Grilled Scallops with Orange-Chile Dressing

I know Mother's Day was a few days back, but I just have to brag about the wonderful day I had with my two guys.  The only thing that would have made it better was if Matthew had been cooperative enough to take a decent picture with his Mother to preserve for posterity.  But alas, I just got another shot to add to my ever-growing photo collection of "Mommy + the tortured son."

He wasn't too great about taking a picture with Paul either.  At least it's not just me!

Anyway, Paul and Matthew were both so sweet.  I was awoken to Paul handing me a bouquet of beautiful  pink flowers and Matthew racing into the room carrying an envelope almost as big as himself:  "HERE MOM!  HEEERRRRE!"  Then, I got to enjoy some snuggle time with my little monster while Paul set to work making an elegant, scrumptious brunch of Cornmeal Pancakes with a Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote.  He even had some candied pecans and whipped cream for additional toppings.  In addition, he bought a bottle of my favorite coffee creamer to have with my morning cup of Joe.  It was so sweet, incredibly thoughtful, and delicious!

We then headed out as a family to the miniature golf course.  Paul and I had not been mini-golfing since college, but it used to be one of our favorite activities.  We were very excited to see how Matthew would take to the game.  All I can say is, thank goodness he golfed for free.

All the child wanted to do was chuck his little orange golf ball into the nearest body of water.  And the course was covered with little ponds, waterfalls, and streams.  Poor Paul was constantly fishing Matthew's golf ball, club, shoe, or hat out of the water.  And Matthew would giggle hysterically while watching his father fish out his latest victim.

"Ball in water?!?" He would repeat over and over again between guffaws.

"No water, Matthew! That's BAD!" I would reply.  Of course, he wasn't listening because, about two seconds later, we would hear the tell-tale splash of something else being tossed in.

We did manage to get him to take a couple shots.  With a little help.

Obviously, it was impossible to keep score.  The second any one of us would hit the ball, Matthew would go chase it, pick it up, and try to chuck it in the water.  This meant that as soon as Paul or I made a shot, we had to immediately dash to the other end of the course to reach it before Mr. Matthew.  Very rarely were we able to actually putt our golf balls into the holes.  Still, it was a really fun way to spend the afternoon.

Afterwards, we shared a bowl of frozen custard and then headed home for a decadent dinner of grilled scallops.  This has to be one of my favorite dishes of all time.  Paul had made it last summer and chose to prepare it for Mother's Day because he remembered how much I had loved it.  It was even better this time around - sweet, perfectly grilled scallops, crispy bacon, creamy eggs, piled high on top of a salad of mixed greens dressed lightly with a mildly spicy orange vinaigrette.  Heaven on a plate (especially when paired with a glass of my favorite Riesling!).

My husband can do amazing things with the grill.  Amazing things.

Grilled Scallops with Mixed Greens and Orange-Chile Dressing
adapted from The Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue


For the scallops:
1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, tough tendons removed
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Salt and ground black pepper

Light a large chimney starter filled with hardwood charcoal and allow to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash.  Spread the coals evenly over the bottom of the grill.  Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill with the lid, and let the grate heat up, about 5 minutes.  Use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean.

Meanwhile, toss the scallops and butter together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Thread the scallops onto doubled skewers so that the flat sides of the scallops will directly touch the cooking grate.  When the coals are medium-hot, the grill is ready.

Lightly dip a small wad of paper towels in some vegetable oil and wipe the cooking grate by holding the wad with long-handled tongs.  Grill the scallops, uncovered, turning the skewers once, until richly caramelized on each side and medium rare (the sides of the scallops will be firm and all but the middle third of each scallop will be opaque).  This will take about 5-7 minutes.  Serve the scallops hot or at room temperature atop the salad of mixed greens (see below).

For the vinaigrette:
3/4 cup orange juice
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons mined fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and ground black pepper

Combine the orange juice, shallots, and chili powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower the heat to medium high and simmer until thick and syrupy, about 8 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a heatproof mixing bowl and cool to room temperature.  Whisk in the vinegar and honey.  Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing is smooth.  Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Salad:
1 package of mixed field greens
4 slices of thick-sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced in quarters or halves
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Toss half the vinaigrette with the salad greens.  Sprinkle the crumbled bacon, eggs, and onion slices over the salad.  Top with a skewer of scallops and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.  Serve!

