Grilled Eggplant and Green Bean Salad

A plate of food with meat and vegetables on it.

Ingredients 1 eggplant, partially peeled (I like to leave strips of peel for color) and sliced diagonally into one inch thick pieces Green beans, lightly steamed (about 10 per person) Cherry tomatoes, halved (about 5 per person) Torn basil leaves Sesame seeds, optional Dressing 2 Tbsp mirin wine or sherry 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1…

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Grilled Kung Pao Chicken on Skewers

A plate of food on the table with flowers.

Ingredients ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 3 Tbsp Sherry or mirin 2 Tbsp sriracha (hot chili sauce) – more or less to taste 2 tsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp minced ginger 2 cloves minced garlic 1- ½ lb chicken breasts cut in 1 to 1 ½ pieces…

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Grilled Peaches

Grilled peaches, steak, and blue cheese.

Yesterday we stopped by the popular seasonal produce stand at JT Moore. Between fresh corn, lady peas, and Bradley tomatoes you can almost always imagine a meal. Canary melons, watermelons, cantaloupes, and peaches provide dessert options. We’ve been doing lots of grilling lately to keep from using the stove during this long run of 90 plus…

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Grilled Peaches with Arugula & Burrata

A plate of food with some shrimp and other vegetables

Overheard at lunch from a friend who loves to cook talking to a self-proclaimed non-cook, “This time of year when produce is so fresh, you don’t really have to cook it just try not to hurt it.” Exactly, and that’s why we all love summertime food so much. Yesterday afternoon the produce stand displayed freestone…

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Grilled Street Corn Dip

A person holding a tortilla chip over a bowl of rice.

Ingredients 5 ears of corn, shucked 1 jalapeno 1 pkg cream cheese, softened 4 Tbs sour cream (may use half mayonnaise) juice of half a lime 1 tsp garlic salt (more to taste) ¼ cup chopped cilantro ¼ cup chopped green onion ¾ cup crumbled Queso Fresco (reserve ¼ cup)* Chips for serving Directions Char…

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Grilled Watermelon Salad

A plate of food with watermelon and greens.

Ingredients Salad 8 watermelon slices, pie piece shaped, about 1 inch thick 1 bunch of arugula 2 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler ¼ cup chopped pistachios Dressing 1 cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup sugar Directions Make dressing: Boil vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until slightly reduced and…

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Guinness Beef Pies

A plate of food that is on the table.

It would be awfully fun to make these beef and Guinness hand pies that are cute as a leprechaun for St Patrick’s Day tomorrow. I baked a batch last night just to make sure they were as yummy as I remembered. Spoiler alert – they are. Baked in a muffin tin the mini pies could…

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Homemade Ravioli

A plate of pasta with spinach and tomatoes.

Ingredients 24 wonton wrappers 1 cup ricotta (whole milk) 3 Tbsp (about 12 leaves) chopped basil 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ cup grated Parmesan salt and pepper to taste ( ½ tsp) 1 egg, beaten Directions In a large bowl, combine ricotta, basil, garlic, Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Working with 6 wontons at a…

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Homemade Tomato Soup

A bowl of soup with basil leaves on top.

Ingredients 1 c beef or vegetable broth, divided 1 Tbsp brown sugar 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 c chopped onion 5 garlic cloves 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained Cooking spray 3/4 c half-and-half Cracked black pepper (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 500 °. Combine 1/2 c of broth, sugar, vinegar,…

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