Pina Colada Scallop Brochetts, Almost-Famous Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I'm so excited about the response I had to starting my blog! Emails, messages on facebook, personal comments from co-workers! Makes me glad I finally did this! And, most of you get the concept. I post a recipe and you make it. That's not the case for my friend and former boss Alan, who asked me to send him some of that "good cooking"! Alan lives in Manhattan so actually cooking a meal is indeed a concept!

We moved to St. George in April of 2003. For the first 6 years, the 3 girls, the grandkids and a husband would coordinate a weekend and come visit and we would treat them to a show at the Tuacahn Ampitheatre. Tuacahn is in a beautiful red rock canyon and the shows are Broadway shows. It was always a great weekend of theater, shopping and good food. That was until last year. With the grandkids getting older, then 12, 10, 10, 6 and 4, their summer schedules were packed and they didn't make it down. Randy and I still went but it just wasn't the same. This year everybody except Jill and Kirsten were able to come. We missed them terribly! The show we saw was Crazy For You. Great singing and dancing.

So, I asked Jen and Denise if they had any special requests for dinner and Jen requested scallops. I have a great recipe that I have done a number of times so I decided on that. A couple of things to consider regarding this recipe. First get the largest scallops you can because they are easier to skewer. As you wash them, make sure you remove the "feet." On most scallops you will find a "foot" on the side about the size and shape of a fingernail. It is chewy so needs to be removed. The other thing you need to do is oil the grill well. You can't just spray the grill, you must put plenty of olive oil on a folded paper towel and liberally coat the grill so the scallops don't stick.

I needed another dish to go with the scallops. P F Chang's is one of my favorite restaurants but we don't have one here. My favorite thing to order when we do go is their chicken wraps. Food Network magazine came up with their Almost-Famous Chicken Lettuce Wraps knock-off so I did that as well.

If I'm doing a recipe for the first time I always get out little bowls and chop everyting up and get it ready before I start. I also get every ingredient I'll need out so that it is handy. I would do that for this recipe every time I do it! It is a little work but is well worth it.

So, here we go with the recipes!

Bon appetite and keep well until next time!

Pina Colada Scallop Brochettes

Large zip-top bag
Oil
wood or metal skewers
12 large sea scallops
1 can (10-ounce) frozen Bacardi pina colada mix, thawed
1/2 cup light Bacardi rum (can leave out if you prefer)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 onces fresh pinapple wedges, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup shredded coconut (can leave out if you prefer)

1. In a large zip-loc bag, combine scallops, thawed pina colada mix, rum, pepper, garlic and salt. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Gently massage bag to combine ingredients. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking.
3. Remove scallops from marinade, discard marinade. Alternately thread pinapple and scallops onto skewers. Skewer scallops through the sides so that the tops and bottoms are facing out.
4. Spread toasted coconut on a plate and set aside.
5. Place brochetts on hot, oiled grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until scallops are opaque and cooked through.
6. Remove from grill and immediately press both sides of brochettes into toasted coconut. Serve hot.

Almost-Famous Chicken Lettuce Wraps

For the chicken
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced.

For the stir-fry sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sause
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the noodles
2 bundles cellophane noodles
Peanut oil for frying

For the stir-fry

4 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 scallions; 2 minced, 2 cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 pound shitake mushrooms, stemmed and diced
3/4 cup diced water chestnuts
Small lettuce leaves, for serving
Soy sauce, chili paste and/or hot mustard for serving

1. Prepare the chicken. Whisk the egg white, cornstarch and rice wine in a bown. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minute.
2. Make the stir-fry sauce. Whisk 1/3 cup water, the oyster, hoisin and soy sauces, the rice wine and sesame oil in a bown, then whick in the cornstarch until dissolved.
3. Fry noodles: pull the noodles apart into sections. Heat 3/4 inch peanut oil in a medium saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer registers 380 degrees. Working in batches, press the noodles into the oil with a spatula until they puff 5 to 10 seconds. Drain on paper towels.
4. Make the stir-fry: heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet; when almost smoking, stir in the garlic, ginger, jalapeno and minced scallions, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and scallion peices and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the stir-fry sauce and chicken and cook 1 minute.
5. Make a bed of noodles on a platter and top with the chicken misture. Serve the noodels and stir-fry with lettuce leaves and soy sauce for dipping.