Using asparagus from my CSA box, I dressed the asparagus with olive oil and salt. In a separate bowl, the spring onion/leeks, olive oil, a large pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper were mixed together then placed on top of the asparagus. Capers are scattered over the asparagus mixture. The mixture is roasted at 425° for 12-18 minutes. While the asparagus were roasting, a mustard sauce is made using Dijon mustard, capers and garlic. Olive oil is whisked in to emulsify the ingredients. Salt and pepper were added to taste. When the asparagus are done, a squeeze of lemon, chopped parsley and a drizzle of mustard sauce garnish the dish.
 
My husband was impressed! The flavors were fabulous. You had the brininess from the capers, tartness from the lemon juice and the tanginess from the Dijon mustard. A delicious preparation that he said should have a check mark by it so I remember to make it again.
 
My son loves Italian Rainbow Cookies. They’re made of thin layers of almond cake that has one layer coated with apricot jam and, in this recipe, a layer of raspberry jam. The cookies may look difficult to make, but I found the recipe easy, in fact, the cake layers are cooked in the microwave.
 
For the recipe you’ll need almond paste, unsalted butter, large eggs separated, all-purpose flour, red and green food coloring, seedless raspberry preserves, apricot preserves and semi-sweet chocolate pieces.
 
The friend who gave me the recipe recommended using almond paste that is foil wrapped and boxed. Her family didn’t care for the taste of the canned version. If you’re really ambitious, make your own almond paste. I followed the recipe from King Arthur Flour’s website. I already had a bag of ground almond from Costco (approximately $12), you’ll also need confectioners’ sugar, an egg white, table salt and almond extract. It’s made in the food processor and yields about 1-1/2 cups, enough for the cookies with some leftover.
 
Using a 13x9x2-inch baking dish, the bottom and sides are greased, lined with wax paper and greased again. Allow enough of an overhang on the short end of the pan to use as a sling to remove the cake. I used baking spray with flour to coat my baking dish.
 
The cake batter is made with almond paste, butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract. It’s separated to add red and green food coloring to two portions  with the remaining plain.  The batter is spread in the dish and microwaved on medium power for 5 minutes; then rotated and baked 2 minutes more. Depending on your microwave, it may take more or less. When my cake layer had lost its gloss, I considered it done. After cooking the first layer, I found brown spots on my cake edges. You may want to reduce your power level again. Repeat the baking until all three layers are done. After each baking, carefully remove the cake and place on a cooling rack. When completely cooled, the layers are inverted and are ready for the jam. Before I added the jam, I trimmed all the edges for a cleaner, sharper appearance.
 
To assemble the cake, you can use either an oblong serving platter or the flat side of a rimmed baking sheet. I would cover the pan with either foil or parchment paper to make the transfer to a serving platter easier. First is the green layer which is covered with apricot jam, the white layer is placed on top and covered with apricot preserves; topped by the red layer. Cover the cake with plastic wrap as you need to place a heavy pan on top and refrigerate overnight.
 
To finish the cake, the entire cake is coated with melted chocolate. This recipe called for semi-sweet pieces, I opted for Lindt 60% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Excellence Bar that I chopped and melted in a double boiler. Once the cake is coated, the chocolate needs to set up half way before you take a fork and rake the top with long waves from one end to the other. The chocolate needs to set completely before serving.
 
Using a serrated knife, cut into 1-1/2-inch strips then into four pieces. Keep the cookies refrigerated if not serving right away. I find if you remove them about 30 minutes before serving, the almond cake softens.
 
How were they? To quote my son, “You have made some very good cookies over the years but those rainbow cookies were the best. ” My husband loved them, as did the guests I had the other evening and, most importantly, my friend Elaine that shared the recipe, enjoyed them too. I think making my own almond paste and using bittersweet chocolate really elevated these cookies to the next level.
 
My husband enjoys both bok choy and stir fry meals. What better way to enjoy them both but in a recipe from “Wok and a Skillet” for Stir-Fried Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy.
 
Although the recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. For the recipe you’ll also need fresh ginger, fresh garlic, cooking oil, sesame oil, bok choy, mushrooms, eggs, rice, sesame seeds and chopped scallions. I forgot to purchase mushrooms and scallions and opted not to add the egg.
 
The chicken is marinated before cooking in a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, cornstarch and pepper. A stir-fry sauce is made with water or chicken stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sugar.
 
