A Quiet Meal Al Fresco

 May brings warm weather and with it a chance t eat al fresco. There's nothing that beats a barbecue ro even a fancy meal in the quiet of your backyard. it pays ot make the backyard an outdoor dinign haven.

Of course you'll need a table and chairs. every brick and mortar and online store is selling some really pretty sets right now. Target has a six piece set that's only $165. It's a set of four chairs wiht a sturdy plastic table and umbrella in a greyish black shade.This is perfect for a family of four or just on your own to enjoy an iced coffee and a sandwich. The online home company Wayfair has a beautiful array of chairs and tables. This is like having an outdoor dining room set, complete with a table for twelve and comfy rattan and wicker chairs. You could also get a chair set and coffee table if you don;t want the expense or entertain much.  wayfair has sets ranging from $227 for a rattan couch,chairs and table. to only 135 for a six piece set. keep in mind to get covers for the fall and winter months and to buy water and weatherproof cushions too. These can be bought at Walmart or also ordered from Wayfair.

Out door dining requires sturdy untensils and plates. Kohls has fun and colorful sets of melanine plates that not only hold up well but wash well too. (you cna easily use these for indoor use too). Other stores like walMart have much cheaper versions that also hold up well.Pick some colorful ones that can hold up well to anything from pasta salad to hamburgers. If you are having alot of people over for a party ro a shower then go the traditional route and get paper plates and throwaway utensils. Drinking glasses should be a sturdy plastic too You don;t want glass outside in case one breaks. Check Amazon which has everything from plastic champagne glasses to colorful tumblers. what about a mug for outdoor breakfast coffee or tea? A good sturdy one, which everyone has. Just be careful with it. what about tablecloths? Go with a felt backed plastic one that can endure everything from spilled barbecue sauce to rain. Again wal-Mart is your best bet for this .Target may have them too.

A good meal outside needs a good table and chair complete with the niceties of indoor dining. Pick out a good set. Finish with nice tablecloth and place setting.

Celebration Weekend

 It is a weekend of pure celebration thanks to Cinco de Mayo, the Coronation and the Kentucky Derby. It is a weekend of fun food and fun activities. What will you be eating?

It's still the fifth of May. You can easily go to Moe's or Taco Bell for a quick burrito. You can also make tacos at home with a variety of fillings. You can easily create a beef, soy , shrimp or chicken filling with spices.Throw in chopped onions, tomatoes and peppers in. Add some shredded lettuce and cheedar cheese for more flavor. If you want a quick snack then think of guacamole and chips with maragartias to wash them down. Funny enough one of the coronation dishes is shrimp tacos with pineapple salsa. You can serve that tonight or for tomorrow's lunch. Tomrrow also brings thousands of American's waking up to the crowning o f a new king. Start with a fancy breakfast of mimosas and eggs Benedict.You could also go the British way  and have  a hearty English fry up one, loaded with bacon, sausage, baked beans , fried eggs , mushrooms and tomatoes. Serve with fried bread and a good strong cup of English breakfast tea.

The day ends with the famed and much loved Kentucky Derby.Of course you have to have a mint julip - a blend of bourbon with a simple syrup( a stove top cooked syrup of just granulated sugar and water) muddled first with eight or nine mint leaves.it's made in a special cup that becomes frosted thansk to the ice added and sipped slowly through the crush iced. You can add a splash of bitters and an extra  mint leaf for decoration. What to eat? Freid chicken works but there are special Louisville dishes to make too. You can create a Hot Brown sandwich.it's an open faced hot turkey sandwich drenched in a Mornay sauce. This is where flour and butter are cooked to form a roue.Milk and Swiss cheese are added to it along with a pinch of nutmeg. it can be served with a slice of Roma tomato too. Burgoo, that tasty spicy version of Brunswick stew,a fiery mix of chicken, pork lima beans and potatoes. Cayenne pepper and barbecue sauce give it kick.

What will you celebrate? Cinco de Mayo? The coroation of Charles III or the Kentucky Derby. You have a range of food to party with.

The King's Eats

 What will be King Charles legacy to the culinary world. Sumpruous state dinners like his mother had? Quiet family barbecues that were his father's specialty? It's hard to say.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about the food legacy of this new king in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Charles will be remembered for his passionate support of organic farming, His take on food should be climate friendly and organic. Will it wash with a nation of heavy meat eaters?He could beinfluential like Jaqueline Kennedy was , itroducing French cuisine to the white House and America and the Obamas promoting healthy eating and portion control.H e does eat vegan twice a week, so that may be a factor in changing British palates. He also believes in home grown veggies so many Britons may emulate him and start their own gsrdens of carrots and turnips. 

Yet he also loves roast lamb, a popular British Sunday dinner choice. His table and future banquets may have wedges of Stilton and Cornish Bleu cheese.  Right now Charles and the rest of his family are encouraging subjects to make quiche, a dish that he and Camilla have chosen.it's rpobably because the king loves cheesy eggs for breakfast  since this quiche has cheddar along with fava beanin it, There will also be the traditional sausage roills and finger sandwiches, They're  pushing shrimp tacos with pineapple salsa and grilled eggplant with a spicy  yogurt sauce for celebrating. However due to the country's economy there may be cut backs.  They may embrace his vegan days to save money.

