FEEDS: 2

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 T. mayonnaise
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 1 T. fresh tarragon, chopped

LET'S COOK

Place the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat it all together with a whip until well emulsified. Pour over a composed salad of fresh greens topped with grated carrot and any seafood such as cooked shrimps, lobster or even scallops.

MORE IDEAS:

While tarragon is an excellent compliment to cooked seafood, especially lobster, other herbs will also work in this recipe. Try chopped, fresh chives, parsley or even fresh thyme leaves in place of the tarragon.

It goes without saying that any collection of salad friendly foods will work well with this dressing. The key is to be sure all items you include in the salad are cleaned, seeded, peeled and cut into bite size pieces.

FEEDS: 2-6

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 6 spring roll skins, Banh Trang is a common brand
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchstick cuts
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1/4 lb. cooked cellophane noodles, cooled
• fresh cilantro leaves
• Satay sauce, any good bottled brand

LET'S COOK

Pour hot water into a pie plate. Completely submerge one skin at a time in the water, let it sit for about a minute, then remove to a cutting board. Dab with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Starting at the end closest to you, make a row from left to right of the grated carrot. Then lay slices of the cucumber, then some noodles, finally the avocado slices. Finish with leaves of cilantro, placing them dark side down.

Roll the skin, again from the end closest to you. Half way, begin to bring in the edges of the roll to make a secure package. Roll it as tight as you can, being careful to not break the delicate skin.

Cut in half and serve with Satay sauce. You can do these in advance and cover with a paper towel. But, they’re best when consumed right away.

MORE IDEAS:

Spring roll skins are usually found in the Asian section of good grocery stores. They have a long shelf life.

Experiment with fillings such as radish, thin strips of cooked chicken, shrimp or even pork. The key is cutting things in advance into thin strips.

Soba or even cooked udon noodles work well. After cooking and cooling the noodles, toss with thin strips of scallions and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.

FEEDS: 3-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• salt and pepper
• 5-6 slices Swiss cheese
• 5-6 slices prosciutto or good ham
• 1/3 C. flour
• 1 egg whipped with 1 T. Water
• 3/4 C seasoned bread crumbs
• 3-4 T. olive oil

LET'S COOK

Using a sharp knife, gently butterfly the chicken breasts and lay them out flat. Season with salt and pepper. Lay a slice of Swiss cheese on each one, completely covering the exposed chicken. On that, lay the slices of prosciutto, then more cheese. Fold the chicken breasts to their original shape.

Place the flour in a shallow plate, whip the egg and water in a shallow bowl and finally, place the bread crumbs in a pie plate. Dust the stuffed breasts, one at a time, in the flour first, then the egg wash and finally in the seasoned bread crumbs. Place on a plate, separately so they don’t touch or lay on top of each other. Cover and refrigerate.

To cook, set your oven at 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a saute pan, slide in the prepared chicken breasts and cook on both sides to a nice golden brown. Place them on an oven proof tray, place in the preheated oven and set your timer for 8 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the cooked, stuffed breasts to a cutting board. Slice in 3/4 inch thick slices, plate them up and serve with a green vegetable and some carrots.

MORE IDEAS:

These can be done up hours in advance, refrigerated and cooked just before serving.

FEEDS: 2-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 C. Pineapple, fresh chunks
• 2 bananas
• 1-2 buds fresh mint leaves
• 1 C. strawberry yogurt
• 2 C. orange or orange tangerine juice
• 5 large, fresh cleaned strawberries

LET'S COOK

Simply place all the items in a blender and whip to a smooth consistency. Pour into attractive glasses, garnish with a mint bud and serve right away.

MORE IDEAS:

For a refreshing adult drink, electrify the mix with a couple ounces of apricot liquor, raspberry schnapps, even a touch of flavored vodka. Try creme de menthe for an exotic flavor enhancement.

For a colder drink, freeze the orange juice in ice cube trays and use in the mix to chill it all down.

Just like tulips and lilacs, strawberries signal the very beginning of the warm weather cycle and good things that come from the garden. Saturated with a rich history and tales of their first consumers, these crimson berries are both delicious and mysterious.

For me, strawberries are almost a weird fruit, the only one I know of with seeds clearly visible on their exterior. Most importantly, the sheer thrill of finding the very first ripe berries, contrasting with everything around them, is a prelude of good eating to come.

Sure, the fruit is tip top on the flavor scale, red ripe to their centers and fairly bursting with luscious flavors. But, with specific embellishments, strawberries become fantasy food, dessert of the gods.

