White & Green Roasted Asparagus

Serves 6

Roasting them in the oven brings out the flavor - compared with boiling them which washes away the flavor and makes them taste like %$#@. If you can't find white asparagus, use the blue ones. Kidding...use only green.

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium green asparagus with tough ends cut off
• 1 lb medium white asparagus with tough ends cut off
• Approximately 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1 Lemon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, season well with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and place on baking sheet
3. Roast until crisp tender, about 10-15 minutes
4. Lightly squeeze lemon over the top before serving

Avgolemono Soup

Serves 4

A wonderful little Greek soup - just like Mrs. Kronopoulos, the wonderful little Greek woman who used to make it for me.

Ingredients

• 6 cups Chicken broth
• 3/4 cup rice
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Parsly for garnish

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil, add rice and turn down to a simmer for about 15 minutes
2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and add lemon juice - stir to mix
3. This next part is IMPORTANT - - if you just pour the egg mix into the soup right now it'll turn to scrambled eggs, so don't
4. Take about a cup of the hot broth and slowly stir it into the egg mix - then slowly add one more
5. Now that the egg mix is hot enough, you can add it into the broth in the pot
6. Continue simmering until it thickens and is heated through and you're done
7. Serve with a little chopped parsley on top

Egg Drop Soup

Makes about 4 cups

Instant comfort. You could always add a little cooked chicken or some veggies - but you don't need to.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions for garnish

Directions

1. Beat eggs in small bowl - set aside

2. Heat the broth in a small pot and bring to a boil

3. Stir in soy sauce

4. Return to a boil then turn off the heat

5. While stirring soup in a fast circular fashion with a fork, slowly pour in beaten egg from about 4-5 inches above the pot

6. Continue stirring until egg gets all cool and kinda stringy, drizzle sesame oil and that’s it

7. Serve in a bowl with the green onions on top

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Grandpa Wally's Car Keys

Serves Grandpa Wally

OK - I knew someone would look and I had to put something here didn't I?

Ingredients

Directions

Pepper Halibut with Salsa Cream

Serves 6

I know - it sounds fancy and I'm not fancy. So who cares, just make it and impress your friends. But heed my warning - if you use red salsa instead of green - this will become one of the most horrifyingly ugly dishes you've ever made - so don't.

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1 yellow pepper, finely diced
• 1 Anaheim chili pepper, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds Halibut
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup salsa verde (green salsa)
• 1 teaspoon each cumin, cayenne and chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Heat a non-stick pan to medium high, add olive oil, peppers and garlic and cook until just softened and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes and set aside
2. While that's cooking, heat broiler
3. Combine cumin, chili powder and cayenne - and sprinkle over halibut
4. Broil halibut until done – about 5-7 minutes depending on thickness
5. While halibut and peppers cook, combine sour cream and salsa in a little pot and simmer until heated through
6. Plate it by putting some pepper mixture on plate, then halibut on top and spoon some of the salsa cream over the top
7. Garnish with a little cilantro

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Makes 12

You're probably tired of me telling you that there are things you should keep in your freezer for last minute appetite supression. Scallops are one of them because they freeze really well and defrost quickly. Sea scallops are the big ones and bay scallops are the little guys - this recipe uses the big boys.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sea scallops, defrosted
• 12 slices 'ready bacon' - the already cooked and ready to go kind
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 long metal skewers - or 2 long wooden ones
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat bbq or grill pan on high
2. Wrap each scallop with a slice of bacon and skewer - 6 to a skewer, make sure they stay tightly wrapped
3. Spray bbq or grill pan with non-stick spray, and lay down the skewers - don't move 'em
4. Let them get cook for 2-3 minutes until really good grill marks develop, then flip over
5. Brush top with sauce and grill 2nd side about 2 more minutes or until that side looks equally as cool
6. Remove and brush just cooked side with sauce
7. Put on a serving plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving

Roasted Yellow Pepper Pizza

Serves 4

Great color, great taste and you get it together in about 2 minutes. What's not to like?

Ingredients

• 12" precooked pizza crust
• 5 ounce tub goat cheese
• 2 ounces arugula leaves, the ready-to-go kind is easiest
• 12 ounce jar roasted yellow peppers
• 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Drain peppers
3. Spread goat cheese on crust, cover with arugula and spread peppers, over the top
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until beginning to brown and get crispy
5. Remove from oven, season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
6. Slice (of course) and serve

Optional: If you love red onion like I do, you can roughly chop 1/2 red onion, oven roast it for 10 minutes then sprinkle on top of the pizza with peppers.

Ice Cream Sandwich Deal

Serve 1

This sounds like the dumbest thing on the planet, but its amazingly good...and simple.

