So here we are, on the cusp of summer and fall, one foot still entrenched in heat and humidity, the other lifted to step onto the Labor Day weekend bridge. (Is it three o'clock yet?) Here's a few recipe ideas from the Kitchen Parade archives, ones that to me, seem perfect for the cusp, the bridge. See you on the other side. Late Summer Recipes (click a photo for a recipe) Explore all the best recipes for summer but these three are so good, you'll make them again and again, all year round. This column features easy Italian appetizers , pictured is a simple olive paste that looks so impressive spread on rounds of bread with a bit of cheese and pimento. Maple Glazed Salmon has been Kitchen Parade's #1 recipe all summer long. Have you tried it yet? Vichyssoise may be hard to spell and pronounce but the simple potato and leek soup is dead-easy to make. Early Fall Recipes (click a photo for a recipe) Ratatouille ma...

For a taste of summer come winter, put aside summer tomatoes now, by slow-roasting the tomatoes for a long time – yes, a long, long, LONG time, no measly couple of hours. After testing many batches of slow-roasted tomatoes, I finally fixed upon the perfect combination of time and temperature, oil and herbs, a collection of tips and techniques. Slow-Roasted Tomatoes are something really special ... don't let the tomato season pass by without a batch or two or three. Or four. Fresh & Seasonal. Vegan. Weight Watchers Friendly. Whole30 Friendly. Low Carb. Great for Meal Prep.

We all collect great brunch recipes, especially ones that can be completely or partially prepared the night before. This tomato basil quiche, from a 2003 Kitchen Parade column that's published online for the first time, is a real favorite, one I've served summer and winter for many years. Here's the recipe for tomato basil quiche . And if you're looking for still more ideas, here's my collection of great brunch recipes .

Readers who poke forks into this column regularly know to expect no tomatoes in January (unless canned) and no blueberries til July (unless frozen). To stay in synch with the seasons, I write most columns a year in advance, often more. This week’s intended column was written during the glory of 2006’s peach season when Missouri- and Illinois-grown picked-just-yesterday peaches piled high in supermarkets and super farmers markets. Imagine a fresh peach pie topped with clouds of whipped cream spiked with almond flavor. Imagine peach preserves spiked with jalapeno. Imagine … Too bad, for 2007’s spring freeze decimated the local peach crop. What’s a seasonal cook to do? Scramble, that’s what, just like our farmers, replanting when they can, getting by when they can’t. So today’s column features another local favorite, Pevely’s 1% cottage cheese that luckily’s available year-round. Pevely Dairy dates back 120 years and was the 1904 World’s Fair milk concessionaire. It’s now par...

Some cooks long for granite counters, Viking stoves and copper pots. Here at Kitchen Parade's brand-new home online, there's nothing half so fancy. But for the first time, Kitchen Parade is presented in the two-column layout for which it's expressly written -- finally! For more than two years now, I've been longing for an online version of a two-column 'kitchen' -- my writing and the recipes just make better sense when presented side by side. One web designer after another objected. I heard, "It's just not the way it's done," and "That would be really hard." Enter the magicians at Matchbox Creative, a wife & husband duo from Vancouver, Jeannette with a flair for design, Cornelius with a brilliance for code. I'm grateful, truly, for their work. So look around around. Every single recipe, even ones you've spied before, will look 'brand-new'. For example, here's the most recent column on the old site an...

Ahhh people, it's summer and today I'm sharing a simple summer appetizer that's ever so memorable! The roasted tomatoes warm the ricotta, leaving it extra-creamy and slightly garlicky. What an appetizer! Or, how about this? Just pour a glass of crisp, cold white wine and call it dinner ... works for me, how about you? Real Food, Fresh & Summery. Gorgeous Color. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free.

Who's seen the new movie Ratatouille?! Here, I share the recipe for a quick-cook ratatouille and wrap it in omelettes for a quick supper or hearty breakfast. Ratatouille Omelettes are inspired by this fun flick for both kids and adults which features – get this! – a super-cute rat who learns about life while learning how to make ratatouille, the classic French vegetable dish that's been a personal favorite for many years. Fresh & Seasonal. High Protein. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Whole30 Friendly. Gluten Free. Make Ahead. Great for Meal Prep. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ Calling Little Chefs ... Ratatouille is fresh summer goodness flick-wise and food-wise for Little Chefs and big chefs both. Last week I chose my words carefully with a 13-year old. “Do you like rat-a-TOO-ee?” Not unexpectedly, he was certain I meant this summer’s Disney hit movie and flashed a grin. "We haven’t seen it yet but we’re going to!" But when I asked if he kne...

A traditional Greek salad, with chicken added, it's familiar and new at the same time. The time saver for an at-home meal? Rotisserie chicken! ~ Skip Straight to the Recipes ~ ~ Chicken Greek Salad ~ ~ Simple Hummus ~ "Drive By" not "Drive Through" Summer nights create a thousand ready reasons to skip supper at home in the kitchen. Little League and bike rides that run long. An after-work happy hour on a breezy patio. Lawn mowing. A family outing to the zoo. Day games. An oh-so-pretty-nobody-wants-to-leave afternoon at the pool. An obvious answer to the 'What’s for supper?' question is drive-through food on the way home. Instead, think about drive-by food on the way home. Drive by the grocery, grab a rotisserie chicken (a busy parent’s miracle food if there ever is one) and a few vegetables. Get home. Kick off the shoes. Assemble the salad. Plate. Somebody pour the milk, please! Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Don't Forget the Hummus! Hummu...