I feel so fortunate to have had people imparting there knowledge and respect of food to me. My grandmother was a tremendous influence on me and the times I had with her in the kitchen molded how I see and enjoy food. My mother too had and still has a wonderful affect on how I think about what goes on my table. Think about what you can share with others who may not have been fortunate enough to have those types of experiences. I wish you well, if you are anything like me this video will make you sad, happy, inspired and probably excited about how you can have a positive impact on your kids, family, friends and community.

Take Care, R.

First—Salmon of course.

Second—Dill, I love Dill.

Third—Cucumber, or better yet, I just decided to add it.

OK—so here is the long and short of it. Simple, quick and tasty—a super mid-week meal to break things up. Depending on your plating it can be quite elegant too.

The original recipe I found in an issue of Bon Appétit, but I decided to make a few modifications to my own taste. Here is the list of ingredients.

1 English cucumber chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions (about 2)
1/2 cup shelled natural pistachios, toasted, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bunch of Asparagus (grilled)
4 6-ounce salmon fillets (grilled)

OK—so mix the ingredients together for the Pistou and set aside. This can be made ahead of time and set in the fridge—a couple of hours. Next, I saute the Asparagus with the garlic and olive oil—til tender. This is a cook-to-preference kind of thing. I prefer my Asparagus firm. Finally, I like to grilled my Salmon. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. The cook over a medium high flame for 2-3 minutes a side.

Now, plate and serve. I like my Salmon served on the Asparagus and topped with the Pistou. Oh, last but not least, a Pinot Grigio or Summer Wheat beer would be a great choice for beverage.

Hope you enjoy.

Cheers, R.

I always leave with a smile on my face.

One of my favorite things to do is head over in the morning and pick up whatever looks tasty. Could be corn, green beans, tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs—and oh, watermelon—I love watermelon and so does Kristy. The best thing is to grab a taste right there at the market. Their sure to have a sample cut fresh—oh, so good.

Sorry, I got a little off-track there.

My favorite—I am enjoying these wonderful, fresh relishes—super tasteful mixtures. The key is fresh. In this case I chose corn, green onions, grape tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro and lime. It was as simple as that. I grilled the corn—it has such a great flavor when grilled and charred a bit. I also threw the jalapenos on the grill too. It doesn’t take much to give them the same great flavor. Once this is done it’s a matter of cutting or dicing and getting it into a bowl.

Next, drizzle with olive oil and squeeze about half a lime—then just salt and pepper to taste. It’s one of the easiest, simplest ways to get a nice, fresh dinner together. In this case I served with skewered shrimp—in between the shrimp I have small strips of proccuitto. Once the skewers are together I drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper lightly and throw on a really hot grill for about a minute per side—done.

It is so simple. It doesn’t take much, but it looks fabulous and tastes just like the season. My grandmother always told me that a colorful plate was a sign of a good meal—I will have to say in this case—she was spot on. Give it a try—and have fun with it.

Cheers, R. 

But, the best thing is picking up a cool piece that someone local has created, crafted and shaped themselves.

This is a quick feature on a potter near my mom’s home in North Carolina. Outside of the small, quaint town of Lillington is Cape Fear Pottery. What a wonderful duo—Reuben and Ann York produce all the pottery either wheel thrown or molded by hand. What they produce is for function—they want you to use their work. The piece that Kristy and I have, my mom gave us for Christmas.

I know that most of us have tried beer can chicken. You know, grab a can of beer, drink a few sips off the top, pour in your favorite mix of spices and then put the chicken down onto the can and stand it on the grill—be careful, you don’t want it to tip over. The bottom-line, it tastes awesome. Crispy skin, moist meat—what flavor. You can’t deny it.

Well, this wonderful piece of pottery provide a nice stable, no-mess way to do the same recipe with a fabulous, hand-crafted, sculpture. You really should give it a try. So, visit the website and if you’re ever in eastern NC stop by and visit Reuben and Ann.

Cheers, R.

I have enjoyed sharing on the vibrant table—and I will continue to do so. This experience has brought some new things to me and made me take heed of things that I truly hold a passion for.

