Baked Scallops in Olive, Sun Dried Tomato, and Basil Butter

These Baked Scallops in Olive, Sun Dried Tomato, and Basil Butter are about the easiest and foolproof way to prepare scallops.

Baking scallops in butter just brings out the sweetness of sea scallops.

Apple and Bacon Red Cabbage Salad with Pecans

Apple and bacon red cabbage salad with pecans and an apple cider and Dijon vinaigrette - a delicious way to enjoy fresh cabbage without smothering it in mayonnaise.

This apple and bacon red cabbage salad is fresh and light. The salad is tossed with a small amount dressing, which brings together the apple, cabbage, and bacon flavors.

White Bean Dip with Herbs

This White Bean Dip with Herbs is a great appetizer to whip up when you're expecting last minute guests. It's fabulous spread on bread, pita chips, or crackers.

This dip is simple to make, and can be thrown together with ingredients you probably have in your pantry and refrigerator. While I used dill, mint, and parsley for the herbs, you could substitute any herbs you have on hand.

Butter Cookies with Mocha Frosting

These butter cookies with mocha frosting are made from a universal slice-and-bake dough.

The dough for these butter cookies can be made up to two days in advance, or frozen for even longer. When you are ready to make the cookies, just slice the dough, bake the cookies, and spread them with the frosting.

Greek-style Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

These Greek-style Lamb Burgers take the traditional American burger to a different level. The lamb is seasoned with onions, garlic, mint, and parsley, and then cooked on a hot grill or grill pan.

What I enjoyed about making these lamb burgers is that you actually get to make your own ground lamb in your food processor.

Pear Salsa

Asian pears, red onion, Serrano chiles, fresh cilantro, fresh mint leaves, and lime juice combine together to make a delicious and fragrant salsa, excellent for serving with good tortilla chips.

This pear salsa is also delicious spooned over fish fillets, such as halibut or salmon.

Carrot and Raisin Slaw with Cumin Yogurt Dressing

Carrot and Raisin Slaw with Cumin Yogurt Dressing, including garlic, coriander, and mint.

This shredded carrot and raisin salad is light and savory. It's not the sweet carrot and pineapple salad you might remember from PTA potlucks. Instead, it's a crunchy slaw flavored with ground cumin, ground coriander, and shredded mint.

Pasta with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Sausage

This Pasta with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Sausage is so easy and delicious. The zucchini and summer squash take on the flavors of the hot Italian sausage, as does the pasta, which is tossed in the flavorful oil from the cooked sausage.

This sautéed zucchini and pasta with sausage is wonderful hot, fresh from the pan. It's also tasty at room temperature, as a potluck side dish.

Olive Tapenade Deviled Eggs

These Olive Tapenade Deviled Eggs are one of my favorite ways to enjoy hard boiled eggs.

Deviled Eggs were probably my first official introduction to appetizers. In my family, someone always brought a tray for Christmas Eve dinner every year. The trouble with deviled eggs is that you could pretty much ruin your dinner because they are so delicious.