🐚 Scallops: A Neighborhood Delicacy

Posted on October 2, 2025September 29, 2025 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

🐚 Scallops: A Neighborhood Delicacy Worth Celebrating

It seems like all I do these days is write or talk about food—and honestly, I’m not mad about it. This time, I’m diving into one of my all-time favorite seafoods: scallops.

Pan Seared Scallops

Back in the day, Falmouth hosted a beloved Scallop Festival every year. I attended in 2015 and still remember the buttery aroma wafting through the tents. Sadly, I don’t think they’ve held it since before COVID, and I’m not sure why it disappeared. But there’s hope—New Bedford has resurrected Scallopalooza, and I’m definitely planning to check it out next year. Missed it this time, but scallops are always worth circling back to.

✨ Underrated No More

Scallops may have flown under the radar for years, but today they’re getting the fanfare they deserve. Sure, they might not rival lobster in prestige, but when cooked properly, scallops are pure melt-in-your-mouth magic. The trick? Don’t overcook them. A perfectly seared scallop is tender and sweet; an overcooked one turns into a chewy, rubbery lump—no thank you.

deep fried scallops

Because scallops are found in waters around the world, the ways to enjoy them are endless: sautéed in butter, nestled in soup, tossed with pasta, or simmered in stew. There’s a scallop for every mood and every meal.

🍽️ My Favorite Ways to Enjoy

Personally, I love scallops deep-fried—especially the kind served at festivals and roadside stands. But pan-fried scallops are my go-to at home: quick, flavorful, and easy to master. They’re also divine in a wine sauce over pasta, or broiled and baked with stuffing. So many ways to savor these little gems!

Baked Stuffed Scallops

🔥 Perfect Seared Scallops with Garlic Basil Butter

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Total Time: 10 min
Servings: 4 (3 scallops each)

Seared scallops cook fast—just 5 minutes—and are best served immediately. If you’re pairing them with pasta, veggies, or rice, have those ready to go before you start. I highly recommend finishing them with garlic basil butter for a fragrant, citrusy twist.

🧂 Ingredients

Scallops

12 large sea scallops (1¼ to 1½ lbs)
2 tsp all-purpose flour (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp avocado or vegetable oil

Garlic Basil Butter

1½ tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3–4 lemon slices

👩‍🍳 Directions

Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Lightly dust one side with flour, then season with salt and pepper.
Heat a wide skillet over medium-high. Add oil and let it shimmer.
Place scallops in the pan, seasoned side down. Cook undisturbed for ~2 minutes until browned.
While they brown, season the other side with flour, salt, and pepper.
Flip scallops. If they stick, wait a few seconds and gently wiggle to release.
Add butter and garlic to the pan, swirling as the butter melts.
Cook another minute or two, then remove from heat. Stir in basil and lemon slices. Serve immediately.

Perfect Seared Scallops

For more details and a video walkthrough, check out Inspired Taste here.

Chicken and Dumplings its Not!

Posted on September 28, 2025September 26, 2025 by Dusty Roads

Not Every Recipe Works Out as Advertised

Most recently, I was in the mood for Chicken & Dumplings. It’s been a long time since I’ve made this classic dish, so I had to dig around for a recipe. I found one designed for a slow cooker—perfect! I love slow cooker recipes. Just set it and forget it, as Ron Popeil always said about his rotisserie. So I gathered my ingredients for a bubbly, comforting Chicken and Dumplings meal.

The Recipe

This is the recipe as it came to me and as I started out. Feel free to try is as printed. I’d love to hear your results.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
2 cups water, or as needed to cover

Directions

Place chicken, condensed soup, onion, and butter in a slow cooker. Add enough water to cover; stir well. Cover and cook on High for 5 to 6 hours.
About 30 minutes before serving, tear biscuit dough into pieces. Place dough in the slow cooker. Cook until dough is no longer raw in the center.
Serve hot and enjoy!

close up view of slow cooker chicken and dumplings in bowls, with a spoon

Looks good doesn’t it.

My results

I shredded the chicken about 30 minutes before serving, but I noticed the broth was very thin—it lacked that rich, gravy-like consistency. So I made a small batch of roux, added some of the broth to bring it up to temperature, and then stirred it back into the pot. A roux is a mixture used to thicken sauces, soups, and stews, made by cooking equal parts flour and fat. That little tweak vastly improved the gravy portion of the dish.

