Bring home the bacon

I just love trying something new.

I’ve had this 30-Minute Supper magazine lying on the coffee table for about two months now. It’s packed with yummy looking recipes that I’ve been itching to try. Sunday’s weather was just perfect for grilling out, so we decided to try the bacon-wrapped scallop recipe.

It was perfect.

I mean anything wrapped in bacon is awesome, right? The recipe called for apple jelly, but I decided to substitute the jelly with my homemade fig preserves. I really liked the smokey, fire-grilled flavor paired with the richness of the figs. It was a great slip-into-fall taste.

But wanna know the real star of the meal? It was the celery-apple salad. The crunchiness of the celery combined with the sweet, tartness of the Granny Smith apples was such an interesting combination. The entire meal was packed with flavor and texture. I couldn’t help but stop every other bite and exclaim, “My gosh this is good!”

Photos by {Blue Eyed Yonder} and her Mister

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops Skewers with Celery and Apple Salad
adapted from America’s Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers

4 tbsp fig preserves
8 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise
16 large sea scallops (about 1 pound)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp cider vinegar
4 tsp Dijon mustard
5 tbsp olive oil
6 celery ribs, sliced thin on the bias, leaves reserved
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks

In microwave safe bowl, microwave fig preserves on high power until bubbly, 30-60 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, spread out bacon pieces on microwave-safe plate over 4 layers of paper towels and cover with 2 layers of paper towels. Microwave bacon on high power until bacon fat begins to melt but is still pliable, 1-2 minutes.

Rinse scallops and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk 2 tablespoons fig preserves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne pepper in bowl. Toss scallops and bacon in fig mixture. Wrap piece of bacon around each scallop. Using four, 10-inch metal skewers, skewer 4 on each skewer.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons fig preserves with vinegar, mustard, and olive oil. Toss dressing with celery, celery leaves, and apples. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Grill scallops, with surface of bacon touching grill, over medium fire until scallops are cooked and bacon is crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with celery-apple salad.

Posted 9/26/11, Topic: Eats

ViewMaster

Growing up, my sister and I had a box full of view-master slides. Actually, it wasn’t a box, it was a little, red “Going to Grandma’s” suitcase. (Which I have spied more and more at flea markets. It’s funny when the toys you had growing up are considered “vintage”.) I’m really not sure what ever happened to our slides. Hopefully we still have them somewhere buried amongst our baby clothes and old stuffed animals.

While on our flea market vacation, as I plundered through tables and tables of flea market goodies, I stumbled upon a box full of view-master slides. Apparently whoever had once owned this slide collection did a lot of traveling. There were slides they had collected from all over the world: London, Egypt, Hawaii and more.

Of course the Hawaii slides were special to me. That’s where Mr. Blue Eyed Yonder and I got engaged, and one year later that’s where we got married. Who would have ever thought that such a tiny island in the Pacific would hold such special memories for us?

I didn’t know what I would do with these slides, I just knew for some reason they were special to me. A tiny souvenir of someone else’s travels, now a keepsake and reminder of our time on the island.

I can’t help but wonder… What was their trip like? Where did they stay and what did they see? It feels kind of neat having this connection to people we will never know. I think that’s part of the allure of collecting pieces from the past. It gives us a glimpse into history and allows us to touch a part of time that has long passed.

Photos by {Blue Eyed Yonder}

Posted 9/22/11, Topic: Vintage Finds

Number Crunchin’

If it works, how it works… that’s all secondary.

It has little buttons, little numbers, and the paint’s been”loved” off – that’s pretty much all that mattered to me.

I get a smile on my face each time I walk by and spy the little vintage adding machine. In my head I can hear the clickity-click of her buttons. Such a fun conversation piece. As a bonus, I just found out my Dad has a manual for a similar machine in a box of stuff from back in the day when he use to own an antique store. I can’t wait to flip through that manual and learn more about the piece. Who knows, a little elbow grease and I may get it to work.

Photos by {Blue Eyed Yonder}

Posted 9/19/11, Topic: Vintage Finds

Goodbye Summer

Well folks, summer is sadly coming to an end. I guess that’s why Labor Day weekend is always kind of bittersweet to me. Gone are the lazy days by the pool, the backyard barbeques, staying up late and catching lightning bugs.

Summer is so sweet and always holds such fun memories. So get out there this weekend and have yourself one more summer hoorah before we welcome that crisp fall weather.

(On a total side note, I keep singing the title to this post to the tune of Bye Bye Birdie. Man Men anyone?)

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!

These vintage summer pics are from the lovely site of Miss Moss. I fell in love with her site the first time I laid eyes on it. It’s such a playground for vintage inspiration. Her ‘vintage’ category is one I return to again and again.

Posted 9/2/11, Topic: Blog

Grit and Steel

Photo via Grit and Steel

While I’m out browsing fun vintage treasures, I thought you should get to peek at a few yourself. Thanks to a tweet by Ginny, I discovered the beautiful world of Grit and Steel. Such lovely, industrial-style pieces. Definitely a dip into the more rugged and raw side of ‘vintage’.

What kind of vintage treasures are you drawn to? Do you like the soft and pretty look of shabby chic or the hard and streamline look of industral pieces. I have to admit I’m torn, I like a healthy mixture of both.

Posted 9/1/11, Topic: Blog