Scallops with Mango Avocado Salsa

Before we get to the main event...may I just say that I've survived 2 ER shifts!  We have 16 total shifts in a 4 week span, and it will be a whirlwind, to put it lightly.  I really like it, but it's crazy.  It's basically organized chaos, especially at a Level 1 inner city trauma center.  I had my first shift on the "medicine" side, and my second on the "trauma" side (which is basically medicine patients, but any trauma that rolls in goes over there).  I've gotten to do an ABG (arterial blood gas...not fun for anyone), start an IV, draw blood, and push the last round of epinephrine into an OD that came in pulseless (and by the way, cardiac arrests do NOT look like they do on Grey's Anatomy).  On a final note, I'll be "swing shifting" (any combination of days/pms/nights for the next month), so if the blog falls apart, well, I'm doing my best.

Ok so scallops with mango avocado salsa...I've never made this recipe.  I found it for my dad for his "Men in the Kitchen" adventure in an appetizer book I received last year from a friend.  It sounded good and fit our island theme.  My parents did try it this past weekend and had rave reviews.  They said that the salsa was super well flavored, (my dad said, "there's a lot of stuff going on there"), and the scallops were a fun new seafood to work with besides fish and shrimp.  Just don't overcook your scallops...sear them and take the off the heat.

Scallops with Mango Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Williams Sonoma Food Made Fast Small Plates cookbook

1 1/4 lb bay or sea scallops, muscles removed
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice (7-8 limes)
1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Hot sauce to taste
1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into small cubes
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into small cubes

Cook the scallops:  In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp of canola oil until hot but not smoking.  Working in batches, sear scallops on each side for 1-2 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.  Transfer to plate.

Marinate the scallops:  In a bowl, combine the lime juice, cilantro, 2 tsp salt, pepper flakes and hot sauce.  Add the scallops and toss.  Gently stir in the mango and avocado.  Spoon into martini glasses and serve.

Tomato Basil Tartlets

How is it Sunday already?  This has been a relaxing weekend, but OB/GYN is calling...I have 3 days of "orientation", then the first two weeks of mine will be spent "on-call"...this means I'm in-house overnight...for like 16 hours, on labor and delivery.  I'm sure I'll have stories to tell.  I'm willing to bet that crazy things and great learning happen at 2 am...I'll just have to bring coffee, LOTS of coffee.

Side note: see the end of this post for evidence of a large victory in our dog ownership...we have a good leash walker (finally!).

As promised, here is the recipe for these super cute little appetizers I made last night:  Tomato Basil Tartlets.  I went to a farmers market on Friday, and got really excited about the beautiful tomatoes and basil.  

The recipe is a variation of a dish that we had at my Aunt Denna and Uncle Rod's house last summer.  It was delicious then in a full-pie form, and making them in muffin tins turns them into convenient portable appetizers.  Yum!

I used a store-bought pie crust and used a coffee cup to cut out small circles.  If you want to make your own crust, Godspeed but I think they turned out nice and flaky with minimal effort on my part :)

Pre-bake the crusts before adding the filling, then it's just a matter of adding cheese-basil-tomatoes (in that order), and baking again.  Easy!

Tomato Basil Tartlets
1 store bought pie crust
1 cup chopped basil
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise or sour cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Unroll pie crust onto floured surface.  Cut into circles that are slightly larger than your muffin tin diameter.  Gently place rounds into greased muffin tin, being careful not to stretch the dough too much.  Bake until the crusts are slightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Combine garlic, mozzarella, mayonnaise and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.  When the crusts are cooled, dollop a small spoonful of filling into each tart.  Top with a sprinkle of fresh chopped basil and arrange tomato slices on top.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and cheese is melted and bubbly.  Great served warm or at room temperature, perfect for a party!

Success!!

Lady has had a great weekend watching the PGA Championship golf tournament with dad.  She also accomplished walking nice on a leash (without her Gentle Leader, a head harness thing used for dogs that pull) for our ENTIRE walk.  Let me explain how great of an accomplishment this is:  she had no clue how to walk on a leash when we adopted her...she pulled sooo badly that her neck would turn red!  We used the Gentle Leader head collar for like 2 months, and under advisement of our trainer, we have been slowly trying to wean her off.  Well this morning, Peter was feeling adventurous and wanted to try the entire walk without it.  She stayed right by our side!!  Here's some proof: