With cook-out season in full swing many of us are eager to move beyond simple burgers and hot dogs and try something a little more involved.  Enter the marinade, a popular method of increasing flavor in things that we grill while at the same time bringing a little tenderness into the picture.  As I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, I know what a marinade is but I'm not sure how it works.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago we were having dinner with a friend who had cooked a beautiful leg of lamb.   Staying in a traditional mode, he also had prepared mint sauce, but this wasn’t the jelly kind, this was the real deal.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, when it comes to herb-based sauces, mint is just the beginning.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no doubt about it; we love anything creamy that crosses our palate.  I can remember my first Panna Cotta in Italy, and I was immediately seduced by its rich creamy texture.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out to us, there are so many other ways of getting something creamy on a spoon.

               One of the first great desserts you'll come across when you start dining out on French cuisine is Crème Brulé.  The combination of the brittle sugar topping and the creamy pudding underneath is irresistible.  Closely related to it is Crème Caramel, which literally turns the recipe on its head.  And of course, the Italian delight Panna Cotta achieves that perfect creaminess in an entirely different way.

               Here are Jerry's recipes for each.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every time I walk by Woolsey Farm's stand at the farmers market, I can't help fixing on the lamb and all the things I can do with it.  The lamb cubes in particular summon up images of  steamy Moroccan stews filled with succulent meat, copious spices and morsels of dried fruit.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees with me: although many people may not try cooking Moroccan, once they try it they love it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of my biggest frustrations is that I have a hard time cooking fish.  I would probably eat a lot more of it if I knew how to cook it well.  So I asked for my buddy Chef Jerry Pellegrino to give me a few tips because it's still a big mystery to me.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this, our big national holiday, we turn our attention to our backyard grills.  The natural inclination is to go with hot dogs, burgers and maybe a little shrimp for the barbie.  But there are so many other things that we can prepare on the grill that will really open your eyes.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this is when we let our imagination run wild.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of America's favorite snack foods is the taco, and we love it so much we even gave it its own night of the week:  Taco Tuesdays.  But it wasn't always so.  People used to think of it as a cheap Mexican street food, not worthy of our interest.  But Chef Jerry Pellegrino explains to us what happened to the humble taco that helped it capture our hearts?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Along with asparagus and strawberries, herbs are among the first things to arrive in the market here in Maryland.  A lot of farmers have been getting a head start on their herbs by starting them under cover in hoop houses, so they are available now, ready to use, or to grow at home.  And Chef JP agrees with me, this is a delightful way to add accents to your cooking.

All across Maryland, farmers are selling fresh herbs in pots, which can be transplanted, or as cut bunches which can be used right away or be hung out to dry.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago we were on the Eastern Shore when we had a local Tilghman Island treat:  oyster pot pie.  Now hold on!, I know some of you are saying, but if you haven't tried it, don't knock it.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, there's a lot of directions to take the basic pot pie idea?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You don't have to listen very closely these days for the sound of bees buzzing around your garden.  It's the time of year when pollens are profuse (just check in with you allergies) and bees are busy making honey.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, there's more to honey than just drizzling it on your buttered biscuits.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.