So—I wish you all a full, thoughtful, meaningful, happy new year.

Cheers, R.

Everyone’s Holidays are filled with wonderful family traditions.

You know what I am talking about—your Aunt Mary made fabulous oyster stuffing, your Uncle John made a just perfectly tart cranberry sauce and of course your grandmother made a pumpkin pie or red velvet cake that just—well, it ended your Christmas meal like nothing else could. Wow—even after days and days of eating just thinking about those things makes my mouth water.

I love to think of the Holiday meals of years past and dream up ways to pay homage to those long-lasting traditions that have found a permanent place in my memories. As I was flipping through cookbooks and magazines trying to find something a bit out of the ordinary I came across the perfect little cookie recipe. I had been very busy with work and creating something completely original was the last thing on my mind—but, I wanted to make something other than the same old gingerbread or sugar cookie. Don’t get me wrong—I love them both—but, something more connected to my eating experiences growing up was what I was hunting for.

Well—guess what? I found it. It’s times like this I am thankful for my three different food mag subscriptions every month—although Kristy gets a bit tired of the piles and piles of books and mags—she appreciates it when it’s time to eat though, trust me.

Back to the recipe. When I was growing up, one of the vibrant memories of Christmas dinner was the Ambrosia dessert. It was a mainstay on the table. My Great Aunts made sure it was always there—and now other family members continue to carry on the tradition. So—with ideas of orange, coconut and pecans on my mind I set forth to make a unique, sweet holiday treat. Here is a recipe inspired by one that I came across in Bon Appetit—enjoy.

Ambrosia Macaroons

yield: Makes about 4

5 cookies
1 stick unsalted butter @ room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup toasted and lightly salted chopped pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
grated orange peel of 1 navel orange
3 large eggs
24 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (melted)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Use an electric mixer and beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt and beat until blended. Beat in orange zest, orange juice, pecans and rum if desired. Now add eggs and blend well. Mix in coconut. Drop batter onto sheets by tablespoonfuls, spacing apart by an inch or so.

Bake macaroons until golden on the bottom and browned in spots—set aside to cool. Once they cool for about 20-30 minutes use a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons. Let cool until the chocolate is firm.

Now—enjoy. Be sure to share—these are fabulous.

Cheers, R.

This is all about a fun, beautiful and elegant way to prepare a simple salad. I was recently on vacation with some of my family at Disney—it was wonderful. We had so much fun. While on vacation we had dinner out a couple of nights and on one of those evenings my father-in-law had a wonderful salad—probably one the best I’ve had out.

Anyway—I did not duplicate what he had as far as ingredients—just the prep method. All ingredients where chopped and served petite. It’s beautiful, mixes well, works wonderfully with a light dressing and so textured. It plates so well too—just add some sliced chicken, a piece of fish or some thin sliced flank steak—wow.

I know this all sounds so simple—and it is. So—try it. Be sure to add some fresh leafy herbs—this is a great chance to pump up the flavor with cilantro or maybe a flat leaf parsley. I really think you’ll enjoy—and like I said, it’s beautiful—just look at the picture.

Cheers, R.

It’s so simple. Here we go.

Ingredients:
Hearty Rye Bread
Homemade Cole Slaw (see slaw recipe)
Slowly cooked crisp bacon
Big Boy summer tomato
mayo, salt and pepper to taste

How to get it together:
Simple—butter bread on both sides and lightly toast. Now build it—they will come. Nice layer of mayo, tomato, cole slaw and crisp bacon. Stack it, cut it, grab a few kettle chips and cold soda or beer—enjoy.

I really hope you enjoy. I mean—good hearty bread, garden fresh tomato, nice crunchy slaw and savory bacon—who wouldn’t enjoy.

Cheers, R.

So—enjoy and laugh. Foz looks to be quite happy—and will sooner or later be getting into some fabulous food with those little teeth he has coming in. Catch you soon with some tasty bits. Cheers, R.

Just roll with it—keep it simple—and enjoy. Not everything has to break new culinary ground.

Cheers, R.