CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY!

Mix cream cheese with the basil and garlic. On each tortilla, spread about 2 tablespoons of this mixture on the tortillas to within 1/4 inch of the edge.  Layer with romaine, salami, ham, and cheese.
Next, layer on the olives, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts that you prefer. Tightly roll up the tortilla and cut in half on the diagonal.

COBB SALAD DIP
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 2 ounces)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium avocado, finely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups, cut just before serving)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 slices bacon, well-browned and crumbled
Celery sticks or assorted crackers, for serving

Place the sour cream, blue cheese, lemon juice, salt, and Worcestershire in a medium nonreactive bowl and stir until well combined.

Fold in the avocado, scallions, and parsley, transfer the dip to a shallow serving dish, and top with the bacon. Serve with celery sticks or assorted crackers.

GRILLED BEEF TENDERLOIN

1 (5 pound) whole beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt

Prepare beef: Trim off excess fat with a sharp knife. Fold thin tip end under to approximate the thickness of the rest of the roast. Tie with butcher’s twine, then keep tying the roast with twine every 11/2 to 2 inches (to help the roast keep its shape). Snip silverskin with scissors to keep roast from bowing during cooking. Then, mix oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, pepper and salt; rub over roast to coat. Set meat aside.
Either build a charcoal fire in half the grill or turn all gas burners on high for 10 minutes. Lubricate grate with an oil-soaked rag using tongs. Place beef on hot rack and close lid; grill until well-seared, about 5 minutes. Turn meat and close lid; grill until well-seared on second side, another 5 minutes.
Move meat to the charcoal grill’s cool side, or turn off burner directly underneath the meat and turn remaining one or two burners (depending on grill style) to medium. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest section registers 130 degrees for rosy pink, 45 to 60 minutes, depending on tenderloin size and grill. Let meat rest 15 minutes before carving.
*Serve with horseradish sauce (mix 1 cup sour cream with prepared horseradish (at least 1 TBSP), Dijon mustard (1 TBSP) and S & P to taste.

4 large sweet potatoes
2 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp butter, melted
4 TBSP Gruyere cheese, grated
4 TBSP light brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Topping
2 TBSP butter, melted
2 dashes worchestershire sauce
~ 4 TBSP chopped toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and scrub sweet potatoes, then using a fork, make several holes to allow steam to escape. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until easily pricked with a fork. Allow to cool a bit, then slice each potato lengthwise.

Scoop out the centers and place in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the butter, brown sugar, rosemary, cheese and salt and pepper and mix well. Carefully add the potato mixture back to the skins equally.

Bake for ~ 15 minutes, or until just starting to brown on the edges.

For the topping, mix together the butter and worchestershire and drizzle over the halved potatoes. Sprinkle with the pecans and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

LEMON GARLIC BRUSSEL SPROUTS

BBQ RIBS
Gotta go with my favorite here – Montgomery Inn!

 OK – I’m cheating here (montgomeryinn.com), which I think are just about the best there are!  They are out of Cincinnati, OH, and I order them frequently for parties.  You can grill them or just pop them in the oven.  Then slather with their amazing (I think the best) BBQ sauce, cut them up; and you have finger food that your guests will love you for serving.

http://store.cincyfavorites.com/ribs–pulled-meats-c12.aspx

BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP Cajun seasoning
1 cup BBQ sauce (see below)

Brush chicken breast with oil and then rub with cajun seasoning. Grill until almost done (~8-10 minutes). Slather with BBQ sauce and turn to grill 2 minutes. Slather again with sauce and turn for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve with:
swiss cheese
BBQ sauce
Honey Mustard
Lettuce
Rolls

This sauce offers that perfect blend of tangy and sweet (but not too sweet). So good.
BBQ Sauce:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP molasses
2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 TBSP Chili Powder
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp tabasco

In heavy saucepan mix all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Let cool and refridgerate up to one week.
Makes 3 cups of sauce.

LIMEY COLESLAW
(Gwynneth Paltrow)

Simply throw a bag of coleslaw in a bowl.  Add a couple of heaping spoonfuls of veganaise, 1-2 tsp of lime juice and salt generously.  Serve immediately.

GRILLED VEGIES AND CORN ON THE COB

PEACH BERRY CRUMBLE

Stir together egg, egg yolk, and next 4 ingredients with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle over fruit. Melt the butter and drizzle melted butter over topping.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until light brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes; serve warm with ice cream.

How gorgeous is that?