I have been going to Calistoga, CA in Napa Valley my entire life—summer camp, father’s day, Thanksgiving–this place holds so many special memories. I consider it a slice of heaven up here. I am up here for the week enjoying some much needed time off. I love the fog but it was getting a bit ridiculous in San Francisco this month! Every time we come here we stay in a little spot that has a kitchenette, which makes the trip that much better because we dont have to eat all of our meals out. Last night, we headed to the grocery store and I had to grab my guilty pleasure of the most recent tabloid and I also picked up this month’s Real Simple magazine. The cover story is 3 ingredient recipes and they all looked so yummy I just couldnt resist. I made a few for lunch and dinner today and cant wait to enjoy some more.

These recipes are SO easy. 3 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and many recipes are less than a half hour to make. I mean….what could be better? Whole ingredients, simple flavors and easy to do–this is making my vacation so much better!

Here are some of my faves:
Parchment Baked Halibut with Orange: Place a halibut filet on parchment paper and season with salt, pepper, fresh sprigs of thyme and sliced oranges and bake.

Minted Watermelon Salad:
Cut watermelon and sprinkle red onion, fresh mint leaves and salt and pepper.

Shrimp with Ginger Sauce:
In a saucepan, mix apricot preserves and fresh ginger until ingredients are mix and melted. Broil shrimp with a drizzle of the sauce for a few minutes and use the rest of the sauce as a dipping sauce.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pepperoncini:
Mix heirloom tomatoes and peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper

Rasperry Ice:
In a saucepan combine water and some sugar, bring to boil and then let cool. Blend mix with fresh raspberries, strain and then freeze mixture. Add whipped cream and enjoy.

So simple! So fresh! Yum…..