For the vinaigrette, whisk:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the salad:

3 lbs. red or yellow new potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a pot. Bring water to a boil, and cook potatoes until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pour 3/4 cup vinaigrette over warm potatoes; let cool, 20-30 minutes.
Boil green beans in same pot of water until tender, 4-5 minutes. Transfer beans to a large bowl and toss with remaining vinaigrette; set aside to cool.

Cook 6 strips bacon, diced in a skillet until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Gently stir potatoes and green beans and season with salt and pepper. Top with bacon.
For a vegetarian version, simply omit the bacon.

Ingredients:

3 chicken breast (butterflied)
Provolone cheese
Smoked ham
Extra virgin olive oil
Paper-thin slices of lemon
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Butterfly a thick, 8 ounce chicken breast.

Cut that butterflied breast into two pieces along the seam that holds the two breast halves together. Imagine it as an open book and cut along the spine. Now you have two thin cutlets.

Lay a slice of ham and then a slice of provolone cheese on each cutlet. You may want to tear the cheese and fold the ham so that they do not extend beyond the cutlet, because they’ll just melt or burn in the oven.

Fold each cutlet over to almost seal the ham and cheese inside. Brush the tops and sides of the stuffed chicken cutlets with olive oil. Sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper.

Cut two thin rounds of lemon and place one on each chicken bundle.

Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Top each baked, stuffed chicken breast with minced fresh parsley to really enhance the fresh flavors.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 sweet tart crust (See recipe below)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 bunches green onion (white and green parts only), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 bunch Green chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream (I used 1% milk)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg (I used allspice)

Roll out pastry on floured work surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold under; crimp edges. Cover; chill.

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until onions are very tender but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add chard; saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Whisk cream and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in cooled onion mixture. Pour filling into crust.

Bake tart 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until filling is puffed and just set in center, about 15 minutes longer (this took my oven about 10 minutes longer). Transfer to rack; cool 10 minutes.

Sweet Tart Crust

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) frozen or cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary
1 egg yolk

Method

1. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the container of a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter all at once; process until the mixture is uniform, about 10 seconds (do not over-process). Add the egg and process another few seconds.
2. Put the mixture in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons ice water; mix with your hands until you can form the dough into a ball, adding another tablespoon or 2 of ice water if necessary (if you overdo it and the mixture becomes sodden, add a little more flour). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes). (You can refrigerate for up to a couple of days, freeze for up to a couple of weeks.)
3. Sprinkle a countertop with flour and put the dough on it; sprinkle the top with a little flour. Use a rolling pin to roll with light pressure, from the center out. If the dough is sticky, add a little flour (if it continues to become sticky, and it’s taking you more than a few minutes to roll it out, refrigerate or freeze again). Roll, adding flour and rotating and turning the dough as needed; use ragged edges of dough to repair any tears, adding a drop of water while you press the patch into place.

~Ingredients

18 fresh jalapeños
One 8-ounce package cream cheese
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
1 green onion, sliced
18 slices thin bacon, cut into halves
Bottled barbecue sauce
Toothpicks
Rubber gloves (or plastic bags) for working with jalapeños
Cooking Directions

Preheat the grill on one side.

Begin by cutting jalapeños in half lengthwise (see warning in headnote). Try to keep the stems intact. They look prettier that way.

With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and light-colored membranes. Remember: The heat comes from the seeds and membranes, so if you can handle the sizzle, leave some of them intact.

Now, in a bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and chopped green onion. Mix the ingredients together gently.

Next, stuff each hollowed jalapeño half with the cheese mixture.

Wrap bacon slices around each half, covering as much of the surface as you can. Be careful not to stretch the bacon too tightly around the jalapeño, as the bacon will contract as it cooks.

Brush the surface of the bacon with your favorite barbecue sauce. Chutney or apricot jelly works well, too!

Secure the jalapeños with toothpicks and put them on the cold side of the grill and cook for 1 hour, or until the bacon is sizzling.

Serve hot or at room temperature, and watch them disappear within seconds.

Variations:

For a simpler version, omit the cheddar and green onion from the cream cheese.

Cut sliced peaches or pineapple into small bits and press them into the cream cheese before wrapping the jalapeños in bacon.

Use Pepper Jack cheese in place of the cheddar cheese.

Ingredients ~
3/4 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
4 6-inch corn tostadas
1 large orange bell pepper, diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup refried black beans w/ jalapeño
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
1 cup colby jack pepper cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation ~
Marinate the pork: Combine the pork, oil, lime juice, onion and garlic in a bowl. Mix the cumin, cinnamon, salt, allspice, cayenne and a few grinds of black pepper in a small dish. Add to the pork mixture and marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.

While the pork marinates, prepare the tostada shells as directed on the package. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the salsa: In another bowl, combine the diced bell pepper, scallions, jalapeño and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Cook the pork: Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, add the pork and cook just until done, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spatula and set aside. Add the refried black beans to the liquid that remains in the pan from the pork, combine well and heat through.

Assemble the tostadas: Spread about 1/4 of the refried black beans on each tortilla and top with a serving of pork and the colby jack cheese. Place the assembled tostadas in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Top with bell pepper salsa, celery leaves and a dollop of sour cream dusted with chili powder.

Makes 4 servings