The Bride wore Birkenstocks: Chicken Paprika

As a wedding planner and officiant in my other life, I have been to many weddings. I have never been more impressed by a recent bride and groom's attitude on their wedding day in June. When their outdoor wedding threatened to be interrupted by a downpour, they and their families were determined that the joy of their union would not be spoiled by the weather.

The decision was made to move the ceremony under the reception tent. Predictability here in Oregon is unpredictable. So just a few minutes late, the radiant bride walked out on her father's arm ( under an umbrella) to her groom. The light drizzle some say became a kiss from god.

Here is a recipe that you can use for your own celebration. It can be doubled /tripled or made to whatever quantity you need. A crowd pleaser, you may add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine to the dish to make it more elegant. At my daughter's own wedding a variation was served substituting brandy for the wine and adding capers ( pickled nasturtium flower buds).

Chicken Paprika Romance

Serves 6-8

This is suited to a home wedding because you can do it ahead and heat and serve before the reception. Multiply by eight to serve fifty but reduce the onion soup by two for that amount. Cook in batches. If you want to use brown rice use a higher setting and increase liquid by 1/2 cup more.

• 2 to 3 pounds chicken skin removed( boneless skinless breasts and thighs are perfect)cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 cup rice (Not Uncle Ben! Use Hinode or Calrose and rinse well)
• 2 1/2 cups water or broth ( I reduce to 1 1/2 cups and add 1/2 cup dry white wine)
• 1 envelope dried onion soup mix
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 12 oz. sliced mushrooms ( morels, chanterelles, baby portabellos,cremini brown or white or mixed)
• ground Hungarian Paprika

Butter or Pam spray the bottom of a 9x13 casserole. Sprinkle rice evenly. Place chicken pieces on rice and dust with paprika. Mix onion soup mix, mushroom soup, mushrooms and broth( and wine). Spread evenly over chicken and rice. Bake covered tightly with foil at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1./2 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 1/2 hour to brown top. Serve garnished with parsley and more Paprika.

Beach House strawberry pie

Each summer I vow to discard the clutter in my life. Pare down and keep only what is necessary. How many spools of ribbon does one need to be happy? Do I need more than 100 books? And the odd piece of silk or the obscure album " The Banjo Barons do Golden Hawaiian hits"?

I came up with a mantra to reduce the ephemera; think BEACH HOUSE. Yes, beach house. Think about all of the stuff a beach house doesn't have. I don't mean the second-home-as-mansion type. A real beach house, the one you sweep sand out with a broom. It seems we can make do with what we really need; a bed, place to cook, maybe an indoor-outdoor bath, a cold beverage and the book we are currently reading. In this venue, I'm perfectly content to rinse out my swimsuit and put it back on the next day.

Say BEACH HOUSE as you remove the quilts and artwork, extra photos, throw rugs and toss pillows. Put up a gathered flower wreath or sea shore prints, sling gauzy panels of fabric over bamboo rods and create an outdoor living space. Fix up a corner of your deck and have coffee out there tomorrow.

So what about the kitchen? Well of course you have fresh herbs planted nearby and you are declaring the oven 'off limits' until October, right? Unpretentious and fresh,summer cuisine is all about what's right here, right now. Think chilled soups, portobello mushroom teriyaki sandwiches, cappresse salad and for dessert? Try this easy cooling pie.

Beach House strawberry pie

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 pints fresh local strawberries
• 1 10 ounce package frozen strawberries thawed
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• nine-inch microwave pie shell ( see below)
• sweetened whip cream or prepared topping

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, stir in thawed berries. Microwave for two minutes at high setting . Stir the mix then microwave for two to three minutes or more until the mix thickens, stirring every minute. Stir in the lemon juice and cool slightly . Arrange the strawberries stem end down in the shell. Spoon sauce over the berries. Chill for at least two hours, serve with topping.