Then I made a mistake. I added about a cup of frozen mixed veggies and replaced the cover. For some reason, the veggies came out hard and tasteless. I think I’ll skip them next time.

I also didn’t tear up the biscuit dough or add it to the mix. I’ve tried that before and didn’t love the result. You can give it a try, but I opted to bake the biscuits in the oven instead.

So my final result? Slow Cooker Chicken Stew and Biscuits. Not bad—but not one of my top 10 recipes. Next time, I’d use chicken broth instead of water for a richer flavor.

Johnny Appleseed

Posted on September 26, 2025September 25, 2025 by Dusty Roads

stock photo

🍎 The Curious Legacy of Johnny Appleseed

Planting seeds of myth, nature, and kindness across early America

Who Was Johnny Appleseed?

Johnny Appleseed wasn’t just a whimsical figure from folklore—he was a real man named John Chapman, born in 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. With a tin pot for a hat and bare feet toughened by miles of travel, Chapman became a symbol of simplicity, generosity, and harmony with nature. His mission? To plant apple orchards across the American frontier, offering sustenance and shade to settlers and wildlife alike.

Lancaster MA

A Life Rooted in Purpose

Chapman’s journey began in Pennsylvania and stretched westward into Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He didn’t scatter seeds randomly—he established nurseries, fenced them in, and returned regularly to tend them. His apples weren’t the sweet varieties we snack on today; they were mostly tart and used for cider, a staple in early American households.

A devout follower of the Swedenborgian faith, Chapman believed in living gently and spiritually. He was known for his kindness to animals, his deep connection to the land, and his ability to charm both Native American tribes and pioneer families. His barefoot wanderings and eccentric dress weren’t signs of poverty—they were expressions of his values.

Myth Meets Memory

Over time, Johnny Appleseed became a folk hero. Stories of him befriending wolves, sleeping under stars, and planting trees with divine purpose captured the imagination of generations. While some tales are embellished, the heart of his legacy remains: a man who walked with nature, gave freely, and left behind a living legacy of apple trees.

Apple Fruit Pictures | Download Free Images on Unsplash

stock photo

🍏 Big Apple Pancake Recipe

Perfect for crisp mornings and cozy storytelling

Ingredients

1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 Cup milk
2 eggs
2 TBS. butter or margarine- melted
2 medium apples peeled, cored, sliced
1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Mix sugar and cinnamon, set aside
Mix flout, milk and eggs together.
Melt butter in a 9 inch cast iron skillet
Pour mixture into skillet. Place sliced apples on top of mixture
Sprinkle with Cinnamon sugar mixture
Bake 20-30 minutes. Crust will rise and turn brown when done
Serve from Cast Iron skillet

pancake and photo by Deb Neumann

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly love and that align with the spirit of Around Dusty Roads.

Decadent Treat from the Sea

Posted on September 25, 2025September 24, 2025 by Dusty Roads

Maine Lobster- photo credit Deb Neumann

Broiled Decadence

I was born in the wrong time in history. My absolute favorite treat is broiled lobster tails. Any lobster is good—but I’m addicted to the tails.

Lobster wasn’t always the elite culinary gem it is today. At one time, it was so plentiful it was considered poor man’s food—fed to prisoners and even pigs. Can you imagine tossing a $50 lobster into a pigpen? And yes, I found a website selling Maine lobster tails for $58.99, so I’m not exaggerating when I say a “trash meal” turned treasure.

Maine Lobster vs. Rock Lobster

Every trip to Florida—especially the Florida Keys—includes at least one (usually more) stop for lobster tails. Why Florida? Because they use spiny lobsters, also called Rock Lobsters. These clawless crustaceans pack all their meat in the tail. The tails are larger, firmer, and have a brinier taste than Maine lobster.

Maine lobsters are great, but just using the tail feels like a waste. Let’s boil that beauty and enjoy the delicate claw meat too. Best to use a real Lobster Pot, not just any pan.

Fun fact: When I was younger, I had a lobster license and used to scuba dive for Maine lobsters. I could enjoy a lobster meal anytime I was willing to dive—which was often!

snuba at Turtletown 2020

National Lobster Day

Today is National Lobster Day, so head to your nearest seafood restaurant or fish market for an annual treat of broiled lobster. Restaurants might make it sound like preparing tails is a mystical art, but it’s really quite simple. Just don’t overcook them—nothing worse than a dry lobster tail.

