We love potato salad. We grew up on two recipes: Mom’s classic picnic potato salad (potatoes, mayo, Dijon mustard, red onion, celery, bell pepper) and her warm German potato salad recipe (potatoes, bacon, onions, chives, garlic, parsley and dill in a mustard vinaigrette).

But there are hundreds of very worth potato salad recipes. This one, from The United States Potato Board—people who know their potatoes. This spring-themed recipe incorporates arugula, fresh peas in a mustatard-mint vinaigrette.

Serve it at your next barbecue. It‘s a delight!

SPRING POTATO SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients

Get springy with it. Photo courtesy PotatoGoodness.com.

Preparation

1. COOK potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Cut potatoes in half and transfer to large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and toss to coat.

2. GRILL potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly grill marked.

3. WHISK together remaining oil, lemon juice, mint, shallots and Dijon in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4. TOSS potatoes, arugula, peas and dressing together. Makes 10 servings.

Find more delicious potato recipes at PotatoGoodness.com.

Romaine, tomatoes and cannellini beans—
with some leftover pasta as a bonus.
Photo courtesy Galli Restaurant | New York
City.

Want an easy way to add flavor, fiber, protein and other great nutrition to your diet? Eat more beans: affordable, versatile and toothsome.

Simply add them to your daily green salad. Toss them with the greens or sprinkle them on top as a garnish. For variety you can hold the lettuce and make a bean, corn and onion salad or an ever-popular three bean salad.

Beyond the familiar—such as black, cannelini, garbanzo, lima, kidney, navy and pinto beans—there are dozens of varieties waiting to make your acquaintance. Take a look at adzuki beans, anasazi beans, purple runners, scarlet runners, yellow eyes and one of our favorite beauties, Good Mother Stallards.

FRESH & DRIED BEANS VS. CANNED BEANS

As with almost every food, fresh (or dried) is better than canned. Not only are the flavor and texture superior, but canned beans are typically packed with a lot of sodium.

At farmers markets, look for butterbeans, cannellini beans, cranberry beans and others, fresh in the pod. Shell and simmer them in lightly salted water for 30 minutes. They’re a real treat: Fresh beans have a wonderfully creamy texture that will open your eyes to the beauty of beans.

Look for beautiful heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo and Zursun. Their selections of beautiful beans will make you want to cook them every day. We love giving bags of heirloom beans as gifts.

 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEANS IN OUR BEANS & LEGUMES GLOSSARY.

Crispy “Greek donut holes” and honey are a
special treat. Photo courtesy Stix
Mediterranean Grill | NYC.

We wanted to make something special for Mother’s Day, and were excited to come across these loukoumades at Stix Mediterranean Grill in New York City. We thank them for the yummmy recipe.

Loukoumades are a fried-dough honey pastry popular in the Mediterranean. Deep fried dough is soaked in sugar syrup or honey and cinnamon, and sometimes sprinkled with sesame. A modern analogy is a yeast “donut hole,” but much tastier.

The name (loo-koo-MAH-dess) derives from the Turkish word lokma, meaning mouthful or morsel. In ancient Greece, these deep fried dough balls were served to winners at the Olympics; so they’re a perfect treat for a champion mom.

Loukoumades can be served in one, two or more pieces, loose or on skewers, for dessert. A cup of tea is an excellent companion. For something more elaborately with ice cream and a drizzle of honey.

These crispy fried dessert dumplings are made with yeast; the dough must rise.

 
Use top quality honey: The better the honey, the more delicious the loukoumades.

LOUKOUMADES RECIPE

Ingredients

Use quality honey: It makes a big difference. Photo by Liv Friis-Larsen | IST.

Preparation

1. DISSOLVE yeast in water and let set for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. SIFT flour and salt together. Make a hole in flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix gently while continuously adding warm water until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Cover dough with clean, damp dishtowel. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size.

