BLT Pasta Salad

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on June 12, 2011...

The heat has definitely arrived. Once it gets past 85 degrees in my un-air-conditioned kitchen, I don’t cook dinner. I either grill outside or - if it’s really hot - we eat cold food. Pasta salad is good in either case because you can do your cooking in the morning, before it gets too hot, and keep it in the fridge until dinner. It’s also a good way to use up odds and ends in your fridge. And it’s a popular and versatile dish to bring along to a cookout.

Because I was making this for my daughter to bring to a potluck pool party, this particular combination of ingredients was chosen for its kid-friendliness. Bacon is a no-brainer, and the other ingredients are few and easy to identify, so kids don’t have to guess what’s in it. I find that to be a deal breaker with my picky eaters, not to mention many adults.

Black Bean Salsa

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on June 26, 2011...

I've said it before, but most of my favorite things to make in the summer fall into the broad category of salads, which includes all manner of chopped up produce mixed in a bowl. I make up a batch at the beginning of the week and eat it for lunch, or take it to cookouts. The fresh produce season is short in New England, and we should all try to make the most of it!

Even though I have called this "salsa," don't feel like you are limited just to eating it with chips. If you have of bowl of this in your fridge, you will find lots of ways to eat it. It can be eaten as a side dish, or mixed in with rice to make an instant grain salad, and of course, it is a delicious component of any salad bar dinner. Think of this recipe as making an ingredient, in place of a condiment you would normally buy. The more of these types of things you make in advance and keep on hand, the easier it is to cook quickly and easily for yourself. In just a few minutes, you could grill a piece of chicken or fish, spoon some of this salsa over the top and have a pretty sophisticated main dish for yourself.

Salad Bar Dinner

Note: I am reposting my old food columns from Milford Patch. They originally contained step by step photos and accompanying instructions, which I hope to recreate at some point. Until then, I am posting the original text. This post originally appeared on Patch on May 1, 2011...

May is birthday season at the Raleigh house. Over the next few weeks, our diet will consist of about 30 percent cake (and another 10 percent frosting), so our actual meals tend to rely heavily on salads. This fits in nicely with the warmer weather (finally!) and the beginning of the hectic soccer season when meals need to be quick. We probably have salad bar dinner at least twice a week this time of year. I chop up some lettuce, leaving it right on my cutting board on my island and put out anything else I can find that could conceivably go in a salad. Everyone takes a plate and goes around the island assembling their own salad. It's a great way to use up leftovers, and an even better way to let everyone eat what they want for dinner without having to yell about not being a short order cook! Here are some tips to pulling this off: