Seared Scallops with Wine Butter and Roasted New Potatoes, Fennel, and Green Beans

First the veg--take little potatoes (I used red skins, but any small ones will be fine) and cut them into quarters. Then slice some fennel (I used half a bulb to about a dozen little tatoes, but you can use more or less to taste) and toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put them in a 425 degree oven.
In the meantime, pick the stem end off the green beans. They get thrown in later, after the potatoes have started to brown. Roast until tender and fragrant (especially the fennel).
The pour the olive oil off the pan and add some white wine. Let it reduce until it is bubbling all over and is about half of what you started with. Add some butter and swirl until it incorporates and is bubbling in every area of the pan. Once it is, pour over the seared scallops. Add some chopped fennel for color.
Then plate the potato-fennel-green bean roast.
(Thanks to Mary McHugh for this combination about a thousand Thanksgivings ago!)

Night Two

Warm Orzo Salad with Steamed Kale, Red Beans, Sliced chicken and Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette with Locatelli

Make the dressing first so that you can add it to the warm ingredients. They will soak up the dressing better that way.

In the bowl of a food processor (comes out creamy this way)
Vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic.
Whiz.
Add a couple of sundried tomatoes.
Whiz again.
Add olice oil.
One more whiz.

Combine steamed kale, cooked orzo, red beans and sliced chicken in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss. Add finely grated Locatelli.

Two Dinners

Night Number One

Chicken thighs with Miso-Sesame Barbecue Sauce
Kale sauteed with garlic, onions, vinegar and Tabasco
Jasmine Rice

For the barbecue sauce:
Any kind of miso (the one in the picture is particularly dark Korean miso)
light bodied vinegar (originally rice vinegar, but we didn't have any so I used red wine vinegar)
sugar (be generous--it's what makes the sauce kind of glazey)
sesame oil (dark)
sesame seeds (either white or black. I used both.)

For the kale:
Chop (I like to chiffonade, which makes ribbons) the kale and blanch or steam it until bright green and tender. Sautee the onions until soft, then add kale, and garlic. When you can smell the garlic, add a little vinegar and hot sauce to taste. Salt and black pepper.