I’m busy working on book number three but just the other night I took some time out to have some friends over for an impromptu dinner. I used a recipe my neighbor has cooked a few times. It’s great and really easy!!!

For PORK

You’ll need:

boneless pork chops
a green pepper
onion
pineapple rings
butter
thick Kikkoman Teriyaki

Salt and pepper your chops. Place them on separate squares of foil. Top with a pat of butter, an onion slice, a pineapple slice and then the pepper (stack in that order). Pour on some teriyaki and grill to desired temperature. We served this with couscous which was a perfect side! Enjoy.

Here’s a picture of what the prepped meat will look like.

For Summer Salad

This is easy, too.

Romain lettuce

Red Pepper (diced)

Pasta (cooked, drained, chilled)

Red onion (diced)

Cucumber (diced)

Wild Tree Italian Dressing

fresh Mozzarella cubed

Toss and serve…

Then…HIT THE BEACH

This week, I’m hosting the neighborhood book club meeting. Instead of reviewing a novel, however, we are having “cookbook night.” Everyone brings a dish from their favorite cookbook and shares. Such a great idea. But it got me thinking…I rarely look at cookbooks anymore. When I want a new recipe, I look for one on the Internet. ( usually at  FoodNetwork.com) You can find pretty much any kind of recipe on there so why buy a 30 dollar book, right?

Well, this makes me kind of sad, because while I love the Internet, I love books more. Real books. The ones with paper and pictures and ink and that great book smell. No, I’m not anti-ebook, just making an observation. In fact, I just downloaded both the Kindle App and the Barnes and Noble eReader App onto my iPhone. Who knows? Maybe I’ll buy the ebook version of Giada’s latest and cook something from that. I’ll bring my iPhone to book club and we’ll start a great conversation about what going on the world of publishing.

Or, perhaps I’ll dust off the books on my kitchen shelves and make some asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and Parmesan cheese (recipe from Food for Thought) and some Cheese “Croutes” (from Culinary Art)?

Here’s the recipe for Cheese Croutons from Culinary Art and Traditions of Switzerland:

farmhouse bread cut into cubes
80 g butter (1/2 stick)
200g Appenzell full fat cheese, grated*
200g Appenzell salted cheese, grated*
nutmeg
pepper
100 ml cream
50 g chopped chives

*I used Gruyere and Jarlsburg cheeses.

Fry bread in butter until brown. Mix two cheeses and sprinkle on top. Add cream. Keep pan very hot and turn continually. Saute until covered in cheese then season and serve.

Bon Appetit, tout le monde!