Ingredients

• 1 ice cream sandwich

• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

• 2 chocolate-mint cookies, smashed up (Thin Mints are perfect for this)

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions

1. Slice sandwich in half not lengthwise, but...shortwise - I don't really know how else to say it? I just mean across the middle

2. Then slice each half diagonally to create 4 triangles

3. Drizzle syrup decoratively on a plate and place the triangles standing up in the middle

4. Sprinkle cookies over the top and shake powdered sugar over the whole thing

Pork Tenderloin

Serves 6

You'll dig this - it's as good as it looks. Oops, you can't see it can you? Guess you'll just have to take my word for it then...

Ingredients

• 2-1 pound pork tenderloins
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1.5 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Directions

1. Preheat grill on high
2. Season pork with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
3. Grill pork, turning to evenly brown well on all sides, then turn heat to medium
4. Mix remaining ingredients in small bowl
5. Begin basting pork once the heat is turned down - too soon and the sweet sauce will burn
6. Continue cooking and basting until pork is the way you like it - which for me is just a tiny bit pink in the center
7. Remove from grill and allow to rest a few minutes
8. Warm remaining basting sauce and drizzle over sliced pork and serve

Mini Crab Cake Sandwiches

Makes 16 little sandwiches

Two things that have always bugged me about most crab cakes - they're fried in a bunch of oil and almost always have a ton of mayo in them. Mine are baked, not fried and have zero mayo. Plus these are easy to throw together, easy to cook and even easier to eat. Who loves ya baby?

Ingredients

• 1 pound crab meat
• 1/4 cup green onion, diced small
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup panko crumbs, Japanese bread crumbs available at most supermarkets
• 2 tablespoons Asian chili sauce
• 2 tubes (8 each) refrigerator buttermilk biscuits
• 1-8 ounce bag ready cole slaw (with the dressing included)

Directions

1. Make biscuits and cole slaw according to package directions and set aside
2. Heat oven to 400
3. Mix crab, onion, soy, panko and chili sauce well in a bowl and shape into 16 tight little pattys and place on greased baking sheet
4. Bake cakes until crispy brown then carefully flip, should be about 10-15 minutes each side
5. Cut biscuits in half and place one crab cake on each bottom half, add some cole slaw then top with other biscuit half

Caipirinha

Makes 1

Pronounced 'kaipeereena,' - this is essentially the official drink of Brazil. It's made with Cachaca, pronounced 'cachasa' a sort of rum-like alcohol made from sugar cane. It fun to make and even funner to drink. I know, funner's not a word - I just like saying it (and after a few of these you will too)

Ingredients

• 1 lime, cut into small chunks
• 2 ounces of cachaca
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Ice cubes

Directions

1. Place lime pieces at the bottom of a short glass and sprinkle with sugar
2. Using something like a wooden sppon handle 'muddle' the lime and sugar - that means to gently crush the limes with the sugar to bring out the juices (if you crush too hard it wil get bitter
3. Add the cachaca and stir well
4. Fill with ice and drink, pronounced 'dreenk'

Pink Rum Hammer

Makes 1, but a good 1

I'm not sure the combination of rum and ruby red grapefruit juice sounds all that good, but this is one of my favorite cocktails. And on a hot summer day, it's the official drink of the Red Kitchen.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces dark rum
• 1 ounce Ruby Red Grapefruit juice
• splash raspberry liquer, like Aqua Perfecta

Directions

1. Fill a short glass with ice
2. Add rum and grapefruit juice
3. Add the splash of raspberry
4. Squeeze and drop lime on top and serve

Double Ballpark Hotdogs

4 Servings

I have a very definite idea on what a good dog should be - and this is it. By the way, life is too short to eat single dogs on a bun...

Ingredients

• 8 hot dogs - go Kosher, you'll thank me later
• 1 medium red onion, diced fine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 ounce package 'ready bacon', diced fine
• 1-14 ounce can chili - beans...no beans, meat...no meat - you decide
• Hot sauce
• 4 big sandwich rolls or big hot dog buns or whatever
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Boil dogs in a pot of water 5-7 minutes or until they start to 'plump'
2. While they cook, saute red onion in oil until it softens really well - then add bacon and allow bacon to crisp slightly - remove to a bowl
3. Heat chili - in a pot or in the crow, it's up to you
4. Remove dogs from pot and slice lengthwise down the center, but not all the way through - leave a little hinge
5. In the same pan you used for the bacon, sear the dogs on both "open sides" until juicy, glistening and starting to brown
6. Heat broiler and brown buns just slightly
7. Build it like this - place 2 seared dogs on a bun, top with chili, top with onion & bacon, top with hot sauce then a final topping with the cheddar and stick under the broiler until melty
8. My bet is nothin' will top this...

Sweet & Spicy Flank

4 servings

A good flank steak is one of my favorite things. Just remember you have a day of marinating ahead you before you can eat it...

