First, slice the potatoes, then place on aluminum foil. Melt the butter and minced garlic (to your taste) in the microwave. Pour over the potatoes. Add salt, pepper, several splashes of soy sauce and fresh, chopped parsley. Toss. Make a pouch out of the aluminum foil and place on the grill for about 15-20 minutes. Consume immediately.

Homemade pesto and goat cheese on slices of lightly toasted Italian bread makes a great side dish. Or try slivers of roasted garlic and goat cheese when garlic starts showing up at the market.

SAGE AND BUTTER PASTA SAUCE

Put 7 tbsps. of butter in a saucepan and melt. Wait until the foam subsides a bit and the butter becomes a golden brown. Throw in 10 sage leaves. They should sizzle – let them crackle in the butter for 15 seconds on each side. I then just use the butter sauce (I took out the sage leaves) and toss it with pasta and some pecorino romano cheese. My favorite combination is this sauce and butternut squash ravioli.

PEPERONATA IN SAOR from Gourmet's "Adventures with Ruth." I had this with grilled salmon last week. Fantastic and simple.

Basil Lime Fizz

3/4 cup of sugar

Zest of 1 lime

1/2 cup of lime juice (freshly squeezed is best)

1/4 cup water

1 cup fresh basil leaves

Baking soda

Sparkling water or seltzer water

Blanch your basil first (bring a pot of water to boil, dunk the basil in for a minute, remove and put in ice water to stop the cooking). Place the sugar, zest, lime juice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Then, remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to let it thicken into a syrup. Place the syrup in a blender with the basil. Throw a dash of baking soda in there, too. Blend. Pour through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to strain. I *highly* recommend this step - I initially skipped it out of impatience and laziness. In the end, there was too much pulpy-madness. Pour a small serving of the syrup into a glass with lots of ice and pour the sparkling/seltzer water over it. Serve with a little lime wedge for looks and the "ta-da!" factor.