First find!!! Morels!!!!

So I went Morel hunting with my Mom, Grandma, Lily and her bunny. First 20 seconds into it. I found my first Morel mushroom and 5 inches long, talk about beginners luck. The second one was a while later after my Grandma found hers. Lets see what I can make with them!!

Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon and Spinach

 Woww.......this was so good! Well of course it had bacon but it was really good. This recipe was from Cooking Light but I changed it by adding Ramps since that is what this week is all about or as long as I have ramps and can find them they will be on the menu. I also added orzo because I thought it would pair well with Scallops and Spinach. For the side I found Kumoto heirloom tomatoes @ Caputo's here in Chicago http://caputomarkets.com/ with fresh mozzarella and 18yr.old balsamic vinegar. So even with the bacon this recipe is super low fat, Enjoy!

• 3 center-cut bacon slices ( I used aged peppered bacon)
• 1 1/2 lbs. jumbo sea scallops (I used small scallops and shrimp)
• 1/4 tsps. plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion (I used 1 cup of chopped Ramps)
• 6 garlic cloves , sliced
• 12 oz. fresh baby spinach
• 4 lemon wedges

1. Cook bacon in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tbsp. drippings in pan;coarsely chop and set bacon aside. Increase heat to high
2. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle scallops evenly with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Add scallops to drippings in pan;cook 2 1/2 min. 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 min., stirring frequently. Add half of spinach; cook 1 min.. Add remaining half of spinach; cook 2 min., or just until wilted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat;stir in remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and remaining 1/8 tsp. pepper. Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates; top each serving evenly with crumbled bacon and 3 scallops. Serve immediately

calories 323  fat 6.5g
Cooking Light May 2010 issue

Welcome and Enjoy!

So I've been talking about this blog forever and have taken so many pictures of our dinners. Why, well because we are just a little obsessed about our food and that's an understatement. We read a lot when it comes to ethnic recipes and we can't seem to get enough. So why don't we just start....................................

 Okay, my newsest obsession is Ramps , they're native to Chicagoland. The name "Chicago" is a French rendering of the Native American word  shikaakwa, meaning "wild onion" or "smelly onion". Chicago was
once marshland and full of Ramps (wild leeks) and you can still find them in forest preserves and near riverbeds.
They are now a hard to get ingredient for high end restaurants just like Morel mushrooms which they pair with wonderfully. So I decided to hit the Chicagoland forest preserves and what did I find?? RAMPS !!!!!! Not a lot
but enough and I'm so happy! They are full of garlicky, oniony yumminess :) So far I've made Ramp Risotto which turned out awesome but we will get back to that since I need to get the pictures from John and Rebecca, Ramp dip, which was somewhat like onion dip and was pretty tasty. The newest Ramp recipe was this incredible pizza with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto, arugula, and I added Ramps instead of shallots. I also grill my pizza crust because the flavor is wonderful, kinda reminds me of a wood burning oven flavor. Here is the recipe and you can make your own pizza dough (super easy) or buy pre made dough from your local Italian grocery store.

• cornmeal for dusting
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp. greshly ground black pepper
• sundried tomatoes , rehadrated with hot water 4oz , cut into slices
• handfull of Ramps, finely chopped
• 3/4 c. crumbled goat cheese or more :)
• 1 1/2 TBSP. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 TBSP minced fresh chives
• 1 c. arugula or more :)
• 1 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto or more :)
• 1 oz. Parmigiano shaved
• pizza dough

 So, if you made your dough or bought it, when it is done raising dust your board with cornmeal and roll out to desired shape. Spray top of the dough with olive oil and lay the top face down on your grill. Grill until it starts to bubble, move it around to so it does not char ( a big spatula really helps with this). Take off of the grill but remember to spray the top side of dough with olive oil and put the grilled side up on wooden cutting board.
Next, mix 1 TBSP olive oil with thyme, pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, ramps, and 1/4tsps salt; toss gently.
Top pizza dough with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes mix and finish with prosciutto. Grill until cheese is melted , watch pizza crust and move around to prevent charring. When it is finished sprinkle with parsley and chives. Toss Arugula with 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil and arrange on top of pizza. Top with Parmiginano- Reggiano cheese and cut into wedges...............3-4 servings.

Enjoy, it is so awesome!!!!

The first picture is the pizza and the second one is Lily's favorite green olive, mushroom and sausage, a tasty one too!

This a picture of the Fabulous Ramp "Wild Leek" I found in the forest. Isn't lovely :) I think so :)