Hope winter is treating you well! January was a bit of a busy month for me! I had carpal tunnel release surgery done on both of my hands, while still having events to put out at Backstage. Thanks to my staff, everything went smoothly and we continued as if nothing happened! Also, for those who know me, this will be my fourth year participating for St. Baldricks! March is coming up fast and I’ll again be braving the shave and doing what I can to help raise money for childhood cancer research! If you would like to donate, follow the link below!

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/NicoleHoida

For this month’s recipe, I decided to go a little more in depth and give a three course menu idea for you to prepare for that special someone in your life! Happy Valentine’s Day to all of our followers!

From the Kitchen of Chef Nicole:

For the Salad: Arugula, fresh cherries, Pine Nuts, chevre, pomegranate vinaigrette For the Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup pomegranate juice 1/3 cup red wine vinegar ½ cup canola oil 2 TBSP sugar Lemon pepper Pinch of salt For Scallops and Artichokes: Cut whole artichoke in half, drizzle canola oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down. Serve on plate. (To eat, peel out the petals, excluding the “woody” tops) The heart will be the softest. Marinate scallops in Pesto (fresh basil, sautéd garlic and shallots, toasted pine nuts, Romano cheese, olive oil and salt and pepper... puree through food processor.) Sear the scallops on a medium high heat. Depending on size, this should only be a minute or two per side. For Strawberries: Melt chocolate, dip the strawberries and let cool or serve warm. Dip into whipped cream or be as creative as you would like!