Twelve Cherry Anniversary Martini

I cooked down some white cherries this afternoon and pressed them through a sieve, combined them with 1/2 c. sugar to yield 1-3/4  c. simple syrup. We came up with the delicious martini recipe within minutes earlier this evening.

To make two martinis, shake 4 ounces vodka, 1 ounce White Cherry simple syrup,1/2 ounce Amaretto, and juice from half a lemon. Strain into martini glasses after shaking over ice. Rim glass with Meyer lemon sugar and add Amarena* cherries that will sink to the bottom.

*Trader Joe's speciality item.

Yum! Here's to 12 years married!

Bacon Wrapped Chili Dusted Scallops with Corn Salad

Gerry found this recipe from Lauren Collins, a poster on My Fishing Cape Cod. We have delicious scallops here in MA and he wanted to make something really special the night before our granddaughter's fourth birthday party. And, we had a winner because her older sister ate seven of them! We packed the ingredients in a cooler and trekked down to Princeton, NJ.

We served it with Beth and Rob's fresh heirloom tomato salad on the side!

To make the Tequila-Lime Sauce called for in the recipe:
Combine 1/4 c. white tequila, 2 TBSPs salted butter, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 TBSPs fresh lime juice, 1 TBSP minced red onion and bring this all to a low boil. Let the butter melt, stirring frequently, for 10 min. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in 1/4 c heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.

1-1/2 pound sea scallops, patted dry
1 8 oz package center cut bacon
1/4 c. panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Shredded manchego cheese

For the corn salad:
Kernels from 4 ears of fresh corn
1/4 red onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cotija cheese
4 mint leaves, finely chopped

Set the oven to 425 degrees. Cut bacon strips in half and use each half to wrap around each scallop, securing the bacon with a toothpick. Line the scallops on a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine the panko, chili powder and cayenne, then sprinkle the mixture over each scallop. Cook for 12-15 minutes until the bacon is sizzling. Once cooked, turn the broiler on to high and cook an additional 3-5 minutes to let them get golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle manchego cheese over each scallop.

To make the corn salad, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, then add corn, red onion, chili, cayenne and a touch of salt and pepper, Cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is softened. Add lime juice and more salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Let sit in the fridge or freezer for up to 30 minutes to cool down, then stir in the cotija cheese and mint.

Serve immediately! A cup of corn salad with 4-5 scallops on top to start. Drizzle the tequila-lime sauce over everything.

Braised Lamp Chops with White Beans, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Rice

Gerry made this delicious meal for me, knowing how much I love beans and lamb. This recipe was from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook.

The slow-cooker is set on low for 5-7 hours and the beans are added halfway through the cooking. The lamb and beans are served over Basmati rice.

Learning about lamb cuts can be confusing. Chops? The Loin Chop, the Shoulder Chop, the Chop, or the Rack. Jamie Oliver has a great explanation.

This recipe called for shoulder lamp chops but loin chops worked really well. Ours are from either the grocery store or from Costco, and they are nice and meaty and thick.

Heat 1-2 T olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and brown the lamb on all sides over medium-high heat. Transfer to the slow cooker. To the skillet, add 1 medium yellow onion, chopped for a few minutes until limp and add to slow cooker. Add to the slow cooker, 1/2 c. chicken broth or bone broth; 1/2 c. dry white wine; 1/4 c. chop
ped and drained sun-dried tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and a pinch of ground cumin. Stir and cover and cook on low for 2-1/2 - 3-1/2 hours. Add one 15-ounce can small white beans (rinsed and drained). Cook on low 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours until meat is tender and falls off the bone.

Season with salt and pepper and serve over cooked Basmati rice.