One of my fondest memories of childhood gastronomy is a dish my Mom prepared. It began with peeled and chopped rhubarb. Placed in a pot with a few spoons of water, a slow cooking process would gently simmer the tart fruit to a sauce consistency, accentuated with a dash of sugar. While still hot, the rhubarb received a like amount of fresh, sliced strawberries. Stirred in gently, the heat was then turned off and the thick fruit stew was allowed to cool, then chilled. This colorful compote was served as a breakfast dessert, a dinner dessert, or, as I enjoyed it best, a snack before bedtime. That was all about early summer.

Strawberry shortcake is a treat that each and every family has it’s own recipe for. It’s all about the biscuits and their ability to sponge up the juices. But, for me, it’s still about the berries and how you prepare them. I like to begin by stemming 4 cups of gently washed berries, then slicing half of them into a bowl. A few tablespoon of maple syrup is added and then the berries are crushed well with a potato masher to release the juices. Then, I slice the remaining 2 cups of berries in, mix them up, cover and refrigerate for a few hours. The end result is a perfect blend of textures, ready to compliment any version of strawberry shortcake dessert.

For additional flavor enhancements, whip heavy cream with Grand Mariner, Triple Sec or just plain maple syrup and a touch of vanilla. Your taste buds will thank you for it. Just for fun, when strawberry season is in full bloom, serve strawberry shortcake as dinner.

An old friend had a decadent destiny for her fresh picked strawberries. After careful cleaning and stemming, Cinda would serve a mound of perfect berries next to a small bowl of sour cream and another of brown sugar. Guests were encouraged to dip a berry in the sour cream, then touch it with brown sugar before popping it into ones mouth. Delightful,delicious and absolutely delectable, berries served in this fashion always get rave reviews.

One of the rarest treats of early summer gastronomy is the swift season of garlic scapes. Just prior to the actual harvest of garlic, the tip top of the plant sends forth a pigtail shoot that’s pencil thin and almost a foot in length if stretched out. Favored by gourmets, the elusive crop is worth being sought out and savored.

Garlic scapes are perfectly delicious when steamed or boiled like asparagus. Tossed with a tinge of butter and olive oil and seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper, their texture is similar to asparagus,minus the stringy aspect. Chopped garlic scapes can be successfully sauteed with some olive oil, then gussied up with capers or even a dash of grated parmesan cheese. Any leftover, cooked garlic scapes are perfect when folded into mashed potatoes, just-cooked rice and even pasta dishes.

Fresh scapes are a nice addition to a garden salad. There are also those who use garlic scapes in place of basil when preparing a pesto. Mixed into fresh cooked pasta, the final dish is a rich flavored one, ready to compliment a grilled, seasoned steak or chop.

FEEDS: 2

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 pork chops
• 1 T. canola oil
• salt and pepper
• 5 cloves chopped garlic
• 3 T. honey
• 1 T. soy sauce

LET'S COOK

Season both sides of the pork with some salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan on a medium high burner, add the oil and drop in the chops. Cook on both sides until almost done.

Add the garlic to the pan and move around the chops to cook it slightly. Then pour in the honey and soy sauce. Mix all the ingredients together, turn the chops a time or two and allow it to glaze them over.

Remove the chops to a serving plate and then reduce, or boil down, the pan sauce for 1-2 minutes. Pour the reduced sauce over the chops and serve.

MORE IDEAS:

You could use pork steaks in place of the chops. Cooking time for the pork will depend on their thickness and intensity of your burner.

FEEDS: 2-4

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• mixed greens, washed and ready to serve
• grated fresh carrot
• diced tomato
• matchstick cuts of salami, ham or cold roast beef
• cuts of fresh cucumber
• cooked corn
• sunflower seeds
• chopped salad olives
• chevre or feta cheese
• oil and vinegar

LET'S COOK

Place an appropriate amount of mixed greens in a soup bowl. Arrange the grated carrots, diced tomato, meat item, cucumber and corn in separate piles like spokes on a wheel on top of the mixed greens. Top with a scatter of the sunflower seeds, some olives and finally the cheese, which you should crumble on top of it all.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip together 5 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of a vinegar of your choice, then drizzle it over the salads and serve.

MORE IDEAS:

Get creative and also use some drained chic peas or black beans, drained mandarin orange sections or even some radishes to create a colorful arrangement of enticing ingredients to make this your own salad.