One of my go-to summer dishes:  Avocado Soup. It can be as simple as avocado and milk or incorporate more flavors & textures if you like.

You might consider these Maple-Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins to be breakfast cookies. They’re reminiscent of your favorite granola.

Shrimp Louie with L.A. Style Sriracha. What will my San Francisco friends say?

This retro 1970s pineapple cheese ball is an amazing and amusing blast from the past.

This Spicy Chickpea Stew is a summer stew. I think the Asian inspired spice cools the palate on a hot summers day.

I didn’t just roast these figs til they were jammy, I roasted them until they were sweet and savory as well as chewy and charred.

This lemon-gin martini is a pitcher drink with all the sophistication of a handmade craft cocktail.

Blueberry Cobbler. Or should I say Blueberry Crumble? Either way it’s got a luscious vanilla-scented sour cream biscuit topping.

Whole snow crab legs transform this healthful and delicious Red Pepper Soup with Avocado and Lime into a special event meal.

These Carrot-Quinoa Muffins are moist and flavorful and they’ve got that little quinoa pop that starts the day off with a bang.

Brown Sugar Cornbread topped with a sweet, salty and savory bacon crumble.

Steamed Tilapia with Citrus Salsa and Spinach.

Minted Blueberry Lemonade: Sweet and Sour Sunshine.

These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies also have whole roasted (and salted) peanuts in them. Giving them that sweet and salty allure.

Pan Fried Catfish with Buttered Rice. It’s not fancy, but it’s good eating.

Mango Chicken Salad with Tamarind seasoned with exotic spices and finished with toasted coconut, is a showcase of global flavors.

Deeply chocolate and very dense I don’t know whether these chocolate cardamom confections are muffins or cupcakes.

Lemon Yogurt Cake: I lightened my mom’s recipe by changing yogurt for sour cream and coconut oil for butter.

Seared Pork Belly with Smoked Gouda Macaroni.

Kombu Seaweed Martini whaddaya think? It’s mildly salty and subtly sweet, it tastes just like the ocean. Now, whaddaya think?

This Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake is ridiculous bordering on obscene. Chocolate cookie crust. Ganache bottom. Cream Cheese.

Kale and Shallot Mini-Quiche for both the cook and baker in you.