Around here, it’s easy to find Maine lobster tails. Occasionally (though rarely), you’ll spot Langostinos—small crustaceans often substituted for real lobster. They’re tasty, but more closely related to crabs than lobsters. So for today, let’s go with the real thing.

Broiled Rock Lobster tails- Key Largo 2019 photo Deb Neumann

Let’s Cook

Ingredients

4 lobster tails (10 oz each, or adjust cooking time for other sizes)
¼ cup salted butter, melted (½ stick)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

Thaw the tails
If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge or in a sealed bag submerged in cold water for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven
Set to Broil (500°F / 260°C). Position the oven rack so the lobster tails on a baking sheet are 4–5 inches from the broiler.
Butterfly the lobster tails
Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of the shell lengthwise (top side only), stopping at the tail fin. Gently pull the meat upward, leaving the end attached. Rest the meat on top of the shell.
Make the butter mixture
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Brush generously over the lobster meat.
Broil the tails
Cook until the meat is opaque and lightly browned—about 1 minute per ounce. (10 oz tails = 10 minutes; 5 oz tails = 5 minutes.)
Serve with melted butter
For extra indulgence, try drawn butter—it takes a little more effort but yields a clear, golden dip with rich flavor.

How to Butterfly a Lobster Tail

Affiliate Disclosure

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly love—especially when they involve lobster tails!

Warm and Comforting-Classic Potato Soup

Posted on September 19, 2025September 18, 2025 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

🥔 A Hug in a Bowl: Classic Potato Soup for Cozy Days

There’s something magical about potato soup. It’s humble, hearty, and healing—like a warm hug from your favorite sweater or a purring cat curled up beside you. Whether you’re snowed in, rained out, or simply craving comfort, this classic soup delivers every time.

🌿 Why Potato Soup Feels Like Home

Potato soup is the kind of dish that doesn’t ask for much—just a few pantry staples, a good pot, and a little patience. It’s the scent of sautéed onions, the gentle simmer of broth, and the creamy swirl of milk or cream that transforms simple spuds into something soul-soothing.

photo credit- The Kitchen

Banner and Balboa, my feline muses, always seem to appear when the soup pot comes out. Maybe it’s the aroma. Maybe it’s the promise of warmth. Either way, they know something good is brewing.

🧄 The Recipe: Simple, Satisfying, and Soothing

Ingredients:

4–5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, chopped
6 slices of bacon, chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup milk or cream
Salt, pepper, and thyme to taste
Optional: shredded cheddar, crispy bacon, chives

Can You Eat Raw Potatoes? Here's What a Dietitian Says

The main ingredient

Instructions:

In a sturdy soup pot, sauté onion and bacon until fragrant.
Add diced potatoes and broth. Simmer until potatoes are tender.
Mash some of the potatoes for creaminess, then stir in milk or cream.
Season to taste. Top with your favorite garnishes.

Serve hot in a bowl that feels like it was made for moments like this.

🍲 Cozy Up with These Essentials

To make your potato soup ritual even more delightful, I’ve curated a few affiliate-friendly finds that blend beauty and function:

Soup Bowls: These Kook Ceramic Bowls¹ are marshmallow-white, microwave-safe, and perfect for stews, soups, or even a scoop of ice cream on the side.
Soup Pot: This Stainless Steel Soup Pot² is oven-safe, induction-ready, and polished to perfection. It’s a kitchen workhorse with a touch of elegance.
Kitchen Gadget: Chop, slice, and dice with ease using this Vegetable Chopper & Mandolin Slicer³—a 10-in-1 tool that makes prep a breeze.

📝 Affiliate Disclosure

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely love and use in my own kitchen. Thanks for supporting Around Dusty Roads and helping keep the storytelling flowing.

📣 Share Your Soup Stories

Do you have a favorite soup recipe that warms your soul? A childhood memory tied to a steaming bowl? I’d love to hear it! Drop your stories, tips, or twists in the comments. Let’s build a cozy collection of comfort food together.

the pioneer woman's perfect potato soup recipe

Photo Pioneer Woman