Pan seared scallops with white wine garlic pasta

Have you noticed a theme on this blog? Pedro and I love Costco. We recently purchased a bag of ~25 scallops for about $20. This bag has lasted for a few great meals including our latest pan seared rendition with white wine garlic pasta.

Start by cooking 1 lb. of any kind of pasta al dente. Be sure to add plenty of salt to the boiling water to season the pasta.

Simultaneously for the sauce, cook 4 cloves of galic crushed into 1/4 c. olive oil. Add 1 tbsp of crushed pepper flakes to the oil garlic mixture. Once the garlic begins to brown, add two tbsp butter and then 1/2 c. white wine and cook for three minutes until the alcohol is cooked off from the wine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the cooked, drained pasta with the sauce. Add chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese to the pasta mixture and allow to cool slightly.

In a cast iron pan, sear the scallops for approx 2.5 minutes per side with a bit of butter. Do not over cook the scallops and  plate them on top of the pasta once ready.

Late night meatballs

Pedro made these meatball jewels on a busy work night. He started with a pound of ground meat (we buy 6 lb packs from Costco). In the meat he mixed 1 c. Bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/4 c. Water, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper, 2 tsp. dried rosemary, 2 tsp. dries basil, 2 tsp. dried oregano.

Then he seared the meatballs until brown and nearly cooked through. To the meatballs he added a jar of Kirkland marinara sauce and continued to cook. To the meatball sauce mixture, Pedro added a pinch of garlic powder, a dab of Siracha, a tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of cayenne pepper, black pepper, a pinch of dried rosemary and basil and allowed to summer for 5-7 minutes.

Once finished, serve the meatballs and sauce over desired sized bed of farro.

Lebanese Inspired Keftas ::: roasted tomatoes and tahini yogurt sauce

Not for nothing, but this West Virginia cook found herself transported to Lebanon via Jeff Mauro's kefta recipe.

Pedro and I love keftas. He has tried them in Turkey and I've had variations in Greece. We both experienced the Moraccan rendition in July 2012 on a trip to Fez for a college friend's wedding. All delicious, and this recipe competes with the best.

The only changes we made to the below recipe were to substitute nutmeg for the suggested allspice (we didn't have allspice readily available), and we didn't have any coriander so we didn't include. I'm sure these ingredients would only make the dish better.

This meal is fun to prepare and would make a great small-plate appetizer for a crowd depending on serving portion. It's also great for an afternoon middle eastern BBQ. As you can see - we didn't opt for the ball-park presentation, and instead chose to plate a bit more traditionally.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-mauro/kefta-dog-with-roasted-tomatoes-ballpark-style.html

Mediterranean Salad

A light, refreshing summer salad. Roughly chop 1 English cucumber, 5 plum tomatoes (remove seeds and pulp), 1/2 red onion, and handful of parsley. Toss these ingredients with feta crumbles to taste (approximately 1/2 cup), the juice of 1 whole lemon and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano to taste. 

Pair with pita bread and hummus for a light afternoon snack on a summer day or serve as a side salad with hamburgers or other protein main to lighten up the meal.

Bon apetit! 

Sautéed spinach ::: lemon and sugar-glazed cashews

In a two-person home, being a Costco fanatic is an art. One of the grocery items we like to buy is a giant bag of spinach. It probably weighs 10 pounds and stays fresh for at least 2 weeks.

We use it for salads, omelettes and juices. One of my favorite ways to use up massive quantities of spinach is to sautee it.

In a large skillet, place 3 hand fulls of spinach (this recipe serves about two people). Sprinkle juice of half a lemon on top and a few drops of olive oil. Sautee spinach until slightly wilted. Optional to add a pinch of garlic powder at this point. Then plate.

On the plate, sprinkle with crushed sugared cashews (also available at costco in 180 calorie snack packs) and salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Note: you can make a million variations of this recipe. For example instead of cashews consider salted peanuts or pine nuts. Instead of lemon consider butter and mushrooms. The sky is the limit!

Silver Monk

I know I say this about most cocktails, but this one is truly a keeper. Pedro and I agree that it's sort of a sophisticated take on the classic margarita.

We enjoyed this summery libation during out engagement weekend, and paired it with a middle eastern treat (see posted recipe for Lebanese keftas). 

This drink packs a punch! So enjoy at your own risk. Also, the Yellow Chartreuse is a lovely addition to our bar collection, but much more expensive than I had imagined ($55 dollars in Pa state liquor store). The drink definitely wouldn't be the same without the Chartreuse so I recommend you splurge or just come over to our house for happy hour.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/silver-monk-cocktails-2011

Bacon Siracha Sandwich

Pedro and I are always looking for fast, portable fuel for our bike rides. This sandwich is one that I like in particular for that purpose, but also for picnics or breakfast on the go.

The ingredients are simple, inexpensive and ones that I almost always have on hand. 

Simply toast a torta bun from Costco. Smear one side with natural peanut butter (I love any variation that includes flax seed for extra texture). Top the peanut butter with as much bacon as you like and finish off with Siracha sauce. Voila! Ready to ride!