The Italians are credited with many foods we eat in America, but one very versatile and delicious dish never seems to get the recognition it deserves in the culinary world. It’s not an omelet or a quiche, but a version of both, and in my opinion, easier to make and absolutely fabulous to eat: the frittata. Unlike an omelet, the frittata is not folded over. It actually looks more like a quiche, but without the crust and the heavy cream. Think of it as a healthier quiche with all the versatility of an omelet. The frittata, like many Italian foods, most likely had its beginnings in a kitchen on …

In my restaurant we make a fresh soup each day during the summer and we make two or three different soups daily in the colder months. Every great soup starts with a great stock and once you see how easy it is to make your own, you’ll toss out all those sodium laden store-bought brands. This recipe will deal with chicken stock, which is the base not only for many soups, but it’s also used in sauces, gravies and other recipes. So you can see why it’s a necessary staple to have on hand. You’ll notice that this recipe calls for no salt. This allows you to season each recipe you use the stock in …

When people discover that I’m a chef and own a restaurant, I get one of three responses. First, there are the people who think it’s a wonderful, glamorous career and that I’m jetting back and forth to five-star restaurants every week. Boy, are they off base! These people have obviously been watching too many celebrity chef shows. The second group is comprised of people who have a love of cooking and a secret desire to own a restaurant of their own someday. This isreally a dream of more people than you might imagine. The third group, and the one I’ll address in this article, consists of the …

Many people will bake pies, cakes, cupcakes and cookies, but ask them to bake a tart and a look of fear comes over them.  For many years, the tart was the finish to a fine meal in an expensive French restaurant. We’ve been led to believe that tarts are best left to the experienced pastry chefs, but I’m here to tell you that’s just not the case. In less than an hour, you can create a tart that will amaze your family and guests. And you’ll amaze yourself with how simple this is to make. Honey Glazed Apple Tart Serves 4 1  sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 2  Golden Delicious apples (7 to 8 oz. …

If you’ve been growing cucumbers this summer, you know what an abundant harvest they produce. You can only eat so many salads withcucumbers, and they don’t really lend themselves well to much cooking other than maybe a cucumber soup. By now your neighbors have politely turned down any more of your offerings of armloads of cucumbers, and you don’t want to just let them stay on the vine and rot. How about trying your hand at making pickles? It’s not as hard as you may think. Today you can find “canning jars” and pickling salt at just about any grocery store. I’ve found the jars at Sam’s Club, …

It’s summer. It’s hot, and it’s watermelon season. Here’s one of my favorite uses for watermelon. It will cool off your family at a backyard picnic, but it’s also an impressive dessert for a summer dinner party when served in a tall martini glass with a sprig of mint on top. Try it and I’m sure it will become one of your favorite summer recipes. Just what is granita? It’s the refreshingly delicious icy Italian fruit dessert that has many variations. This rough version is called granita; make it just a bit smoother and it’s an Italian Ice; make it silky smooth and it becomes a sorbet. Granita …

As I start my journey back home to Florida, I shoot over to Memphis to partake of some great BBQ. When it comes to barbeque, there’s four distinct types: North Carolina, Texas, Kansas City and Memphis. I stopped in at a little shop in Memphis that’s been serving up a great Memphis-style menu for 60 years. Some locals told me I had to try The Bar-B-Q Shop, Home of the Dancing Pigs. It’s not on the main tourist drag of Beale Street but right in the heart of a residential area and is definitely a local favorite. That’s the type of place I always look for when traveling — a great restaurant known…

As my monthlong culinary road trip continues, I find myself in Maine in search of the perfect lobster — or as they say here, lobstah. I don't like to rely on the Internet or guide books to tell me about the best places. I check in with the locals, and they never steer me wrong. I wanted to go to a lobster pound, not a restaurant that serves lobster. There's a big difference. A lobster pound is always on the water at the docks. It's run by the lobster men and women that go out in their boats and pull up a fresh catch of lobster daily. They bring in the lobsters and put them in seawater tanks. …

As I continue my culinary roadtrip up to New England and other parts of the country, I wanted to check in on a long-standing "clam feud." In Massachusetts, two very old, family-owned seafood restaurants each lay claim to the creation of the very first fried clam. A few years ago, I wrote an article on Woodman's of Essex. They unequivocally stated that they were the first place to ever drop a clam into a fryer. This trip I decided to stop by their competitor, The Clam Box. They, just as adamantly, proclaim themselves as the creators of the fried clam. This battle, which goes back several …

I love a good road trip, so I decided to take the RV on a long journey up the east coast from Florida to New England, sampling small-town America along the way.     My trips long ago abandoned the monotony of the interstates in favor of the less-traveled back roads, which take you into the lives of the people who live along them. The diversity of different areas of the country and the towns and people living in them are what make our country so unique.   We traveled up the coast, stopping at some wonderful mom-and-pop restaurants and diners along the way and sampling the home cooking from …