3. MAKE the syrup: Combine the sugar, honey and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 6 minutes. Remove from high heat; cover to keep warm.

4. HEAT oil in deep fryer. Use a tablespoon to drop batter into hot oil. When batter floats and is golden and puffy, remove to drain on paper towel.

5. POUR syrup over hot loukmades and sprinkle with cinnamon.
 

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE PASTRY RECIPES.

Make a pound cake even more delicious with
Meyer lemon juice. Photo courtesy
Melissas.com.

Bursting with delicious Meyer lemon flavor and a sizzle of ginger, this pound cake is delicious and easy to make for Mother‘s Day. The recipe is courtesy of Melissas.com, purveyors of fine produce.

Bake this cake in a 4-5 cup nonstick loaf pan. Serves 6.

MEYER LEMON & GINGER POUND CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Ingredients For The Glaze

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Generously butter pan, then flour it, gently tapping out excess. Chill 10 minutes.

2. FINELY GRIND together fresh ginger and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor (mixture will be wet).

3. WHISK together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt. Stir together milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

4. BEAT together butter, remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer, until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Meyer lemon. Photo courtesy Melissas.com.

5. ALTERNATIVELY ADD flour and milk mixtures to butter and eggs in 4 batches, beginning with flour and mixing at low speed until each batch is just incorporated. Mix in ginger sugar until just combined, then lemon juice.

6. SPOON batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown on top and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Carefully loosen edges with a knife and immediately invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

7. MAKE the glaze. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar to 1 tablespoon lemon juice, whisking until smooth. Add more juice, 1 drop at a time, if glaze is too thick. Drizzle decoratively over top of cake. Serve with a side of whipped cream.

 
ABOUT MEYER LEMONS

Once grown only as an ornamental garden lemon and frequently found only at farmers’ markets, the Meyer lemon has slowly graduated into commercial production. Unlike its two popular counterparts, the Eureka and Lisbon lemons, the Meyer lemon has mild, sweet, juicy flesh.

Although too tart to eat out-of-hand, Meyer lemons are beloved by chefs for flavoring both savory and sweet dishes. Use Meyer Lemons as a low calorie seasoning on fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit desserts. The juice is a fresh alternative to high fat salad dressings and sauces.

As with other lemons, Meyer lemon juice retards browning on cut avocados and apples, while vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower and turnips will stay white when cooked in water accented with lemon juice.
 

SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEMONS.

A delicious spring salad. Photo courtesy
LearnToCook.com.

Make hay while the sun shines; ditto with the fleeting vegetables of spring.

What makes this a spring salad? Seasonal ingredients, including asparagus and green peas. The recipe, from LearnToCook.com, serves 4. The warm tomato vinaigrette can be used with any green salad, any time of the year.

RECIPE: FRESH PEA & ASPARAGUS SPRING SALAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PEEL thick stemmed asparagus about halfway up stalk. Otherwise, remove white/light portion at end of stalk.

2. SHELL the peas. Leave raw or blanch, if desired.

3. BOIL salted water in a large pot. When boiling, add the asparagus. Cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and immediately put asparagus into ice water bowl. Leave for a couple minutes and drain again. Lay on a dishtowel and dry. Cut the asparagus in half or in thirds. OPTIONAL PREPARATION: We steamed the asparagus in the microwave.

4. COMBINE the lettuces, chives and parsley in a large bowl. Pour up to half the vinaigrette over the greens. taking care not to drench them in dressing (less is more).

5. ADD the peas and asparagus. Toss with the salad. If needed, add a little more dressing; season with salt and pepper. Serve.
 
WARM TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

Fresh peas from the pod are heavenly, raw or cooked. Photo by Gaetan Lee | Wikimedia.

Preparation

1. HEAT the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and add shallots. Turn the heat to low and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.

2. ADD ½ cup tomatoes and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar, garlic, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce.

3. SEASON to taste and stir in remaining tomatoes and capers.

4. SERVE warm on top of the salad.

The Gin Rickey. Photo courtesy Tanqueray
Gin.

