Scallops and Shrimp With Asparagus

If you've been following me lately, you know that I'm a Wheat Belly practitioner.  So, the simple object is to avoid "grains" altogether.

Tonight I was craving some seafood; scallops and shrimp, to be exact.  I came up with this real quick and easy way to prepare this type of seafood without much mess and fuss, and "real" bread.

I bought 8 large, raw, scallops and shrimp, and a can of cut asparagus.  I kind of wish I'd bought only asparagus tips, because in a can of "cut asparagus", you always find one of two tough stringy pieces.  This bite always makes me rethink the purchase, but I do love asparagus!  If I'd had more time, I would have sautéed my own, using butter; next time.

Anyway, I put pats of butter around the bottom of two oven friendly bowls, and placed a scallop on top of each piece.  Around the edges, of my bowl, I placed the shrimp. 

In another pan, I heated olive oil (real California), salt, pepper, garlic, and minced up sun dried tomatoes.  I poured the thoroughly heated mixture over the scallops and shrimp.  I then crumbled "Wheat Belly Herbed Focaccia Flatbread" (made earlier) over the top.

I already had the oven heating to 450 degrees, so I popped the dishes in for 10 minutes.  That's all it takes!  If the shrimp is pink, then it's all done.

When the asparagus is heated, remove the dishes from the oven, section the scallops into 4 bites each, and place on a plate along side the vegetable.  It's good!

KUNG PAO SCALLOPS WITH A TOUCH OF GRANDDAUGHTER

My granddaughter, Kaitlyn (Katie Bug we call her), spent the night with us last night, and usually we have a big breakfast together, however, today was Judy's "girlfriend luncheon" day, so there was no breakfast.  Judy did not feel like breaking the date, since it had been planned for a month, so Katie and I decided to have an "adventure" day.

She and I used to have "ventures", as she called them (as I've written before), when she was a little thing, and I always cherished those times.  Today was no exception, except that it was more of a lunch date rather than a ride through the country side or a hike.

She decided she wanted to go to P. F. Chang's, so off we went through the rain to Knoxville.

The place was filled with the "sad" working lunch crowd, and it felt so good to know I was retired and didn't have to rush through a meal and get back to work.  We took our time, knowing the only thing we had to rush back to was maybe a nap!

We continued the conversations we had on the 40-mile ride over our "hot and sour" soup appetizer.  She is quite a conversationalists, and very knowledgeable about current events, and worries a lot about the struggles of people today.  We talked about gun and drug control, and various ways they could be controlled, a little politics, school classes, and, of course, boyfriends.

I love these talks.  It helps me get into her mind, and possibly instill some guidance or direction from my life's experience.  Bottom line...I thoroughly enjoyed our day!  I love her so much, and these times help me worry less about her while she's away at school, and her future.

She ordered the CRISPY HONEY SHRIMP, and, as usual, I went for the spicy KUNG PAO SCALLOPS, stir-fried with peanuts, chili peppers and scallion!  I love the "hot bite" of this dish, and the crunch of the peanuts. Both dishes were suburb! I can say that because I tasted of her's too! 

Thank you sweetheart, for the lovely day!  I hope you and Papaw get to enjoy many more days like this in the future.  You are special to me and I'll never forget our time together.

FAMILY DINNING AT CARRABBA'S

Nope, I haven’t been spending much time here anymore and I suppose I’m sorry, but the time away has been well spent and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I have been completing my physical therapy for my second shoulder operation, had almost a weeklong visit from my blogging buddy FatHairyBastard, and it’s been so hot that I haven't cooked much.

Now, if you visited Mushy’s Moochings, you know that I have been eating well – lots of food shots there from last week’s visit, but cooking inside, and especially outside on the grill, is just out of the question right now.

Tonight the eight of us dinned at Carrabba’s Italian Grill!

Here is a shot of their bar, which, to me, gives the place an overall rating of a B+. There are only weak, light colored domestics on tap, and the only “pale ale” they had in bottles was New Castle, and of course there was Guinness! I have to admit I enjoyed all three I had, but the super frosty mugs made all the difference!

I started with an order of Calamari, which is lightly battered then fried to tender, crisp, golden brown, and served with a marinara sauce.

The other end of the table ordered Cozze In Bianco, which is fresh Canadian Cove mussels from Prince Edward Island that are steamed in white wine, basil, lemon butter and Pernod. I didn’t like them as much as the ones at Bone Fish, so I stuck primarily with the Calamari!

Three of the outstanding dishes were:

CHICKEN BRYAN

Grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce.

CHICKEN MARSALA

Grilled chicken breast topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and our Lombardo Marsala wine sauce.

SPIEDINO DI MARE

Shrimp and sea scallops coated with Italian breadcrumbs, grilled and topped with lemon butter sauce.

I would post some of the family shots, but you would not believe some of the weird faces I caught tonight – one eye open one closed, wrinkled noses, and squinted eyes…too much for the blog to handle.

Well, that’s it for this visit…maybe I’ll stick with it…we’ll see. I know, this seems to be a running theme of a couple of my blogs, but I need to spend more time at Mushy’s. Oh, have you seen my new header…I need feedback…thus far it’s a split decision!

