Paper Palate

I have a love-hate relationship with the June-July issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. I love it because, well, it’s an issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. I hate it because it covers two months, which means no issue next month. Boo. But let’s focus on the positive and check out what’s in store this month.

I always have to start with my favorite section, the 30-Minute Meals. This month’s focus is on summer salads and other easy dinners including BLT (Beef, Leek and Tomato) Salad, Chicken Satay Noodle Salad, Stuffed Portobellos with Bread Salad, Pasta Salad à la Norma, Fish ‘n’ Chips, Skewered Swordfish Rolls, BLD Carbonara Pizza, and Citrus Spaghetti with Shredded Radicchio. That carbonara pizza is at the top of my priority list for this issue.

The No-Recipe Zone shows us how to make shrimp tostadas and the Burger of the Month is a low-fat Chicken Burger with Barbecue Onion Sauce.

The entertaining section of the magazine, Get Togethers, features an LA caterer’s menu for a backyard movie night: Goat Cheese Nachos, Jalapeño Corn Muffins, Coleslaw Cups, Molasses-Glazed Spareribs, Berries & Cream Cones, and Tropical Fizzes. Daisy Martinez, of Daisy Cooks, shares her favorite family recipes: Yucatán Seviche, Avocado Citrus Salad, Pernil (Roast Pork), Cubanos, Chocolate-Chile Cake, and Tamarind Pop.

The Express Lane section (which requires minimal shopping if you keep your Every Day Kitchen stocked) this month is a July 4th menu of Grilled Corn with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Potato and Green Bean Salad, Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken Breasts, Berry Cakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream, and Mango-Ginger Mocktails. I might not be able to wait that long to try it, so it looks like a Memorial Day menu to me.

This month’s cocktails are intended to be made in batches: Ginger Margaritas, Orange Sparklers, Pineapple Punch, and Spiked Pink Lemonade. You can print out super cute (I mean really really cute) placecards in the Party Tricks section of the magazine’s website. This travel section features 5,857 miles of road tripping to help us find the best road trips in the USA.

I think I might have to try the goat cheese nachos first because I can’t decide if they sound really good or really bad.