Happy Nirvana

Backyard barbecuing becomes an easy weeknight option with quick-cooking chops and a crisp cucumber salad. Prep: 20 minutes Total: 20 minutes Get the recipe. Credits to:Everyday Food Blog – MarthaStewart.com

The secret to making a great chopped salad is to cut the ingredients into chunks that are all about the same size and to include contrasting textures. Instead of using tuna in this salad, you can use leftover cooked chicken. Just cut the chicken into bite-size chunks, then add it to the salad at the [...]

Forget deli-style pasta salad, and try this version with shrimp and a bright lemon dressing. You can even make it up to a day ahead. Prep: 20 minutes Total: 20 minutes Get the recipe. Credits to:Everyday Food Blog – MarthaStewart.com

A buttermilk mixture makes a dressing and the marinade; you can prep the chicken up to a day ahead. Use the buttermilk left in the container to jazz up mashed potatoes. Bathed in Buttermilk: Low-fat buttermilk gives the chicken zip and tenderizes the meat. The longer the soak, the softer the chicken. Better Because: Unlike [...]

During heat waves in my childhood, my mother would send us outside with thick slabs of sweet, dripping watermelon. My brother and I would stick out faces into it and let the cold juice run down our chins. Watermelon today is seedless, thereby depriving the current generation of children the joy of competitive watermelon seed [...]

To shred roasted chicken, remove the meat from the bone, then pull it apart into thin pieces with two forks or your fingers. Prep: 25 minutes Total: 25 minutes Get the recipe. Credits to:Everyday Food Blog – MarthaStewart.com

Cobb salad, a California classic, relies on high-quality produce. Look for tomatoes that are deep red and avocados that yield slightly when gently pressed. Prep: 20 minutes Total: 20 minutes Get the recipe. Credits to:Everyday Food Blog – MarthaStewart.com

Photo: Kelly Rossiter I guess like most home vegetable gardeners, I am having my share of hits and misses this season. Some enterprising little critter ate all of my carrot tops as soon as they started to come out, so that was the end of that. My beets were doing fabulously, but something has started [...]