Sauteed Scallops w. Angel Hair Pasta

 I found another picture...same recipe but different pasta.  The picture sucks but I just wanted to give you a visual of the dish.  I will make this again and update with a better photo.

An old foodie buddy of mines by the name of Dodger from MySpace shared this recipe with me years ago when I started experimenting more with scallops.  I use to not like scallops because of the chewy texture until I decided to make them myself.  Then I came to realize that it's not chewy at all.  It was just that they were over cooked.  This dish was an absolutely delish!  Now I'm in the mood for some scallops.  I'm sure I have an old picture floating around on here some where so I'm going to search for it and update later.

 

INGREDIENTS:

*2lbs fresh sea scallops, cut into quarters or bay scallops
*2Tbsps butter
*1/2 cup white wine
*2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
*1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
*2 Tbsps fresh chives, chopped   
*1/4 tsp garlic salt
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/8 tsp white pepper   
*1lb angel hair pasta

Rinse scallops in cold water and drain.  Add butter to large skillet and melt.  Add scallops and cook over med. heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove scallops using a slotted spoon and set aside.

Cook pasta and drain.

Add wine, lemon juice and chives to skillet.  Cook over med. heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic salt, garlic and pepper and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes; remove from heat.  

To serve, spoon sauce over drained pasta, spoon scallops over sauce and sprinkle parsley.
 

Enjoy!






Jill's Comfort Zone

Beer Batter Fish Fillets

*Update:  I knew I had a picture on my computer some where.  This one is beer battered Tilapia.  Same recipe different type of fish.  As you can see, I've gotten better...the batter is still on!  LOL
I love beer batter fish!  Especially if it's nice and crispy.  Not quite sure where I found this recipe but it was tasty.  When I first tried this recipe the batter came right off the fish as soon as it hit the pan.  I can't remember what went wrong.  So make sure the oil is hot before adding the fish to it.  I haven't dabbled with this recipe in years.  I've found new and improved ones since then.  I'm trying to catch up on posting all my recipes from years ago that I have not posted yet.  So some won't have pictures.  My plan is to revisit a few of these recipes so I can take a picture to add to the blog.  So stay tuned for the picture updates on some of my recipes.  

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
A pinch of cayenne (optional)
3/4 cup beer (I usually use a lager)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 pounds cod fillets (You can use any type of fillet you like.)
2 quarts of canola oil (If I'm frying large amounts of fish, I use peanut oil.  It doesn't burn quickly.)


In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, cayenne, baking powder, and dill.  Add beer, milk, and eggs; mix well.  Place fish fillets in batter mixture, coat well, and let stand for 15 minutes.  Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees.  Place fish in the pan and fry until golden brown.  Cook fish in batches to maintain oil temperature.

Enjoy!


Jill's Comfort Zone

Seafood Lasagna (Christmas Dinner)

There is nothing like spending the holidays with friends and family!  I truly had a great Christmas this past year.  With my mom in town it was like the girls and I hit the lottery or something!  LOL!  My mother spoiled the girls and I way too much.  She surprised me with a new bedroom set, a deep freezer, and much more!  It brought tears to my eyes!  Since I had to work the Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, I decided to have my big Christmas Dinner that Saturday.  I invited over some good friends to join us for dinner as well.  I still cooked for Christmas day.  I love to entertain and I love introducing folks to new dishes.  I decided to make something yummy for my friends and family.  So I made seafood lasagna amongst other dishes that weekend.  Oh it was a hit!  I took some to work and boy oh boy did they love it!  I have my co-workers wanting me to make some for them and their family.

 
Here's the crew!  My mom in the front, Julius and his lady to the left, Belinda, Kevin, Shamiah and Torrey.  

 
 As you can see, we had a great time!


 
One thing I would do different is saute the scallops first and then add them to the mixture.  After the lasagna was done, I had to pour the juice out of the dish.  I was very juicy.  

**Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce:

3Tbsps butter
2Tbsps olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 med. onion, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in medium sauce pan with olive oil over low heat. Add the onions, cooking for about 1 to 2 minutes and then add the garlic and cook until slightly brown.  Then add the heavy cream, pepper, Italian seasoning and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir often. Add cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth. 


 
 
 

 When sauce has thickened add the mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth frequently.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 


 Ingredients for Lasagna:

1 Tbsp butter
1 lb fresh shrimps, shelled and chopped
About 3 to 4 crab clusters
1 lb scallops

2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Lasagna noodles
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 bag fresh spinach, steamed

Put the crab clusters in a large pot and boil with some butter, salt, pepper, and lemon old bay seasoning for about 30 minutes.