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe that 2012 is already 3 days old! It seems that each year of my life goes by much quicker than the previous one. At the same time, I have never been happier than I am now. I have a wonderful husband, a marvelously mischievous little boy, a comfortable home, a loving extended family, and a great group of close friends. As we said goodbye to 2011, Paul and I reflected on all that had happened over the past year and could not help but feel so incredibly blessed. We look forward to all the adventures that God has in store for our little family in this upcoming year!

Our Christmas Day festivities were a little interrupted this year by illness. As I have mentioned earlier, our whole family (well, minus Matthew) was attacked by a horrible bug that just continued to linger and fester for most of December! Poor Paul could not seem to get rid of his nasty cough and was also suffering from some debilitating headaches. Shortly before Christmas, he decided to make an appointment with our family doctor. I took Matthew to run some errands while he went to the appointment. Upon arriving home, I found Paul sitting at our kitchen table with a large glass of water staring at seven various bottles and vials all lined up in a row. Apparently, he only had a sinus infection but was instructed to take additional medication to treat the symptoms of lethargy and head pain. Unfortunately, the compound effect of all the drugs made him quite giggly and silly. I was making the beds upstairs and could hear him chuckling to himself in the kitchen. It was slightly disturbing. At least he was happy and feeling better - and it did make him quite jolly on Christmas morning.

We attended midnight mass, a Christmas tradition for both of our families. We put Matthew down like normal around 8pm on Christmas eve and then woke him around 11:30pm, stuffed him into a suit, and then wrestled him into his car seat. He screamed so loud that we began to doubt our sanity for choosing such a late Mass time. Nevertheless, we persevered and arrived at Mass right on time. Matthew ended up cheering up once he saw how beautiful the Church looked adorned with all the Christmas ornaments. He was very quiet for 95% of the Mass, choosing to issue a bloodcurdling scream in the middle of the consecration because he pinned his foot between the kneeler and the pew. At the very end of Mass, the priest asked the congregation to reflect for a few moments on the true meaning of Christmas. Of course, Matthew chose that time to begin chatting animatedly about the lit Christmas tree behind our pew. Paul and I immediately began stuffing Cheerios into his mouth to keep him quiet. Crisis averted!

After returning home from Mass, we enjoyed a toast of eggnog and a few Christmas cookies before shuffling off to bed. Paul and I could not quite fall asleep, so we simply chatted and enjoyed one another's company by our beautiful Christmas tree until about 4:00am.

This proved to be a huge mistake in the morning.

Paul and I were both so tired when Matthew started chanting from his crib around half past seven, that we almost took a tumble down the stairs. Once Matthew saw the presents under the tree, he was so excited that we both immediately perked up. The mug of coffee did not hurt either.

Matthew was sweet about each and every one of his gifts. He would carefully unwrap each toy and play with it for a while before moving on to the next gift. We actually did not completely finish unwrapping his gifts until that evening because he would take such long play breaks between gifts. He did love his coffeemaker. He's been violently pouring us coffee every 10 minutes ever since.

He even took a nap with it when he finally tuckered out...

My favorite gift this Christmas? Kind of dorky, but I really wanted one...

A scale for my kitchen! Paul actually ordered me the exact same scale that I used to use in the chemistry labs. Super, super precise! It really is...we performed a few experiments to test it.

The recipe I am going to share with you is a Christmas Eve tradition for Paul and I. We always make this hot crab dip in between our other preparations that day. My Mom used to make a crab dip appetizer before Thanksgiving that I used to love. This particular recipe actually belongs to Paul and I. A couple years ago, we made a list of flavors and seasonings that we liked with crab (while eating snow crab legs) and added them to taste to a basic dip base. If you are not an Old Bay lover, you can definitely reduce the amount you add to the cream cheese. Paul and I are really big fans of the spiciness. This recipe makes a lot of dip, but the leftovers are just as marvelous so we always make a full batch! Unfortunately, it does not photograph well - but trust me, it really is quite tasty!

