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Easy Scallops and Fettuccine ala Scampi

Scallops and Fettuccine ala Scampi
scallops and fettuccine ala scampi
Easy Scallops and Fettuccine ala Scampi

This is another of our what’s in the freezer cause we didn’t give a thought to dinner recipes.   Luckily we had scallops and they defrost quite quickly.  In this photo we used both bay and ocean scallops but you can certainly use just one or the other.

This recipe will serve 2 to 4 people depending on what you add to the meal.

Ingredients for Easy Scallops and Fettuccine ala Scampi

  • 8oz or more per person Scallops
  • 2 Tbs butter & 1 Tbs Olive oil
  • ½# butter melted
  • 3-4 finely chopped cloves of garlic
  • 3-4 Tbs Capers
  • Juice of 1 lemon + Zest
  • chopped parsley
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • 1# Fettuccine cooked

Directions for Easy Scallops and Fettuccine ala Scampi

In a small sauce pan melt the butter with the garlic, capers and lemon juice and zest.

Start the Fettuccine cooking as per directions on the box.

In a sauté pan large enough to hold the scallops in a single layer on medium heat melt the 2 Tbs of butter with the Olive oil and once hot add the scallops and cook until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through.

There are 2 schools of thought to serving:

  1. In a large bowl place the pasta, scallops, and sauce and mix well and serve.
  2. Allow each person to plate their own pasta and add the scallops and sauce as they wish.

Garnish with the chopped parsley and if you want serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.

The whole meal can be prepared in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

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The Official Taste Tester

Fettuccine ala roast beef would be more to my liking but this was palatable.  3 paws for the no beef meal.

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Turkey Stock for Great Turkey Gravy

Turkey Stock

Turkey Stock for Great Turkey Gravy

O.K. lets start with my Rant!  Every year all the TV chefs start with all the fancy sides and different ways to cook turkeys trying to make you feel inadequate about your Thanksgiving menu.  They probably get a whole bunch of people trying different and sometimes much harder than it seems recipes to serve .

Rule #1 never try to cook a new item for the first time on Thanksgiving day!  You want to try something new, write the recipe down now and try it out a few times over the next year to see how difficult it is, how much TIME and oven or stove top space it takes, and whether or not your family actually enjoys it.  If it’s a success  than do it NEXT YEAR!

Turkey Stock

I look at a turkey as just a over-sized chicken that just takes a little longer to cook, needs a little bit of basting and perhaps a cover over the breast if it gets too brown, you can add a mirepoix to the bottom of the pan and with a little water,stock or wine baste the turkey and you’ll get a good start for a gravy.  Its just that it usually does not create enough stock for all the gravy you will need.

The answer is to create more stock by using the bag of giblets that comes with the turkey .  The great thing about this is you can make the stock days in advance and refrigerate or freeze until you need to use it.

Ingredients for Turkey Stock

  • Bag of giblets defrosted
  • 2 carrots cleaned and diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 stalks of celery with tops thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tsps each salt & pepper

Directions for Turkey Stock

Cut the neck into 2 or three pieces and take the giblets and place into a large pan or stock pot with a scant Tbs of butter on medium high heat, and saute until just beginning to lightly brown, add the vegetables and continue to cook until the giblets are nicley brown and the vegetables are wilted.  Add the wine deglaze the pan if necessary and cook until the wine is thick and syrupy.  Now add the water and bring the mixture up to a boil and once boiling reduce heat to a simmer cover with the lid just slightly ajar to allow some reduction of the liquid and simmer for one to two hours and the liquid and reduced by about ¼.

Strain the liquid and remove any excess fat from the top.  

Making the Gravy

On Thanksgiving day bring the stock up to medium heat, now take the juices from the turkey pan, strain and remove most of the fat and add to your prepared stock.  For every cup of stock you have use about 1½ Tbs of fat and flour cooked lightly until completely mixed and the raw flour taste is gone.  This will make a slightly thin gravy if you want a thicker gravy use a ratio of 2 Tbs each to every cup of stock.  I usually go with the 1½ ratio and have some extra butter and flour microwaved and combined on the side if I need to thicken it a bit more..  You can also use heavy cream in place of the butter which will make a great rich gravy that is much lighter in color.  Taste before serving and adjust seasoning if necessary.

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The Official Taste Tester

taste tester

Don’t forget to strain the heart, liver and gizzard and serve as an appetizer to you 4 legged kiddies, then pile on the turkey.

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Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

It’s been a while since I have posted anything on the site, because I just haven’t felt much like eating let alone cooking lately.

However I was feeling not too bad today, so I thought we’d give it a go and try an easy to do recipe that we haven’t put up yet.

Sloppy Joes are an old time favorite, and how you serve them can cause a few arguments open-faced or not open faced that is the question. Has to have pickles but maybe just maybe a little cheddar cheese-OMG!

My recipe is just a little bit spicy but I think you might like it.

As to its origins this is another dish with many competitors claiming the inspiration.  This recipe will serve about 4 persons.

Ingredients for Sloppy Joes

  • 1 pound ground beef (lean if possible)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2Tbs Olive oil
  • 8 oz tomato puree
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbs Dark Brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs deli or Dijon style mustard
  • 1 Tbsp good chili powder
  • 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • Hamburger buns
  • Pickles sliced

Directions for Sloppy Joes

In a large sauté pan, or pot if making more, place the Olive oil and the onion and garlic and on medium heat cook for 5-10 minutes until the onion are wilted and most of the moisture is gone from them.  Now add the ground beef and continue to cook until the beef is browned lightly.

While the onions and garlic are cooking place the purée, ketchup,Worcestershire sauce,sugar,mustard,chili powder and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine completely.

Once the meat is browned pour the sauce over and mix and bring up to heat, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve on buns with the pickles sliced on top.

Serve with coleslaw or potato salad and enjoy.

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taste tester

It’s beef for goodness sakes! you don’t need to add anything just put it on the plate! But 5 paws for the effort.