Ingredients

• 1 flank steak, about one and a half pounds
• 3 ounces chipotle peppers with adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 8 ounces orange juice

Directions

1. Put all ingredients except flank in a food processor or blender and whirl until smooth
2. Put flank and marinade in a large Ziploc bag and seal - refrigerate over night
3. Remove from fridge 30-45 before grilling
4. Heat grill on high then grill flank about 5 minutes each side for medium rare
5. Slice into thin strips across grain to serve

South of the Border Scallops

Makes 12

Who doesn't love a scallop? Now that I think of, a bunch of people don't. Go figure...

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup diced fresh mango
• 1/3 cup peeled and diced cucumber
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 pound sea scallops, rinsed and dried
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except scallops and set aside
2. Season scallops with salt and pepper
3. Heat non-stick pan over high heat
4. Put in oil & when just smoking add scallops and sear each side until nicely brown and a cool little sort of crust builds
5. Put on a plate and serve with the mango salsa

Mexican Bruschetta

Makes 16-20 pieces

This could also be called a 'Mexcian Garlic bread'. Whatever you choose, just make it.

Ingredients

• 1 long sour dough baguette

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced pretty small

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 - 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

• 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Heat broiler

2. Slice baguette down the middle and brown ever-so-slightly under the broiler

3. Mix remaining ingredients and put on top of sliced bread

4. Place under broiler until the whole things begins to brown

5. Remove and slice into serving pieces

Tequila Sunrise

Makes 1

This is definitely an old school cocktail. It reminds me of this one night we were all over at....oh never mind.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces tequila
• 1 ounce orange juice
• About 1/2 an ounce of Grenadine

Directions

1. Put ice in a glass and add tequila then oj
2. Drizzle the Grenadine over the ice and watch the sunrise - get it?

Open Face London Broilers...

Makes 16-20

The perfect cocktail party food. Cooking the beef the day before will make your life much easier...

Ingredients

• About 1.5 pounds London Broil - or any steak you like
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• Kosher and fresh ground pepper
• 1 long sour dough baguette
• 2/3 cup horseradish sauce - from the condiment aisle in the supermarket
• 4 ounces arugula leaves
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Heat grill to high
2. Rub steak lightly with olive oil, garlic and season well with salt and pepper
3. Cook until medium rare - about 5 minutes a side
4. Allow to cool and slice into very thin strips against the grain - if cooking this much in advance, seal well and refrigerate. Just remember to let it come to room temp before serving
5. When you're ready to go - heat broiler
6. Slice baguette lengthwise, drizzle lightly with olive oil and put under broiler until just lightly browned
7. Remove and spread cut sides of baguette with horseradish, then add a good (not skimpy) layer of the arugula and top with the sliced steak
8. I always give the top a final quick drizzle of olive oil and a little fresh ground pepper
9. Cut each baguette side into 8 pieces and serve

Shrimpy

Makes 2 pounds

It's butter and shrimp - ok, pepper, and garlic too. Okay...an ass load of butter - just don't eat the whole thing yourself.

2 cups butter (4 sticks)

2 pounds shrimp, shell on, but deveined

6 tablespoons ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt, smoked salt if you have, if not no big

6-8 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

Lemons for serving

• Heat oven to broil

• In a large cast iron pan or baking dish, thinly slice and spread out 2 sticks of the butter to cover bottom of pan

• Sprinkle half the pepper over the butter, then put in the shrimp in as much of a single layer as possible, use a couple pans if necessary, season with the salt

• Add the garlic, the paprika, the remaining butter and then the rest of the pepper

• Broil, about 6 to 8 inches away from the heat until shrimp are nicely pink, you don’t need to flip them - this could be anyway from 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook

• Peel, eat, peel eat, peel, eat and serve with lots of warm, crusty bread for dipping and ice cold beers for, well that should be obvious

Roast Beef, Pepper Jack & Grilled Onions

Makes 4 open sandwiches

These are served open-face.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced. ok I'll admit it, I think I'm in love with red onions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound deli-counter roast beef, thinly sliced
• 4 slices pepper jack cheese
• 1¼ cup spicy brown mustard
• 2 onion Kaiser rolls or suitable equivalent - no pressure here, but something like a hot dog bun just ain't gonna cut it

Directions

1. Put a large non-stick pan on medium heat and add the oil and onions
2. Cook until they are nicely browned and well softened then remove from pan, put it a bowl and set aside
3. In the same pan, separate roast beef into 4 little piles over medium heat and grill
4. While the piles are grilling, stick sliced Kaiser halves in toaster until just slightly brown
5. When roast beef has started to get a nice color on the bottom, flip each little pile over and add cheese â?? allow to melt a bit
6. Put mustard on each toasted Kaiser half, and then a bunch of the onions
7. Remove roast beef and put on top of the onion bed â?? and eat, of course