Since I was born and raised in the south, I can honestly say I have tried a lot of great fried foods. Over the years, I have worked hard to lighten some of my favorite southern dishes. These Panko-Crusted Fish Sticks have to be one of my favorites. When I made them recently, everyone was raving about them and begged for the recipe. Not only because they were so pretty, but the flavor was out of this world. I served them with this simple sauce, and dinnertime was a hit. These make a great appetizer or main dish for anytime during the year. This recipe also works great with chicken, cut into thin strips.

I have some big news. Very big news!!! For those of you who have not heard, I am working on a cookbook, and the manuscript is due September 15th. It is more work than I ever imagined, and I can’t thank my kids, family and friends enough for their understanding during this busy time.

It is a very “big” book. When I say “big”, I mean it. 400 recipes. The book will be out spring 2011.  It is a very exciting time, and I couldn’t have done any of this everyone’s awesome support. I cannot thank you enough.

I will blog more about it in the coming months.  Stay tuned . . .

I’m on a main-dish salad kick this week since it’s so hot outside. I’m also so busy developing and testing recipes for a Christmas project for a major brand. It is so fun to think about Christmas and smell holiday dishes cooking in my kitchen in July. Testing heavier recipes for work makes me want something really light and healthy for dinner. This recipe is one of my favorites for this time of year. I love the freshness of grapefruit, oranges and basil served with the shrimp. When I make this, it’s gone within minutes. It’s very low in carbs, fat, calories and gluten-free.

When I worked at Southern Living Magazine, we tested a lot of Tomato Pie recipes. I have been searching for one without mayonnaise that was lighter, healthier and still tasted great. My assistant, Alatia, told me about one that she made recently. This Tomato-Basil Pie is super easy, and it makes great use of summery fresh tomatoes and basil. My kids said it tasted similar to a pizza, and they loved it. This is a great recipe idea for a party appetizer, light main-dish dinner or lunch. Serve with a drizzle of balsamic if you like. It’s a true taste of summer.

My friend, Kiel, just recently moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and she sent me some recipes from her “Girls Night Out” dinner. She and 10 of her friends get together every Tuesday night and alternate at their different houses trying new, fun and creative recipes. One night, they made Panini sandwiches and homemade tomato soup. Recently, they had an abundance of healthy, fresh salads. She sent me some of the recipes from her latest dinner. This Tomato-Avocado Appetizer with Boursin is such a breeze and tastes delish! It is so perfect for a crowd, especially during the summertime (such as this weekend for July 4th) celebrations. Thanks Kiel and your wonderful friends for sharing your recipes with me.

I recently saw a pizza grill pan last week in the window at The Cook Store, a wonderful neighborhood cooking store where I live. I thought to myself, “I want that!”. I received one for a present shortly thereafter, and I was very excited (thanks @jon_lewis -twitter handle). I used it the other night when I was in a pinch as I was testing recipes for my upcoming book (Chipotle Pork Wraps with Slaw).  My kids didn’t want that for dinner so I threw this Grilled Pizza with Basil, Mushrooms and Mini Turkey Pepperoni together for them. I ended up eating both (of course) because it turned out so great!

My kids love pasta salad, and always request it. This week my daughter, Leigh, and I threw this together. It was so delicious, fresh, healthy and gone in about 10 minutes. The photo got rave reviews on twitter and facebook when I posted it. Everyone was begging for the recipe. Here it is just in time for summer. It’s a cool and light idea when it’s so warm outside. Feel free to add cooked or grilled chicken if you like.

For the Sun-Dried tomatoes, I love “California Sun Dry Tomatoes” that come already julienne- cut.

Since it’s Memorial Day next week, I thought I would feature a really simple appetizer that looks and tastes like summer. You can’t go wrong using fresh garlic, basil, parsley and tomatoes. These Fresh Herb and Tomato Crostini start off your dinner or party right and are versatile to accompany any menu.

A lot of people have asked me lately, “What is quinoa?”. I answer, “It’s the magical grain.” Quinoa is the amazing gluten-free grain that is high in fiber and a complete protein, meaning it has all nine amino acids. Quinoa also contains high amounts of  lysine, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. It is a great replacement for rice or couscous and works great here in this simple recipe for Southwestern Quinoa Salad. Serve it room temperature or chilled. It’s awesome, and my kids even ate it too! By the way, quinoa can be found at Whole Foods Market or any of your specialty stores.

The two food items that all of my three kids love, is shrimp and Caesar Salad. So I knew that when I came up with the recipe for Caesar Skewers for Kraft, I better make plenty for everyone. This recipe is too easy for words, only 15 minutes of prep time. Feel free to purchase already-cooked, frozen shrimp if you find that it’s cheaper. I have been buying it a lot lately, and the quality is great. Enjoy this as summer nears for a light one-dish meal.