter), finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt.

In a small bowl, mix together the corn, bell pepper, heavy cream, and egg.  Add mixture to flour.

In a heavy bottomed pan (I used my cast iron skillet) heat oil over medium high heat.  When a small piece of batter sizzles in the oil, you know it's ready.

Drop tablespoon sized pieces of the batter into the hot oil and fry for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown on each side.  Drain on a paper towel.

These were definitely a light and delicious snack.  I'll be looking forward to experimenting with different corn combination in the batter too!  Have a great night guys!

Don't forget, you can send me your CSA updates for the round-up still.  I'll be posting tomorrow in the late afternoon, early evening - so e-mail me your vegetable goodies @ mtlabor85@yahoo.com!

Sausage & Broccoli Pasta

It's late, so I won't keep you up too long.  I'm pretty darn exhausted.  We had our spring/summer volleyball tournament tonight and well - we lost.  It was double elimination and we won 1 of our 3 matches, so it just wasn't meant to be.  The summer/fall season starts next week, so we'll be ready to rock it out.

Anyway, I thought I'd post this simple sausage and broccoli pasta because it's one of my favorite weeknight dinners.  It's one of those meals that I combine the veggies I have on hand and just make a meal of it!




Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ziti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken sausages, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 thai chiles, chopped
1 medium sized broccoli head, chopped
14 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
small handful of basil leaves, chopped
1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded, plus more for topping
2 ears of corn, cut off of the cob

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add ziti and cook according to the package directions for al dente.  Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil.  Add sausage and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes.

Add more olive oil, if needed, and add garlic and chiles.  Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add broccoli pieces and corn and saute for about 2-3 minutes.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Stir in ziti and toss to combine.  Remove from heat and stir in basil and Pecorino Romano cheese.  Top with additional Pecorino Romano, if desired.

This was just one of those simple pasta dishes that whips together in no time!  Packed full of veggies and flavor - it's definitely worth keeping in the weeknight dinner rotation.

Don't forget that tomorrow is CSA Thursday, so if you've got a CSA/Farmer's Market find/Garden goodies to share - e-mail me with a picture and/or link to your blog post @ mtlabor85@yahoo.com and I'll post it in the roundup tomorrow evening!

A Special Day & A Special Guest Post!

Don't worry, the CSA post is still coming up later on this evening...

July 14, 2011.  Today is my two year blogiversary!  Can you believe I've been at this for this long?  I never would have dreamed I would have fallen in love with food blogging, let alone not gotten bored with it.  I've made so many dear friends along the way (and I hope to make many many more!) and I think that's been the main reason I've stuck with it.  The blogging community is such a supportive part of my life and I really want to thank you all for sticking around with me =)

But today is extra special because I've got a special guest poster.  The person whose voice remains silent amongst it all - mainly because he's stuffing his face with all the delicious (and not so delicious) food I make! 

So if you haven't guessed yet - it's ANDY!  The "Fiance" part of My Fiance Likes It So It Must Be Good.  So without further ado, I'd like to let Andy take over and show you one of his favorite things to make!

So hello all! This is Andy, the grand inspiration for Peggy’s blog!!!

 Actually Peggy’s love of food and photography are the reason for this awesome place where so many people have come to acknowledge her tasty creations and good stories.

I think it’s awesome that she has found this love and passion for this wonderful hidden talent that she continually grows from and is continually inspired by. I am very proud of her accomplishments and look very forward to sharing my life with her and her being a part if mine!

She asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to celebrate her 2 year anniversary of her blog, and I said “heck yeah!” I will be a guest food blog champ!!!

So, let’s talk food!

I didn’t know I loved this meal until we visited her brother James when he lived in Savannah, Georgia.

We ended up at this swamp/bayou style eatery with a baby alligator farm out front, which Peggy happened to forfeit her camera lens cap, when it accidentally fell in while taking pictures of the baby alligators… Anyway we got a seafood platter for two which had crab, shrimp, crawfish, potatoes, sausage, and other things I don’t remember, but I do remember it was good! So that is my inspiration for this meal…

If you can buy food and boil, you can make this…

Ingredients:

(Really anything you want to boil, but here is what I have chosen)

(2) Lobster Claws

(2) Decent sized snow crab claws

(1) Half bag of yellow fingerling potatoes

(2) Cobs of corn cut into pieces

(2) Overflowing fistfuls of shrimp

(1) Large U shaped chicken sausage cut into pieces

A lot of melted butter!!!

A lot of shakes of old bay seasoning all over the place!!!

The messier the better!!!

Steps to make this awesomeness!!!

