'Smashed' Potatoes

  If your looking for a simple yet delicious side dish, look no farther. These potatoes, {inspo from The Pioneer Woman } are a new favorite of mine! I made roast beef for dinner the other evening and wanted to make something other than regular ol' mashed potatoes to serve with it. When I saw these little guys I knew they were what was going to be on the table. =) 

'Smashed' Potatoes

  small whole potatoes {as many as you need}

olive oil

salt

fresh cracked pepper

fresh or dried herbs to suit your taste {I used dried thyme and rosemary}

sour cream {optional}

fresh chives {to garnish}

Put the potatoes in a kettle and fill with water. Heat to boiling and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

Meanwhile drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place onto the sheet. Take a potato masher and smash them until they break open, {don't smash them completely flat} Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Bake in a preheated 450* oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned and crispy. 

Serve topped with sour cream and fresh chives if you wish. {they are just as good without though}

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And what does the Lord require of you?

  To act justly, to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God. 

~Micah 6:8

Happy Monday! =)

♥ Sheila   

Scallops x 2

   Since this is what we had for dinner Valentine's night this post is a bit belated.....but better late then never they say. 
   Hubby and I decided instead of going out, waiting forever and then paying way too much, we were just going to stay home and cook dinner together. I must say it was a brilliant idea....was wonderful just spending time with each other in the kitchen, trying new recipes and making old favorites.

  - Our menu for the evening - 

 Appetizers:

• Deep Fried Green Olives 
• Pan Seared Scallops
• Caramelized Scallops

Entree:

• Broiled Salmon
• Fettuccine Alfredo

Side dish:

•  Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Dressing

   Was going to make cheesecake, but we were quite stuffed when we finished up with this, so just skipped dessert. Topped the evening off by watching a classic lovie-dovie movie, You've Got Mail. 'Twas perfect.... 

Pan Seared Scallops

 3 large sea scallops

salt

pepper

1 -2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup white wine

parsley to garnish

Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a frying pan (don't use non-stick) over high heat. When oil is hot; place scallops into pan with 1-2 inches between them. After about 2 minutes the base should be browned nicely. Flip and cook for another minute until base is browned. Remove from heat and place on serving dish. While still on high heat add butter to the pan. Move around until completely melted. Add wine and use a whisk or spoon to scrape the pan and stir it into the liquid. Leave heat on high and boil until it reaches desired consistency. Immediately remove from heat and pour over scallops. Garnish with parsley.

Caramelized Scallops

 2 large sea scallops

salt 

pepper

1 tbsp butter

1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup dry white wine

juice of 1/2 a lemon

parsley, chives and lemon zest to garnish

Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat skillet on med-high for 2 minutes. Add butter and swirl to coat the pan. When the butter begins to foam, quickly take the scallops; grasping the sides and using a gentle twisting motion, dip into sugar. Place the scallop sugar side down into the pan and saute for 21/2 minutes. If sugar begins to brown to quickly reduce heat. Flip the scallops and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and lemon juice to the pan and reduce by half, about 11/2 minutes. Transfer scallops to a serving dish and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with parsley, chives and lemon zest.

   I can't honestly say that I love scallops, but I did enjoy these, especially the caramelized ones. Daren preferred the pan seared because the scallop flavor was more pronounced. {That's why I liked the caramelized ones better....more than just scallop flavor going on with them.}

Have a blessed day! =)

♥ Sheila

 

 

    

♥ Red Velvet Crepes ♥

   Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!! ♥ I've been wanting to try and make crepes for awhile now and when I saw this recipe I thought it would be a perfect V-Day breakfast for hubby and I. We both love anything red velvet! 
   I can now say that I've made crepes and they are really not as hard as I thought maybe they would be. Although I totally flopped the first one and the second wasn't that great, by the third one I finally got it figured out and it was all smooth sailing from there. {I wasn't frying them quite long enough}

Red Velvet Crepes

 yield: 12 crepes

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

pinch salt

3 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp sugar

dash of vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

red food color

Combine eggs, milk, water, salt, butter, sugar, vanilla and food color in a blender. Pulse until foamy. Add flour and cocoa powder; pulse until smooth.

Refrigerate for approx 1 hour.

After 1 hour heat a small nonstick skillet.  Add a little butter to cover the bottom. Pour about 1 oz of batter into the center of the skillet, swirling the skillet to get it to spread evenly. Fry until the top loses its gloss; about a minute. Flip and cook the other side for about 15 seconds. Slide from the pan onto a plate.

Fill with desired ingredients......I used some whipped topping that I had added cream cheese to for another dessert, sliced fresh strawberries and melted chocolate. Spread the whipped topping down the middle, top with strawberries and drizzle with the melted chocolate. Roll up and plate. I also drizzled some chocolate over top and sprinkled with just a bit of 10x sugar.

* I only made a half recipe for us and it was plenty....8 crepes

   They were delicious!!!! How could they not be good though.....three of my favorite things- red velvet, strawberries and CHOCOLATE! ;) Now if only we were eating them in Paris...........

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I'm leaving you with this today......what a perfect love!

Much Love!

♥ Sheila  

 

Grilled Ham & Pineapple Kabobs

   This lovely "winter" weather we've been having is really getting me in the mood for summer-time grilling parties and such! =) Since I'm sure though it's not going to last, I decided we'd should at least take advantage of it while it's here and break out the grill for dinner.
   My brother gave the idea for these kabobs last summer and I just hadn't made them yet. So when I was grocery shopping yesterday & saw ham steaks it got me in the mood to try them out.
   I assembled them and got 'em ready for the grill, and then Daren took care of the cooking while I made some herbed rice to go with the finished product.

Grilled Ham & Pineapple Kabobs

yield: 10 kabobs

2 cooked ham steak, cubed

1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp soy sauce*

* my brother used  1/4 tsp cinnamon instead of soy sauce, you can suit your taste.

 Slide the ham and pineapple chunks onto wooden skewers that have soaked in water. Mix together butter, honey and soy sauce. Brush over both sides of the kabobs.

glazed and ready for the grill

Grill until hot and a little blackened. {would have liked to grill these longer, but Daren had class this eve and was in a hurry}

mmm....grilling away

 

   They were quite delicious.... a bit of summer in your mouth! =) I'm excited about making these for outdoor get-togethers once warm weather is here to stay!

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Shout for joy to the Lord, 

all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with

joyful songs!

~Psalm 100:1&2

Blessings always!

♥ Sheila