smoked salmon like none before

favorite smoked salmon
favorite crispy potato chip....salt and pepper style is amazing
creme fraiche or sour cream...creme fraiche is definitely best
chives or greens from green onions, finely chopped

put chips on a large platter, side by side
place a small piece of smoked salmon on each chip
mix the creme fraiche and the chives together and put a dollop on top of each salmon/chip

serve immediately....they will disappear in a flash

copied from my dear fun, friends Amy & Rick Rockwood

tower of bread, cheese and nuts

1 bagette, sliced and individually placed on a large platter

quince paste or try favorite jam, spread on each slice of bread

favorite cheese....I love to keep this Spanish and used MANCHEGO, sliced thinly or shaved, pile on each piece of bread

favorite nut.....keeping Spanish style, I like MARCONA Almonds, especially tasty from Trader Joe's with a hint of Rosemary...place 2-4 on each tower

heat up your favorite honey and drizzle very lightly over the platter of towers

serve immediately.....

• might be fun with raspberry jam, brie and slivered almonds with a quick broil in the oven

created by yours truly

deconstructed watermelon salad

stack the following on an individual plate for each one, bottom up...

6 pieces of watermelon....2 inches thick 3"x5"
6 very thinly sliced sweet red onion
6 thick slices of cucumber 1/2" or so
favorite feta cheese for the top

mix juice of one lime 2-3T, 2 T EVOO, 1 T white wine or white balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt

drizzle dressing(about 1T) over each watermelon stack.....can double dressing, if you want more

drop 1 T of toasted pine nuts over each stack
twist of fresh ground pepper over each stack

(I served this will grilled beef and it complimented the meat very well!)

can also add.....a slice of tomato to each stack, favorite olive

this is presents very well and is so much fun!!

chimichurri marinade, sauce or dip

use this amazingly tasty marinade on beef, chicken or lamb

straight from the land of Argentina.....

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt or more if desired
3 garlic cloves minced
1 shallot finely chopped
1 green or red jalapeno finely chopped
2 c minced fresh cilantro
1 c minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 c finely chopped fresh oregano
3/4 c EVOO

make life easy and put all of the ingredients in your bullet or food processor and skip all the chopping.
this process blends the ingredients beautifully and your marinade, sauce and or dip is done in minutes.

when using as a marinade, double your recipe or save some for sauce over your cooked meat.

can be made a couple days in advance
beef and lamb do best if marinated overnight and up to 48 hrs (in a ziploc-keep life easy)
chix is fine overnight


discovered on Epicurious.com....I tweaked it's version ever so slightly

spinach salad minus bacon

2 bags of fresh baby spinach
8 oz dried cranberries
8 oz walnuts
8 oz gorgonzola or feta cheese
small bunch of green onions chopped (green tops too)


special honey mustard dressing.....
1/2 c grapeseed or olive oil
2 T dijon or favorite mustard
1 T honey or more depending on taste
1 garlic clove minced (I use 1 cube of frozen minced garlic from Trader Joe's)
1 tsp salt or more depending on taste....it's the finishing touch

rice salad-multi grain style & kale

5 c of cooked, cooled rice or orzo (I use Trader Joe's frozen rice medley--brown & red rice, barley--no need to heat, just thaw)
1 bunch of finely chopped fresh kale or fresh greens of choice
1 small bunch of chopped cilantro
1/4-1/3 c finely chopped red onion
1 c feta cheese
8 oz dried cranberries
3/4 slivered, sliced or chopped almonds (pecans work well too)

combine in a large bowl.....mix together with a large spatula scooping from under the goodies to keep the grains from getting mushy

dressing----1/4 c grapeseed or olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 T dijon mustard, 1 tsp salt or more to taste....salt adds the finishing touch....mix dressing into salad and refrigerate

even better when made the night before.....serve chilled or room temp