Here’s nice cool salad for hot summer day.

• 8 ounces pasta
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 12 ounce can solid white albacore tuna, flaked
• 3/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1/3 cup sweet relish
• 3/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• Crispy lettuce leaves

Prepare the pasta according to the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients into the pasta.

Lay lettuce leaves on plates and top with the tuna salad.

Serves 4-6

This dish is a bit of work, but it’s really worth it; creamy and delicious. This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks Chicken and Egg.

• Two 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces total)
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (3 large)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 8 ounces asparagus spears, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Pour the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and add the chicken breasts. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool for 10 minutes. Add enough water to the broth so you have 3 1/2 cups; set aside. Shred the chicken.

Toast the saffron in a large saucepan over low heat for 2 minutes or until slightly darker in color, stirring constantly and being careful not to let the saffron burn. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Bring the broth to a simmer over low heat and cover. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the same large saucepan that you used for the saffron over medium heat. Cook the shallots and garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in the rice, coating the grains with the butter, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Crush the saffron and add it to the rice along with 1/2 cup of the hot broth. Cook until the liquid has been almost completely absorbed, stirring.

Continue to add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until 2 cups have been added, adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the rice mixture simmering. Stir in the asparagus. Continue adding broth until 3 cups have been added. Stir in the chicken, salt, and pepper and keep adding broth until the mixture is creamy and the rice is tender but slightly firm in the center. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Serves 4

For those days before summer when there is a chill in the air, nothing is better than soup. This recipe is from The Ultimate Soup Cookbook.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, white part only, cleaned well, cut into thin strips
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 slices prosciutto, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips or chopped
• 5 1/2 ounces Swiss chard, spinach, spring greens, or a mixture, finely shredded
• 3 small ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Pinch of crushed dried red chiles (optional)
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 15 ounce can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and onion and sauté 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add carrot, garlic, fennel seed, parsley, and prosciutto and sauté 5 minutes.

Stir in greens and tomatoes and cook, covered, 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Add stock and chiles, if desired, beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until greens are just tender.

Ladle soup into a bowl and top with the Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6

The Easter Bunny would approve of this recipe that features carrots, chicken and dill. I think the next time I make it I will add some peas as well. The recipe is from the book Chicken and Egg, A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes.

Cobbler

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or milk
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded or chopped poached chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Biscuits

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

To make the cobbler: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes or until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, half-and-half, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chicken and dill, and set aside.

To make the biscuits:  Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Pulse the flour, baking powder, and salt in the food processor until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of blueberries (I did this process with my hands). Pour in the milk and pulse until a moist dough forms. Stir in the cheese and dill.

Bring the chicken and vegetables to a boil over medium heat. Pour into the baking dish. Drop the biscuit dough in six mounds over the chicken mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly and a toothpick inserted in the center of the biscuits comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Serves 8