Microwave pie shell

• 1 1/4 cup unsifted flour
• dash of salt
• 1/2 cup margarine or sweet cream butter( softened)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons iced water

Although it won't be browned the fat will give it a gold color. Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter or marg.in until you have coarse crumbs using a fork or pastry cutter. Sprinkle the ice water a little at a time while tossing with the fork until dough forms. Form a ball and roll out to a 13 inch circle. Drape into pie plate, press to remove air pockets and prick all over with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Microwave the shell on high for 6 to 7 minutes or until pastry is dry and opaque, cool on rack before filling.

Krista Frank's Luscious Fudge Brownies

Krista Frank is a whirlwind about town; specifically Rhododendron and the Villages of Mt. Hood corridor where she lives with her family. How many of us can say that they have produced a cookbook to benefit Welches elementary school, ran a Red Cross blood drive, had a featured recipe in a national magazine, help at our family business, volunteer whenever someone needs help and are raising two young sons?

A couple of years ago I interviewed her and found out that Krista's interest in cooking ranges from creating new recipes, working on a cookbook for lactose intolerant diets- recipes that appeal to children, field editing for Reiman publications Taste of Home magazine and winning cooking contests.

"I bake and cook a lot. I am all for cooking low-fat, low-salt, high flavor foods in a budget friendly way, " she says. Always in a spirit of sharing, Krista said she'd be delighted if we published her brownie recipe . Here is a link to her salmon recipe pictured above. Thanks Krista!

Krista's Luscious Fudge Brownies
shared by Krista Frank of Rhododendron, OR

1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons reduced-fat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, butter, yogurt and vanilla. Stir in egg until blended. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; stir into sugar mixture. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted neat the center comes out clean and brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool on a wore rack. Cut into eight pieces, then cut each diagonally in half. Yield: 16 brownies.
Nutrition Facts: 2 brownies equals 201 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 38 mg cholesterol, 93 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream by Donvier machine

Ahhh . . the simple pleasures of summer in the Northwest. Berries and peaches abound and practically beg us to a supply store like Williams Sonoma or Kitchen Kaboodle in Portland for best selection. The machine capacities and pricing vary too. There are machines that are electric, some operate by hand crank using rock salt with ice, some are partially hand cranked, partially finished in the freezer.

My favorite is this Donvier hand crank with a frozen insert. You just leave the insert in your freezer and when you want to make ice cream, put the insert in the machine, fill it with the mixture and turn the crank! For the ice cream lovers, it's advisable to buy another insert and have two in the freezer. You can make two flavors this way or speed up production of one flavor.Now that you have your ice cream maker, the variety of recipes astounds. Many are no-cook, microwavable and gelatin based. But the most traditional starts with a cooked custard. This recipe is rich and almost no-fail. The only way to flop is if you use the wrong salt-to-ice ratio in a machine that freezes with rock salt and packed ice. So carefully read the directions and measure salt.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream

makes: 3 pints

time:prep & cook:35 minutes

chill time : minimum 4 hours plus makers directions to prep

• hints: custard keeps 2-3 days make it ahead, keep refrigerated
• to make custard: whisk almost continuously for 30 minutes or until it coats the spoon, in large saucepan over medium heat: 3 whole eggs, 1 cup sugar,2 cups low-fat milk. Set aside custard to cool.
• prepare peaches: Dip 3 large peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, plunge into ice water , slip off skins, Chop coarsely.
• blend: in blender blend 2 of the peaches
• add: blended peaches and 1 chopped peach
• add: 2 cups whipping cream and 1 tablespoon vanilla
• pour: peach cream mixture into large bowl and whisk together with the prepared custard.
• chill: no less than 4 hours
• make ice cream: follow ice cream makers/ manufacturers directions

Two options for low-fat dips

It's the middle of summer and most are settling into a more relaxed schedule . The heavy drapes on the windows have been long since been tossed open and the heavy foods of past seasons, discarded. We are circling our lawn chairs around the barbecue and bellying up to the bar. Appetizer and snack bar that is.

