Make this Easy Summer Fruit Shortcake for Father’s Day

By Sandy Hu

Steve is the best breakfast maker. Flaky sky-high biscuits, tender muffins, Belgian waffles, popovers, Dutch babies – he’s a master of them all. Since there’s no way to top his skill, for Father’s Day, I tend to resort to the same celebratory breakfast: simple scones with a make-ahead dough that can be shaped and frozen, so all I have to do is pop them in the oven on his big day.

As Dave and I were planning a Father’s Day menu, I thought about changing it up this year and giving those scones a new identity, as shortcakes with summer fruit and whipped cream. I’ve made and shaped my dough this weekend and the discs are in the freezer. On Sunday, we just need to bake them off, split the scone/shortcakes and fill them with fruit and whipped cream. We’ll just bake enough for the four of us so we won’t be tempted to eat more dessert than we should, and we’ll have the remainder in reserve for another time when we come home with a bounty of fruit from the farmers’ market.

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Weekday Company? Try this Easy Moroccan Chicken

By Sandy Hu

Recently, I came across this tattered recipe for Moroccan Chicken in a recipe folder. The recipe was from my friend Carol who was also my neighbor, living a few floors below us in the same high-rise on West 14th Street in New York City. It was one of the first things I learned to make when I started cooking.

This was long before the days when we were exposed to real Moroccan food, so today, we’d just say it’s loosely “inspired” by Moroccan cuisine. Nonetheless, it’s a great meal for company on a busy weeknight, since the chicken is marinated the night before and only needs to be floured, browned and popped into the oven to bake unattended while you set the table and tidy the house. Serve it with instant couscous, another quick-to-fix dish.

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Our Hero

By Marilyn Hunter

We all have heroes; so what if yours isn’t a star athlete or revolutionary poet? Meat stacked between a roll, that’s crunchy and soft at the same time, is honorable and ready to stave off your hunger at a moment’s notice. Our boys think such virtue is worthy of worship.

This stacked sandwich is perfect for game days and picnics so make ‘em ahead of time and pack according to the occasion. This hero was eaten just before game #2 of the Heat and Mavs series, which gave the boys enough strength to worship their other heroes … Dirk, LeBron and D-Wade. That’s how we roll.

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In the Mood for Chowdah

By Lori Powell

I seem to be in a fish mood as of late. And sometimes, what is available to me as “fresh” is not looking all that great… or that fresh.

Not all fish keeps well frozen but some companies do get it right. One is Cozy Harbor of Maine’s frozen lobster meat, It’s the perfect dinnertime solution for making fish cakes, lobster salad or yes, lobster chowdah.

Also, since all of the work is done for you (cooking, shelling and cleaning), you have more time to actually enjoy this delicious concoction.

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A Chef’s Makeover of Chef’s Salad

By Katie Barreira

Culinary historians have mused over the origins of chef’s salad, some tracing the dinner salad back to diet-conscious California, others to the kitchen of New York City’s Ritz-Carleton. But as noted in a 1999 issue of Gourmet, “Nobody has ever stepped forward to claim the title of the chef in 'chef's salad.'” No great surprise here, for truly, what self-respecting chef would put their name to the slapdash mélange of deli meat, cheese and chopped salad? Thus the sad irony of a dish, which was named for a chef but that no chef will own.

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