Fennel, Grape, Apple Salad

1 green apple, thinly sliced
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
2 cups of green grapes, sliced in half
1 cup of toasted nuts (almonds or walnuts work great)
Blue cheese or Goat Cheese crumbled
2 tbs of Rice Wine Vineger

Lay grapes, apples, fennel and nuts out onto a platter. Sprinkle with cheese and vineger.

Serve!!! So easy and delicious!

Wine and Cheese Appetizer

This recipe is great for any cocktail party, but especially for a wine and cheese party.

Slices of apples and pears
1 block of bleu cheese whipped with half a block of cream cheese
1 cup of toasted, crushed walnuts
Honey

Take each slice of fruit and coat half of the piece with the cheese mixture. Dip the cheese mixture in the nuts.
Serve on a platter and drizzle with honey.

Baked Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

1 lb of Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled, cubed and boiled until done)
1 package of cream cheese
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of milk
salt, pepper and garlic powder (to taste)

Mix all together until smooth and creamy. Place in a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Spicy Mayo

If you love spicy mayo for your sushi or just in general...then try this recipe....I got this one from the chef at Sushi Samba in NYC years ago....

1 cup of Mayo
3 tbs of Sricha
1 tsp of Sesame Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce

Mix together and serve!

Great on:

Sushi
Seared tuna
Crab cakes
Shrimp
Sandwiches
Steak
Veggies

Swordfish with Lemon Parsley Pesto and Aioli

Lemon Parsley Pesto and Aioli

6 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of Italian Parsley
1 bunch of basil
1 lemon zested and juiced
Olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
salt and pepper
Add all of the above into food processor and process for 1 minute. Take out all but two tablespoons. Add in two tablespoons of Mayo. Process for one more minute. That will be your Aioli.

Take your reserved pesto (not the aioli, this will be your dipping sauce) and spread onto both sides of your swordfish. Add some additional salt and pepper and let marinate for at least one hour. Once this has been done, grill and serve with the Aioli!

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pasta

15 Ripe tomatoes (I peel and seed mine. To peel, make an X on the bottom of the tomato, drop in boiling water for 60 seconds and the peel will come right off.
1 large onion finely chopped
1/2 stick of butter
Olive oil (2 tbs)
Sea salt and pepper
1 lb of Penne
Fresh Basil

In a large saute pan add your butter and oil. Add in your chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add in your chopped tomato, salt and pepper and let cook for about 15 minutes. During this time smash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.
Add your cooked pasta to the pan and saute for 5 minutes in the sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Have lots of Eggplant?

*You can also cube eggplant and fry in oil for 5 minutes and toss this in too. This would now be Pasta alla Norma.

Parmesan, Tomato, Pesto Garlic Bread

The easiest side dish I can think of is delicious bread. This recipe is great anytime of year and for any occasion, BUT if you do not feel like cooking in the heat, then this is for you!

1 large loaf of fresh Italian or French bread
1 cup of fresh pesto
1 tomato sliced
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
6 cloves of garlic put through a pres
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of fresh Italian leaf parsley chopped

In a pan, heat of the butter, garlic and parsley until the butter is melted. Set aside. Take the loaf of bread and slice it without cutting through to the other side. In each of the slits brush with pesto and add cheese and tomato. Once you finish with this, place the bread on the grill or in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes or until the bread is toasty. Once you pull from the grill or oven, brush generously with garlic butter. Put back in the oven or grill for two more minutes. Done!