Simple Scallops and Acorn Squash

Since having our little bundle of joy and exclusively breast-feeding him, Rob and I have not been out for dinner in over four months!  Not to say we haven't eaten take-out; but when you're craving the most delicious scallops ever (cooked perfectly at Lapointes Fish Market Restaurant in Bells Corners), you just can't take that out.

SCALLOPS:

I've never tackled cooking scallops before, but I needed them last week...so I thought I'd give it a try!  I actually searched recipe upon recipe and even watched some YouTube videos (Paula Dean's was great) to see what the best methods were, and realized that for my first time, simpler would be better.

All I did to achieve an excellent result was to drain the scallops and rinse them in the colander under cool water. Then, and this is key, I patted them dry...very dry on both sides.  Next, have your skillet on high heat with some butter on the stove.  Salt and pepper both sides of the scallops and when that skillet is hot, throw them on.  Watch them carefully and let them cook on one side until they are opaque to only a quarter the thickness from the bottom (Literally 1-2 minutes).  Then flip them and cook again until opaque all the way (another 2 minutes).  The reason that you want them super dry before throwing them into the skillet is so that they develop this delectable and perfect brown crust from the butter and high heat.

Be sure to remove them from the heat and skillet right away and plate them so they do not keep cooking.  I served them up on lettuce because I had been watching the Food Network that day and thought I was very fancy!

ACORN SQUASH (in the microwave...don't judge me!):

If I had known how easy this squash was to make and how delicious it tastes on its own, I would have lived off of this in University! Cut your acorn squash in half, scoop and clean the middle and place both halves down in a glass microwaveable dish.  Microwave on high for 7 minutes.

Remove the dish and flip the squash face-up (Be careful - they are really freakin hot!).  Add a little pat of butter or marge to each half and return the dish to the microwave for another 7 minutes on high.

Remove the dish again and use a fork or spoon to separate the squash from the skin and mash it up into another bowl or right onto your plates to serve.  Add salt and pepper if you wish...but that's it!

Amazing eh?  I also served up some cooked green beans and red peppers and this was one heavenly meal!

Enjoy xoxo