http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/DineNDish/9943 Hey all, I wanted to include some recipes for this weekend's celebration! This is probably my favorite time of the year to start off the summer. I love the warm weather, the BBQ's, and the comfort of being around family. I hope you all have a safe weekend and enjoy the time off. -Serrena Appetizer: Tropical Fruit Salad     * 1 medium ripe papaya, cut into 1/2-inch pieces     * 1 medium ripe mango, cut into 1/2-inch pieces     * 1/2 pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces     * 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and ribs removed, minced     * 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces     * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro     * 1 tablespoon grated lime zest     * 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice     * Coarse salt    Directions     * In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Serve immediately. This may be made 1 hour ahead, without adding papaya, and refrigerated. Add papaya just before serving. Side Dish: Garlicky Roasted Asparagus Ingredients     * 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed     * 2 tablespoons olive oil     * 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced     * Coarse salt and ground pepper Directions *Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet,   toss asparagus with oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and browned in spots, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Main Dish: Simple Salt and Pepper Chicken Ingredients     * 1 tablespoon coarse salt     * 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper     * 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), quartered, rinsed, and patted dry Directions    * Preheat grill to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 to 4 seconds.)    * Combine salt and pepper. Rub chicken with mixture, covering all sides and shaking off excess. (You may not need all of the mixture.) Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.    * Place chicken on grill, skin side down. Close cover, and grill 8 minutes. Flip chicken, and close cover. Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more.    * Transfer chicken to a plate, and let rest 15 minutes. Serve with bread salad Dessert: Apricot Dessert Quesadillas Ingredients     * 1/2 cup light cream cheese, whipped     * 1 Tbsp sugar     * 1/2 tsp lemon zest     * 1 tsp fresh lemon juice     * 4 medium tortilla, flour, fat-free     * 4 medium apricot(s), sliced into thin wedges     * 1 sprays cooking spray, butter-flavored     * 1 Tbsp powdered sugar     * 1 serving butter-flavor cooking spray Directions     * Stir cream cheese, granulated sugar, zest and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Spread 1/4 of mixture on one half of each tortilla, layer each with 1/4 of apricot slices and fold each tortilla in half.     * Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Arrange 2 folded tortillas in skillet; cook over medium heat until golden brown, flipping once, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side and 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from skillet, cover to keep warm and repeat with remaining 2 tortillas.     * Cut each tortilla in half to form quarter wedges, place on a serving platter, dust with powdered sugar (use a sieve) and serve. Yields 2 wedges per serving.  -Flavor Booster: The hot-sweet bite of ginger adds an exciting taste dimension to the quesadillas. Halve the sugar in the cream cheese spread and mix in 1 tbsp finely minced candied ginger. ENJOY! Hey all, I wanted to include some recipes for this weekend's celebration! This is probably my favorite time of the year to start off the summer. I love the warm weather, the BBQ's, and the comfort of being around family. I hope you all have a safe weekend and enjoy the time off. -Serrena Appetizer: Tropical Fruit Salad     * 1 medium ripe papaya, cut into 1/2-inch pieces     * 1 medium ripe mango, cut into 1/2-inch pieces     * 1/2 pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces     * 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and ribs removed, minced     * 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces     * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro     * 1 tablespoon grated lime zest     * 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice     * Coarse salt    Directions     * In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Serve immediately. This may be made 1 hour ahead, without adding papaya, and refrigerated. Add papaya just before serving. Side Dish: Garlicky Roasted Asparagus Ingredients     * 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed     * 2 tablespoons olive oil     * 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced     * Coarse salt and ground pepper Directions *Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet,   toss asparagus with oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and browned in spots, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Main Dish: Simple Salt and Pepper Chicken Ingredients     * 1 tablespoon coarse salt     * 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper     * 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), quartered, rinsed, and patted dry Directions    * Preheat grill to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 to 4 seconds.)    * Combine salt and pepper. Rub chicken with mixture, covering all sides and shaking off excess. (You may not need all of the mixture.) Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.    * Place chicken on grill, skin side down. Close cover, and grill 8 minutes. Flip chicken, and close cover. Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more.    * Transfer chicken to a plate, and let rest 15 minutes. Serve with bread salad Dessert: Apricot Dessert Quesadillas Ingredients     * 1/2 cup light cream cheese, whipped     * 1 Tbsp sugar     * 1/2 tsp lemon zest     * 1 tsp fresh lemon juice     * 4 medium tortilla, flour, fat-free     * 4 medium apricot(s), sliced into thin wedges     * 1 sprays cooking spray, butter-flavored     * 1 Tbsp powdered sugar     * 1 serving butter-flavor cooking spray Directions     * Stir cream cheese, granulated sugar, zest and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Spread 1/4 of mixture on one half of each tortilla, layer each with 1/4 of apricot slices and fold each tortilla in half.     * Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Arrange 2 folded tortillas in skillet; cook over medium heat until golden brown, flipping once, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side and 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from skillet, cover to keep warm and repeat with remaining 2 tortillas.     * Cut each tortilla in half to form quarter wedges, place on a serving platter, dust with powdered sugar (use a sieve) and serve. Yields 2 wedges per serving.  -Flavor Booster: The hot-sweet bite of ginger adds an exciting taste dimension to the quesadillas. Halve the sugar in the cream cheese spread and mix in 1 tbsp finely minced candied ginger. ENJOY! en-us Fri, 25 May 2007 17:36:04 PDT