When the weather warms up, I start thinking about lighter foods. The soups and roasts that hit the spot on frigid New England winter days are forgotten in favor of lighter summer fare like fruit, everything grilled and salads. Dinner becomes an art of combining no-cook dishes (can’t heat up the kitchen!) combined with whatever is coming off the grill.

Honestly, I love our foods of summer — the creative salads, smoky grilled meats and tasty seafood. I think it might be my favorite eating season (you can have a favorite eating season, right?).

What I also love is the contrasts of foods in summertime — the sweet fruits served alongside savory dishes. The cool veggies with warm grilled whatever. You get it.

And this Warm Salad with Grilled New Potatoes is all about the contrasts. There’s the crisp veggies and lettuce with the creamy grilled potatoes. There’s the hot potatoes and cool dressing and salad. And of course, the sweet tomatoes and sharp blue cheese. It’s divine.

Making the potatoes is so simple. This is ideally made with new potatoes — little red potatoes that are about one-inch in diameter. But larger red potatoes can be used too (just cut them into a 1-inch dice). You simply combine the potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a foil packet. And then you grill them until they are all soft and tender.

Once that’s done, you assemble your salad on plates. Because of the potatoes, this is a pretty filling salad. But if your family has a big appetite, you could also serve it with grilled chicken.

Drizzle it with your favorite vinaigrette … and it’s ready to be enjoyed.

 Have you had potatoes on a salad like this?

PS – Did you know that Betty Crocker (who sponsored this post) now sells fresh potatoes in the produce section? Betty Crocker Fresh Potatoes come in red, yellow, white and russet varieties. The red potatoes would be perfect in this dish.

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Disclosure: I am being compensated by Betty Crocker for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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New England summers have always meant copious amounts of seafood for me. And this year is no different — so as soon as the temperatures hit that comfortable level where grilling outside can be accompanied with eating outside, we picked up some littleneck clams to grill.

Our local butcher shop, which also features a nice selection of fresh fish, had piles of clams in the display case when the kids and I stopped in after soccer practice on a recent Saturday. We were buying burgers for dinner, and house-made hot dogs for lunch. But when the kids said, “Mommy, can’t we get some clams too?” I didn’t hesitate for a second. It’s seafood time!

I love making clams on the grill. You heat the grill up, and put the scrubbed-clean clams directly on the grates (always remember to wash your clams to remove sand and grit from the shells!). Sometimes, I will also put a pan of beer to infuse them with a little steamy ale, but you don’t have to. Then you wait for them to cook. It’s so incredibly simple and when the clams open, they are ready to be removed to a serving plate.

As they near completion, you can also whip up a quick garlic butter sauce that’s amazing with the salty, meaty littleneck clams we prefer. It’s magical.

My kids are huge clam fans too. They are the first in line to swipe a fried clam from my plate when we head to a favorite seafood shack in the summer. And if you put a plate of clams out, they will both reach for them instantly.

It’s good. I love that they enjoy seafood as much as I do.

Are you a fan of clams?

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When my husband and I bought our house nearly nine years ago, one of the first things we did was to buy a shiny new grill — a good one. We were young and excited and spared no expense on our appliances or grill — and that’s something I am very glad for. We made some really good decisions, even if they weren’t the most sensible ones.

Over the years, our grill has resided on three different sides of our house. It’s been bruised and beaten by weather and seasons, and has had parts replaced — including the hood after the original was crushed. But over the years it has remained as reliable as the day we bought it. Still, when I went to turn it on last fall and couldn’t even get the starter to click, I was concerned that our grill was nearing its end time. I mean how many lives can a grill have?

Thankfully, after a long winter of rest and with a fresh propane tank, it’s back to fabulous grilling. Heating it up and tossing dinner on the grates is like a rite of passage in the springtime — a symbolic gesture that formally says goodbye to winter and hello to the warmth and joy of spring and summer. I am so happy to be grilling again.

And these days, I am grilling something super fun. Like “hey, kids, mama’s the coolest” fun.