First I place the potatoes and corn in the boiling water for 6-8 minutes

Next I add the chicken sausage and let everything cook for another 3-4 minutes

Last I throw everything in and let her boil for about 10 minutes…

After I deem all satisfactory, I drain the water and drop a stick of butter in to the pan to melt all over the goodness inside… I also place another stick of butter in the microwave to use for dipping everything into.

The last step is to shake old bay seasoning healthily over everything including the dipping sauce!

I hope you try this, or expand my idea and create your own! It’s easy and tasty!!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that Peggy turns into a savage beast when eating this and usually requires a full roll of paper towels or a shower after!!!!

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to support Peggy, she really loves this and enjoys all you readers and friends she has made!!!

Cheers and tallyho!

-Andy

 

So there you have it.  And no, I really don't turn into a savage beast when eating this - well... I mean, look at it.  It's not the most prim and proper meal out there - you really have to dig in and eat it! I want to thank Andy for guest posting today and giving you a glimpse of the amazing, goofy, and supportive man that I get to happily spend the rest of my life with!  Love ya babe! 



Stay tuned for later today when the CSA round up is up - still time to get it on the action (e-mail me at mtlabor85@yahoo.com!)

Barbecue Carnita Tacos

Tacos are hard to photograph! Tips?

Happy Friday guys!  I just got back from a grueling spinning class (high resistance for 90% of the class = major leg workout!).  I've been really digging it, though, and going at least 2-3 times a week.  I think it just might be the workout I can live with.  For now, anyway.

I've got the day off today and tomorrow from work (unfortunately I've got to work Easter.  Retail is a bummer.)  So I'm making use of my days off and keeping busy.  I'm cleaning out our bathroom (for one of the smaller rooms in a house, it's a lot of work!) and heading to a movie tonight with my book club girls.  Anybody read Water for Elephants?   It was our first book club book and since the movie comes out tonight, we're all heading out to see it.  Should be fun, and plus, it'll give me something to do because Andy has class until 10 tonight.

So I suppose you guys came here for some food right?  Right.

One of my favorite things to do with leftovers is turn them into tacos!  I mean seriously... it's perfect.  You have your protein already made.  You just have to chop up some vegetables.  Warm up some tortillas.  And bam!  You've got dinner made in less than 30 minutes!

Remember Wednesday's barbecue?  Well, I had a ton of brisket leftover!  So it was obvious what I would be doing with it.  Tacos!  After perusing The Food Addicts' site, I thought I'd follow suit and jazz them up by turning them into a 'healthy' carnita form (no frying here!).

And don't forget to vote in the poll for this week!  I need to make something this weekend, and more than likely it's going to Easter-related!


Ingredients:

2-3 cups leftover pulled barbecue (like this recipe here)
Fresh sweet corn (or frozen), cut from the cob - you can cook it first if you like, but I actually like raw corn
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 soft flour tortillas, warmed
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
Salsa and sour cream, optional

Preheat your oven broiler to the "High" setting and place the oven rack towards the top of your oven (if your broiler is in your oven instead of below it.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread you meat in an even layer.  Broil meat in oven until slightly browned and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Make sure to flip the meat over to get an even broil on both sides.  Alternatively you could always do the "frying" route to make your carnitas, but we're trying to be somewhat healthy around here so we didn't opt for that.

Once meat is at your desired crispness, assemble your toppings with your desired toppings (we did some fresh tomatoes, cheddar cheese, corn, and lettuce.  Simple and delicious!

See.  Dinner ready in no time flat.  Using leftovers!  So next time you open your fridge and see those leftovers, don't pass them by.  Turn them into tacos and you'll have a delicious meal in minutes!


How about you guys?  How do you use up your leftovers?  How do you fix your tacos?

What sweet treat should I make for Easter?

Baked Salmon w/ Pesto Puff Pastry & Corn

Remember that Lowell EGO light that I said I was getting?  Well... it came in the mail this past weekend and my verdict???  I.  Absolutely.  Love.  It.  LOVE IT. 

This salmon dish was just a quick Saturday night meal that was ready in about 30 minutes, just using what I basically had on hand!  I just love how the light gave such vibrance to the photos!  I hardly had to do any editing (besides some basic cropping/sharpening/noise reduction).  So hopefully over the next couple of months I can work more on the "styling" part of my photos.  Any tips?  Suggestions?  Any would help!

So if you're looking for something quick and tasty, this salmon dish is definitely for you!




Ingredients:

2 6 oz. salmon fillets
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you like it less spicy)
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, for rubbing
1 & 1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup pesto
2 rectangles of puff pastry (cut a little bigger than the salmon fillets)

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

Rub salmon fillets with olive oil and season both sides with cayenne pepper, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Place puff pastry pieces on a greased baking sheet and bake according to package directions, or until golden brown.

