Grilled Artichokes

My grandparents live among hundreds of acres of sprawling, rolling farm land near the Santa Ynez Valley—right in the heart of Santa Barbara’s Wine Country. One of the most abundant crops grown in this area is the mighty artichoke. My Papa will often venture into the artichoke fields; before he can get out of his little red truck the workers have a heaping box of the beautiful vegetable ready for him.

I recently prepared grilled artichokes on the barbecue—the best way to preserve the flavor and keep a quality texture.

First, I steamed the whole artichokes for 20 to 30 minutes. I then individually wrapped them in plastic wrap and allowed them to chill in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I sliced them in half, brushed them will extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled them with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper.

Then all they needed was a few minutes on each side on the grill and they were ready to go. If your grandparents don’t happen to live in artichoke country, don’t worry, your local grocery will do just fine.

Now That’s Some Good Chicken

We weren’t sure what to have for dinner last night, so on my way home from work I stopped at the market—still not sure what to get. As I scaled the aisles, one by one, I remembered a grilled chicken recipe my mom had e-mailed me that day. I didn’t have it with me so I did my best to remember what it was all about, here’s what I ended up with:

Joe sprinkled the over-sized chicken breasts with some Hitching Post Magic Dust (a tasty combination of garlic, salt, pepper and other spices) and threw ‘em on the grill. While the meat was cooking, I tossed some crumbled gorgonzola, toasted walnuts, fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil together with baby spinach.

When the chicks were done, I plated them atop a bed of spinach. I then placed thickly-cut slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato on the chicken and sprinkled lemon-marinated avocado chunks over the entire dish.

Yahtzee!

Did You Say Fried Ravioli?

What’s better than ravioli? Well, fried ravioli of course. These little guys are perfect with a little marinara, either as an appetizer or to accompany a main dish. So simple, you don’t even have to cook the ravs first.

What you'll need:

- 1 C. Italian-style breadcrumbs, in zip-lock bag
- 1 C. buttermilk (regular milk works fine too)
- 12 raviolis of your choice (last night we made spinach and ricotta)
- 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1. Pour the oil in a medium-temp skillet and let it get hot.
2. Dunk the raviolis into the buttermilk, allowing most of the milk to drip off.
3. Place the raviolis one-by-one into the plastic bag with the breadcrumbs.
4. Shake, baby, shake!
5. Place the raviolis into the skillet and let cook until golden brown (3 min.) then flip (3 min.).

Chocolate Chip Dried Cherry Cookies

I made this Whole Foods recipe last night and the cookies turned out beautifully. I was a little tentative since the recipe only calls for brown cane sugar, but they were light, fluffy and packed with great flavor. They come out almost like little biscuits.

I substituted the pecans for walnuts—I think any other nut would be just as tasty too. Hint: be sure to use tart dried cherries, they add a little extra kick against the sweetness of the cookie.

• 1 stick organic unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup organic brown cane sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sifted organic unbleached white flour
• 1/4 cup sifted organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
• 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Ingredient Option: use dried cranberries instead of cherries.
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream together butter and sugar, beating until light. Add vanilla and eggs. Continue to beat well. Sift together both flours, salt and baking soda, and add to butter mixture, beating again. Stir in chocolate chips, dried cherries and pecans. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with canola or olive oil spray. Bake cookies 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition Info:
Per Serving (1 oz-wt.): 130 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 1g dietary fiber, 2g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 10mg cholesterol, 65mg sodium

Wolfgang Puck's SPAGO

I recently spent two days in Las Vegas for a trade show I was attending at the Hilton Hotel. Though I was there by myself, I knew I had to take advantage of the celebrity chef restaurants that litter the city of lights. I chose Spago -- Wolfgang Puck's swank eatery located within the Forum Shops at Caesars.

The service really was impeccable. After being seated, my waiter quickly arrived with an overflowing platter of fresh artisan breads for me to choose from. I finally decided on the cracked wheat sourdough and an airy rosemary fresh baguette. The bread was served with a plate of rosemary-infused extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground pepper, coarse salt and a pad of butter.

Though initially I was set on ordering a glass of their pinot noir, once I read the cocktail list I couldn't refuse. The sparkling wine, fresh muddled raspberries and lemon sour drink was a real treat.

Trust me, it was nearly impossible to decide on a main course. Yet I FINALLY decided on the potato encrusted bass, served on a bed of grated cucumbers, zucchini and carrots. The bass was kept so incredibly moist and tender by the browned, shredded potato crust. The veggies had been marinated in a light lemon-based sauce that really brought out their flavor.