Grilled Raspberry Cheesecake Turnovers.

Seriously. Dessert on the grill is the best. And in this case, it’s also wildly craveworthy. These tender, flaky turnovers grill up with a note of smokiness. And they are literally stuffed with creamy vanilla-tinged cheesecake and sweet raspberry filling.

My goodness, they’re good.

Not a speck was left from these babies when I handed them over to the kids and Shawn. Not a single speck.

Dessert on the grill?!? Come on, that’s a smart summer grilling move. And just think how awesome everyone will think you are if you make these while dinner’s cooking.

What are you grilling these days?

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Disclosure: I was compensated by Pillsbury for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own.

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Not so anymore. Several years ago (um, by several I probably mean closer to 6 years), I sucked it up and started grilling  because, well, I write a food blog. It seemed stupid to continue refusing to grill when it’s an important part of the American cooking experience.

These days I grill a lot and love to.

Recently, I was contacted by Kitchen PLAY who asked if I would be involved in a Progressive Party with the theme “Make This Recipe…Safer,” sponsored by the Ad Council. Of course, I agreed.

This campaign, headed by the USDA, is all about food safety — a topic that’s important for anyone spending time in or out of the kitchen. There’s even a Food Safety website dedicated to these crucial cooking reminders

Basically, the four tenets of safe cooking are clean, separate, cook and chill. What do these things mean?

Clean: Keep your cooking surfaces, utensils and hands clean while cooking by washing them with soap and water. Personally, I am obsessed with keeping my cooking area clean, as well as my hands. I keep soap next to the sink just for this.

Separate: Keep raw meats away from other foods, including using separate cutting boards. I always use different boards for meat, veggies and bread.

Cook: Always be certain to cook meats and seafood to the proper temperature before serving. You can use a food thermometer to ensure that the inner temperature of the food meets minimum safe temperatures.

Chill: Finally, foods should be chilled — both raw, perishable items and cooked foods. Leftovers should be wrapped up and stuck in the fridge shortly after eating to ensure that they remain safe.

Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak
serves 4

1 flank steak (you’ll want the whole portion, which is usually 1 1/2 lbs)
2/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
several dashes crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste

Place the flank steak into a gallon-size resealable bag.

Whisk together the red wine, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pour over the flank steak. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible.

Refrigerate the flank steak, turning once, for at least 1 hour or up to 10 hours.

Once the flank steak is marinated to your preferences, heat the grill on its medium setting until good and hot, about five minutes but up to 10.

Remove the steak from the marinade with tongs and place on the grill. Reseal the bag and discard any remaining marinade. Wash the tongs and your hands.

Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, to desired doneness (remember, you can ensure its cooked right by checking the internal temperature with a thermometer). Allow the flank steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Serve. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

If desired, serve with Basil Chimichurri Sauce over rice (as shown).

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Disclosure: I was compensated for my time creating and publicizing this post, but all opinions expressed are my own.

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Every so often, a new ingredient gains popularity and you wonder why no one was cooking with it sooner. That’s how I feel about pea shoots. They have that fresh, just-picked flavor and pleasant cool crunch — similar to bean sprouts. When I saw a package of them in Trader Joe’s I couldn’t wait to try them out.

I wasn’t disappointed. As a longtime fan of sprouts of all kinds, these are pea shoots are just up my alley. I think they would be awesome in sandwiches too. But, my first experiment with them was to make Grilled Quesadillas with Pea Shoots.

Grilling quesadillas is easy to do. You start with a hot grill. It should be well-preheated (I made mine after grilling chicken, so it had been on and heated for awhile). Then you toss the tortillas on, cover them with cheese and other toppings and close with another tortilla.Then, they just cook on the grill in about 5 minutes or so (yes, you have to flip them once).

It’s super easy, and since there is no butter or oil on the tortillas, they are a little better for you than the traditional pan-made ones.  Serve them as an appetizer or side dish with dinner.

