I am a big fan of dinners that can be made in one pan (read: less cleanup). I had gotten these beautiful zucchini, grape tomatoes and fresh basil from the local farmer’s market and wanted to utilize them in the perfect, one pan dish that could be made in 30 minutes. The real stars of the show were the addition of the black pepper, the Pecorino Romano cheese and the fresh Basil – these ingredients just amped up this dish to the next level of flavor. I have recently been using Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan because I think it has a more complex flavor profile and the perfect amount of salty bite. If you want to make this dish even more colorful, you can use 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash (all of which are in season in the summer!). Also, to stretch this meal, it can be served ...

One of my favorite New York City restaurants, Marchi’s, does this simple beet salad consisting of roasted beets tossed in some olive oil with salt and pepper, which I absolutely love. I decided to riff off the simplicity of that and add some bite with some raw red onion and red wine vinegar to make a simple summer salad. This is a great change up from your typical Potato Salads and Macaroni Salads for the summer months (and beets are in season!) Enjoy!

When I was in Culinary School, the day we learned the technique of Grilling it was 110 degrees outside, and the air conditioning in our classroom has unexpectedly stopped working. The thermostat in the classroom read 120 degrees, and to say I wanted to melt on the floor was an understatement. I couldn’t even enjoy learning about the proper grilling techniques because all my brain could process was “must stay alive and not die of heat stroke”. Due to this unfortunate introduction to grilling, I avoided grilling for the next few years, having flashbacks to the Sahara Desert Kitchen I was in, and assuming that all grilling experiences felt like you were on the surface of the sun. Silly as it sounds, that’s how traumatic that day in school was for me. Fast-forward a few years now, and I LOVE grilling. Sitting outside in the fresh air, glass of cold ...

My husband is infatuated with Black Pepper. He puts it on everything… and in large quantities, I might add. So while at the market the other day, I came across the most beautiful boneless Rib eye Steaks (my husband is also anti anything with a bone in it….it’s become a source of great contention in our marriage but I digress)… I knew I wanted to highlight both the steak and it’s ability to handle bold flavors such as garlic, oregano and pepper! The great thing about the Rib eye cut is that it is delicious when seasoned with just salt and pepper, but is versatile in that it can also hold up to robust flavors like garlic, chilies, herbs, etc. This came out amazing – the black pepper created a beautiful crispy crust on the outside of the steak which paired wonderfully with the soft interior of the perfect rare ...

My newest grilling obsession is making Grilled Mushrooms. I haven’t grilled a mushroom since culinary school, and forgot just how good they are. However, the other night, when planning to grill mushrooms, the weather took a turn for the worse (read: monsoon) and I had to reevaluate my dinner plans. Since I already had my mushrooms mixed together with the oil, herbs and seasoning, I decided I would just roast them in the oven (oddly enough, something I’ve never done with mushrooms….usually I sauté them). The mushrooms came out perfectly tender and flavorful and this literally could not be easier to make. I bought super large white mushrooms – potentially genetically engineered they were so large – and they worked out perfectly to be sliced ¼” thick for this recipe. This side dish pairs great with chicken, steak or with a vegetarian meal to act as a “meaty” protein. Enjoy!

I am always looking for fun ways to top pizza, because let’s face it, you could put anything on pizza dough and it works. I love Spinach Artichoke Dip (for my recipe click here), so I decided to change up the recipe a little and make it as a pizza. HELLO Delicious! This is so incredibly easy to make – I get store bought dough because the one thing I detest making as a chef, is dough. I am too impatient to wait for yeast to rise, I hate dealing with the huge stand mixer to make the dough, I hate cleaning up the inevitable flour that gets everywhere, etc etc. If you have a Wegman’s by you, their premade dough is AWESOME. You can also go to your local pizzeria and ask to buy dough there as well (a great trick I learned years ago). Last night I topped ...