The latest version of “The Great Gatsby” opens in cinemas today, begging the question, what did Gatsby serve at those wild parties?

We know from the novel that Gatsby was a bootlegger. In the summer of 1922, when novel is set, Prohibition was two and a half years old. (Read this delightful article on Jay Gatsby by Kevin Roose, who explores how Gatsby made his money and whether author F. Scott Fitzgerald may have attributed more wealth to him than he could actually have had.)

Aside from the Gin Rickey, the novel doesn’t mention what else people were drinking at those weekend-long extravaganzas. But given the popular cocktails of the Prohibition Era, Tthe Martini and the French 75 most certainly would have been on the menu.

So get your cocktail shaker ready and mix up your own Jazz Age cocktail menu for Mother’s Day. This is Part 1; Part 2 presents two more 1920s cocktails, the South Side and the White Lady.

GIN RICKEY RECIPE

Why did the Gin Rickey alone get mentioned in “The Great Gatsby?” It is said to have been the preferred pour of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s a wonderful warm weather drink.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. Build in a highball glass with ice. Stir and top with soda water.

2. Garnish with a lime wedge.

FRENCH 75 COCKTAIL RECIPE

Made from gin, Champagne, lemon juice and sugar, the French 75 was created in 1915 by Harry MacElhone at the New York Bar in Paris (later called Harry’s New York Bar). It was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun, also called a 75 Cocktail or a Soixante Quinze. The French 75 was popularized in America at New York City‘s famed Stork Club.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.

2. Strain into a rocks glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a lemon peel curl.

The French 75, a sparkler. Photo courtesy Tanqueray Gin.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE COCKTAIL RECIPES.

The Greek cousin of nachos. Photo courtesy Chobani Greek Yogurt.

Today’s tip looks at adapting popular recipes to other cultures. As an example, we’re giving Tex-Mex nachos a Greek makeover—a fresh spin on a party classic that uses feta and naan or pita crisps instead of Cheddar or Jack cheese and tortilla chips. It also adds some heartiness with ground lamb.

This recipe, from Chobani Greek Yogurt, makes 6 servings. Enjoy it with beer, wine or iced mint tea.

GREEK NACHOS RECIPE

Ingredients

For The Yogurt Salsa

For The Nachos

A delight for feta fans. Photo courtesy Chobani Greek Yogurt.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F.

2. BROWN ground lamb in olive oil over medium heat until fully cooked; then drain oil.

3. RUB naan bread with small amount of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, cut into triangle wedges with pizza cutter and place on baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes to desired crispness.

5. COMBINE yogurt, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, salt, and cumin in a food processor; process to desired smoothness. Add more onion, cucumber, and/or feta cheese as desired.

6. ASSEMBLE nachos by placing triangle wedges of naan on a plate, then fresh spinach, then ground lamb, yogurt salsa, olives, tomatoes, more feta cheese and italian herb seasoning on top as desired.

Find more recipes at Chobani.com.

You can celebrate May 9th, National Moscato Day, with a glass of Moscato: the slightly sweet white wine pairs well wherever an Alsatian Gewürtztraminer or Riesling would be at home (see the food pairings below).

But for National Moscato Day, we present two cocktail recipes, courtesy of Gallo Family Vineyards, one of our favorite Moscato makers.

MOSCATO DAY CELEBRATION PUNCH

Serves 6-8 people.

Ingredients

Try a Moscato-Tequila punch. Photo courtesy Gallo.

Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a punch bowl or large pitcher filled with ice.

2. GARNISH and serve.

A Gimlet made with Moscato instead of gin. Photo courtesy Gallo.

MOSCATO GIMLET

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a coupe glass.

