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.

Nanny used to make this and it became one of my favorite holiday side dishes, and just a few weeks before she died, she sent me her recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchinis (sliced 1/4″ thick)
• 2 medium tomatoes (seeded/diced)
• 1 small head of cauliflower (broken into small florettes)

Instructions
Combine vegetables in a bowl. Pour Italian salad dressing (or desired mixture of oil & vinegar) over vegetable mixture. Let it set for several hours*. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

*For optimal results, let sit overnight in refrigerator.