In the food world, there are some flavor combinations that are just pure gold. Chocolate and coffee is a match made in culinary heaven. In a limited amount of time, you can create a very impressive Chocolate Espresso Toffee.  It takes a bit of skill to get the toffee to the soft crack stage, but don't be intimidated. This recipe is beautiful to look at and even better to eat! It's sure to become one of your favorite "go-to" dessert recipes. Chocolate Espresso Toffee Makes 2 pounds 2 cups chopped walnuts 1 1/4 cups butter 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee 1/2 …

All of us have experienced it: that mouth-watering sensation we get as a sizzling hot plate of fajitas is carried past our table in a Mexican restaurant. We sit there and wonder why we didn’t order this great-tasting showpiece. The restaurants make sure to bring those fajitas out with great flair because it creates interest, and I’m sure every time a plate of them goes out, the orders for fajitas increase. You don’t have to wait until your next restaurant visit to enjoy this deliciously tender meal. This is a great item to cook out on your grill, so forget about those tired hamburgers and hot…

To me nothing tastes better than food grilled outside. There’s just something about the flames, smoke and the sizzle of the grill that makes everything taste better. But even when it comes to grilling, I like my recipes fast and easy. This recipe fits that criteria and is one of my favorites. We have a wonderful selection of shrimp here in Florida, so visit your fish monger and select your favorites. Serve this with some homemade coleslaw and a French baguette for a picnic meal fit for a king – or a queen! Basil Garlic Grilled Shrimp 12 ounces raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tablespoons …

Three years ago I planted a tiny, 4-inch rosemary seedling in my garden. Today I have a very large rosemary bush! I’ve never fertilized it. I don’t water it except on very hot summer days and then only about once a week. It seems no amount of neglect is too much for this hearty herb. If you have the proverbial black thumb then I suggest you try growing a rosemary plant. It thrives in poor soil, with partial sun and obviously with lots of neglect. Although I don’t tend to this great herb much, I do find myself breaking off branches several times a week. I use it not only in my cooking, but in …

It's June and signs of our infamous summer heat wave are creeping up just as fast as our thermometer. Summer starts much earlier here and so does the harvest of our abundance of summer fruits and melons. With all this great weather to enjoy, sometimes the last thing we want to do is be in a hot kitchen with steaming pots and pans. This salad will get you out of the kitchen in 20 minutes or less and will utilize those wonderful summer melons and fruits.  It makes a beautiful presentation, no one will ever guess how easy it was to prepare.  With its colorful layers, this salad makes a perfect …

We're fortunate in Florida to be able to grow so many wonderful fruits and vegetables year round. In our restaurant garden, we grow tomatoes and herbs in an eco-friendly self-watering system using five gallon buckets. Since the plants are in containers  the bugs and diseases that usually attack the plants when they are on the ground, no longer are a problem. So they thrive in this system. Now that my tomato plants are just a couple of weeks away from bursting with delicious fruit, I've been craving recipes with tomatoes.  This fast and easy tomato, feta and onion tart is one of my favorites. …

Covering the Taste of Pinellas this past weekend put me in the mood for tapas. Tapas is aSpanish cuisine of small bites or appetizers. Some are literally just a bite, like an amuse-bouche. Others are more the size of a small appetizer. The In Spanish tradition Spaniards combine tapas (which means to cover) together to make a full meal. They typically eat it while socializing at a bar or party.  I’ve always enjoyed tapas style meals because I can enjoy a variety of tastes and textures. So this week I’ve come up with a menu of tapas recipes that combine the courses you would find in an …

One of my most favorite treats as a child was a Dreamsicle ice cream bar. Some people know it as a creamsicle, but either way, it’s delicious! It’s a wonderful creamy vanilla center topped with a tangy orange coating. Now, as an adult, I sometimes still get a craving for that wonderful combination of flavors. So I came up with a recipe that puts our delicious Florida oranges to good use in this dessert. Frozen Dreamsicle Pie Serves 4 16 vanilla wafers, finely ground in a food processor (if you don’t have one, seal the cookies in a zip lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin or meat pounder…

As far as I’m concerned, it’s never too hot outside for soup. I’m not really a fan of cold soups. I consider the phrase “cold soup” to be an oxymoron. Soup is meant to be hot and delicious, and this one certainly is. Not only that, but it’s so fast to make, you can whip this up in 20 minutes or less! When I was a child, my mother would make this soup using escarole in place of the asparagus. This equally tasty version uses asparagus, which are in season now and very plentiful at our local farmers markets. So head on over to your local produce stand or farmers market today, pick up a bunch of …

You can’t think of Cinco de Mayo without thinking of wonderful Mexican foods. If there is one thing Mexican food is known for, it's their salsa. I’m sharing some favorites of mine in hopes that you will incorporate one or all of them into your Cinco de Mayo celebration. With the short list of ingredients and prep time, there’s no excuse not to make them as often as you like. Although Cinco de Mayo calls for them, it doesn't limit their use. Add the salsa to sandwiches, meat entrees, pastas, and even to top off a quiche or omelet. These salsas are tasty and healthy, and they will keep for a …