After their done, pluck the meat from the shell and put in a bowl.  I had my little kitchen cluster plucker assist me with this task.  I so love her dearly!

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a glass dish with butter.  Combine spinach, shrimps, crab, scallops, lemon juice, and Alfredo sauce in a bowl.  Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling and cook the noodles until tender.  Drain and set aside.

 


I would like to thank my friend, Belinda, for assisting with chopping up the shrimps and scallops for me!  You're the best girlie!!!


Now we are ready to start assembling our dish. 

Spread about a third of the seafood mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Top that with a little grated Parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese.  Cover with noodles and then spread another third of the mixture and cheese over the noodles.  Repeat steps above.  Cover the top with remaining cheeses and Alfredo Sauce mixture. 










Bake on the center oven rack until bubbly and golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Let stand before serving.
*Place a dripping pan underneath with a little water in it just in case the cheese drips.



I'm telling you, you will not be disappointed folks.  Truly delish!  I enjoyed my holiday with friends and family!  My girls and I had a beautiful Christmas thanks to my mom!!!  Many Blessings! 



Setting up the table....

Dinner was truly Fabulous!  The menu was delish...a little of old with the new! Besides the seafood lasagna I made: a sausage cheese dip (to go with some tortillas I brought), corn bread, fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, yellow rice, ham, bbq baked chicken, potato salad, wild rice stuffing, greens, yams, and ice tea. I think I'm forgetting a few things!  This doesn't even included all the yummy dishes that I made for Christmas.  My, My, My....  My mom baked some cakes as well.  Oh we had a great time!

 

Jill's Comfort Zone

Chipotle Shrimp Pasta Madness

I was introduced to Chipotle in Adobe Sauce in 2008 and boy I've been hooked ever since!  LOL!  Now this dish that I made was random and I went way to far with it!  LOL!  Talking about spicy madness well this dish was just that!  LOL!  At the time my brother had just dropped in on me...yes, dropped in!  Aggghhh...that's a whole other story that I don't care to share. Anyway, I wanted some spicy shrimps and I was on a Chipotle spree for about 3 months...everything had to have Chipotle in it!  Hahahaha!  So I pulled together some ingredients and explored!  Now you can tell I didn't really know the true power that Chipotle in Adobe Sauce possessed...I had the nerve to add red crushed peppers!  WHEW!  This dish was FIRE!!!  Literally!!!!  LOL!  It was so good but HOT to death!  My brother thought I was trying to kill his ass!  LOL!  My kids nose was running (remind you I had not yet to taste because I was too busy serving) and eyes watering but they kept eating it!  I'll never forget this pregnant girl on the block...my brother was talking to her mother at the time and she wanted some.  So my brother fixed her a plate!  The girl face turn red as fire!  I felt so bad but she kept eating and saying how good it was.  I warned her that it wasn't good for the baby while my brother sat their CTFU!  SMH! 

Anyway, back to the recipe!  I really don't remember how much of what I put in here so I just warn you...leave out the damn red pepper flakes and PLEASE pureed the Chipotle in Adobe Sauce, add a little oil, and don't use too much!!!!  I used to whole damn can!  LMAO!  Oh and make AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!  I have a picture of the ingredients so I won't list them here.  Trial and Error=Delicious!!!!  LOL

 Do you see how dangerous this sauce looks?  SMH

 Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

I can't stress enough how much I love bacon!  So with two of my favorites combined into one...I'm in heaven.  These Bacon Wrapped scallops are delish, quick and easy to make.  I served this with fried potatoes with veggies and steamed green beans.  We had game night around this time so Jazzie chose Sorry!  I truly enjoy spending time with my girls!  Love It!

Wrap bacon over scallops and secure with a toothpick. Place on baking sheet. Broil 6 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp. Squeeze lemon over each. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone

Baked Scallops

Who doesn't love seafood?  Well I sure do!  The girls and I truly love some seafood.  I haven't been able to cook as much seafood like I use to do to the fact that I moved to the West End and we're not near a Fish Market.  I don't like to buy seafood from the Supermarkets because it's not really fresh.  Man oh man how I miss having my monthly seafood feasts.  SMH!  Well I enjoy scallops...sometimes they can be a little too fishy depending on the way they are made.  I like them baked most of the time and served over some pasta.


