Scallops with Creamy Bacon Corn Sauce

I'm sitting here in the studio (between breaks in Morning Edition) listening to Martha Stewart talk about entertaining. She's got a new book (her 75th!?!) called "Entertaining"...

Martha's giving some useful tips (if you're going to wait till morning to clean-up from a party, be sure to put a little water in the wine glasses so the leftover wine doesn't etch the glass).

And she's reminiscing about her years in prison and how she used her monthly stipend to buy clay and mold a nativity set that she says looked just like Wedgewood. Ohhh, Martha!

Her book includes hosting tips, decorating ideas and recipes, including one for Noah's Ark Cookies.  Got me thinking -- how long did it take Noah to build the Ark?  According to one source, about 40-50 years. And that's exactly how long it seems to be taking to finish my latest building project.

Yes, Jason set an eight day deadline; but after he unceremoniously hammered into the soffit and that led to taking down the walls, and then we found that under the tiled floor was a crumbling concrete pad (on the 2nd floor? Was HardiBacker not invented in 1978?), well - let's just say the timeline and the budget have expanded.

Yesterday was filled with hours of reno, bags of chunked up concrete lined up on the front stoop, and...

Baking. Yes, that time honored holiday tradition of attempting to look like I know how to bake. This year's Bake-Fest takes on special meaning given a new state ethics law that outlaws gift cards and "anything of value" for public school teachers.  Here's a preview of what Olivia & I made:

(more on those goodies in a post coming soon....)

As soon as I get time to do anything besides destroying drywall or mixing sugar and butter!  We've been so busy that lately that we haven't had a chance to blog about all the great meals we've been making. But here's a really good one I wanted to share.


Scallops with Creamy Bacon Corn Sauce (from Publix Apron's Simple Meals)


Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon
• 3/4 lbs scallops
• 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
• corn (can be removed from 3 ears fresh corn or use one can corn)
• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup diced onions
• 1/3 cup diced bell peppers
• 1/8 cup coarsely chopped chives
• 1 tbsp blackening seasoning
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• salt & papper

Directions:

1.  Preheat saute pan on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Put oil in pan,  add scallops and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden, opaque and firm. Remove from  pan, put on plate and cover to keep warm.

2. Cut bacon into small piece (use kitchen scissors.... it's easier!). Cook in pan 3-4 minutes until crisp. Drain bacon fat, reserving one tablespoon in pan. Stir in tomatoes, onions, and peppers (It's called a "Trinity Mix" -- anyone know why?!?!). Cook 2-3 minutes.

3. Combine blackening seasoning, half-and-half and corn; add to pan.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3-4 minutes more, stirring.

Transfer corn mixture to service dish and top with scallops and chives.

Yum!