2. GARNISH with lime wedge and serve.

ABOUT MOSCATO

Moscato is a lighter-style white wine, lower in alcohol (5%-8% ABV, about half the alcohol of other wines). It is popular with brunch, dessert or as an apéritif. It is grown around the world. The Italian bottlings, from Italy’s Piedmont region, are called Moscato d’Asti: named after the grape, Moscato, and the Italian town of Asti, the center of production. Asti Spumante is sparkling Moscato.

Straw-colored Moscato is known for its fruit (often peaches and tangerines, depending on region), its floral fragrance fragrance and its subtle sweetness.

PAIRING MOSCATO WITH FOOD

Don’t store Moscato: It’s meant to be drunk fresh and vibrant in the year it is vinified. Serve it with:

 
SEE ALL THE AMERICAN FOOD HOLIDAYS.

People regularly top plain Greek yogurt with fruit, granola and other sweet ingredients to create yogurt sundaes or parfaits.

But what about savory toppings?

When Pinkberry recently added conventional Greek yogurt to its frozen yogurt shops, among the fruit flavors were two savory yogurt sundaes:

 
We liked them, and they inspired us to use vegetables and other savory toppings on our plain Greek yogurt, as well as vegetable-fruit mixes. An ingredients template follows so you can do the same.

Pinkberry’s Tomato-Basil Yogurt Sundae. Photo courtesy Pinkberry.

Vegetables

 
Fruits

 
Sauces

Pinkberry’s Sunflower Cucumber Sundae.
Photo © The Wandering Eater | Flickr.

Toppings

 
SWEET YOGURT SUNDAES

We’d be remiss if we didn’t supply the recipes to Pinkberry’s sweet yogurt sundaes with Greek yogurt:

 
*Giardinera is a mixture of pickled vegetables, Italian in origin, that can include carrots, cauliflower, celery, onions, red bell pepper and zucchini, carrots and cauliflower, pickled vegetables in red- or white-wine vinegar. It is typically eaten as an antipasto, and is also delicious on sandwiches.

Since it was invented in the 1860s, Eggs Benedict has been a posh addition to the breakfast-lunch-brunch menu. It was created by the chef at a tony New York restaurant, Delmonico’s, for a wealthy customer, Mrs. LeGrand Benedict (here’s the history of Eggs Benedict).

The original recipe topped two toasted English muffin halves with round-cut slices of ham, poached eggs; and Hollandaise sauce. Over the years, the more conveniently-shaped Canadian bacon replaced the trimmed ham.

The ham substitutions continued, gaining momentum among creative chefs in modern times. Why not create your own reinvention of Eggs Benedict for Mother’s Day or other special occasion? Select your options from these categories of ingredients:

English Muffin Substitute

Classic Eggs Benedict. Photo courtesy American Egg Board.

Note: You need a type of bread that will soak up the egg yolk. Pita, for example, doesn’t work here. Steer clear of regular pancakes and waffles. They take what should be an elegant dish to McGriddles territory.

Ham/Bacon Substitute

 
What about everyday bacon strips? Eggs Benedict should be a special dish. By all means serve poached eggs with bacon—just not on an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce.

Similarly, fried eggs, sausage and gravy should remain their fine casual selves, and not be adapted into a Benedict-style variation.

Portabella Eggs Benedict, a vegetarian
option. Photo courtesy Mushroom Council.

Hollandaise Sauce Substitute

 
Consider how you can flavor a basic béchamel to match the ham substitute. For example, add dill to the sauce for lobster, horseradish and lemon zest for crab cakes.
 
Garnish

FOOD TRIVIA: THE HISTORY OF BRUNCH

The term, a combination of breakfast and lunch, was coined in the U.K. in 1895 to describe “a Sunday meal for Saturday-night carousers.” This first reference in print was an article in Hunter’s Weekly (source).

Brunch eliminated the need to rise early for breakfast. Instead of the conventional post-church early Sunday dinner, the new meal, served around noon, started with a course of toast, marmalade, tea. coffee and other breakfast foods before moving on to some heartier fare.

And the rest is delicious history.