Chicken Satay ! Peanut Dipping Sauce ! Cucumber Relish ! Oh, my !

 

Yes, Spring is very much on my mind these days ! Yes, I am having a crisis of seasonal fatigue when it comes to winter weather ! Yes, I have bridled under the yoke of a late winter infection that laid me low ! Yes, I am ready for some fresh tangy food that wakes up the taste buds and zaps my kitchen routine out of the late winter casseroles, soups, and heavy braising.

Marinated Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa

When the heat picks up, the grill goes to work. We are deep into fresh garden peas and Swiss chard these days, so an easy grilled chicken dish went well last evening. To boot, there are mangoes galore in the market right now. An easy salsa and a sweet marinade on sliced boneless chicken breasts made for an easy meal.

Sephardi Pickle - CRUNCH !

How is it that you can be bythely going about your business and something that seems small and insignificant can stop you right in your tracks like a whack on the side of the head? I'm telling you that this salad, pickle, relish, whatever you want to call it did it to me when I happened upon it in a cookbook on Jewish cooking.
These are just common vegetables tossed with salt and left to crisp for a few hours in a colander. You toss them with a sour and sweet dressing and serve them chilled ... and they are so wonderful! So basic, so common, and yet, so crunchy and tasty!

Pear-Cranberry Mostarda

It must be the colors of the leaves out my kitchen window, or the pile of pears on my counter, but I figured that today was the day to make a batch of pear and cranberry mostarda for the winter pork roasts and broiled chicken breasts that will be coming along when there's a real snap in the air. Besides, I have a cold and need something strongly scented to get to my sense of smell. It seems non-existent right now. I've lined up most of the ingredients on the shelf and have pulled out my canning equipment, so let's get to it!