Blue Ribbon Kitchen: Picnic Favorites! Potato Salad & Cherry Cobbler

When it comes to picnics...

(or actually, any dining experience)

I'm all about the sides.

Side dishes for me are what

makes or breaks almost any meal...

Great sides = happiness

If I'm really honest, those sides (and ahem...the desserts too) are

the stars of the show.

With summer knocking on our door this week and the start

of June being today!! ...

... I'm sharing two sensational summertime side-dishes.

Let me introduce you to one

of my favorite summertime friends:

Lemon-Rosemary Potato Salad.

(She's light and refreshing...like everyone's old friend --regular

potato salad...but this Lemon-Rosemary gal...

she brightens up the meal with the fresh herbs and lemon)

and for dessert... her BFF:

Cherry Sugar Cookie Cobbler...

(Sweet but not too sweet and the sugar cookie crust...it's like two

desserts in one)

Dinner is served...

(well, at least the sides are served and they are a sure thing...)

You're on your own as far as the main dish goes...

but if I'm coming to dinner, you won't need one... just the sides please.

Here are the recipes:

In the summer... I'm a lazy-cook...so using new potatoes

or red-skinned potatoes is the perfect

way to skip a step...with these --no peeling is necessary!!

Summer Lemon-Rosemary Potato Salad

Blue Ribbon Kitchen: Karri Perry

4 lbs. diced new potatoes- cooked until tender

1 cup mayonnaise (Duke’s)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. coriander-ground

½ tsp. celery seed

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

2Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

½ cup chopped celery

¼ cup sliced radishes

Black pepper to taste

Dice potatoes, boil until tender, drain and cool.

Finely slice the celery and radishes- set aside.

Mix together the mayonnaise, salt, spices, zest, rosemary and lemon juice.

In a large bowl, add the cooled, diced potatoes, sliced celery and radishes. Add the mayonnaise mixture, gently stir and fold to coat the potatoes.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, before serving.

And for dessert:

Cherry Sugar Cookie Cobbler

Blue Ribbon Kitchen: Karri Perry

Filling:

4-5 cups mixed cherries (frozen mixed Michigan blend: Costco)

¾ cup-1 cup granulated sugar(for a tart cobbler use ¾ cup sugar, for a sweeter cobbler use 1 cup of sugar)

1 Tbs thickener (arrowroot or cornstarch)

1/8 tsp almond extract

Sugar Cookie Topping

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 stick (8 TBS) melted unsalted butter

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

2 Tablespoons + ½ tsp cinnamon mixed together for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix sugar, thickener and almond extract together and pour over frozen cherries.

Place cherry mixture into a large cast iron skillet or large casserole dish. Set-aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and zest. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract and egg. Mix until it forms a thick batter.

Drop spoonfuls of the sugar cookie mixture onto the cherries, covering the surface evenly. Sprinkle the cookie dough topping with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until the cookie topping is golden and the cherries are bubbling throughout.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.