SERIOUS BACK SLIDING!

Saturday was family day with dinner out in Knoxville. This week the Dragons chose Bonefish Grill. It’s a wonderful place on Parkside Drive, in the Turkey Creek shopping area. They seem to have a handle on fresh fish and always have at least 7 selections.

The appetizer choices for the six of us were:
Bang Bang Shrimp - Tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce.
Mussels Josephine - Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce.
Saucy Shrimp - Sautéed in a lime tomato garlic sauce with Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

This probably sounds like a lot, but there was nothing left!

The crew settled on these entrees:
Alaskan Halibut with pasta and vegetables
Cedar Plank Salmon with vegetables
Scallops and Shrimp with Oscar* sauce and rice

*(Oscar Sauce is lump crab meat, asparagus, and a lemon butter sauce)

The wine choice was Beringer White Zinfandel, while the men settled for Miller Lite (btl), Sierra Nevada (btl), and New Castle draft. The draft choices at Bonefish are very limited. To us Knights, this drops the overall rating to an A-!

For more action, see Mushy's Moochings!

TAKING COMFORT FROM A DEAD LOBSTER

I know, I haven’t been cooking much lately, but it’s a little awkward with one wing in a sling. That’s why I’ve been seeking refuge and the easiest way out lately.

Tonight, we celebrated (early) my daughter’s 41st birthday at the Dead, I mean Red Lobster.

I usually stick to the usual Admirals Feast, all fried and such, but tonight I decided to spread my wings (so to speak) with something new from the menu:

- Margarita Lobster, Shrimp and Scallops - Skewered and fire-grilled with southwestern seasonings, then topped with tequila-lime sauce and pico de gallo. Served over wild rice pilaf.

My granddaughter chose:

- Crab Linguini Alfredo - Sweet crabmeat tossed in a Parmesan cream sauce on a bed of linguini. It was a hit with her, as you can see by the toothpick (at the table) she’s using.

My wife and daughter stuck to the traditional “have it your way” fried shrimp!

SCALLOP STIR-FRY

My wife has been under the weather for the last 3 weeks, so cooking has been pretty much left up to me. That’s okay, she can wait on me next week after I have my shoulder operation!

Any, here’s a quick meal that will satisfy your hunger and your taste buds.

- Heat some olive oil and a large helping of minced garlic in a large skillet.
- Toss in a package of frozen scallops.
- Salt and pepper the scallops as they begin to cook, and then generously sprinkle some hot crushed red pepper over them.
- Toss in a large handful of almonds.
- When the scallops are cooked through (about 10 minutes), dump in 2 or 3 handfuls of Birds Eye Thai Stir-Fry frozen vegetables.
- Add extra onions…they never have enough in those packages for my taste!
- Add a generous squeeze of honey to the mixture and about of 1/3 bottle of Kikkoman Stir-Fry Sauce.
- Salt and pepper the vegetables once again to taste.

The vegetables should only take about 12 to 15 minutes to cook tender.

Serve in a bowl (if you are a caveman), or on a plate with rice if you want the full carb treat!

KUNG PAO CAVEMAN?

Six of us went to the Knoxville Travel Show today that was held on the Convention Center near the World’s Fair site. It was $5 to get in and we picked up lots of brochures and free travel gear. The highlight, if there was one, was the Holland Great Land cruises to Alaska. My wife and I have wanted to go back for over 10 years.

Holland has a tour that is boat, train, and bus that would be great if we could afford it. The trip lasts 21 days with 2 nights in Denali National Park! I think we started saving today!

Anyway, Judy’s sister Terri and her husband Steve joined us for supper (that’s dinner to you Yankees) at P. F. Chang’s, which is one of my favorite places in Knoxville. It wasn’t quite caveman, but Caveman has been wanting some seafood with spices, some nuts, a little brown rice, and some Kirin Ichiban.

We began (and I forgot to thank them for buying the appetizer) with CHANG`S CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS, which is quickly cooked spiced chicken served with cool lettuce cups and hot sauce.

I had the KUNG PAO SCALLOPS AND SHRIMP, which are quick-fired with peanuts, chili peppers, and scallions. My hot favorite! The only other thing I might try instead next time was what Steve ordered. He ordered a new dish called SHRIMP AND SWEET GLAZED WALNUTS, and it was very tasty!

The plate photo in no way represents the total meal…that’s just what I moved to my plate showing off with my chopsticks! Believe me; you will be full when you leave!

As usual, no room for desserts!

THREE WAY SCALLOPS

The wife and I just completed an 8 day, planes, boats, buses, and trains (lots of trains) tour of New England. As they say there, we were "leaf peepas!"

This wonderful bacon wrapped, fried, and broiled scallop and rice dish from Legal Sea Food on Park Square in Boston was terrific. Had we not had the lobster at Cape Cod, on the last night of the trip (soon to be posted), this would have clearly been the stand out dish!

Read more about the "leaf peeper" trip at Mushy's Moochings!