Ingredients:
*1 1/2 lbs bay scallops or sea scallops, quartered or whole
*2 Tbsps dry white wine or sherry
*1 Tbsp lemon juice
*1/4 tsp sea salt
*1/4 tsp white pepper
*1/8 garlic powder
*1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional)
*1/2 tsp dried parsley
*pinch cayenne
*2 Tbsps melted butter
*sprinkle paprika

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Pour melted butter into a baking dish.  Distribute butter and scallops evenly inside the dish.  Mix wine, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and dried parsley in a bowl.  Pour mixture over scallops.

Bake until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!


Jill's Comfort Zone

Fish Tacos

I just love me some fish tacos! I need to make a trip to Wilkinsburg one of these weekends so I can go to this Asian shop to buy some more Mahi Mahi! It is perfect for fish tacos! The first time I made fish tacos I used Mahi Mahi...they were delish! Every time I make these I try to jaz it up a bit or do something different. This time I finally used the red cabbage. I never brought red cabbage before because I didn't know what to do with the rest of it after I used it for the fish tacos. I've been looking at quite a few red cabbage recipes that I want to try but that's another blog adventure coming up! ;) Anyway, we truly enjoyed the fish tacos a few weeks ago. I used Tilaopia this time.

It's me!!!  Loving my new home!  I think once I get all the decorations out the way I'll blog more frequently!  Just so much to do and so little time!  ;)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup EVOO (add more if needed)
3/4 lime juice
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
Pinch or two cayenne pepper
Salt
8 large tortillas Salsa (Your choice)
Sour cream
Sauteed onions, sliced
1 small head red cabbage
A cap full apple cider vinegar
5 fillets tilapia or the fish of your choice
 
In a bowl, mix together the EVOO, lime juice, chillie powder, cayenne and garlic. Place fish in a dish, pour mixture in and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 2 hours.



Thinly slice cabbage. Put in a small bowl. Sprinkle with vinegar and some salt. Mix together and set aside.


Pour a little EVOO in a pan and saute the onions. In the same pan, add more EVOO. Once heated, fry the tilapia (make sure you patted it dry) on both sides for about 5 minutes each side. Place fish on a plate cover with paper towel to soak up the grease. Break up the fish using a fork into chunks or you can cut them into strips and transfer to a warm plate.

Heat the tortillas in a pan on both sides. I set up a little try with all the toppings and it's just that simple! Everyone add what the like with the remaining ingredients and dig in! Delish!!!!

Enjoy!


Jill's Comfort Zone

Stewed Salmon Steaks

I just love this dish!!!  When me and my daughter, Jazzie's, father (Magic) was dating I started adoring stewed dishes.  Yes, they call him Magic...he got that name from playing Soccer he told me.  I gather he did magical things with the Soccer ball.  I don't know...I forgot the story.  LOL!  He's from Jamaica and their always eating stew fish, stewed chicken, stewed oxtails, beans...you name it they were stewing it!  Well it was always delish!  The spices, aroma, taste...I just love it all!  He was heavy handed on the plum tomatoes but since the girls and I don't really like tomatoes that much I use it lightly in my dishes.  Growing up from a family who always fried or baked most of their meats and seafood this was very different for me.  Don't get me wrong I've had stewed food before but more like stew beef, etc.  My Step dad, Pablo (R.I.P.) use to make stewed dishes as well.  He was from Honduras.  But he use to stew fish heads and stuff like that and I wasn't with that...at the time.  LOL!  I mean he use to leave the eye balls in and it freak me out!!!  As I got older and on my own I started testing the waters.  Not as much with stewed fish heads but fried!  Very tasty! 

Well there's nothing to this recipe.  I don't have measurements...you just go with the flow!  

I just season the steaks with salt, pepper, cayenne (if you like it spicy; you can also use red pepper flakes too instead of the cayenne) and paprika. Brown the in a sauce pan with olive oil. Remove to the side; draining on some paper towel.





Then I chop up some onions, green and red peppers, garlic and tomatoes season with salt and pepper. Sauté the onions, peppers first until soft then add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Don't burn the garlic. You can use canned or fresh tomatoes. Then you add the tomatoes to the onion mixture (if you use the canned tomatoes, pour the juice in too) with some fresh lemon or lime juice.




Bring to simmer then return the salmon to the pan and cover. Cover for about 5 to 7 minutes more. I like a little crust on mines so I sometimes take the sauce pan and put it in a 350 degrees oven and bake uncovered for about 5 minutes or so.  And that's all to it! 

I served this with some french cut green beans, baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream and sprinkle of dried parsley and some salad.

Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone