Puzzles

I've always liked puzzles. There was a time when I could whip through the crossword in the Sunday paper. I spent hours and hours in the lab on jigsaw puzzles. Now, my favorite puzzles are food related.

I love planning meals for company. Usually the factors considered include: dietary issues of my guests, what I want to show off, what I know works well, and what will make my guests know they are loved.

But, we are now entering a season of a whole new food puzzle. . . garden season.

I now need to plan my menus around what I know will need to be harvested from the garden. Today, I'm making a "Chinese" chicken salad. It will feature basil, cilantro, and spinach from my garden. (As well as crunchy, fried wontons, peppers, roasted chicken, and lots of colorful veggies. The dressing has a finely chopped serrano pepper and lots of fresh ginger.

And, embracing the fact I always make too much, I'm planning on having it again later this week.

Soon, we'll be throwing farmer's market into the planning mix. I've never craved a good, fresh tomato like I have these past couple of weeks. Good thing my horticulture agent keeps bringing me farm fresh strawberries to keep me from losing my mind.