Photo Blogging and Salmon Cakes.

Spinach omelet, sharp cheddar. I like to do an omelet Pam Anderson's way which is making one big one and dividing into portions.

I've been playing around with these lately, using 1/2 lb of fresh salmon to make 4 quarter-cup cakes (molded in the 1/4 c measure.) I made a jalapeno lime aioli for these.

Corn cakes (with fresh corn.) This picture isn't so hot (it needs a dollop of sour cream or something) but these are great. I make them with chili. My husband loves them. These are from one of Sara Moulton's books. She makes them with shrimp creole.

Salad of shaved, raw baby chioggia beets, shaved fennel and oranges. Champagne vinaigrette. God Bless the farmers markets.

Thai-style stir-fried asparagus, a recipe from the people at Cooks Illustrated. Really good but lots of sugar.

Salad, poached shrimp, cucumber, mango and jicama julienne. Lime vinaigrette, cilantro. Inspired by a salad in the deli at Whole Foods. This is so good for the summer. Super cool, crunchy and refreshing.

Oysters, not home prepared. But still worthy of a picture, yes? That's an icy champagne mignonette for a sauce.

Salmon Cakes (again,) but slightly different from above. Spinach salad alongside. This time, a lemon-basil aioli, aka lemon zest and some chopped basil in jarred mayo.

Scallops with Sweet Potato Polenta. Polenta is great when sweetened up with a sweet potato puree. And it is very nice with the sweetness of the scallops. I had a dish like this in a restaurant once, thought I'd give it a go.

Arugula Salad with Slow-Roasted Grapes, apples, toasted pecans and parmesan.

Toss red grapes lightly in veg oil and a pinch of salt, roast at 250 for about 3 hours, cool.

I found this idea in a restaurant too. The roasted grapes were served on top of a pizza with Taleggio cheese. They make everything sound so exotic and hard to prepare but when you think about it, it's not.