Easy Labor Day Weekend Ideas

Couscous salad topped with grilled veggies, serve with grilled pita and you'll have the perfect lunch,

or serve it as a side with any roast you might be putting on the grill.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a platter filled with grilled veggies drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze!

A perfect side dish with any grilled meats.

Or slabs of grilled sweet onions with dollops of warm gorgonzola.





For an extremely fresh salad that you can't stop eating, try this Zucchini Carpaccio

Salad. Paper thin slices of fresh zucchini tossed with baby arugula, shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil. Topped with toasted walnuts.

For a quick dessert take advantage of all the beautiful apricots that are still available.

Stuff them with sweetened mascarpone and plop a blackberry on top, drizzle with honey or agave and stick them under your broiler. Garnish with pistachio's.

Keep it simple and savor every last bit of all the beautiful summer produce.

Buon Appetito!

Pears with Gorgonzola

Autumn fruits are everywhere and pears are definitely in season. I'm certain you're going to love this recipe if you're a Gorgonzola fan. Pears with Gorgonzola, it's such a perfect paring! (no pun intended). Ripe juicy pears, cooked in Marsala wine that reduces down and becomes infused in a wonderful glaze. Each pear is then topped with a combination of Gorgonzola, mascarpone and toasted chopped walnuts.

I love the deep rich salty flavor of Gorgonzola and the "bite" it gives you from it's blue vein. Combine that with the sweetness of the pear and Marsala. Perfection!

This recipe comes from an old issue of Tastes of Italia magazine, the recipe is for 4 servings but you can alter it for 2.

4 Pears cut in half lengthwise, remove cores.

2 Cups Marsala Wine

2T Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Sugar

2t. lemon Zest

4oz Gorgonzola

3 T Mascarpone

2T Toasted Chopped Walnuts

In medium pan combine wine, sugar, zest. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pears and cook 10-15 minutes until fork tender. Remove pears, place on serving dish. Bring wine mixture to a boil, cook for 6 minutes until liquid thickens. Remove, let it cool and drizzle around pears. In a small bowl add mascarpone, Gorgonzola, and chopped walnuts, mix well then fill pears.

Here's another way of getting that same flavor combination of pears and Gorgonzola, something that you could put together fast for either a quick appetizer or an ending to a meal. Peel your pears and cut them into 1 inch chunks, cook them in warm honey until tender, then skewer a piece of Gorgonzola between 2 pieces of pear, finish with an extra drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

Buon Appetito!