Mix and Match Chocolate Bark

I made this this past weekend to send to they hubby. Thought it would be a nice change from all the cookies I've been sending him! I found this is the Dec. issue of Food Network magazing. It turned out so good, and was much easier than I expected! The best part is that you can add whatever toppings you like.

Chocolate Bark:

-1 pound of chocolate, bittersweet, semisweet, white, or half bitter or semisweet and half white chocolate.

Crunchy Topping Suggestions:
- almonds
-walnuts
-macadamia nuts
-pecans
-pistachios
-cashews
-pine nuts
-hazelnuts
-peppermints
-toffee
-nut brittle
-toasted coconut flakes
-banana chips
-broken cookies
-pretzels
-peanuts
-potato chips

Chewy Topping Suggestions:
-dried figs
-dried apricots
-dried cherries
-dried cranberries
-dried mangoes
-candied orange peel
-crystalized ginger
-marshmallows
-caramels

Spice Suggestions (optional):
-red pepper flakes
-flakey sea salt
-crushed cardamom seeds
-toasted fennel seeds
-crushed pink peppercorns

-Prepare your pan, line with foil, shiny side up. Smooth out all creases.
-Pick your ingredients. I used semisweet and white chocolate, pretzels, peanuts, and caramels.
-Chop your chocolate into 1/2 inch pieces with a large knife.
-Place all but 1 cup of the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. (For swirled bark, put all but 1/2 cup of each chocolate in 2 separate bowls)
-Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir with a rubber spatula. Continue microwaving at 30-second intervals until melted, 3-5 minutes total. (For swirled, microwave each separately at 15-second intervals)
-Immediately add the reserved chopped chocolate and to bowl(s) and stir vigorously until melted and shiny. Don't worry if there are a few small unmelted pieces.
-Pour chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet; use the rubber spatula to spread it into a 10-12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick-does not need to be exact.
-For swirled bark, pur the 2 chocolates side by side on the baking sheet and use the spatula to swirl them together.
-Add your toppings. Press them into the chocolate, arranging them so each bit has a mix of flavors and textures. Sprinkle with spices if you're using any.
-Let bark harden completely at room temperature, about 1 hour.
-Break into pieces (you may need to freeze for 5 minutes to make it easier, and so it doesn't melt under your fingers.

-Store in airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Pan-Seared Scallops

I've noticed that since Sean has deployed, I'm not cooking the same as when he's home. I'm eating lots of left overs, or anything I can put together quickly. I realized this while grocery shopping Friday, and decided I needed to treat myself to something really good! I went straight for the seafood case and got some scallops. There is nothing worse than over cooked scallops. They get tough very quickly, and that can be very intimidating to someone who's never made them.  And in all honesty, scallops are just too expensive to ruin! So follow the instructions careful, be observant of how quickly they are browning, and you will be just fine!

 

1. Quickly rinse scallops, and pat dry. Season lightly with coarse salt.

2. Heat your pan over high heat. Add 1 Tbs. unsalted butter and 1 Tbs. vegetable oil. (It needs to be HOT to sear them, you will want to see a tiny bit of smoke coming off the pan when it's ready)

3. Place scallops in hot pan. Don't overcrowd them, and DO NOT move them! They need to form a nice brown crust, that will take about 2 minutes. (this will depend on the size, 2 minutes for average sized scallops)

4. Cook for another minute or so, but don't over cook!! They will continue to cook after you take them off the heat! They should still be quite springy if you press on them, if they are firm-you've over cooked them.

5. Serve right away. They get rubbery if you wait to long. Serve with the beautiful caramel side facing up.

You can melt more butter to drizzle over. Great with pasta or veggies, very versatile! 

Pasta with Lemon-Cream Sauce

With my husband being deployed, my time is so limited for cooking. So when I'm looking for recipes, it's gotta look pretty darn easy or it's getting passed up. When I first saw this recipe I thought, "oh that looks so good, therefor probably a pain"...luckily I read it, and this is beyond simple. Because it is so simple it is important that you do this right. Salt your water, this is the key to any good pasta. Your pasta water should taste like the sea, this takes more salt than you think, so you should actually taste test it if you aren't sure.  Don't forget to save some pasta water before you drain your pasta! Also make sure you check for seasoning, the right amount of salt will really bring out the flavor of the lemon, and too much pepper could easily over power this sauce. I used bucatini. I thought the small tubes would hold the sauce perfectly, which it did, but let's face it-there's no polite way to eat it. Unless they make different sizes of Bucatini..? I was very excited to find it at the grocery store today, since here in Mountain Home things like Bucatini are hard to find...ha ha. So anyways, this Bucatini was very wide, and impossible to twirl. However I did manage to get it to my mouth...and enjoyed this dish thoroughly. Next time I will use the fettucini it calls for. I made seared scallops to go with, but that will have to be a separate post.

Pasta with Lemon-Cream Sauce
(if you like, add 1 cup fresh broccoli or frozen peas to the pasta just before it's done)

-coarse salt & ground pepper (use fresh cracked, it makes a difference!)
-1 pound linguine (or whatever pasta you want to use...)
-1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
-2 shallots, minced
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 tsp. grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tbs. lemon juice (this about all the zest and juice from one lemon)

-In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
-Meanwhile, in a small pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes.
-Add cream and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
-Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Pour cream sauce over pasta and toss, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to create a thing sauce to coat pasta.