FEEDS: 2-3

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 1 T. diced tomato
• 1 t. finely diced onion
• a dash ground cumin
• a pinch salt
• 3 shots of your favorite hot sauce

LET'S COOK

Place all the ingredients in a shallow bowl and mash together with a fork until it’s well combined.

Taste the mix and if you desire more flavor, add a pinch more salt, a squeeze of lemon juice or some grated black pepper.

MORE IDEAS:

Serve with tiny carrots and corn chips.

For additional color and flavor, garnish with sliced black olives.

Or, scatter some tiny drained capers on top for bursts of flavor.

The next time you need to cool down a glass of wine, try this tip.

Begin by freezing some green and red seedless grapes overnight on a tray.

The next day, pop them into a bag and store in the freezer.

When guests arrive unexpectedly, and all you have is warm wine, pop a couple of frozen grapes into the glass. The wine will get chilled down, it won’t dilute the beverage like ice cubes and when the wine is gone, you eat the grapes.

Here’s another tip:

The next time you have some red or white wine left in the bottle, freeze it in an ice cube tray overnight. The next day, pop the cubes out and store in an air tight container in the freezer.

When you need just a little wine to jazz up a sauce or deglaze a sauté pan after cooking something, drop in a couple of the frozen wine cubes. They’ll add great flavor without having to open a new bottle of wine.

FEEDS: 2-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 14 oz. package soft tofu
• 1/3 C. flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1 C. canola oil
• soy sauce
• Panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs)
• chili paste
• chopped scallions

LET'S COOK

Drain the tofu and slice into ½ inch thick cuts. Mix the flour in a pie plate with some salt and pepper. Whip the egg in a shallow bowl with the soy sauce. In yet another shallow bowl, measure out about ¾ C. of Panko.

Heat the oil over a medium high burner in a shallow, heavy gauge pan. Begin by first dusting the tofu slices in the seasoned flour, one at a time. Next, drop each flour dusted slice into the egg wash and coat it evenly. Finally, place the tofu slices in the Panko and liberally pat on both sides to evenly coat with the Japanese style breadcrumbs.

Slide the breaded tofu slices into the hot canola oil and cook on both sides until evenly golden brown. Serve as an appetizer or an entrée with a spoonful or two of soy sauce made spicy with the chili paste and scallions.

MORE IDEAS:

Panko is available in the Asian section of grocery stores. It’s sold in a clear, crinkly bag.

A bit of grated fresh ginger mixed into soy sauce and garnished with chopped scallions is also a fine sauce for this dish.

FEEDS: 4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 5 fresh carrots, peeled
• 1 T. maple syrup
• 1 T. fresh ginger, grated

LET'S COOK

Cut the fresh, peeled carrots into any uniform shape you desire.

Place them in a pot, cover with hot water, bring to a boil and cook until they’re as tender as you like them.

Drain the cooked carrots, then add the maple syrup and the fresh, grated ginger to the pot and stir it in well.

Cover the pot and allow to sit for about 4-5 minutes. Serve right away.

MORE IDEAS:

You can use the same amount of brown sugar if you don’t have real maple syrup in the house.

FEEDS: 2

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• ½ tomato, diced
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 T. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 oz. package spinach, cleaned and sorted
• salt and pepper
• 3 slices of Chevre or goat cheese, (apx. 3 T.)
• ¼ C. chopped walnuts

LET'S COOK

Mix the diced tomato and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and simply set it aside.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium high burner.

Add the crushed garlic and move it around as it begins to sizzle in the oil.

Add the spinach, season with the salt and pepper and then use a pair of tongs to move it around, turning it as it cooks down and wilts.

When the spinach is a deep emerald color and cooked, add the goat cheese and the walnuts, stirring it together to combine it well and melt in the cheese.

Turn off the burner. Divide the spinach mix on two plates and garnish with the diced tomatoes that have been removed from the balsamic vinegar.

Serve right away.

MORE IDEAS:

Almonds or pecans work equally well in this recipe.

FEEDS: 2-3

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1/4 C. flour
• 1 t. seasoned salt
• 5-6 grinds of black pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
• 3 T. canola oil
• 7-8 white mushrooms, chopped fine
• 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 7-8 small onions, peeled and cut in half
• 6-7 small red skinned potatoes, halved
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 32 oz. box beef broth
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. ketchup

LET'S COOK

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a pie plate. Press the flour mix into the meat on both sides. Heat the oil over a medium high burner in a pot that will eventually be able to hold all the ingredients, be covered and put into an oven. When the oil is hot, slide in the beef and brown on both sides well.

