What a wonderful cooking siesta! A whole week without setting a toe in the kitchen.  I eased my way back into the swing of things with this super easy and delicous meal.  Enjoy!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 12 tortillas

- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 cups spinach

- 2 cups grated white cheddar cheese

- 1 cup grated fonitna cheese

- 8 ounces smoked salmon

- 2 tablespoons capers

- Sour cream or crème faiche

Instructions:

Heat a teaspoon of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Lay down one tortilla on the pan.  Place one layer of salmon on the tortilla, followed by a generous handful of the cheeses, a handful of the spinach and a sprinkle of capers.  Top with another tortilla.   Use a spatula to flip the quesadilla once the tortilla touching the pan is golden brown.  Continue to cook on other side until golden browned as well.  Complete this process with the remaining tortillas and ingredients.  Cut the quesadillas into pie shape pieces and plate along a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche.  Serve immediately.

The first meal I made for my husband (my then early stage boyfriend), was halibut with mango chutney.  I remember being 20 years old shopping at the Hanover, NH Co-Op and meticulously picking my ingredients for my cooking debut.  The cooking took place at his college house amidst mounds of dirty dishes and the chorus of his roommates playing beer pong in the other room.   While the venue has changed quite dramatically, the combination of ingredients remains one of my favorites. Here I have used those same ingredients to make fish cakes and believe me when I say they are really, really good. This dish is perfect for an appetizer, one cake per person or as a main course, three cakes per person.

Serves 6 for an appetizer or 2 for a main course

Ingredients:

Fish

-  1 pound Halibut steaks, about 2-3 steaks

- 1 egg

- 1/3 cup light mayonnaise

- 1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard

- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions

- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

- ¼ tablespoon freshly grated ginger

- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs from a French baguette

- ¼ cup flour

-2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/4 cup creme fraiche

Chutney

- 1 cup chopped mango

- 1 avocado, chopped and pitted

- 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

- 2 medium sized plum tomatoes, chopped

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

- 2 teaspoons salt

- ½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven t0 450°.

Place the halibut in a baking dish.  Season with salt ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the chutney in a medium size bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until use.

Remove any skin or bones from the fish.  Using a fork shred the fish into small pieces.  In a large bowl combine the fish, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, scallions, remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, salt, pepper, ginger and bread crumbs.  Using clean hands roll mixture into silver dollar size balls.  Use a spatula to press the balls into ½ inch cakes.  Dredge the cakes in the flour.

Heat the oil over high heat.  Add the cakes and cook until golden brown on both sides.  Plate the cakes with a spoonful of the chutney and creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

I love plain raw oysters, but every once in a while I like to mix things up.  This Lemon-Dill Crème Fraiche is so simple to prepare and a perfect way to dress up your oysters.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 2 dozen oysters, cleaned and shucked

- 1.5 teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped

- 1/3 cup crème fraiche

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon lemon juice

- Rock salt or chopped ice for serving

Instructions:

In a small bowl mix ¾ teaspoon dill, crème fraiche, lemon juice and salt.

Arrange the rock salt or ice on a serving platter.  Place the oysters on top and dollop with a small amount of the crème fraiche mixture.  Sprinkle the remaining ¾ teaspoon of dill on top of the oysters.  Serve with lemon wedges.

This appetizer is so easy to prepare and delightfully tasty.  I mean, who doesn’t like lobster rolls?  Well, other than those who are allergic to shellfish.  I encourage using fresh lobster tails instead of frozen as it makes a huge difference in the taste.

Ingredients:

-  4 lobster tails, shelled, cleaned and chopped into ½” pieces

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- ¼ cup mayonnaise

- 2 tablespoon crème fraiche

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

- 4 celery stalks, cleaned and diced into ¼ pieces

- 1 teaspoon paprika plus additional for dusting

- ½ – 1 teaspoon kosher salt, adjust according to your taste

- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

- 1.5 tablespoons butter

- 1 fresh French baguette, cut into ½” slices

- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Instructions:

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan.  Add lobster and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove the lobster from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Heat the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Using a spatula, evenly coat the bottom of the pan with the butter.  Lay the bread on the pan and cook until browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side.  Remove and arrange on a serving dish.

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, crème fraiche, lemon juice, celery, paprika, salt, pepper and lobster.   Top each piece of toasted bread with a spoonful of this mixture.  Sprinkle with chives and paprika and serve immediately.  Makes about 16 generously spooned rolls.