TRENDING INTO SUMMER

Trending into Summer

            Our Sargent crabapple, just outside our kitchen window, has finally burst into a  glorious cloud of pink and white. The bees are ecstatic and so am I !  Spring has finally arrived!  It may be a couple of weeks late this year and suddenly feels like it is trending into summer, but the warmth is most welcome.

            This needed a celebration. In our social isolation climate an impromptu picnic on our back patio was easily assembled. Even an old-fashioned picnic consisting of baked beans, hot dogs and a potato salad can seem like a treat after a dreary winter and spring with no travel plans for the coming months. So, at least the potato salad needed some updating to fit the occasion.

                                                 Tangy potato salad

            Potato salads of old were made with peeled potatoes. Now we have a variety of thin-skinned potatoes: white, red, yellow and even blue. All of these can be scrubbed, any blemishes removed and cut in pieces for cooking with the skin left in place. Nutritionists will tell you that many of the nutrients are found in the skin.

1.      Select 2 or 3 large potatoes, scrub well, cut in quarters or sixths and place in a large pot well covered with water.. Add 1 tsp. salt, bring to boil and continue

      cooking for 15-16 minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork for barely done and

      not too soft. Drain potatoes and cool.

2.      Boil 3 large eggs for 12 minutes and set aside.

3.      In a small bowl blend the dressing: 2 tblsp. mayonnaise, 3 tblsp. sour cream, 2 tblsp. finely chopped onion or 2 large scallions, 2 tsp. rice vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. celery seed, ½ tsp. dry mustard, ½ chopped large dill pickle.

4.      When the potatoes are cool, cut in cubes about 1 inch in size and place in a large bowl. Add 1 chopped hard boiled egg and gently mix with the dressing.

5.      Garnish the potato salad with the other two eggs cut in wedges and place a couple of black olives or a sprig of parsley in the center. Cover and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Reminiscing about foods from the past sometimes can lead to new discoveries. One evening my husband was musing about a favorite breakfast from his childhood.  He fondly recalled his grandmother’s baked eggs with cheese, but typical of someone who does not cook, offered no other pertinent details. This posed an interesting culinary challenge. A baked “toad in a hole” was familiar. We sometimes have an elaborate breakfast bake for company with eggs, bacon, cheese, bread, tomatoes and kalamata olives, but I doubted it was something that would be found on an Iowa farm table in the last century. The following recipe was the result of canvasing our kitchen and some educated guesses. They were not his grandmother’s baked eggs ,but were nevertheless delicious and will be duplicated in my kitchen on future occasions.

 

                                                 Cheesy baked eggs

Preheat the oven to bake at 350 degrees. Lightly butter or use a buttery baking spray on two individual shallow gratin dishes.

1.      In a small bowl mix: ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 tblsp. flour, ¼ tsp. baking powder, 3 tblsp. half and half, 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

2.      Lightly toast 1 large slice soft white bread and cut in ½ inch cubes.

3.      Divide the bread crumbs between the two dishes, placing the crumbs at the ends.

4.      Place a heaping tblsp. cheese mix between and spread to cover dish between bread.  Drop small dabs of the remaining cheese mix on top of the bread crumbs at the ends.

5.      Break 2 eggs in each dish in the middle.

6.      Place dishes on a pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees lightly covered with a piece of parchment. If you want softer eggs, bake for only 15 minutes, remove parchment and turn on the broiler for a minute to set the egg white on top.

7.      Remove from oven, sprinkle with paprika and serve with additional buttered toast on the side.

A culinary challenge or an impromptu patio picnic can certainly make one appreciate days trending into summer and appreciate the joy in nature.           

           

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)