In the early, vulnerable months of romance, there was a moment when I thought I had lost the love of my life over a batch of doughnuts. I wanted to please George by preparing one of his favorite foods. Without any experience, I naively imagined I could make better doughnuts than the ones George bought.

I followed a new recipe and cooked the doughnuts on an ancient, electric stove with no temperature controls. After cooling and dusting with confectioners' sugar, we bit into the doughnuts. They had raw, gooey centers! The frying oil was so hot they became deep brown on the outside before the interior had a chance to cook. In that second, I realized that "lovingly prepared" does not always translate to perfect results. I held my breath fully expecting George to walk out of my life forever. Instead, his reaction was tender and kind. Twenty years later, George still finds delight in recalling-and recounting-my inauspicious beginning as a future chef. Today, things are quite different. I am still teaching myself new lessons in the kitchen, but now George and I cook together. After long days preparing hundreds of meals at the restaurant, we still enjoy cooking for each other.,P> The precious moments we spend at home in the kitchen and at the table are sacred and intimate. It is our time to relax and concentrate on each other-to keep our life centered. Lots of our friends imagine us eating elaborate multi-course dinners. Truth be told, we like nothing more than spending an entire day at home cooking, experimenting, tasting, and sipping a lovely wine. But, just like any other busy, working couple we are often pressed for time. These days we prefer casual meals that do not take hours and hours to prepare. We take the stress out of the kitchen by keeping everything as simple as possible. We always plan menus around impeccably fresh foods. After all, when you have nature on your side, there is very little embellishment needed. To that end, we shop seasonally and select our purveyors carefully. It is the market, in fact, that always provides lots of inspiration. We may arrive with a preconceived thought in mind, but the intoxicating perfume of a ripe melon in the produce department could spark a whole new idea. That is how this menu began.

We invite you to follow our recipes for a delicious dinner full of flavor, texture, and color. When shopping for ingredients, trust your nose and you will be greatly rewarded. Here are some tips. Choose melons that are firm (not hard) and unblemished. They should smell sweet and inviting. For the cheese, walk right by all the prepackaged feta and choose one made from sheep's milk packed in brine. Most importantly, you must be very savvy about buying scallops. Take extra time to visit a good, reliable fishmonger. Be aware that scallops are categorized as "wet"(processed) or "dry" (unprocessed). They are completely different in quality and taste. Processed scallops have been soaked in an objectionable chemical bath to pump up their weight and prolong their life. They are bright white in color and most often surrounded by a milky liquid. "Dry" or unprocessed scallops should glisten and range in color from creamy-white to pinkish-beige. Take a good look at them. They should exude no liquid whatsoever. If they pass the test so far, ask for a sniff. Fresh unprocessed scallops have a sweet, clean pleasant aroma reminiscent of the sea.

At home, eliminate last minute pressure by doing some of the preparation in advance. For instance, the Green Herb Sauce can be prepared in the morning or even the day before. There will be plenty left to dress a salad, or season fish or chicken for another meal. The friss can be washed and trimmed. The cookie dough can be mixed up to two days ahead. The recipe makes lots of cookies, but you can freeze half the dough to use another time. Choose plates, silver and glassware and set a lovely table before you start cooking. When everything is in place and organized, open a nice bottle of wine, relax, and turn up the heat.

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