Minty Fruit with Wine

The fruit season is here! This is an elegant and creative way to serve fruit. I love to serve this for breakfast or after dinner with some coffee. The white wine and fresh mint in this dish will fill your kitchen with wonderful aroma.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cantaloupe, cut into cubes
• 8 ounce fresh strawberries, sliced in halves
• 1 cup green grapes, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Combine the wine and sugar in a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the cataloupe, strawberries, grapes, and mint then combine in a large bowl. Pour the warm wine mixture over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Rosenmunnar Cookies

Rosenmunnar are Swedish thumprint cookies. They are fun to make and you can use your favorite flavor of fruit jam. These cookies will be ready for tea time in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fruit jam of your choice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Cream together butter and sugar in mixer. Add flour and vanilla extract then mix for 2 minutes. Shape dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place on cookie sheets. Imprint your thumb in the center to make an indentation. Fill with your favorite fruit jam.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

French Pound Cake

An authentic & mouthwatering pound cake! This cake will fill your house with sweet aroma while it's baking. This pound cake has the perfect density, taste, and texture.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Cream butter, milk, and sugar together in a mixer. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low setting and add in flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Turn mixer to medium setting and mix for 5 minutes. Pour batter into a greased cake pan or bundt cake pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Test cake by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then it's ready. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.

Seafood & Pinot Grigio Spaghetti

This is a great pasta dish to serve if you are looking for something light and extraordinary. I use fresh jumbo shrimps and clams but you can always substitute to your choice of seafood. The sun-dried tomatoes, shrimps, and arugula add a colorful touch to this dish!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spaghetti pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 shallot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 pounds clams, washed
• Sea salt & ground black pepper
• 2 cups arugula

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until tender but don't let it brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimps, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, cover and cook until shrimps are pink and the clams have opened which takes about 7 minutes.
3. Add the pasta to the seafood mixture. Season with salt & pepper. Add the arugula last. Serve and enjoy immediately.

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Mayonnaise

These sweet potato fries are a great afternoon snack. We love sweet potatoes for its beautiful color and nutrients. I serve them with a special garlic mayonnaise sauce for dipping. It's super easy to make and a good alternative to the regular potato fries with ketchup.

Ingredients:

• 5 sweet potatoes, cut into about 1 by 4-inch fries shape
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400º.
2. Place the sweet potato fries on a foil baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden which is about 40 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice.
4. Sprinkle baked sweet potato fries with sea salt & pepper. Serve with garlic mayonnaise alongside for dipping.