If you love garlic and have never eaten garlic scapes, run to your nearest farmers market and buy up all you can get your hands on, because you are in for a treat. Garlic scapes are only available for a very short time in late spring/early summer. I buy them when they're in season and I I freeze them. I also make pesto with them (recipe to follow)

Garlic scapes are the "flower stalks" of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers. These stalks start to appear a month or so after the first leaves. They are usually cut off of the plant, since leaving them on diverts the plants strength away from forming a plump bulb. If left on, they eventually form small bulbils that can be planted to grow more garlic, but it takes 2–3 years for them...

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I was never a big salmon eater, until a friend prepared the fish for me like I am going to describe below, and I have been hooked ever since. Salmon is a "strong" fish ie: fishy. But it's the skin, not the flesh that is the culprit. Salmon is loaded wth vital omega-3 fatty acids is one of the worlds healthist foods.

I will only eat fresh-caught salmon, the farm raised fish lacks flavor and/or is super fishy and has dye added to it to make it appear pink (its actually grey otherwise). My salmon of choice is Alaskan sourced and my absolute favorite is from the Copper River. Have you heard of Copper River Salmon?  The "run" (season) is very short, and you can catch the tail end of it right now. I mark my calander every year for the...

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I've been told more than a whole lot of times that I make the VERY BEST hamburger in the world.

Hamburgers-On-The-Grill are my most requested menu item by my son's friends and although I am not much of a red meat eater myself, I make these for the boys on a regular basis. Burgers on the grill are perfect for picnics after day-hikes and 4th of July parties. The secret to my burger is 3-Fold
1) the type of ground beef you buy,
2) how you form the patty,
3) and the grilling technique

1) This is my one exception to buying lean cuts of beef. When it comes to hamburger, look for a nothing leaner than a 80/20 mix. I am not sure what the "80" is, or the "20", and I'm positive I really don't want to know. But this blend ensures a...

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This is The Barefoot Contessa's Shrimp Salad recipe and I've been making it for years. It's the perfect summer salad, easy, delicious and if you keep frozen shrimp on hand in your freezer, it can be whipped up on late notice. Thaw the shrimp quickly by placing them in a colander under cold running water. Fresh dill is best, but dried is fine, too, in a pinch. I add 2 Tbsp. of capers to my recipe because, well, I love capers. I made this salad just last week for a girlfriend and I. I served it with a croissant, fresh fruit, and a glass of Pinot Grigio. This makes a large batch, I usually cut the recipe in half when I make it.

Put the potato slices in a big bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary to coat them and then spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about an hour, turning them once, halfway through. Delicious!

(I think that potato-cutting image is from Real Simple magazine, but I'm not certain.)

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Here's a family favorite recipe that I want to share it with you, prepare to be amazed. This is so delicious, and so fattening that I try to make it on special occasions only (pretty much every Saturday has become a special occasions in this house). The recipe is from The Pioneer Woman and once you make it, I think you will agree that it's a keeper. This is REAL cinnamon toast. If you're going to consume this much sugar, gluten and saturated fat, make it worthwhile.

Cinnamon Toast
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup (or more) of sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. Mexican vanilla (becasue hey, if you're going to consume this volume of calories, go all-in)
6 - 8 slices of bread, any kind will do

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the butter in a deep...

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