Tonight we are having dinner with friends and I’m taking sesame noodles with grilled asparagus. I love pot luck meals – our friends are great cooks with varied styles so dinner will be wonderful and we will have shared the work and the fun.

This salad is one of my favorites because it is easy to put together and travels well. Here’s how I make it: … read more

[donotprint]Inspiration is a curious thing. Dinner last night was inspired by a head of organic, iceberg lettuce from the farmers' market.

This huge head of crispy, sweet lettuce made me long for Bún Nướng, a Vietnamese salad with noodles and grilled pork.

Never mind that I didn't have the right rice noodles, pork or spring roll. I was inspired and wanted to use the grill that came with my new range!

Along with the lettuce I did have asparagus, a red pepper, a red onion, a jalapeno pepper, garlic, ginger, and limes in the frig; shrimp in the freezer; and, fish sauce, rice noodles and peanuts in the pantry.

Here's how I did it:[/donotprint] ... read more