Summer veggies are in all of the farmers markets. Pick some up as the Europeans do; just for now, just this meal. Go beyond blanched broccoli and carrot and celery sticks. Try tender, whole baby peas in the pod, sliced jicama and diakon, blanched cauliflower or baby romaine hearts as scoops. Arrange them on individual plates for easy nibbling as a prelude to your grilled meal. Texture and vitality await. Here are two options for low-fat dips that provide enough punch to get your family or guests through to the entree.

Mom's cottage cheese dip

• 1 small container cottage cheese ( large curd lower-fat)
• 3 Tablespoons cut chives or any fresh herb that marries well with garlic
• one fresh, large minced clove garlic
• dash of Tabasco ( optional)

Put all in blender, whirl until smooth and serve in small dip bowl with crudites or chips.

Piquillo pepper dip

• 1- 10 ounce jar Piquillo peppers, well drained
• 1 clove garlic
• sea salt to taste

Put all in blender, whirl until smooth and serve in small dip bowl.

Dirt Cheap Nachos

Summertime food by necessity is easy, fast and fuss-free. This recipe made from ingredients purchased from the GroceryOutlet bargain market is also very inexpensive. Using canned ready made chili eliminates cooking meat and you can come up with all sorts of substitutions and garnishes.

Just how cheap is this recipe? Considering that these are all first quality indgredients and these nachos could be the best you have ever tasted; you'll be pleased to know the total cost is $9.76 for a huge pan and that comes out to $2.44 each for four people. This gives you lots of time and a few extra pesos to enjoy a margarita !

Dirt Cheap Nachos

• one can Santa Fe Chicken chili ($1.29)
• can Silverado chili ($.99)
• family size bag Tostitos ($3.99) or Rosalindas chips (1pound 8oz.. $1.99)
• 1 small can Jalapeno peppers ($1.29)
• 1/4 pound each: Colby Jack cheese($2.87 for 1/2 pound), Cheddar($3.49 per pound), American (.99 /10 oz.) all grated
• one yellow onion ($1.69 for 7pc.s)
• 1 bunch cilantro (2 bunches for .88)
• 1 bunch green onion (2 bunches for $1.)
• Sour cream for garnish optional (.99 carton)

Arrange chips, enough to cover a foil lined sheet/cookie sheet. Top with the two cans of chili. Chop onions and sprinkle over this. Sprinkle jalapenos and cheeses over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese melts and browns a bit. Serve warm from the pan. Top with chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. You can also add a few chunks of fresh tomato from your garden.

Portland Saturday Market has moved to Tom McCall Waterfront Park

The popular Portland Saturday Market has moved to Tom McCall Waterfront Park and is celebrating the move. Long a draw for tourists and locals alike, everyone interested in finding heart of Portland stops here. But come hungry.

In addition to a great variety of some wonderful, and some strange, crafts people and artisans, there is an abundance of food vendors on scene. Cupcakes, Bavarian roasted nuts, homemade jams and butters, Guatemalan food, handmade chocolate, locally roasted coffees, homemade bratwurst, heart shaped Lebanese falafel, ice creams in addition to barbecue plates and Mexican food. Lots to delight your out-of-town friends or provide a typical Portland experience for yourself. But this is not a tea party type-excursion. Be prepared to see many different sorts of people. From the absurd to the adorable, this is truly a "keep Portland weird" adventure. You'll see!

A grand opening is scheduled in August. Go to the market's page by clicking on the list provided under markets on this article page lower right corner. The market is open from February 28th to the 24th of December each year and runs from 10 Am to 5Pm on Saturdays and it is also open on Sundays 11Am to 4:30Pm. Tip: spend $25.00 and keep receipts for 2 hours free parking. Consult site for details on where this is honored. http://www.saturdaymarket.org