Here they come —the first fresh cherries of the season. Here’s how to sweeten them to make a dessert.  Use frozen or fresh pitted cherries. Place 4 cups of cherries in a saucepan and cook on medium, covered, for 15 minutes, and stir the cherries often. In a bowl, mix together a cup of sugar and a 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Add that to the cherry juice, stirring. In about two minutes, the sauce will thicken. Enjoy this over ice cream, Greek yogurt, or slices of cake.

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Thinking outside the box, here’s a delicious, simple way to doctor boxed brownie mix. When the instructions say to add water, skip that and swap in cool brewed coffee instead. Throw in some extra chocolate chips and sprinkle a little sea salt on top before the pan goes into the oven.

Photo: Pixabay.com

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Garlic butter roast chicken is the dish my friends request most often. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan with 5 minced garlic cloves. Dry the outside of a whole cleaned small chicken with paper towels so it gets oven-crispy. Baste the chicken with garlic butter. Stuff the cavity with a lemon cut in half and a sprig of rosemary. Pop the chicken in a 450-degree oven for about one hour, basting the chicken with more garlic butter every 15 minutes.

Photo: Pixabay.com

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When Mark Bittman figured out quick preserved lemons, it spread like wildfire. My turn! Take two organic thin-skinned Meyer lemons. Finely dice them, removing seeds. Put them in a lidded jar with 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt. Close, shake, and put the jar in the fridge overnight. Boom. . .quick preserved lemons, ready to use on fish, chicken, in a lamb tagine, or any time you want to add a little Moroccan or Middle Eastern accent to a dish.

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Busy night? Make my broccoli, cheese and olive quesadilla in minutes. Zap frozen broccoli in the microwave, and squeeze the water out of it with the back of a large spoon. Place a small scoop of broccoli on one half of a round corn or whole wheat tortilla. Sprinkle cheddar or feta on top of the broccoli, and some finely diced olives. Fold the tortilla circle in half like a half moon and fry each side for several minutes on medium low until the sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted. Cut it in half and serve with a wedge of lime and a couple of slices of avocado.

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Here’s the best grownup and kid dessert on the planet…chocolate-filled biscuit dough roll-ups. Unwrap a package of refrigerated Crescent rolls. Smear every triangle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle on crumbled salty pretzel sticks. Roll ‘em up and bake according to package directions. So fun and so good.

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Cooking cherry tomatoes in butter and olive oil is so quick and easy, and the warm blistered beauties make a fantastic side-dish with anything. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/8th of a cup of olive oil in a heavy skillet on low. Add 3 pints of rinsed whole cherry tomatoes to the pan, crank the heat to high. Don’t overcook them. About five minutes is good. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and chopped fresh or dried basil. Everybody loves them.

Photo: Pixabay.com

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I call this the disappearing appetizer…Buffalo Chicken Crescent Biscuit Roll-Ups. In a bowl, mix together finely diced rotisserie chicken meat, Frank’s Hot Sauce, a little melted butter, and a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese. Unroll the tube of Crescent roll triangles. Smear on some of the mixture and roll up each crescent from the wide end to the tip. Put the rolls on a sprayed sheet pan and bake them according to package directions. These easy apps also make the perfect midnight snack.

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Want to make a delicious red sauce with just three ingredients? Toss a chopped onion into a saucepan with a can of chopped tomatoes and a combination of olive oil and butter. Simmer it on low for 45 minutes. It’s fantastic. (Thank you Food 52, for the inspiration.) I put my sauce on rice, but you can use it on pasta, of course, or as the saucy element in chicken cacciatore, in a stuffed-pepper mix, or in a thousand different dishes.

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Healthy dips make good sense, as long as they’re really delicious with chips or veggies. Here’s one I love: White Bean Pesto Dip with Preserved Lemons. Drain and rinse two cans of white beans. Whip until creamy in a food processor. Stir in some store-bought pesto to taste and 1 tablespoon of finely diced preserved lemon or lemon juice. Finish it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Photo: Pixabay.com

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