Chickpea-Artichoke Heart Salad for Memorial or Any Day

Today's recipe is in honor of the newly married Annie Harm and Louis Sigtermans. Eat well! Live well! Love well!!

It isn’t even summer yet. But we should be in planning mode for Memorial Day weekend, shouldn’t we? It’s less than a week away; is that possible? Where did May go? Our deck only got swept today and I’ve planted zero, zip, nada, zilch. (Too big of a chance of a freeze, still.) There are some new plants in their pots patiently waiting their turn out front and I can run them inside should a really cold snap appear, as it nearly always does. But last night, after a warm day, just felt like it was time to begin tossing easy no-cook dishes together — ones that get stuck back in the fridge for lunches or sides for the next night’s chop or fish so you don’t have to start dinner from scratch. (Something that might be good for, say, Memorial Day?!) I am, perhaps like you, a circuitous cook. There’s always something coming round tomorrow from what happened today or yesterday or last week or month. It’s conservative–in a good way, smart, healthy, and gives me more time for other things. I adore cooking but it’s not the only thing in my life.

Checking the pantry, there were lots of chickpeas; we love hummus. Artichoke hearts in a big glass jar from COSTCO jumped out at me, as did a forgotten can of hearts of palm, a Trader Joe grab, I think. My fridge and counter are always chock-full of fresh vegetables and I don’t go a day without olives or pickles somewhere along the way. I began chopping and tossed the ingredients in the bowl so that you could see them easily. I do the “recipe in a photo” for social media occasionally and someday I’ll do a little graphics study to improve my work. In the meantime, isn’t it fun to look at something like this and know you could make it? If you save the photo below, you can print it and put it on your fridge. The internet is full of chickpea or other bean salads, but this one is mine and, soon, yours. I do include a for real recipe; scroll down.

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Asparagus-Potato Salad

So many memorable old phrases I enjoy using, fine writer that I am. One is, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Another might be, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Which must, of course, be followed by, “Opposites attract.” Following those for no reason at all is, “Great minds think alike.” Which is what I say when I make a dish off the top of my head and begin to write the recipe before realizing I cooked the same (or nearly the same) thing 10 (5 or 15) years ago. Thank goodness “Love is Lovelier the Second Time Around,” (a favorite wedding song of mine) and I absolutely don’t mind “reinventing the wheel.” Roll your eyes now or forever hold your peace. Ok, I’m done. But I really did make almost this very same salad in 2014, though its current appearance is quite distinct from the first and today’s recipe title is “Asparagus-Potato Salad” rather than, “Roasted Potato-Asparagus Salad with Mushrooms and Sweet Onions.” Same difference. Just about.

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Colorado Bean Dip for Memorial Day

In 2020, our ubiquitous all-American cookouts — which roar on ad infinitum Mother’s Day through Labor Day — were often a tad sad little affairs if we had them at all. Instead of the jumbo party packs of burgers and brats, unending veggie or cheese trays, boxes of big cupcakes, and the super-sized bag of red, white, and blue paper napkins to last all summer long, we were buying a single pound of ground beef, 4 buns, a pint of vanilla, and left the colored napkins on the shelf. Fireworks, if available on the 4th, were viewed from apartment building balconies or hillside decks. We were masked and our celebrations felt the same.

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Chimichurri Pork Chops

Shown here with oven-roasted potatoes, carrots, leeks, and bell peppers, as well as sautéed zucchini garnished with minced green onion.

While friends and relatives in lower and warmer climes harvest strawberries, brag about their huge beds of towering annuals, and swill a cold one on the patio, I’m still making big vats of soup we’re snarfing down watching “Designated Survivor” episodes snuggled up under afghans.

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcake

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Rhubarb pie — not to be confused with strawberry-rhubarb pie — is probably my husband’s favorite dessert. This isn’t to say he won’t eat every bit of a strawberry-rhubarb, or even a Blueberry-Rhubarb Crisp (see below), but just that plain rhubarb pie is it. There are years when due to a move or gardening delays, there is no rhubarb in our garden or yard. I’m then reduced to begging from friends, who immediately know why I’m calling come spring. I also haunt the local grocery produce section where rhubarb does indeed appear but also disappears mysteriously…and not always when you need it. “Oh, sorry! It’s all gone. You know we get produce in every single night. Try again in the morning!” Rats.

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Cherry-Berry Pie for the 4th of July

BEST SUMMER SIDES FROM MORE TIME AT THE TABLE HERE.

It’s more than ironic that many of the best fruit pies need to be made when the weather is sizzling, sultry, humid, or plain old drippy hot. As a cold-weather fiend, I particularly find this one of the most unhappy cooking situations. I am thus incredibly blessed to live in Colorado where the summer days may be hot, yes, but might also occasionally dip down into the 40’s and even more often into the 50’s with the advent of a good, old-fashioned hail and/or rain storm. In fact, nightly fifty-some temps aren’t unusual even without rain. (Of course that’s why our tomatoes don’t do squat. Thank God we have the best beer in the country to partially make up for that.)

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INSTANT POT: Barbecue Beef Sandwiches with Coleslaw and Spicy Pickles

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My friend Helen came over last week for an Instant Pot (IP) demonstration and to share a quick lunch we would make together. Well, actually I prepped; SHE cooked! Helen thought she wanted an Instant Pot–or similar–but needed to see it up close and personal before she made a final decision.  While she enjoyed the Cream of Pea Soup with Scallions, Mint, and Sharp Cheddar we made, she was interested in meat main dishes–thinking she’d like to skip using the stove once in a while. It’s a wonderful idea, especially come summer, but not something I’ve done a lot of.  I tested chicken recipes for America’s Test Chicken last year (see their new book!) and the rest of my electric pressure cooking has been vegetarian or oh-so-close. Just working my way through the process, I’d guess, but it was definitely time to branch out. By the way, she went home and ordered her IP! YAY!

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Best Summer Sides from More Time at the Table

Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad

This week marks the beginning of weekend picnics, warm holiday get togethers, nights in the backyard, weeks at the beach, days at the cabin, and all kinds of thrilling grilling on your balcony or patio!  For fun, I ran through my TOP FAVORITE original summer sides on More Time at Table and brought them all together in one place just before Memorial Day.  I’ll keep perusing my files and as I find other luscious things I think you’d like, I’ll stick them in.  Be cool!

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Memorial Day–Berry Favorites from More Time at the Table

One-Minute Microwave Berry Cheesecakes

My mom, born in Mississippi in 1916, always called Memorial Day “Decoration Day” while we were growing up. While I knew why we celebrated Memorial Day, the idea of “Decoration Day” was a bit murky for me. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized many people literally went to cemeteries to decorate graves and remember. As fewer and fewer people are buried as years go on, this is worth tucking away in our heads.

Here’s the current scoop from TIME.com. It might surprise you.

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Pie 101–Fresh Strawberry Pie for Memorial Day

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2 places left in the SUMMER SOUPS-NO COOKING! Cooking Class at Mountain High (formerly Shouse)  on Thursday, June 18, 2015:  5-8pm.  Come learn how to be cool in the kitchen!  Click above on CURRENT CLASSES for sign-up info. Can’t wait to cook with you.

Without going into nasty details, I’ve been sick on and off for over a month.  I’d just get over one misery only to encounter another. One I’m sure I brought on all by myself, another arrived via Dave and work (everyone’s had this), and the last was maybe bit of a rerun of it all because why in the world would I want a week in which I was well?  Continue reading