In A Nutshell

1 1/2 cups Israeli Couscous, cooked according to package directions and cooled slightly 1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thin 1 ear of grilled or cooked corn (nice use for a leftover ear of corn) 1 cup (approximately) cherry tomatoes, halved thinly sliced red onion (maybe about a quarter of a medium onion) 1/4 cup diced feta 3 T lemon juice 3 T olive oil 1 clove of garlic, pressed 1 t Dijon mustard 1 heaping T parsley or basil pesto (optional) 1/2 t salt pepper Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, Dijon, pesto and salt and pepper.  Throw the red onion into the dressing for 10 minutes or so to mellow the flavor. Meanwhile, saute the zucchini in a very small amount of olive oil just for a few minutes until crisp-cooked. Add all the remaining ingredients to the dressing and stir. Serve at room temperature. If you like a lot of dressing, you can add 1 more T each of EVOO and lemon juice but I found 3 to be sufficient.

This is a great use for bruised peaches; I had a whole bag of them so I made a lot of the peach puree and froze it in smaller containers. This is another delicious Rick Bayless drink adapted by Rachel Ray adapted by me. In the magazine, they salt the rim with a mixture of kosher salt and dried basil but I don't like dried herbs so I did just the salt. The drink hinges on good summer peaches. For the purée : 1 lb ripe peaches (this is about 2 good size peaches), peeled, pitted and sliced into large chunks 1/2 cup sugar 2 T lemon juice 3-6 basil leaves, torn (depending how strong of an herbal flavor you want) 4 1/2 oz. silver tequila (go ahead and round up to 5 oz- I won't judge) 2 oz. triple sec 2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice 3 oz. fresh peach puree In a food processor, blend the peaches, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.  In a small pitcher or large measuring cup, stir together peach puree, tequila and triple sec. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil leav

The peanut dressing is absolutely fantastic; it also makes a terrific dipping sauce for chicken but I suggest you reduce the amount of lime juice and water to make it thicker. Peanut Dressing : 1/2 cup peanut butter (natural, creamy) 1/8 cup soy sauce 1/8 cup toasted sesame oil 1 1/2 T unseasoned rice vinegar 1 T finely chopped garlic 1 T grated fresh gingerroot 1 t Asian chile paste (oelek sambal) 1/2 T hoisin sauce 3 oz. water 4 T freshly squeezed lime juice Mix everything together in a mini food processor or a blender until smooth. If this is too thick, you can add a little more lime juice and/or water; you don't want it to be too thick and gluey.  I found it to be just right but it might depend on what kind of peanut butter you are using. For the salad : 8 oz. vermicelli, cooked according to package directions and rinsed with cold water 2 carrots, shredded 4 cups baby spinach 4 scallions, sliced 2 leftover grilled chicken breasts, sliced (optional) 4 rad

I wanted to use those pretty striped beets along with the red but couldn't find them anywhere. If you can find them, I think they would be a visually pleasing addition. The proportions here can easily be changed- the following recipe made a starter enough for 4 people. 1 bunch beets with fresh green leafy tops 2 cloves of garlic, sliced small pinch of crushed red pepper 1 ball of burrata cheese green onions, brushed with olive oil and grilled until charred in spots (we grilled the green onions while we were grilling the rib eyes for that evening's meal) extra-virgin olive oil pepper thick balsamic vinegar Maldon sea salt Preheat oven to 400º; cut the washed leaves from the beets and chop into approximately 2" pieces. Peel the beets with a paring knife and cut into wedges; toss with just enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat them and sprinkle them with kosher salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes until tender. You can roast these a day or two before you

Empanada fever rages on..... This is adapted from Tyler Florence, made by my daughter Leksa, who is now officially the Queen of Empanadas. For the filling : 1 small potato, peeled and sliced (about 1/4 lb or so- it's not too important) 1/2 lb chorizo, casing removed (we used 2 links of chicken chorizo from Whole Foods) 1/2 small onion, diced 1 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 t cumin pinch of oregano 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup sliced green olives 1/2 cup golden raisins Cook the potatoes in salted water for about 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and return to the pan, breaking up the potatoes with a wooden spoon into smaller chunks. Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in a pan until brown and crispy. Add the onion, cumin and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.  Pour in the broth and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, olives and raisins and toss together. Season with salt and pepper to taste (you may not need additional salt because chorizo tends to be pretty salty). Let the fill

This is adapted from Bon Appetit; I served these with Naan and roasted eggplants with yogurt sauce . 6 cups baby spinach, chopped (I chopped it in the food processor in two batches) 8 scallions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine or pressed 2 lbs ground chicken (or turkey) 1 t ground cumin 2 t salt freshly ground pepper Combine all ingredients and mix gently with a fork or your clean hand. Form into 6 large patties and fry in olive oil for 3 1/2- 4 minutes per side. I did 4 minutes on the first side and 3 1/2 on the second side and they were cooked perfectly.

