Summer is here! With it comes outdoor grilling and parties. I am in a commercial kitchen most days from early in the morning to late afternoon … sometimes even later. Usually when I am invited over to someone’s house, I like to bring something to share … though after being in a hot kitchen all day the last thing I want to do is stand over something that is going to make me warmer and take a long time. These two recipes are quick and easy and have low impact on heating up your house on a hot day.

The goat cheese and date syrup appetizer is super versatile when used for wine pairings; though for this wine club I decided to pair it with the red wines. What is date syrup? It’s a syrup made from ugly dates … seriously, that’s what they claim. I use it in salad dressings, marinades, and even in a hot bowl of oatmeal. You can usually find it near honey and other syrups in the store isle. Looking online it’s also easy to find to order to have shipped to you. Garam Masala is a spice blend that you can find in most spice racks in any store … it does vary though depending on the region of India and the chef. I like the powdered version of this spice blend for this recipe just for the ease of sprinkling. The one I use has cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, red pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. (Thanksgiving hack: I use Garam Masala in my pumpkin pie recipe instead of pumpkin spice.)

It's all about the grilling for me in the summer … again … after spending all day in a hot kitchen I love to be outside in front of a grill with a glass of white wine nearby. I make this sauce and keep it in the fridge just for a nice topping of grilled or smoked meats, fish, and veggies. Sometimes I add a little vinegar to it and toss it in with chopped cabbage for a quick coleslaw. I usually make a batch once a week and keep it in the fridge. If I don’t have enough parsley, I add more basil … if I forgot to get a lemon, I use lemon olive oil instead of olive oil. It’s really a great recipe that all you do is just throw everything in the food processor and you are done. Some of you had this sauce at the last wine club event, it was served on top of smoked salmon.