One more really fun idea for this: A grilled quesadilla party. Invite a bunch of friends over and offer a variety of fillings and cheeses. Everyone can design their own and grill it up in a few minutes. It would be a great summer gathering, and you could totally celebrate summer’s freshest bounty by offering a bunch of farmers market veggies to stuff the quesadillas with.

Have you had pea shoots? Did you like them?

Grilled Quesadillas with Pea Shoots
serves 4

4 flour tortillas (medium sized)
Mexican cheese blend (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
Pea shoots

Preheat your grill on its medium setting or prepare charcoals for grilling.

Once the grill is hot, lay out two of the tortillas on the grates and cover generously with cheese. Top with a layer of pea shoots (I like to use a lot) and the remaining tortillas.

Close the grill lid and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until lightly browned and slightly puffed. The quesadillas will unpuff as they cool.

Serve with your favorite salsa.

More delicious quesadilla recipes:

• Black Bean, Avocado and Red Pepper Quesadilla
• Bacon and Bell Pepper Breakfast Quesadilla

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Does this plate look familiar? It should. It’s the same plate from the Herbed Grilled Red Potatoes, just shown at a different angle. Generally, I don’t end up photographing two new dishes at the same time, but when this super simple chicken dish worked out so well that I wanted to share it.

But I have to warn you. This recipe is so simple, it almost doesn’t need to be presented in recipe format. But I think that sometimes even simple things are easiest to glance and cook with so the recipe is below. Look, it’s worth it.

Grilled Caesar Chicken Strips are a new take on the classic Italian dressing-marinated grilled chicken. Basically, you make a really flavorful, easy and fast chicken tender dish (strips of chicken breasts can be used instead, if you can’t find chicken tenders) and marinate it in Caesar dressing. Then it’s grilled to perfection.

They are just perfect served with a salad. Though, it doesn’t have to be a Caesar salad (but that could be amazing).

Grilled Caesar Chicken Strips
serves 4

1 lb chicken tenders (raw chicken)
1 cup Caesar dressing

Combine the chicken and Caesar dressing in a resealable container or bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the grill up to its medium setting (or prepare the charcoal for grilling). Once the chicken is marinate, Lay it across the grates. Cook for about 3-5 minutes per side, flipping once, until cooked through.

Serve immediately with a salad.

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If I could use one word to describe the planting of our garden this year, it would be quiet. In previous years, it’s been a fast and furious effort involving the whole family. Beds were added and a fence installed. Shawn even made a special gate for the garden last year. But this year, it’s been a slow and quiet process. We haven’t added any more planting space or moved the fence. And it’s fine — for now.

In terms of preparing the garden for planting, that’s been mostly on me — with a bit of help from the kids. I’ve turned the soil, added compost and dealt with garden pests. (I hate bugs. All of them. Seriously, seriously hate them! *cringe*) And planting? It’s been a slow and quiet process as well. Weeks of rain have delayed the progress. Much like farms in the area, our plants went in late this year due to the weather and some are still waiting. Parts are looking withered, and I don’t know if they will survive. But the tomato plants are thriving. So are the herbs, and the broccoli.

This planting season has been so different, but I guess that’s to be expected. Over the past few years, I have learned that no two growing seasons are alike. Two years ago, we struggled with a month of rain in June that gave way to late blight. The blight meant that there were virtually no fresh tomatoes all over the northeast. That was hard, since tomatoes are the crown jewel of summer crops here. Last year, the season was so early that by the time we tried to pick strawberries in late June, there were nearly none left. This year, the strawberries are right on time … but we’re holding our breath a bit to see what the up and down weather will mean for gardens and farms this year. No one is quite sure yet.

For now, I am happy the herbs are doing well.

I called these Summer’s First Harvest, but this really isn’t my first harvest this season. I’ve used a little mint (which I grow on the edge of the property where it’s free to be as invasive as it likes). And I’ve picked a few herbs here and there. But these Herbed Grilled Red Potatoes are the first dish where my homegrown herbs really star this year. It’s a spectacular thing to be able to walk into the backyard with scissors and come back with enough herbs for a dish that hits the table about 30 minutes later.

