August 9, 2010

Great Summer Meal

It sounds fancy (I don't claim to know what "Coulis" is) but it is quite easy to make with very simple ingredients.Sea Scallops with Corn Coulis and Tomatoes (adapted from www.epicurious.com)
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup corn (from 2 large ears)
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (divided)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup 1% milk
  • 1/2 lb plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
  • 1 lb large sea scallops, tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary (also good with a scallop & shrimp combination)

Cook shallot and garlic in 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add corn, 1 T. basil, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender and beginning to lightly brown on edges, about 4 minutes. Add milk and scrape up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then remove from heat.

Toss tomatoes with remaining 1 T. of basil and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.

Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté half of scallops, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Sauté remaining scallops in same manner.

Reheat coulis over low heat, covered, then spoon 2 tablespoons onto center of each of 6 plates. Arrange 5 scallops per plate in a circle on coulis, then spoon tomatoes into center.



July 25, 2010

Rain.. Rain... Please Stay!

We have had a ridiculous number of thunderstorms and rain this spring/summer. The result... less water usage for a green lawn and great sunsets...

Oh Blackwater

My sister J is pretty thankful for all we do to help out with her kiddo. She showed her thanks by getting the "Original Four" tickets to the Doobie Brothers & Chicago concert at Starlight. She got amazing tickets (5th row!) for 1/3 of the price at an fund-raising auction. It was a great show but VERY HOT!


Just one of the perks

Unemployment has a few advantages: Sleeping in, catching up on entirely too much T.V., figuring out what you what to do with your life, etc. The BEST thing is getting to see my nephew a lot more than I used to.

J & D were out on vacation a few weeks ago. Our parents kept B-dub the whole time but I saw him three days in a row. Then I got an entire day with him a few days later! We had a blast... IHOP, the library, indoor play area in Zona Rosa, and of course play time with Rocky & Duke.


The next day J had a dentist appointment. The dentist suggested that B-dub start coming so that he becomes more comfortable with he idea. I came along to "assist" so J could actually get her teeth cleaned. B-dub took awhile to warm up but he really enjoyed it in the end!

July 13, 2010

Jekyll Crane

So, we completed this project MONTHS ago but I never got around to posting. We painted over the yellow faux paint with Valspar's Jekyll Crane (for those who don't speak 'paint colors' that is green). We also finally removed the ugly plaid and button valance with a simpler green abstract floral fabric. It was actually a shower curtain that my fabulous Mother helped me sew into curtains. Ok... so maybe I 'assisted her' more than she 'helped me' because she rocks at sewing stuff.

BEFORE:
(please excuse the mess.... this was literally days after we moved in)

AFTER:

The blue tile back-splash and off-white, chipped, stained countertops are still on the dream list! We opted for the carpet before the countertops.

Have I mentioned I don't like brass?

This was one of my favorite 'brass to black' projects. This is because it only cost about $5.00! Black high-heat spray paint is my new favorite fix.

BEFORE:

AFTER:


We also painted the brown walls because it needed touch up and we didn't have the exact color. It is virtually impossible to tell from the above two photos but below you can see the difference. We went with the color on the left. We wanted just a slightly richer/darker color.

June 29, 2010

Busy... Busy

Who knew that unemployment could be more time consuming than working full-time? NOT being tied to a cube for about 40 hours a week has actually made me much more productive. It is true. I got laid off about 2 months ago from a multi-disciplinary engineering firm that I worked at for about 5 years. It was rather anticipated and I have some exciting long-term plans up my sleeve!

We made some fun updates to the house this spring that I really should blog about... maybe after the fantastic vacation we are about embark upon!

To help you make it through any anticipation-anxiety for the future posts, I shall share a few photos. (HA! like anyone really reads this nonsense)

Joe and I went to the Sugarland concert mid June. Joe wasn't exactly thrilled about this event but sacrifices are what marriage is about... right? He admitted that she puts on a pretty good show, and I fully agree! This is a pic of us waiting for the show to start...


This is a 2nd year picture of my nephew "B." I love this kid to death but yet he only acknowledges me as the owner of Rocky & Duke. I won't hold it against him... for now.