L’chaim!

There are certain things that simply just taste better on an 85-degree day while sitting outside on a patio with a drink in your hand. Our family gatherings always include fantastic bottles of wines from my grandparents’ wine cellar, and they really make a meal feel special.

Here are some of my favorite foods, recipes, and wines for the summer season.

Grilled ribeye

Rib eye steaks

Lawry’s seasoned salt

1. Preheat the grill to 400°F.
2. While the grill is preheating, rub steak with Lawry’s seasoned salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. Lay the steak on the hot grill and grill for 4 or 5 minutes per side for medium rare temperature.
4. Let steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Pair with Diamonds in Space California Cabernet Sauvignon: Carrying a serious structure and supple tannins, this Cabernet Sauvignon is lush, complex and incredibly delicious. Aged for 18 months in a combination of French and American oak, this full-bodied, complex wine pours a visually exciting purple-black color that thoroughly coats the sides of the glass. With a few swirls, it releases gobs of black and blue fruit along with sweet oak notes of toast, charred wood, and vanilla. Decadent, layered, and wonderfully balanced, it offers a voluminous feel, medium-full tannins, and excellent balance.

The best part? How great it shows after extensive decanting, unfurling to reveal an even more silky and elegant mouth feel.

Mahi mahi fish tacos

Mahi mahi filets

2 teaspoon paprika

1⁄2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄2 teaspoon basil

1⁄2 teaspoon oregano

1⁄2 teaspoon thyme

1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

Corn tortillas

Slaw

Guacamole

1. Combine paprika, cayenne, onion powder, thyme, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper to make blackened seasoning.
2. Rub the mahi mahi filets with the blackened seasoning.
3. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium high heat with olive or avocado oil.
4. Once the pan is heated, lay the fish in the pan. Do not move the fish once in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes and then flip. Cook for another 3 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Serve with corn tortillas, slaw, and guacamole.

Pair with Bodegas La Caña Rías Baixas Albariño: Crushed seashells, chalk, salted lemons and sliced apples on the nose. Bone-dry salinity brings out plenty of briny austerity on a textured, medium-bodied palate.

Chopped salad

Romaine lettuce

Chickpeas

Red onion

Cucumbers

Cherry tomatoes

Ditalini pasta

Chicken breast

Italian dressing

1. Wash and dry romaine lettuce and chop. Throw into a large bowl.
2. Add chickpeas, chopped red onions, chopped cucumbers, chopped cherry tomatoes, cooked ditalini pasta, chopped chicken breast.
3. Top with your favorite Italian dressing and toss.

Pair with Tabor Adama Sauvignon Blanc: Tabor Adama Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh and crisp kosher wine with beautiful citrus flavors. Grown in the limestone vineyards of Kfar Tabor, in the Lower Galilee region of Israel, this Sauvignon Blanc carries hints of kiwi with a light composition of refreshing aromas.

Cinnamon babka

1. No recipe here! Go to your favorite bakery and buy cinnamon babka. Enjoy!
2. Pro tip: Slice the babka and place it in a pan with some butter. Toast on both sides and create a sandwich with vanilla ice cream.

Pair with Famille Guerin Moulin-a-Vent “Les Thorins” Beaujolais: Crafted from a high-density planting of Gamay with a vine age of 60 years, this Cru Beaujolais is ripe and minerally with wonderfully deep red fruit notes. You’ll want to grab a few bottles to drink now and follow them over the next seven to 10 years.

Marissa Wojcik is the founder of the Jewish baking blog “North Shore to South Bay” (northshoretosouthbay.com), in which she shares her modern and updated versions of beloved Jewish classics. She is also the author of  Modern Jewish Breads , available on Amazon.