Hot Crab Dip

A Nistler Family Original

1 tablespoon butter

1 large shallot, chopped fine

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. sour cream

2 tablespoons mayo

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons Worcestershire

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 pound lump crabmeat (claw meat if possible - We get ours from GFS)

3 dashes of hot sauce (we like Frank's)

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and saute until tender (1 minute). Add the dried parsley to the shallots and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, Worcestershire, mustard, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Mix until smooth. Fold in the crabmeat, hot sauce, shallots, and 2 tablespoons of Old Bay.

Transfer to a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve hot with toasted baguette slices and crackers.

Baked Shrimp with Feta

This week has been a crazy haze of meetings, doctor appointments, and trip preparations. Paul is being sent for Austria to work on an engineering project and I plan to visit my parents in the meantime. I still have a hard time sleeping at night when Paul is not around. I have always been a restless sleeper - especially when I am first trying to fall asleep. I am constantly hearing creaks and groans that, at least to my psychotic self, sound very much like an intruder trying to break into our home and murder us in our sleep. At least a couple times each week, poor Paul has to drag himself out of bed and take a lap of the place just to prove to me that everything is safe and secure. When he is out of town, there will be nobody here to make those midnight security checks for me...so naturally I plan to flee to my parents' house, where my Dad and Mom can protect me. Pathetic, I know, but I am unashamed to admit that I will never stop needing my parents.

I am really excited for Paul's trip. I wish I were going with him, but the long plane ride does not appeal to me at all. He is pretty pumped about it too. He has spoken of nothing else over the past two weeks. He has been researching the area, asking everyone he knows for travel tips, and even downloaded the German version of Rosetta Stone to try to see how much of the language he can absorb in the four days before he heads over there. He is actually sitting next to me, repeating German words after the computer prompt. Only when he pronounces the words, it sounds closer to Klingon than German. Earlier in the week, he asked if I find all his fussing about Austria irritating.

I do now.

He better bring me back a souvenir.

And hopefully not a t-shirt that is two sizes too big like last time. I was depressed for days knowing he must have held up that shirt (which was large enough to engulf a baby elephant) and thought it would fit me perfectly.

Anyway, whenever we are going to be out of the house for a week or more, I usually try to devour anything perishable that we might have in the refrigerator. I challenge myself to only use ingredients that we have and resist the urge to run to Wegmans (where I love to shop!). For dinner tonight, I cheated a bit. I had every ingredient except the fresh dill.

This recipe is very quick, very easy, and very delicious. It is composed of fresh Greek flavors, delicious shrimp, and gooey cheese. We love it over warm polenta but you could serve it over rice, potatoes, orzo, or pasta. There is a lot of liquid to this dish, so fresh bread is definitely a must to soak up all the juices. If you would like the finished dish to be a little thicker, add more tomato paste.

Baked Shrimp and Feta

adapted from Ellie Krieger

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon fresh dill

1 1/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved (totally optional - but I love olives so much)

2/3 cup crumbled feta (about 3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent (about 3 minutes) and then add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 additional minute. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and paste and let simmer until juices begin to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in remaining seasonings and olives. Stir in the shrimp. Sprinkle with feta.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese is melted. Serve with crusty bread or Lemon-Parmesan Polenta.

Lemon Parmesan Polenta

recipe by Monica/Paul

1 cup instant polenta

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of pepper

Combine milk and chicken broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove saucepan from heat and add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. It is important that the polenta be added gradually in order to avoid lumps. Return to medium heat, cover, and let cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, salt, lemon juice, and zest. Season to taste with pepper.

On a separate note, today was Matthew Patrick's feast day. We celebrated by going to mass, visiting with our pastor Father Ted, playing at the park, and enjoying a delicious cookie from the bakery. I don't think he had any idea that today was particularly special, but that's only because EVERY day with Matthew is extra-special!