Birthday delights

Typically when my parents visit for my birthday we go out to celebrate Saturday night. But because Valentine's Day was Sunday, and because there was a Republican presidential debate going on at the Peace Center, and we absolutely, positively did not want to get caught up in the love-struck couples and/or politically inclined crowds (not to mention security detail and traffic blocks), we went out on Friday night and decided to cook at home on Saturday.
 
I am personally a fan of this, because the older I get, the more I like doing things in which I can stay in my pajamas.

I wanted something easy so nobody felt any pressure or stress to cook; I wanted us all to be able to enjoy the evening, so we landed on making steaks. But to make it a little extra special birthday celebration, we got some scallops as well.

B cooked them up while I hung out on the sofa with my parents and a glass of wine. My mother doesn't like scallops, but even she liked these (which I couldn't believe). I mean, obviously, how wrong can you go with butter, white wine, and hot sauce?

The only thing we needed was a little seasoning. The original recipe didn't call for any salt or pepper on the scallops, and we thought it needed it. Just give them a little sprinkle, and this recipe is perfect. It also looked really impressive served on our adorable appetizer plates - great for a party.

If you like seafood (or apparently even if you don't), take a few minutes to make these. Your family/friends will thank you.

xoxo,
E, B,  Mom, and Dad

Hot birthday scallops

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil (we used olive)
12 U-8 scallops (aka, big ones)
3 tablespoons butter
1 whole lemon, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon Frank's red hot sauce (we used Texas Pete)
1/4 cup white wine
 
Directions:
Add oil and heat pan on medium-high heat.
Dry scallops well and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place scallops in pan and let them sit for 1 minutes without flipping.
After you've seared the scallops, flip them and add 1/4 stick of butter and spoon the butter on top of the scallops, in a basting motion.
Squeeze lemon juice over the top and cook for another minute or two, then remove from pan.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan on medium-high heat and add Frank's hot sauce and white wine.
Whisk together until the sauce thickens a bit.
Add sauce on a plate and top with scallops.
Enjoy - even if it's not your birthday.

Nutrition:
Are you kidding me? It was my birthday, give me a break.