I started to realize around the age of 27-28 just how obsessive I was about cooking. At this age I started asking for cooking gifts rather than wanting jewelry, handbags and shoes as I did in my youth. I remember one poor boyfriend who gave me a muffin tin for Xmas. I was 21 at the time and I thought to myself WTF...actually it would have been ok if I had thought to myself but as you all know my style is more the lack of filter kind so the WTF actually came out of my mouth. The poor guy really had good intentions but at that point in my life I had a no domestic gift rule...now I can't get enough of them. Don't worry he had other issues as well but I do remember that muffin tin clear as day. Today however I am that girl that asks for domestic gifts and dreams of getting toaster ovens and knife sets instead of diamonds...don't get me wrong diamonds are great but that is just not my hearts desire.

One of the best gifts I have ever received was my set of Henckel knives. They are the sharpest set of knives I have owned and they are the perfect weight so you don't have to push too hard, saw or hack the hell out of your food. They also have handles that fits perfectly in my hand. I lost my first set to a divorce and so when I got these Henckels as a gift I knew this was a love that would last forever. They have knives for any cutting job-serrated for bread, steak well for steak and butcher for cutting the big stuff. The company began in 1895 and its a German company. They make their knives out of steel and the set I have also has steel handles so they won't warp or get funky handles (yes that is a technical term). If you are looking for good knives I truly recommend this brand. And for clarification this is not a paid endorsement...I am still a poor lowly government worker.



If you are local in the Ventura County area I have a great beer tasting room to recommend called Enegren. The beer is made by 2 local brothers who grew up in Moorpark and one of their college buddies. They have a tasting room at 680 Flinn Ave #31and its open on the weekends. Currently they have 4 beers on tap and they are all really smooth and easy to drink. They make and bottle the beer on site and as we learned Saturday is actually production day so if you want to see them in action that is the day to stop by. Everyone is super friendly and its a cool little whole in the wall. You can buy growlers, tshirts and mugs but they can't sell beer by the glass so don't be disappointed...you do have to take it home after tasting.




So I tried 2 recipes I wanted to share. The first one is Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon and Spinach. This recipe is really good, very light and good for you as it is a Cooking Light recipe. The amount of time listed on the recipe for cooking the scallops is spot on....it truly is perfect...and this is an art form because scallops are touchy. You cook them too long and they are rubbery and if you pull them off too early and they are slimy but the 2 1/2 minutes on each side really is perfect.

• 3 center-cut bacon slices 
• 1 1/2 pounds jumbo sea scallops (about 12)
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced *** I know this sounds like a lot of garlic but it tastes really good ***
• 12 ounces fresh baby spinach 
• 4 lemon wedges (optional) ***I put this on the plate but I don't know why cause it didn't do anything ***

Preparation

1. 1. Cook bacon in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; coarsely chop and set bacon aside. Increase heat to high.
2. 2. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle scallops evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add scallops to drippings in pan; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer to a plate; keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add half of spinach; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add remaining half of spinach; cook 2 minutes or just until wilted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates; top each serving evenly with crumbled bacon and 3 scallops. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, if desired.