Easy appetizer on slices of bread or great as a side dish to grilled meats or fish.

 Heat oven to 275 degrees. Drain a jar of piquillo peppers (reserving juices). Saute peppers in a bit of olive oil in a hot pan until browned on both sides. Arrange in a single layer in a baking dish. Bring pepper juices to a boil with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and 4 tablespoons of water. Pour over peppers and cover with foil, bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Drizzle peppers with olive oil and serve. (Recipe courtesy of the New York Times)

Salmon & Asparagus

My husband and grill master rocks that grill! This salmon was done perfectly – crispy crunchy outside (even munched on the skin) and moist and tender on the inside. It was excellent brushed with the pomegranate-chile sauce. I served it with grilled asparagus and roasted sugar snap peas. Delicious, simple and perfect for spring.

This is comfort food for me. Spicy, delicious and makes great leftovers. We enjoyed this last night over brown rice with steamed broccoli.

Thai Red Curry Lime Chicken

Dinner on the Deck (Swordfish & grilled mushrooms)

The weather begs for grilling and eating on the deck. So that is exactly what we’ve been doing. Simple, fresh food prepared with just a few ingredients — we adore this time of year.

Swordfish with a simple topping of kalamata olives, garlic, capers and parsley. Weird pom-pom mushrooms that had the consistency of a wet sponge. Oh well, now we know.

Grilled Swordfish

Olive Sauce

Pom Pom Mushrooms

What do you do when somebody hands you three large brown bags filled with fresh, gorgeous mushrooms? Get cooking and eating, that’s what. And these weren’t just any old fungi. These bad boys were from Kennett Square, PA., otherwise known as “the mushroom capital of the world.” Who knew a fungus could be so utterly delicious?

I started with the trumpet mushrooms, which I sliced and sautéed in just a splash of olive oil with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and sea-salt. The browned shrooms were then folded into mushroom omelets for breakfast. So good. Sigh. I could use another bite right now.

Trumpet Mushrooms

sautéed Trumpets Ready for Omelets

We then enjoyed grilled beech mushrooms for dinner. These were delicious and held their own as a side dish with leftover party food — Chinese BBQ pork and soba noodle salad. I made an Asian soy basting sauce to brush on the shrooms and I look forward to applying the same treatment to all sorts of vegetables on the grill this summer. The tare (basting sauce) keeps in the fridge for a few weeks, so make a big batch and use it liberally on grilled meats and vegetables.

Grilled Beech Mushrooms with Tare Basting Sauce

Leftovers — BBQ Pork, Soba Noodles & Mushrooms