Everyday fruits such as apples, grapes, oranges and grapefruit, are excellent ingredients. But you can follow your palate and add anything from seasonal fruits to exotics such as star fruit. Here’s an easy yet absolutely delicious salad recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 bunch leafy greens (we love the flavor of mixed
  microgreens)
• 1 sweet apple such as Fuji or Golden Delicious, sliced into matchsticks
• Half fennel bulb sliced thin and soaked in water to retain crispness
• Pinch salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of sautéed grapes or 1 sliced orange
• ¼ cup walnuts or almonds chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)
• Favorite salad vinaigrette**We love 1 part yuzu mixed with 3 parts olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

Our fruit-accented salad pairs well with
baked or grilled proteins. Photo by
Jerry Deutsch | THE NIBBLE.

Find other great salad ideas in our Gourmet Vegetables Section.

[1] One of the three shots in a deconstructed Margarita (photo courtesy Sauza).

For cocktail fun this weekend, try this deconstructed Margarita.

Deconstruction means taking something apart. In the case of deconstructed food, creative chefs and mixologists deconstruct a familiar recipe to present the ingredients in a new and exciting way.

In this recipe, the Margarita is deconstructed into three cocktail shots: a shot of reposado tequila, a shot of sweetened lime juice and a shot of citrus foam. You take a sip of each to “reconstruct” the drink.

 
Here’s another Margarita, deconstructed into three shots.

Have fun deconstructing!

The dessert, “Dirt In A Box,” was created by Ruby Foo’s restaurant in Times Square, New York City. It’s a no-cook “dirt pudding” or trifle, decorated with Gummy Worms.

You can make the recipe more elaborate, or turn it into a dirt cake, by preparing it in a small casserole or cake pan. Our preference is to use a small, clean flowerpot (we ran ours through the dishwasher).

• Get the recipe and plan to surprise your family. Just don’t wait a year until the next official Gummy Worms Day.
• You’ll also learn the history of Gummy (Gummi) Worms.
• Find our favorite products in our Kids’ Foods Section.
• Find more dessert recipes in our Desserts Section.

While we’d prefer a flowerpot, a box
works just fine. Photo courtesy Ruby Foo’s.

While it’s difficult to throw out “good food,” if you’ve exceeded the two days, it’s best to err on the side of safety and dispose of raw chicken. If the chicken is cooked, the same two-day rule applies: You can safely freeze chicken within two days of cooking.

Cooked or raw chicken can be stored for six months in the freezer, properly wrapped in freezer paper and plastic wrap or in containers suitable for freezing.

Find our favorite chicken products and a coop full of recipes in our Gourmet Poultry Section.

Cook it or freeze it. Photo © Lobel’s Of New York.

Get one for yourself and one as a gift.
Photo courtesy Kuhn Rikon.

With function and flare, this handy kitchen tool with an 11″ serrated blade cuts the largest of melons (and small ones, too) easily.

Made of high-quality Japanese carbon steel, the blade has a nonstick coating. The seed-shaped cut-outs prevent sticking and help the sliced melon slide off the blade easily. The ergonomic handle helps to maintain a firm grip while applying pressure to cut through tough melon skins.

The Melon Knife is sold at specialty stores and online retailers such as Williams-Sonoma (search for “watermelon knife” or order by phone at 1.877.812.6235). The suggested retail price is $24.95.

Find more of our favorite kitchen gadgets.