The total time to prepare this meal is 45 minutes and it makes for an easy weeknight meal, especially after a day at the beach. If you plan ahead, you can prepare the marinade and stir-fry sauce ahead of time and when you’re ready, marinate the chicken, which needs about 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
 
While the chicken marinates, you can prep the ingredients for the stir fry. The ginger and minced garlic are sautéed in a combination of cooking oil and sesame oil until fragrant. The chicken goes in next, is cooked through and removed. The bok choy and mushrooms follow and are stir fried for approximately 1 minute. The chicken is returned, the stir fry sauce and the ingredients are mixed together. To serve you can garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds and serve over rice, topped with a fried egg. My husband likes to add a splash of soy sauce and Chinese mustard for extra spice.
 
This was a lovely meal. The combination of ingredients gave the dish a nice complexity of flavors. The ginger add a nice zing to the dish and the sesame oil imparted a slight nuttiness. Both my husband and I enjoyed the stir fry, especially the bok choy.

Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Leeks and Capers
“Getting the Best out of Thick Asparagus,” by Melissa Clark
The New York Times, “A Good Appetite”
March 21, 2021
 
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4
 
Ingredients
 
For the asparagus:
1pound thick asparagus, ends trimmed
2tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1large leek, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2tablespoons drained capers
Lemon wedges, for serving
¼cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, torn
 
For the mustard sauce:
2teaspoons Dijon mustard
2teaspoons drained capers, finely chopped
1small garlic clove, finely grated or minced
3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
 
PREPARATION
 

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Put asparagus on a rimmed sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt until well coated.
2. In a small bowl, stir together leeks, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Sprinkle leeks on top of asparagus, then sprinkle with capers. Roast until asparagus are tender and golden brown, about 12 to 18 minutes.
3. While the asparagus stalks roast, make the mustard sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, capers and garlic. Slowly whisk in olive oil a few drops at a time to create a thick, emulsified dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Once asparagus stalks are out of the oven, squeeze a lemon wedge over it and sprinkle parsley on top. Serve with mustard sauce and more lemon wedges on the side.

Italian Rainbow Cookies
 
Makes 8 dozen
 
1 package or can (7 or 8 oz) almond paste
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
Red and green food coloring
¼ cup seedless raspberry jam
¼ cup apricot preserves
1 package (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1. Grease bottom and side of microwave safe 13x9x2-inch baking dish; line with waxed paper, grease.
2. In a large bowl, with electric mixer, beat almond paste, butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract until fluffy; stir in flour. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; stir into almond paste mixture.
3. Place 1-1/3 cups of the batter in each of two small bowls. Add red food color to one and greed food color to the other. Spread red batter in prepared dish. Microwave on MEDIUM 5 minutes, rotating dish after 2 minutes more.* Holding edge of waxed paper, lift layer onto wire rack. Reline dish, and microwave in turn, the green batter and what batter as above. Cool completely.
4. Invert green layer; spread with raspberry jam. Add white layer; spread with apricot preserves. Top with red layer; cover set heavy pan on top refrigerate.
5. Next day, in a small glass bowl, microwave chocolate pieces on HIGH 3 minutes, stirring once; spread over red layer; trim edges. Let chocolate set slightly; cut crosswise into 1½-inch strips, cut each into four pieces.

 
“Note: recipe was tested n 600-to-700-watt microwave ovens.”
 
Donna’s Notes: Depending on your microwave, it make take more or less time. If purchasing almond paste, I recommend one packaged in foil wrap and boxed. To make homemade almond paste, I followed a recipe by King Arthur Flour. 

Stir-Fried Ginger Sesame Chicken with Bok Choy
From the website “Wok and a Skillet,” by Char
 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinade Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes
 
Servings: 4
 
INGREDIENTS
 
4 chicken thighs boneless & skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons julienned ginger
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2-pound baby bok choy sliced in half horizontally
1 cup mushrooms quartered
4 eggs fried sunny side up
Rice for serving
Sesame seeds for garnish
Chopped scallions for garnish
 
Marinade
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons cornstarch
Dash of pepper
Stir-Fry Sauce
 
3 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
 
INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinate the chicken thighs in sesame oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, and pepper. Allow the chicken to marinate for 20 - 30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Prepare the stir-fry sauce by combining chicken stock or water, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and sugar.
3. Heat cooking oil and sesame oil (1 tablespoon) in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic to the wok while the oil is heating up so that the flavors are infused in the oil.
4. Sauté the ginger and garlic until aromatic (about 1 minute).
5. Add the marinated chicken to the wok in a single layer. Leave the chicken untouched for about 30 seconds to allow it to sear before turning and stir-frying it.
6. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove the chicken from the wok.
7. Add baby bok choy and mushrooms to the wok. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Return the chicken to the wok.
8. Stir in the prepared sauce, then stir-fry to combine all ingredients.
9. Transfer the dish to a serving plate, then garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve with steamed rice topped with a fried egg and a splash of soy sauce.