Scallops with Bacon, Edamame and Creamy Grits

I must admit I have been very busy so sorry for the delay of recipes. However, I am back in action I mean in the kitchen! 


I have been trying to come up with a fresh new dish and I think I got it. I tried this dish with shrimp first but I prefer the plumpness and juiciness of the scallops.  I also used frozen peas the first time I made this but I always use frozen peas I wanted a different type of green, so I used frozen edamame (I just heated the frozen pods a bit and popped out the soybeans). The idea of using edamame came to me after having sushi at my favorite sushi place; I ordered Edamame as an appetizer. 


I make these creamy grits all the time for breakfast and for my shrimp and grits dish and with this pork dish I make as well. I was thinking initially to serve this over pasta but eating this dish with the grist just melt in your mouth! This is a colorful fresh meal which I am sure you will love! 


What you need:

• 2lbs of Scallops
• 4-5 slices of bacon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbl. of butter
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 chopped red pepper
• 1 small bag of frozen edamame (shell if you cannot find them already shelled)
• 1/2 c. white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc) 
• 1 c. Grape tomatoes halved
• 6 leaves of thinly sliced fresh basil

First cook the grits:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup skim milk
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 c. regular uncooked grits

Bring the heavy cream, skim milk, salt and pepper and butter to a boil. Once Boiling reduce heat to low and add grits whisking constantly. Turn off heat and let stand covered, whisking occasionally. Note:  you may have to add milk or heavy cream to grits before serving to get the right consistency. 

I cooked my bacon in the microwave, until crispy. Reserve bacon drippings take bacon and crumble and set aside. 

Season scallops with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Heat bacon fat over medium high heat until it's hot. Sear scallops for 3 min. on each side. Set aside

Add about 2 tbl. of butter to the pan add shallots and garlic. Saute till they are soft. 

Add the red bell pepper and edamame. Cook for about two minuets. Add wine and deglaze pan by scrapping the particles off the bottom of the pan. 

Season to taste, add tomatoes, bacon and cook till they are soft not mushy. Return scallops to the pan cook for 1 min.  Remove from heat and sprinkle in basil. 

Serve over creamy grits. 

Yummy! 

Crabmeat and Lobster Stuffed Manicotti

Valentine's Day is right around the corner last year I made baked lobster tails and the year before that I made manicotti I decided I liked them both so why not combine them, but nix the tomato sauce for a Béchamel sauce and add crabmeat AND lobster to the mix! MMMMM Perfect sexy Valentine's Day Dinner! Lets get started!


What you need:

• 6 tbl of butter
• 5 tbl. flour
• shallot, minced
• pad of butter
• 1/4 c. parmesan cheese
• 4 c. milk of if you dare Heavy Cream (it's what I used in the test kitchen)
• 1 lb. Manicotti cooked
• 8 oz of lump crabmeat
• 4-8 oz of lobster tails (if you cannot find it freshly prepared in the seafood section then buy the tails and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 min with a bit of butter let cool and chop) 
• 1/8 teas. Freshly grated nutmeg
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese (I used whole milk cut calories by using part skim)
• Parsely for garnish
• salt (very very little), pepper, and cayenne pepper, Babineaux Seasoning (if you have)
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• Fresh Lemon Juice (half a lemon) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot cook manicotti in boiling water, cook til "al dente" which means to cook until firm but not hard.  Set Aside. 

In a med large saucepan. Melt butter on med. high heat add one tabl. of flour at a time stirring briskly to dissolve after each addition. 

Pour in milk or heavy cream one cup at a time and whisk briskly so that sauce is smooth there should be no lumps. Whisk quickly and briskly after each addition, remember no lumps. Lower heat and add nutmeg. Continue to stir. Add 4-6 grinds of the pepper mill and a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper. Congrats you made Béchamel sauce but we will add cheese for this recipe. Stir, lower heat and stir in 1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese. Set aside and stir occasionally. 

In a large skillet heat on med high heat a pad of butter saute shallot and garlic set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl add lobster, crabmeat, lemon juice, ricotta cheese, shallot and garlic mixture, pepper and cayenne pepper. Combine, I used a big fork it helps break up the fresh lump crabmeat (please don't use artificial crabmeat) 

Take a 13 X 9 baking pan. Pour one half of the Béchamel sauce in the middle of the dish. 

Take the cooked and cooled Manicotti and stuff with the crabmeat mixture. I used my hands and took a little bit of the crabmeat mixture at a time and pushed into the manicotti. Don't worry if the manicotti is flattened a bit the the stuffing will puff it up. Also don't fret if the pasta breaks you can turn the torn side facing the béchamel sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. Stuff until you have filled the baking dish. 

Top the stuffed manicotti with the rest of the sauce and bake for 20 min. Until bubbly. 

Sprinkle with chopped Italian parsley, fresh ground pepper and parmesan cheese. Serve hot!!!! 

This dish is simply amazing I served to my mom and step-dad and they loved it! 

Serve with these fresh colorful side dishes, sugar snap peas and berry summer salad!  YUMMY!!! 

Easy, Simple,Elegant

Okay where do I start, which recipe should I start with. Let me first start by saying I never went to cooking school or anything like that. I started helping my grandma make sweet dough pies, roux and fig preserve when I was 4. I did take cooking lessons at the age of 10, 11, & 12 and thus my love for cooking emerged. I love to cook, entertain do "plating" lol; and many of my friends and husband thoroughly love it! So I will start easy I suppose. 

I made these simple yet elegant appetizers for Christmas. My Godmother allowed me to raid her dining room when I went home for Thanksgiving (home is Louisiana by the way). I found all these gorgeous port wine little glasses. I thought I could do individual Panna Cotta's for a book club get together or an intimate dinner. So I secured them all! 


For Christmas I decided on using them to make individual shrimp cocktail. Why? Because I like to double dip. Really I do, and with these I can go dip crazy! The sauce I used (I didn't make it I know I hear my friends gasping now) was Louisiana Brand Cocktail Sauce and I added a little bit of Horseradish to each little glass. I used cooked and cleaned jumbo shrimp. In in a big bowl I tossed the shrimp in salt, pepper and lemon juice (about 1 tbl for lemon juice season to taste) , and then I neatly "hung" them from each glass. . and presto an elegant appetizer where your friends will think wow she is so creative and it only took you seconds!  YUMMY!