DEAR FRIENDS were stopping by on their way to camp this Saturday. We see them in hockey season, and a bit during the summer, but the times are all too few. So we had a lunch together,

Here is the menu and recipes that you might share with your loved ones.

Poached chicken tarragon salad

Pasta salad Sliced cucumber salad Biscuits Fresh strawberries Chocolate cookies

Tea or Cider

The plates were lined with mixed salad greens and placed at the table. Guests helped themselves to the salads, biscuits, fruits and cookies as we had a great time together.

Poached Chicken

Tarragon Salad

Purchase a whole chicken, remove the giblet pack, cut the thigh/ leg sections away from the body at the thigh joint, leaving the rest of the chicken in tact. Rinse the chicken, and cover it with cold water. Add a half onion, cut up, some celery stalks with leaves, a bay leaf, a cut-up carrot and a clove of garlic. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer about 30 minutes, or until the breast is tender. Reserving the broth, remove the breast/ body section and let it cool and drain in a colander. (This results in tender breast meat). Leave the leg sections in the broth to cook about 10 minutes more, and cool in the broth. Then drain the thigh/leg sections as well. When cool enough to handle, skin and bone the chicken, keeping the pieces as large as you can, placing them in a bowl as the basis for your salad.

Put the bones and the skin in another bowl. Add these to the broth, and simmer, reducing the liquid to half. When reduced, put all through a strainer, and use broth as a basis for soup or sauce. Refrigerate, and skim the fat off the surface when cold. It can be frozen as well.

The salad

Meat from poached chicken, cut in rather large pieces

Juice from one lemon

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

3 scallions, cut in half then sliced thinly crosswise

1/2 cup yellow raisins

1/2 + cup Hellman’s mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle lemon juice over chicken pieces. Add tarragon, scallions and raisins, toss gently. Add salt and pepper, taste. The lemon should not overpower, but should be evident. Add mayonnaise to moisten. The raisins are added as a counterpoint to the lemon/tarragon flavoring.

Note: of course, the amount of each ingredient depends on the size of the chicken. If the salad is made while the chicken is still warm, it will absorb more of the lemon flavor. Also it will be more moist with the residue of the broth, and need less mayonnaise to give it form. However, the meat can be covered and refrigerated, for the salad to be completed the next day.

Pasta Salad

6 oz macaroni or other medium pasta

2 Tablespoons Italian dressing

2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, cut up

1 teaspoon dried basil or some slivers of fresh

2 small carrots, grated 2 scallions, cut thinly 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons olive tapenade

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in salted water, till almost tender. Rinse well with cold water, and drain. Place in bowl. Toss with Italian dressing, add other ingredients. Refrigerate to blend flavors.

Note: Mixture should be moist, more salad dressing or olive oil can be added for flavor.

Sliced Cucumbers &

Cherry Tomatoes

Score and slice thinly about 1/2 of a “seedless” cucumber. Alternate layers of very thinly sliced red onion and cucumber in a shallow dish. Cut about 12 Cherry Tomatoes in half and line the sides of the dish. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle all with chives and dill. Dribble with a good Italian dressing and refrigerate.

Baking Powder Biscuits Mix together 2 Cups flour 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 1/2 Tsp Salt Cut in: 3-4 Tablespoons Crisco or lard

Add, mix together with above

2/3-3/4 cup Milk (just between)

Knead a little on lightly floured board, cut out with round

Bake on un-greased pan: 450 degrees for about 12-15 minutes Serve warm with butter and jam.

Strawberries

Rinse strawberries well, and place with stems still on in a glass bowl. Fill a couple of small side dishes with powdered sugar, so that the strawberries can be dipped in it.. Have a dish of “Famous Chocolate Wafers” on the side.