While a perfectly ripe mango is delicious on its own, coconut sticky rice makes a marvelous pairing. The coconut sticky rice can also mask a less-than-perfect mango to make a delightful treat. Adapted from my favorite Thai food blog, She Simmers.

Serves 2-4

1/2 cup uncooked sticky rice, cooked
1/2 cup coconut milk, or whatever you have leftover in your can from whatever you made earlier
1/4 cup or less sugar, to taste

My goodness was this delicious. You have to give Martha credit where credit is due.

8 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise (for texture; can be omitted if you don't like mayo)
2 Tbsp diced red onion
1 Tbsp capers
1 tsp prepared horseradish
Juice of half a lemon

A nice Bon Appetit recipe that is a great summer side.

1 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Freshly ground black pepper
3 fresh medium basil leaves, torn into approximately 1/2-inch pieces

Combine shallots, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil to blend. Set vinaigrette aside.

A delightful spring salad from Bon Appetit. We didn't feel the peas added much, so they are listed here as optional.

1/2 cup Marcona almonds
2 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar (or pomegranate vinegar if you have it)
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups baby arugula or watercress, thick stems trimmed
2 cups pea vines
8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large (about 2 cups)
1 cup shelled fresh peas (Optional, can also sub in blanched asparagus)
1 ounce Parmesan, shaved

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
3 gloves garlic, minced
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
4 Tbsp olive oil

To finish:
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
Seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: top with smoked salt.

Char eggplants on a stove top (~20 minutes), grill or on a broil mode in the oven (~45 minutes, turning twice). Turn around so it is very charred all around. If broiling, piece the skin in multiple places.

On our vacation to Thailand a few years ago, we spent one of our days in Chiang Mai at the Thai Farm Cooking School. Some of the dishes we made were really delicious and frankly quite easy (if somewhat challenging to find all of the ingredients in the DC metro area).

We hosted family for Thanksgiving this year and found ourselves innovating to accommodate a gluten-free family member. We very easily modified David Lebovitz's original recipe to create a delicious dish that everyone loved.

​1 1/2-pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 large onion, peeled and minced
1 cup quinoa (alternatively, for a gluten dish, use 1 3/4 cup Israeli couscous, or Italian pepe-style pasta)
1 small cinnamon stick
1 large or 2 small preserved lemons

I basically don't eat steak out anymore. It's just... I can make it better, reliably.

Quick guide: Sear :30/:30; Near heat: 3/3m Smoke 1.5/1.5, Sear :30/:30, Rest 3

Sourcing

I only buy the "Natural" (no antibiotics, grass fed, grain finished) prime, bone-in delmonico (ribeye) steak from Canales Quality Meats in Eastern Market here in DC. Grass fed beef is much leaner than grain, but with an amazing taste - and, it's better for you, with a much better balance of Omega fatty acids. Get the most marbled cut you can find, but realize that it'll still be about half as marbled as a grain-fed steak. And for the love of all things tasty, get the bone in.

Preparation

Up to four days ahead, but ideally at least 24 hours, rinse the steak and pat dry. Wrap in cheesecloth (~1 layer per day). Place it on a rack in the top back of your fridge. This is an at-home method to dry-age your cut, and it tenderizes the meat and deepens the flavor. Watch a video on the technique here: http://lifehacker.com/5865849/dry+age-steak-at-home-for-steakhou... . Vary the smoke/indirect heat time by the aging length - the more aged the meat, the closer to 1.5mins/side you want. For a steak you bought today, I'd move that to 2-3 mins/side.

Two hours before you're going to put it on the grill, take it out and unwrap the steak. Plop it down on some waxed paper and salt both sides (I like using a bit of alderwood smoked salt and some kosher salt, about a teaspoon or two per side). Let it sit - it will juice and then re-absorb, bringing in the smoke and salt flavors deep into the meat.

Planning/Purchasing

• Brisket -- Splurge. Get a high-quality point cut. In the DMV, The Organic Butcher sells them. (you will need at 60-90 minutes per pound to cook it so...)
• A whole bag of Mesquite chunks, plus ideally some other wood that will be ok for smoking

Audrey whipped this up to go with grilled or pan-seared salmon. It was easy and delicious!

For the salsa fresca:
2 parts cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 part rough chopped kalamata olives
1 part diced red onions
1 part feta, crumbled
lemon juice
olive oil (if possible, from a jar of sundried tomatoes)
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the salmon:
Wash and thoroughly dry the fillet.
Season the flesh side with salt and pepper, a dash of smoke salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and a dash of herbs de Provence

Heat grapeseed (or other, high-heat) oil in a skillet

This recipe just sort of happened one day. We had some miscellaneous items we wanted to use up, and it turned out delicious! The amounts used here served 2.

Ingredients
Salmon (1/2-2/3 lb)
Southwestern seasonings (blend of salt, chipotle, dash chili powder, cumin, dash of coriander, lime juice)

Corn (1 ear)
Tomato (1 med, chopped)
Onion (1/2 small, chopped)
Cilantro (about 1/2 cup, separated from stalks)
Salsa / hot sauce (about 2 tbsp)
Lime (juice from 2 limes)

Makes a nice side dish for two. Any type of kale will do, Very easy to double, triple, etc until pan size becomes limiting factor.

Courtesy of the Washington Post Express (page 36).

A really yummy recipe - great on the first try. The original recipe was for chicken tikki masala, but we used paneer instead of chicken and the result was pretty similar to some of the best Shahi Paneer we had in India.

Modified from Food and Wine.

Inspired by the best meal we had in Paris, at Un Jour a Peyrassol. Goes with the potato gnocchi.

I sat down to cook up some dinner. The goal: tame my basil plant that's turning into a small bush and occupying more and more of my not-that-big kitchen. So - pesto it is. But what to go with the pesto? Noodles seem to be too easy, heavy, and obvious. So some pesto-encrusted salmon. Also, I had some shitake mushrooms that needed cooking, and bought some fresh asparagus at the farmer's market this morning. I reduced some syrah with the mushrooms, because shitakes sauteed in wine = the shiznizzle.

Adapted from @MikeCotton's famous potato soup. Full instructions for that are at the end. This recipe can (and usually should) be halved!)

5 lbs baking potatoes
¾ lbs (3 sticks) butter
1 lb applewood smoked bacon, chopped
1/2 lb sharp cheddar, grated or finely diced
5+ cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
sea salt, black pepper to taste

Optional: Sour cream and chives.

Kitchen needs: a large pot, another pot, and a lot of large prep bowls

Prep