When I was working on this side dish, I wanted to make it easy as can be. So, I skipped the mincing of the herbs. Instead, they are rinsed and left wet, which allows them to steam in the center of a pile of potatoes inside a foil packet. They lend fresh summery flavor to the sweet, tender, buttery red potatoes. But it only takes less than five minutes to toss this all together and about 25 minutes to cook. It couldn’t be easier.

Shawn wished they had the crusty outside of roasted potatoes. This just isn’t that type of potato dish though. They’re fork tender with bits of caramel-colored richness, making them easy for kids to eat with little help. I didn’t have to cut them up for my 3- and 5-year-old, which was great. And the flavor? It can’t be beat. I love the way the herb flavors permeate the potatoes like wisps and whispers. They don’t overpower the natural sweetness of the red potatoes, but rather complement it.

What are you grilling up these days?

Herbed Grilled Red Potatoes
serves 4

1 1/2 lb small red potatoes
2 large sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme, divided (break the little steams off from each other)
1 sprig sage
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
sea salt, for finishing

Heat the grill on high heat.

While the grill is warming up, wash and cut the potatoes into one-inch chunks. Set out a long (18-20 inches) sheet of aluminum foil. Pile half of the red potatoes on top.

Wash the herbs in cool water, and shake lightly to remove some (but not all) of the water. Arrange the herbs in a single layer on top of the potatoes. Top with the remaining half of potatoes.

Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper. Cover with a second sheet of aluminum foil, and fold and press the edges to seal.

Reduce the grill temperature to medium and place the foil pack on the grill. Grill for 10 minutes. Then, carefully (without piercing the foil) flip the foil packet. Grill for another 10 minutes.

Remove from the grill. Let sit for a few minutes and then very carefully cut open. Beware! Hot steam will escape, so be really super careful.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of sea salt.

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For more than a year, I have barely eaten beef. While I like it, my body isn’t fond of it and I’ve found that avoiding it means that I can live with less bouts of my severe asthma – and less medication. It was a no brainer to eat less of it.

That said, I have never set out to eliminate it from my diet altogether. Everything in moderation, you know? So, with summer nearing (could someone please tell Mother Nature that summer is almost here? I don’t think she got the memo for New England), I plan to enjoy a few burgers this summer. But because I rarely eat beef, I want to make it count when I do.

At the same time, I have made a commitment to losing weight and generally being healthier. It’s kind of a catch-22. I want to be healthy, but I also want to enjoy life … and the food I eat. And while I do really like turkey burgers and chicken burgers, nothing substitutes for a great beef burger when that’s really what you want. So, what’s a girl to do?

Ultimately, I come back to moderation. Cheddar Bacon Burgers are delicious, but when it comes to trying to be healthy, they aren’t the best choice. The cheddar and bacon add so much more unhealthy fat to the beef burger. After struggling with this, I decided to stick with 85% fat ground beef, which produces a juicy, flavorful burger. But I cut out both the cheese and the bacon. (I’ll still have cheese with my turkey burger though!) And for the roll, I am now skipping the bakery rolls and traditional hamburger buns in favor of the thin multigrain rolls that I eat sandwiches on for lunch. They work well and hold up to the burger while having less calories and more fiber.

But a plain burger? Even a juicy, flavorful one enhanced with salt and pepper needs something more, something to make it great. Enter the veggies. My Super Veggie Beef Burger is like a fab salad combined with a juicy, amazing burger. The avocado (yes, it has fat, but it’s healthy fat) adds a creaminess that substitutes well for the missing cheese. Then there is crunchy red pepper, smooth baby spinach, sweet tomato slices and crunchy alfalfa sprouts (well, sort of crunchy). When you take a bite, you get this surge of flavors, wrapped in the dripping juices of the great burger. It’s amazing.

I’m not giving up my occasional beef burger … when I have one, you can bet that it will be piled with fabulous fresh veggies.

