Our Baby is 30!

Our Baby is 30!

How can it be that one minute you have a little one and then before you know it that baby is turning 30? Obviously, he’s aging but not me! Ha!  Birthdays most often involve food of some kind—snacks, ice cream and cake and the like. Our son’s various birthdays often involved parties with friends sometimes at home with games on the driveway and treats in the screened in porch or sometimes in exotic places like a bowling alley or the local movie theater. For quite a few years I made a checkerboard cake for his birthday that he seemed to love! Aside from the parties with friends, I would often ask him what he wanted for his birthday dinner. Over the years I had a lot of fairly predictable responses except the year he turned five. That year, my husband and I knew he was no ordinary kid. When asked what he'd like for his special dinner, he didn’t miss a beat and said, “scallops, wild rice and peas, please.” I have to admit I was somewhat stunned. I just wasn’t expecting that response. I think I was expecting chicken nuggets or mac and cheese. So, to mark this milestone birthday, we’ll be having scallops, wild rice and peas, please. We can’t dine together since we’ve so many miles between us, but we’ll savor our meal along with the sweet memories of raising our son who I might add has grown into an extraordinary 30-year-old man! Happy Birthday, Kiddo!

Birthday Dinner

Scallops

Wild Rice (see revision)

Peas with Tarragon

Scallops

1 lb sea scallops

Salt and pepper

Dried marjoram

Olive oil

Unsalted butter

½ cup dry wine (I like Sauvignon Blanc-which you can then also enjoy with the dinner)

Balsamic vinegar

Heat a T of olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pat scallops dry and add to skillet and cook 3 minutes on each side. While each side is cooking sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and marjoram. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add wine and vinegar to pan and cook about 3 minutes stirring with whisk-add the scallops back and stir around and plate! Yum

Wild Rice (revised)

So, have you ever gone to your pantry shelves right before it’s time to cook a certain item and realize oops, thought I had that-guess I don’t? Happened to me and I luckily did spot some whole-wheat orzo while digging around in there for something worthy of my scallops!

Wild Rice morphed into Whole Wheat Orzo with Feta and Fresh Basil

Cook 1 cup whole-wheat orzo in boiling water, drain and mix with feta cheese and fresh basil and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Peas with Tarragon

Cooked frozen peas, drain, dot with some unsalted butter, salt and pepper and tarragon.

Bon Appetit and Happy Birthday!