1. Cioppino aka seafood stew. We have a local fish market down the road called Joe Patti's. Inside, you can find just about anything that lives in the Gulf on ice and for sale. I chose clams, oysters, clamari rings, shrimp, and small scallops for our cioppino. The broth is tomato based, and I added some seafood stock and spices for flavor (salt, pepper, oregano, basil, fresh lemon thyme, fresh dill...). I topped it off with a special crouton that is super easy to make and really yummy: Slice a freshly baked baguette, spread some anchovy paste and butter on the top, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese flakes and stick in the oven under the broiler just until the cheese gets golden brown. Because we are sophisticated, we paired our cioppino with sparkling grape juice :-)
2. Salads, despite how much I love a big 'ol chunk of meat, can be really great. The one pictured on top has strips of london broil on romain lettuce, with grapes, blueberries, dried cherries, and goat cheese mixed in. I added some balsamic vinegar as dressing. The second salad pictured is one of my all time favorites. Romain lettuce, with bacon, strawberries, avacado, and goat cheese. I don't even put dressing on this salad because it's already delish. These aren't bacon bits people, get out the pan and make some real bacon. We have been eating smoked bacon lately and oh my is it good!More good eats to come I'm sure... these pictures leave out the very large population of cows we have been taking down :-P