How do you like your burger?

Super Veggie Beef Burger
serves 4

1 lb 85% fat ground beef
salt and pepper
4 thin deli rolls (I used Arnold’s Multigrain Sandwich Thins)
1 avocado, sliced
1 red pepper, cut into 4 pieces and seeded
1 cup baby spinach
1 tomato, sliced
alfalfa sprouts

Preheat your grill over medium heat (or prepare your charcoals for grilling)

Divide the ground beef into four even pieces. Salt and pepper liberally. Gently fold the salt and pepper into the beef, taking care not to handle it too much. Then, pat each piece into a 1/2-inch thick patty. Place on a plate and stick your thumb into the center of the patty, pressing down firmly (but not through).

Grill the burgers to desired doneness, flipping once and never ever pressing down. At all. Really, I mean it.

Once the burgers are done, place each one on a thin deli roll. Top with avocado slices, one slice of the red pepper, baby spinach leaves, tomato slices and a palmful of alfalfa sprouts. Close the roll and enjoy immediately.

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Last year, I really wanted to master grilling pizza. However, many pies later, I still didn’t have the process down. That all changed when Everyday Food ran a feature on it recently. It totally demystified the whole thing.

Amazingly, it seems that grilling pizza is way easier than I ever imagined it could be. Stretch, flip, flip, flip, top, serve … all in less than 15 minutes.

So, how do you do it?

You start with pizza dough. This is one that I purchased at my local grocery store from the deli. You stretch it to an oval-ish shape. Mine ended up sort of free-form. Also you want the dough to be stretched thin.

Next, you slide the dough onto a preheated, oiled grill. I preheated it over the medium setting and used a high-heat cooking oil spray to oil the grates. The dough cooks for just a few minutes (maybe 3 or 4), until it just starts to bubble.

Then you flip the dough and cook it for another 4-5 minutes.

Flip it once more and then spread your toppings on. For this nacho pizza, I used about 1 cup of mild salsa (my kids prefer mild) and maybe a cup of sharp shredded cheddar cheese. You could also add sliced olives, jalapenos, black beans, chili or diced peppers.

Finally you cook until the cheese is just melted. Remove the pizza from the grill (I used a pizza peel — it worked perfectly) and let sit for a few minutes before slicing.

And that is all it takes to get perfect grilled pizza. Who knew?

As for the flavor of this pizza, it was like a great big nacho and the kids loved it. Heck, I loved it too. We polished off this whole pie together in no time. Delish!

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Growing up, I always picked radishes out of salads. To me, they were a garnish that shouldn’t be consumed ever. The fierce peppery-ness just didn’t appeal to me at all. But then, a few years ago, I tried Balsamic Sauteed Radishes and it was a complete revelation. The peppery taste of the little, hard, red roots was completely tamed by cooking and the balsamic added this fabulous sweetness to them.

For the past year or so, I have been looking for another way to cook radishes in a way that tames them but makes them flavorful too. This, these grilled radishes with dill, white wine vinegar, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, are the result. The subtle flavor is slightly sweet, totally dilly and wonderful. They are tender bits of radish goodness that go great with fish, chicken, salads and more …

If you haven’t had radishes cooked, then you need to try them. It’s amazing. It’s beyond amazing — it’s craveworthy goodness. Try it.

Grilled Dilled Radish Packets
serves 4

1 bunch radishes, washed and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt and pepper, to taste
3 sprigs fresh dill

Preheat your grill. If using a gas grill, heat it to its medium setting.

In a medium bowl, combine the radish slices, olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil (roughly 18-24 inches long). Pile the radish mixture in the center and top with the sprigs of dill.

Fold the sides of the aluminum foil in to form a sealed packet. Place the packet on the grill, seam-side up and let cook for 20-30 minutes.

Remove the packet from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully open the packet, being careful of escaping steam. Transfer radishes to a serving dish.

Serve immediately. Leftovers can be chilled and eaten cold as well.

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