I was eating at a local restaurant the other night and ordered the most delicious scallop entree. They were perfectly sauteed to get that crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside texture, complete with freshly blanched asparagus and a side of creamy mushroom risotto. It was so good. But then there was this sauce. The sauce! It was out of this world amazing. Filled with fresh herbs, a bit of butter and heavy on the garlic; it was the sauce that made that dish memorable. 

I thought about how I might recreate that dish at home, but then remembered I had a PTA meeting to attend along with the weekly soccer carpool all the way across town. While every mom is an actual superwoman I realized I could (should/would!) take a little help from the store this time to make a similar dish taste just as good.

Let me introduce you to store bought sauces! Those jars, tubs and squeeze bottles that exude a ton of flavor with just a simple pour over whatever you happen to be cooking up that day. It takes a good dish and makes it great! No need for chopping, dicing, spicing and blending. Simply pour and mix. Whether it’s stir-fry night with a little Soyaki sauce or pasta night with Rao’s marinara,  these are sure to create big, bold flavors without any added fuss. And don’t forget our favorite hot fudge sauce (thank you Molly Moon’s!) for an extra special dessert to finish the night.