 I'm always enthused about upside down cakes but inevitably wind up disappointed... too dry, not fruity enough, bland etc. This summer I was attracted to a recipe from the Good Housekeeping 2002 Annual Cookbook mainly because one of the ingredients was cornmeal. This cake turned out dreamy... moist, fruity, a bit crunchy from the cornmeal- a delightful change of pace from the usual upside down cake. For the topping : 1/2 cup toasted pecans 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 4 T unsalted butter 3 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges For the cake : 1 1/3 cup flour 1/4 cup cornmeal 2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened 2 eggs 1 t vanilla 1/2 cup milk 1 cup blueberries For the topping: In a 10" cast iron skilled, melt brown sugar with 4 T butter over low heat until sugar melts, about 2 or 3 minutes. Throw the pecans over this (breaking them up a little with your hand) and then arrange the peach sli

Not the best photo, but trust me these are delicious. This is only slightly adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's book  Plenty . You can really put any spice you want in the yogurt mixture. I used frozen pomegranate seeds from Costco since these are out of season right now and difficult to find. 2 large eggplants, sliced horizontally 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil coarse salt and pepper Preheat oven to 400º. I peeled two skinny strips down the length of the eggplant (skin side) with a sharp paring knife to make the finished product easier to cut and eat, but you don't have to do that. Brush the tops with the olive oil until all the oil is absorbed by the eggplants. Make 3 or 4 parallel incisions in the flesh of the eggplant without cutting through to the skin. Sprinkle with kosher or maldon salt and bake for about 40-45 minutes until nicely browned. Let them cool on the pan. Yogurt Sauce : 1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken not stirred 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1 T extra-virgin oli

Love the Rooster Sauce!  This is an adaptation of the cover recipe from the July Bon Appetit; I'll admit my photo isn't quite as nice as theirs... 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1/3 cup hot chili paste (sambal oelek) 2 T fish sauce 2 T soy sauce 1/4 cup Sriracha 2 t finely grated peeled ginger 2 cloves of garlic, pressed 3 large boneless chicken breast halves, cubed Mix marinade ingredients in a medium glass bowl and put in the chicken cubes; I marinated this overnight for maximum flavor. Thread chicken onto skewers. Meanwhile, transfer the remaining marinade to a saucepan and bring to a boil; boil until nice and thick and reduced by half (this took about 10 minutes). Heat the grill to medium-high heat and grill chicken, basting with the Rooster Sauce frequently and turning occasionally. Baste and turn, baste and turn... The grilling should take about 9 minutes total. You can boil the sauce again if you want to serve it on the side

That beautiful creature contemplating a margarita is our beloved dog Milo; he is also a lover of food (and apparently drink).  I have thus far, inexplicably, neglected to include my favorite food group; this delicious cocktail is adapted from Rick Bayless via Rachel Ray. This makes more strawberry puree than you need just for 2 drinks; the leftover would make a good ice cream topping but chances are, you'll want to make more than 2 drinks. 1 lb strawberries, hulled 1/2 cup sugar Puree the strawberries and sugar in the food processor until smooth. 4 1/2 oz. silver tequila 3 oz. triple sec 3 oz. fresh lime juice 4 1/2 oz. strawberry puree Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and add all the ingredients listed. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into two glasses (you could do a sugar-rimmed glass to make it look extra-purdy). Garnish with a strawberry or lime slice.

I am CRAZY for empanadas; they are, in my opinion, one of the world's most perfect foods-- delicious fillings wrapped in flaky pastry. When we went to visit my daughter Leksa, who was studying in Argentina for a year, we ate empanadas constantly and they were beyond dreamy. We have tried (unsuccessfully) many recipes, foisting inferior empanadas on our poor family at every gathering this summer, and have finally hit on pure deliciousness.  We tried two different doughs and both were delicious; Leksa made a dough similar to a pie dough which is more difficult to work with but slightly more flaky and tender and I made a dough that was definitely easier to make-- we both concur that while the pie crust type dough is better tasting, the other dough is a close second.  So here we begin our empanada odyssey... The  flaky dough that Leksa prepared is from Smitten Kitchen ; she didn't change anything about the recipe except that she rolled out the dough to about 1/8" th

This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit; you could add chicken or shrimp to it if you wanted to make it more substantial or leave it as is to eat as a side dish or vegetarian entree. I had the idea that I wanted to wilt the spinach so I dumped the hot noodles over the spinach, but the only thing I succeeded in doing was to make the noodles sticky and difficult to stir after pouring the dressing over them. Next time I will rinse the noodles in cold water as directed and enjoy the not wilted spinach.  You can get creative and add/substitute any other vegetables you like. 1 large carrot, shredded 4 cups (approximately) baby spinach Put these in a large bowl. 12 oz. angel hair or vermicelli pasta, cooked and rinsed under cold water; well-drained. Add the noodles to the bowl with the carrots and spinach. For the dressing : 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes 1 t sambal oelek (garlic chili sauce) 2 t sesame seeds 1 clove of garlic, pressed or chop

This is only very slightly adapted from Bobby Flay; it's great with fish, chicken or any kind of Asian Noodles. I like to grill a double batch of asparagus- eat half the first night and make this marinated asparagus out of the rest for the next night. 2 bunches asparagus, grilled Note: to grill asparagus: snap off woody ends, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and grill over high heat on one of those grill pans that has holes in it for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently) For the dressing : 1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned) 2 t honey 1 T Sriracha sauce (or 1 t dried red chile flakes) 1 finely chopped or pressed clove of garlic 1 T soy sauce 2 t toasted sesame oil 1/4 t kosher salt freshly ground pepper 1/8 cup canola oil 2 T sesame seeds, toasted in a little frying pan Whisk together all ingredient for the dressing. Pour over the asparagus and marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24. I like to remove it from the marinade onto