What will be Charles' legacy? Will it be an organic one?Or one born out of the hardships his people are facing?

Fusion Baking

 Many pastry chefs bring their heritage to their baking.It's no diffretn with Korean born bakers. They bring a unique style and flavor to traditional French baking.

New contributor Elyse Inamine wrote about this new and interesting fusion in todays New York Times Food section. French patisserie is the best of the best but sometimes it doesn;t translate well to other cultures or  it can be stodgy. Add Korean ingredients and even simple sable cookies can be elevated. It comes naturally according to Narae Kim who incorporates the Nashi oear that she grew up eating in South Korea.Her lve of fruits from cherries to apricots and melons find their way  into her different creations. 

Other pastry chefs feel the same way, Eunji Lee who spent tens year  in the ancient French capital of Rouen wants to bring familiar ingedients to classic French parisserie. She experimented with classic Korean ingredients like sesame oil and red bean paste while woking at Ze Kitchen Galerie and Le Meurice in Paris yet it wasn;t until she was hired by the famed Korean restaurant in Manhattan Jungsuk that she hit h stride.She made her own version of Paris-Brest , achoux ring with a praline mousseline filling. She calls NY Seuol.In Seuol, there are financiers come with sweet potato, black sesame and bean rice cake.

French pastry with a Korean twist is now popular. It relfects two distinct culinary cultures, creating new flavors. Its a marvel to the cooking world.

Is Gorp Good For You

 All moms say if you want a healthy snack, eat gorp,It's chock full of good ingredients, right. or is it. What actually in it and is it as healthy as it's made out to be.

Gorp has been around for a long time.The name could come from an acronym for Good Old Peanuts and Raisins or to gorp - eat greedily. The mix was first made in Denmark by students as early as 1833. Then it was called studenterhavre,  a blend of oats with raisins and almonds. Even back then they added bits of chocolate but only for the holidays. It evolved into trail mix in the late Sixties or early Seventies.Yet is it healthy.In its' purest form, yes.However some like what I bought at Acme has some extra goodies

It has a wide variety of healthy ingredients.. Mixed nuts and raisins

Those  white pieces are caramel pieces wrapped in white chocolate. it would be better if they were dipped in dark chocolate which is chock full of antioxidants. It's not really healthy.even the raisins, dried fruit are filled with sugar yet it is better than  a handful of just candy.This is a fun snack if you're going hiking or on a picnic.

Is gorp good for you? If you avoid the candy and dried fruit, yes,. Try to get a mix that's full of grains and nuts. Keep the sweet stuff ot a minimum for a tasty, healthier snack.

The Royal QUIche

 What  is the dish for the Royal Coronation? quiche. THis most french of dishes is makinga stir and and splashin the UK> will Charles III's subjects make it? That's the question.

It's cosidered an austerity dish for an austerity celebration. LIfe is tough in the United Kingdom right now and the quiche represents  a way of celebrating cheaply. Yet it's not a bad Spring lunchor dinner. It can be expensive here in the States, thanks to the eggs. However you can make it easily not just for a meal but for bridal and baby showers as well as graduation dos.

It's certainly spurred me to consider making quiche. I'm planning on the easy way using frozen pie dough.The filling will also be somewhat easier with using Just Egg asthe quiche's base. I looked on line and found a vegan recipe using it and kala namak, a black sea salt that adds more eggy flavor. As for the fillings. I could add sausage crumbles and spinach or onion for the German rear zweibelkugen ro onion pie.I can also consider broccoli too. It's a thirty-five to forty-five minute bake in a 350 degree Farenheit oven. 

The Coronation Quiche has brought about a renewed interest in quiche. It's a fun way to discover a classic dish. Try it to celebrate new monarchs or a comfort food.

Your Coronation Meal

 Next week Great Britain gets a new monarch. You can celebrate Charles III whether you support him or not. The question is what do you make?

One of the most classic dishes comes from his  mother 's Elizabeth  II's coroation, coromation choicken. this is a relic from post war Britain.it';s chopped poached chicken cooled and then mixed with mayo , curry ,raisins and mango or apricot chuney.It suspiciously sounds like a Southern country clib lunceon dish to be served on lettuceleaves or white toast. The curry is a nod to the queen's father George VI who loved curry as did her great great grandmother Queen Victoria. I would revamp this by getting rid of the rasins, maybe adding apples and only adding a small pinch of curry.Yes,I'd serve it on toast, as you would with any chicken salad.

What can you make? Try beans on toast. I may butter the toast first and add a layer of Morningstar Farms bacon to it fo crunch and more flavor. Then there's the English fry up breakfast.(The coronation starts at 5 AM New York Eastern time next week!!!! )Many will be waking up to seeing a king get crowned. A fry up breakfast consists of fried eggs,bacon sausages,. fried tomatoes and beans. There's usually fried bread with it to mop up the egg. If it's a bit too much , then just have eggs and bacon on toast. You coul;d also just have an Englsih muffin with butter  - or turn it intoa breakfast sandwich to celebrate. A breakfast scone would be good too along with a steaming strong cup of English breakfast tea.

How will you celebrate the coronation of Charles and his queen Camilla? That's up to what you want to eat. Have a hearty breakfast or a lunch of coronation chicken salad.Be the ruler of your kitchen.