I waited until I could get to Wegman’s today to get my scallops.  I haven’t had them in a while, and have really been in the mood for them.  I sometimes wish we lived in DC, or at least a lot closer, so we could take advantage of the fresh fish markets.  But, we don’t, so I have to make do with the options out here in the country.  You want fabulous cow, chicken, lamb, or pork…no problem.  We have farms all over the place.  But really fresh fish?  So, Wegman’s is my vendor of choice for that.  I’ve purchased scallops from Wegman’s before, but the ones I got today were just in a whole other class.  I made a really butter-y Riesling sauce, then I pan-seared the scallops in a little oil, after sprinkling them with some sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper.  I actually intended to get a bottle of Pinot Gris for the sauce, but I passed by the French Rieslings…and the bottle of ’07 Trimbach (with the nice Wine Spectator 91 rating) jumped out at me from the shelves.  It was earthy and mineral-y, and completely French – really nice in the sauce, and to drink.

So, I know I’ve been absent for a while.  I did a LOT of cooking over the past week.  There’s nothing else to do when you are forced to stay indoors because the streets, and your freakin’ long gravel driveway, aren’t plowed out after 4 feet of snow fell between two blizzards in less than a week.  I attempted pizza dough one night.  Baking is still seriously my Achilles heel.  The dough wasn’t bad…but it didn’t have the texture it should have.  And it didn’t really puff up in the oven.  It’s a work in progress.  My homemade pizza sauce, however, was fabulous.  And I love that I can throw anything on a pizza and my daughter will eat it.  We busted out of the house last Friday, and then I didn’t cook all weekend.  Back to my fun this week!  And I have Brasserie Beck to look forward to on Saturday.  My daughter’s 14th birthday is coming up next week, and this is her pick for birthday dinner.  And Kirstin is flying in on Saturday night!  She’s on her way back to London from New Orleans….can’t wait to see her!