Meet the Abercrombie’sJamon … Jen … Taylor … Jordan (and a few others sprinkled in)

[courtesy: 2Spare.com]

I cooked up a batch of these for lunch today. Just look at these scallops! This is one of those things that I look at and think, “wow, look at that!” (FYI – tastes wow, too)

I would like to take this time to thank Alton Brown (Host of Good Eats, Feasting on Asphault and Iron Chef America) for shaping my culinary consciousness.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM … these were good! There aren’t many things that I have actually written a recipe for, but this is one, and it’s sure-fire not to disappoint:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp Crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
5 Garlic cloves – halved
6-7 U10 sized scallops
1 Lime wedge

Preparation:

1. Heat a 10″ or 12″ pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil to pan
3. Add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic halves to olive oil
4. Sauté so that pepper and garlic oils infuse the olive oil
5. Remove garlic halves once they become golden brown
6. With half of the Kosher salt, liberally season one side of scallops
7. Place scallops in pan, seasoned side down – DO NOT TOUCH FOR 3 MINUTES*
8. Season exposed side of scallops with remaining Kosher salt
9. After 3 minutes, flip each scallop – DO NOT TOUCH FOR 3 MINUTES*
10. After 3 minutes, remove scallops from pan
11. Squeeze lime juice over scallops and enjoy

* overcooking will result in tough, rubbery scallops
* undercooking will not allow the nice golden outer crust

uh, the foam/bubbles you see in the photo are from a little slice of butter that I added in this batch today.

Got these from my dad yesterday … Olan Mills Awesomeness

Those glasses came free with a purchase of Brut cologne

Thoughtful Lance. Mirthful Lance. Two sides of a delightful coin.

Drake won Bitchin’est Senior Mullet by a landslide.

That dude wore a tie for nothing.

The Purvis family made several stops along the Oregon Trail to document their six-month journey.

It’s called a leisure suit, ladies and germs, and if you didn’t have one in the early 70s, you were a big fat loser. Mine was teal. I wore it with a silk floral shirt and a long necklace with a football player pendant that we all got at that year’s team banquet. I was THE MAN.

OK, who farted?

A pose like this will get you kicked right out of the Convention.

Just a typical afternoon down on the plantation. In a business suit. Y’know, for a budget meeting with the slaves.

Dawn and her recently exhumed sister, Gorgotha, pose with Scraps.

This photo isn’t discolored. The 70s really were that Orange.

The Library might be more believable if the shelves weren’t sloping downhill.

It’s so cute when couples have matching hairdos.

B-52’s, the early years.

There were some more, but these were “good.” I may break the others out later.

We’re back. We left 12/21 and were gone for almost two weeks straight. Started in St. Louis and drove to Clarksville, Arkansas. From there to Springfield, Missouri to Kansas City and finally back to St. Louis.

We acquired many packages along the way, and in the end, this is what the van looked like:

Jam packed! It was a good trip. It’s good to be home … except it’s 4 degrees right now!!!!

Here’s to more in 2008.