fun. crazy. life.

Seared Scallops and Tenderloin Steaks with Manhattan Sauce

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Four 1-inch-thick beef tenderloin steaks (about 4 to 6 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large diver sea scallops, trimmed
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet vermouth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped or snipped chives

1. Drizzle olive oil over the steaks and season with salt and pepper. Get a large nonstick skillet screaming hot and add the meat. Cook the meat over high heat for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, 4 for medium to medium-well. Remove the meat from the skillet and pull the pan off the heat to cool.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the scallops and season them with salt and pepper. Get another large skillet very hot and cook the scallops over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until caramelized.
3. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium skillet.
4. Return the meat pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and reduce by half, about 30 seconds. Add the butter to the pan to finish the Manhattan sauce.
5. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus and dress with the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
6. Place 2 steaks on each plate and drizzle with the Manhattan sauce. Place 2 scallops on top of each of the steaks and garnish with the chives. Serve the asparagus alongside.

Now I haven’t actually tried this yet, but these Asian-inspired ribs sound really good. I’ve never made ribs before, but my MIL bought me some at Sam’s because they were super cheap. Let’s see how it goes!

Red Ribs
serves 2 (so I’m doubling this)

2 pounds pork lion ribs or country-style pork spareribs, cut into 3-4 rib pieces
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Arrange pork ribs in the slow cooker. Combine the ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a small bowl and mix until smooth; spoon over the ribs. If you have a round cooker, stack the ribs with the sauce in between.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, until the meat is tender and starts to separate from the bone. Serve immediately.

I sent The Shakespeare Insult Kit out to my family this week and we have been trading insults ever since:
“You beslubbering fen-sucked clack-dish!”
“Whatever, you reeky fat-kidneyed clot-pole!!”
Its quite fun. Try it.

Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundryhad an exciting announcement. Funny blog posts are sure to follow.

Christie over at These are a few of my favorite things has shared her brilliant system for organizing her kids routines!

And - I almost forgot this one - BooMama posted a new brownie recipe for “Symphany Brownies” in this post, ironically about overeating. Recipe goes like this:
“You prepare your favorite brownie mix, pour half of it in the baking dish, top with Hershey’s Symphony Bars with Almonds and Toffee, pour the other half of the brownie mixture on top of the candy bars, and bake according to package directions. Then eat, praise Jesus, and repeat.”
I made this for Bible Study on Wednesday and every single person there was raving - raving - about these brownies and asking for the recipe. Oh, my stars, I will never make ordinary brownies ever again. But its got me thinking… what else could I crumble into the centers of my brownies?

Now this really isn’t a ‘gourmet’ recipe, but is darn good soup. This is supposedly Olive Garden’s recipe, but I haven’t been to an Olive Garden in approximately 2 years, so I can’t really compare the two…

Pasta Fagioli
1 lb ground beef
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, julienned
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can red kidney beans, with liquid
1 can great northern beans, with liquid
1 can tomato sauce
1 can V-8 juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 package ditali pasta

Brown beef. Drain. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; saute for 10 minutes.
Add rest of ingredients - except pasta - and simmer for 1 hour.
Cook pasta separate according to package directions, drain.
Add to soup just before serving and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Top with grated cheese and add some crusty bread. Yummmmmmm…….

My brother and his girlfriend are vegetarians, so this is what I cooked for them the other night. Yum-o.’

Penne alla Norma
serves 4 to 6

1 pound penne rigate
Course salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large eggplant, cut into 3/4-in chunks
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c torn fresh basil, plus more for garnish
3/4 c ricotta cheese (or a variety of shredded cheeses, if you prefer.)

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add eggplant to skillet; season generously with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until eggplant begins to release juices, about 5 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes (if bottom of pan browns too much, add a few tbsps water and scrape with spoon.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and 1/4 c water to skillet; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Toss sauce and basil with pasta; gently reheat if necessary. Top each serving with a spoonful of ricotta and garnish with more basil.

Recipe origin: Everyday Food 

I’m making a version of this for a friend’s birthday dinner this weekend. Yummy yummy.

Roast Beef with Carmelized Shallots
serves 10-12

6 pounds boneless rib-eye roast (with fat), tied, if desired or
9 pounds bone-in rib-eye roast (with fat)
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 pounds shallots, peeled and halved if large
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 500°. Season beef with salt and pepper. Place in a large roasting pan; roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Place shallots around beef; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of beef registers 130° for medium-rare, 1 to 1 1/4 hours more, turning shallots with tongs after about 30 minutes. (For bone-in, plan on 2 hours cooking time.)
3. Transfer beef to a platter; tent loosely with foil. Transfer shallots to a shallow bowl (continue cooking if not golden brown). Toss with sugar and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour off fat from pan. Add wine; cook over medium heat until syrupy, scraping bottom of pan, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups water; cook until reduced by half, 4 to 8 minutes. Strain into a small bowl; whisk in mustard and any accumulated juices from beef. Season with salt and pepper; serve with beef and shallots.

Recipe origin: Everyday Food