Then add the chopped mushrooms and stir them into the oil around the beef. Add the remaining flour and the vegetables. Stir it all up and brown them lightly. You’ll then add the broth, the balsamic vinegar and the ketchup. Mix it all up and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Cover the pot and pop it into the preheated oven. Cook for an hour.

Remove the cover when that time has elapsed, stir up the ingredients, turn the beef over, baste it liberally and close up the oven. At this point, bake, uncovered, for an additional hour. It makes sense to baste the meat and vegetables at least once during the last hour of cooking. When that time is up, serve it up.

MORE IDEAS:

According to my wife Debbie, you can’t have enough carrots in this recipe. They add a delightful sweetness to the pot roast.

FEEDS: 2-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 lb. cooked shrimp, chopped
• 1/4 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. grated lemon rind
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 C. coconut, flaked and sweetened style
• 3 T. mayonnaise

Sauce:

• 2 T. mayonnaise
• 1/2 t. curry powder

LET'S COOK

Combine the ingredients, save for the sauce, in a bowl. Mix well, then separate into 6 equal sized portions.

Heat a sauté pan, then pour in a couple of tablespoons of canola oil. Fry the patties on each side until crispy and golden brown.

Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl. When the cakes are done, place one on a plate, top with a dollop of the curried mayonnaise and garnish with additional chopped parsley and some finely sliced tomato. Serve with tremendous pride.

MORE IDEAS:

The shrimp are best if cooked in their shells in boiling water with the juice of half a lemon, some parsley stems and pickling spice. This is an excellent appetizer, served as a single patty with the curry mayonnaise. Or, serve 2-3 patties as an entree. You can use chives in place of the parsley.

FEEDS: 2-3

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 fresh pork tenderloin
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 3 cloves sliced fresh garlic
• 5 oz. can tomato juice
• fresh chopped chives or parsley

LET'S COOK

Trim any excess fat or gristle from the pork tenderloin. Cut it into 1" thick slices. Place the pork cut side down on the cutting board and, using the palm of your hand, press on each one to flatten it. The goal is to make all the medallions of equal thickness; they’ll cook uniformly that way. Season both sides of each pork medallion with salt and pepper.

Heat a dash of oil in a sauté pan. Slide in the pork and cook on both sides until just done and nicely browned. Remove the pork to a plate and keep warm in a very low oven.

Leave the pan on the burner and add a tablespoon of olive oil and then the garlic. Stir it around to begin cooking the garlic, then pour in the tomato juice. Let the liquids reduce or cook down by 1/3 to ½, then pour it over the pork and serve it up.

MORE IDEAS:

Finely diced red onion will work in place of the garlic.

V8 juice is a fine alternative to the tomato juice.

FEEDS: 2

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 T. butter
• 2 C. fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 T. orange liqueur such as Triple Sec or even Grand Mariner
• 1/3 C. maple syrup
• vanilla ice cream
• chocolate sticks and mint sprigs

LET'S COOK

Drop the butter into a heavy gauge sauté pan over a medium high burner. When the butter is melted, add the sliced, fresh berries, the salt and stir them around to coat them in the butter. Add the orange liqueur, stir it in and then ignite it either by tipping the pan on a gas burner or with a long match on an electric stove.

When the alcohol burns off, pour and stir in the maple syrup. Turn off the burner and allow it to sit while you get the serving dishes ready. Spoon the berries and the sauce into the two dishes, place a tiny scoop of the ice cream on top, arrange a chocolate stick on the side of the ice cream, garnish with a mint sprig and serve it up with great pride.

MORE IDEAS:

Try this with sliced fresh nectarines or peaches for a seasonal twist. Use a good quality vanilla ice cream that has chocolate-coated almonds in it. Or, rum raisin is fun, too.

FEEDS: 2-3

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 8 ounces good quality bacon
• 4 slices white bread
• 1 C. finely shredded romaine
• 3 T. mayonnaise
• 4-5 grape or cherry tomatoes

LET'S COOK

Place the bacon on a cutting board and cut it, against the direction of the slices, into thin pieces. Fry the bacon in a pan, just until it’s done. Drain the cooked bacon on paper towels.

Meanwhile, toast the bread slices, cut the crust off and cut each slice into 4 equal pieces. In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked bacon, shredded romaine and mayonnaise. Use a teaspoon to spoon the mix onto the cuts of bread, top each one with a slice of tomato and serve immediately.

MORE IDEAS:

The better the bacon, the better the final product. I like Pepperidge Farms Sandwich Bread for this recipe. Make lots, they go fast in a hungry crowd.