There’s something about a plate of steaming eggs in the morning that just makes everything right with the world.

Fantastic lunch the other day at Simply Red Bistro at La Tourelle Resort in Ithaca. The owner, Samantha Izzo, is a friend of a friend my dad’s sort of thing who makes incredible food! You’ve got to check out her website and of course sample her food next time you’re in the Finger Lakes. She has another restaurant at Sheldrake Point Vineyard in Ovid, NY. (I had the Cayuga Blue Harvest Pasta and it was wonderful all around; this coming from a person who usually has to think twice about blue cheese.)

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love to eat good food. So often you can make a tasty meal at home for a fraction of the cost of eating out, and tonight was no exception! Fresh salmon on the grill with a sherry vinegar glaze (about $3 per fillet), penne pasta with an alfredo sauce drizzled with homemade pesto ($2-3 per serving) and fresh greens from the garden with candied walnuts, sliced plums and Boursin cheese topped with an oil and raspberry vinegar dressing ($2 per serving). White wine optional but recommended!

I can’t resist… A lip-smacking good homemade meal outside on the deck: priceless.

Perfect night for kabobs on the grill: