Artichokes + Garlic = Heaven

Inspiration can strike at the oddest times. As I shopped with a friend in a culinary store, we happened upon 'Artichoke Garlic Sauce,' and I decided to create my own version the next time I played in my kitchen. That time was this afternoon, and the result was smooth and seductive with a bit of bite and chunkiness.

This combination is more of a spread, but the flavors are unmistakable. My taste testers and I tried some atop buttered bread slices that were broiled crisp, on whole wheat crackers, and right off of the spoon. We also thought it would make a good pizza 'sauce,' or a sandwich spread paired with provolone cheese and romaine. A glass of Chardonnay is a perfect complement. See what you think of this Artichoke Garlic Spread:

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 can artichoke hearts, diced fine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Saute garlic in olive oil over medium high heat, until slightly browned. Add two tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Add artichoke hearts, lemon juice, and pepper. Combine thoroughly and cook uncovered, over medium heat, for 15-20 minutes or until extra liquid has evaporated. This should yield approximately 3/4 cups. Set aside.

Put half of this mixture in a food processor with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and puree. Remove puree from processor and stir in remaining artichoke mixture. Spread and enjoy. Generously covers five large slices of French bread.

New Mexico Light

Ever since Georgia O'Keefe painted Northern New Mexico images in bright, bold brush strokes, the area has been known for the natural light that suffuses every element of life throughout this area. Whether snow blankets the streets of Santa Fe, cholla bloom bright pink against spindly, spiked branches near Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, mid-summer heat bakes the town of Taos or golden leaves decorate trees along the road to Chimayo, bright blue skies provide a frequent backdrop.

Sometimes man-made color pops against Northern New Mexico's natural beauty too. One day, as a friend and I departed a Taos cafe on a surprisingly warm September day, we noticed pink umbrellas above the sunken front patio. My camera and I could not resist this shot.

Toothpicks at Sweetie Pies

When you make close to 500 pies per week, in 30 varieties, keeping track of which is which can be a real challenge. So Sweetie Pies, a shop in Door County, Wisconsin devised a 'toothpick code' that helps them remember what they've made. A strawberry pie gets two, red-topped toothpicks, while strawberry-rhubarb gets one red and one green toothpick. Two yellow-topped toothpicks plus one green equals an apple-blackberry combination and two yellow + two red equals a peach-cherry pie.

Opened in 1995, Sweetie Pies uses cane sugar, unbleached and un-bromated flour, and a combination of butter and shortening. They also make no-sugar-added and Splenda pies. A crew of seven or eight creates every pie from scratch, except for an occasional whirl in a food processor. But sometimes the crew expands when visitors make a reservation to help with production for a day.

After they return home, guest bakers can still enjoy Sweetie Pies. The shop ships frozen/raw pies anywhere in the U.S., from Florida or Texas to Alaska. Imagine - freshly baked pie directly from your oven - without any of the work!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken Salad

With our girls grown and gone I sometimes try to create a meal out of whatever we have on hand. Yesterday I looked at a thawed chicken breast and wanted chicken salad - but not the same old chicken plus mayo plus celery. What I came up with included all of these ingredients, plus some special additions. Serve this chicken salad on whole wheat bread, add some chips and raw vegies, and you've got a great summertime supper.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken salad
Serves 2

1 chicken breast
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise + 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Marinate chicken breast in 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette for two hours, turning after one hour. Grill chicken over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes. While it cools to room temperature stir together mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette, and chop celery and red onion. When chicken is cool, cut into bite-sized pieces and combine all ingredients.

Tip: for a little extra crunch, add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.

Powell Gardens' Butterflies

Hundreds of multicolored tropical butterflies flitted from flower to flower inside screened pavilions where volunteers held caterpillars on their hands and small branches. Jessa and James Huebing-Reitinger shared their traveling art and science education exhibit, Project InSECT, for which Jessa paints luminous gigantic portraits of insects and James teaches visitors about the insects portrayed on each canvas. Children made butterfly wings and antennae headbands and painted pots to take home as adults purchased butterfly bushes.

It has been 12 years since Powell Gardens, Kingsville, Mo., began holding it's Festival of Butterflies during each August. Brilliant blue skies and an unusually comfortable temperature in the mid-80s brought people out by the hundreds on August 16.

But there's more to the 20-year-old Powell Gardens than butterfly festivals. It includes approximately 900 acres of rural countryside with a massive perennial garden, a waterfall and rock garden, a two-acre Island Garden, and a fountain garden. The stunning Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel was designed by architect Fay Jones - who took inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. Next up is a 12-acre Heartland Harvest Garden which will help visitors follow food 'from seed to plate,' beginning in spring 2009.

Magenta Margaritas

One look at a prickly pear margarita and Southwestern seasonal heat seems to melt away. Often a swirl of pale pink and deep magenta, this margarita has become a staple throughout San Antonio and many other Southwestern cities since its introduction in Morrison, Colorado, according to the CocktailAtlas.com.

Made with syrup created from prickly pear juice, this margarita takes a 500-year-old food staple of Native Americans and turns it into a frozen treat that simultaneously packs a punch and beautifully complements enchiladas, guacamole and chips or steak fajitas. The next time you visit the Southwest, try a new twist on an old cocktail favorite.

Cherry Berry Fudge

After this chocolate lover visited Door County, Wisconsin during the height of cherry season, and saw a plethora of gorgeous berries too, I decided to combine chocolate with a few of these beauties in dried form. I started with a 1996 recipe from Borden, reduced the nuts by half, and then added cherries and berries. It's all about indulging your sweet tooth and tasting a bit of summer in every bite.

Cherry Berry Fudge
Makes about 2 pounds

24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
14 ounces (one can) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried blueberries (may substitute other small berries)

Line an 8- or 9-inch pan with foil. In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chips with condensed milk and salt.* Remove from heat and stir in nuts, vanilla, cherries and blueberries. Spread evenly into foil-lined pan and chill for two hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board, peel off foil and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

*Microwave instructions: In a one-quart microwave-safe bowl, combine chips with condensed milk and salt, cooking on high for three minutes or until chips melt, stirring after each 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Proceed as above.

*Do not use a double boiler as the chocolate and milk will not merge correctly.