Place salmon skin-side down in an oven-proof skillet and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.

(My salmon and puff pastry were pretty much done at about the same time, so it worked perfectly)

Cook frozen corn in microwave according to package directions.

Spread a good amount of the pesto on top of the puff pastry and top with salmon and corn. 

Seriously.  I could not have had better ingredients to work with.  So colorful, so flavorful.  SO PERFECT. 

I asked Andy what he thought of the addition of the puff pastry (whether it was really necessary or added anything to the dish) and he said he actually enjoyed it's contrast with the delicate salmon.  So major score!  I loved this dinner and plan on making it many many times over!  Enjoy guys!

Black Bean Corn Salad

Well, school started this week. My head is going to be buried in Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, and Spanish for the next 4 months. Let's go through a breakdown on my first impression of each class:


Molecular Biology: That just sounds scary, but it's only a 200-level course. Mostly dealings with DNA and that jazz. We took a little pre-test on the first day and it was strenuous on my brain, but I feel I did pretty good on it... not that it counts for anything. And let me just vent here... I understand some student may have children and that's all well and fine with me... but to bring your newborn child to class? That's what the campus has a day care for. The baby was kind of distracting, but we'll see if it's present next class too, and if it is... expect a rant on Friday.


Developmental Biology: The development of creatures, or embryo development if you want to get all technical. Seems interesting enough and everyone I've talked to that's already had the class has the same response... it's a lot of fun, but a lot of stuff to study. Fun + Lots of stuff to study... does not sound fun at all... does it? No, I didn't think so. But so far, not too shabby.


Spanish: The dreaded foreign language requirement. I find it funny that while I was an Accounting Major, foreign language was not required. However, now that I'm a Biology Major, I have to have 2 semesters worth! I think Spanish would be more beneficial in the business world? Don't you think? Either way, I feel like a 3 year old, having to "Repita! Repita!" every little second. Not to mention we do this online homework that requires us to record how we say certain words/phrases... talk about feeling stupid and recording myself speak... good thing I do this while Andy is not home, because he would just sit and laugh at me the whole time.

Anyway, so there's my fall semester rant. It's really not as bad as I make it out to be, but I like complaining and forcing people to listen. But I guess I'll get to the recipe... that's what you're really here for anyway...


Ingredients:

1 can seasoned black beans
3 ears of corn, steamed & kernels cut off of cob
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 small cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 jalapeno, minced
juice from 1 lemon
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Basically, in a large bowl, combine black beans, corn, onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, and lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Fold in cilantro.

Drizzle with olive oil, to your own preference, and season with salt and pepper.

This was one of those quick summer time dishes that's ready in no time. I put this on practically anything, from topping bratwursts or hotdogs, to serving as a filling for empanadas. You can even eat it all by itself as a side dish to any meal! And it definitely saves you from turning on an oven or stove because there's not cooking required! Just fresh summer ingredients that go well together! Enjoy!


Oh and check out our CSA goodies...


1 lb. of heirloom tomatoes
1 lb. of green beans
1 cantaloupe
2 lbs. pears
2 hot peppers
2 sweet peppers
1 loaf of french bread

Corn & Bacon Chowder W/ Seared Jumbo Scallops

Chowder or Chowdah. However you say it, it's delicious. Most of you know the version of clam chowder that New Englander's love, but few know about the corn chowder, which is my personal fave. The sweetness of the corn just tickles your senses and the savory bits of bacon throughout don't hurt either. Plus, I've never met a bacon I didn't like! The seared scallops were pretty to look at, and quite amazing. It's now September, so these hearty soups need to help keep us warm, because before you know it, the dreaded bitch of a winter will be here.

Ingredients: (adapted from Food & Wine May 2003 issue)

5 slices, thick cut Black Forest bacon
1 medium sized onion, finely diced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
1 15 oz. bag frozen corn (3 cups)
3 cups milk
1 lb red potatoes, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 handful of chives, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste
6 jumbo sea scallops

Cook bacon in a large saucepan until crisp, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, take out bacon and place on paper-towel lined plate and reserve. Save 2 tablespoons on the bacon fat for searing the scallops. Then add celery and onion to saucepan and wilt down for about 12 minutes.

While onion and celery are softening, puree 1 cup of the frozen corn with 1 cup of the milk. Add puree to saucepan along with remaining corn and milk. Also add in potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25-30 minutes on low to medium heat. Then stir in chives, bacon, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Keep warm on low temperature.

Heat bacon fat in separate pan on high heat.

Season scallops with salt and pepper and sear both sides for about 1 & 1/2 minutes per side.



Put soup in bowls and top with nicely browned scallops. Enjoy!


This was tasty and hit the spot!