Recipe(tried): Friday night supper on the Last Frontier - Grilled Chops, Golden Potato Casserole, Green Beans by the Inch, Blueberry Corn Muffins

It's been a tremendous day here just south of Anchorage. We've got nearly 20 hours of daylight and still gaining, and the weather is warm- OK, well, it's 65 degrees!- and everything is green, green, green. Such a pleasure after a long icy winter to go outdoors and smell lilacs. I really wanted a simple, summery dinner after cleaning the winter grime and salt off my Bug, getting very dirty and hungry. Here's our supper: Grilled pork loin chops, golden potato casserole, fresh green beans, blueberry corn muffins, and sliced nectarines topped with new Rainier cherries fresh from Washington state.

GRILLED CHOPS

6 pork loin chops, about 3/4 in thick
Coarse salt
Red pepper flakes
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary (amounts to taste)

Grind up the spices and salt and rub onto one side of the chops. Preheat (gas) grill till very hot. Place chops on grill, cover grill, and turn after 4-5 min. Turn down gas grill to med. flame, grill another 5 min., and turn again, turning the grill down to low. After 5 min., remove to platter, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. (Avoid leaving chops over any flames from drips.)

GOLDEN POTATO CASSEROLE

Preheat oven to 300F.

6 medium russet potatoes
Boil in jackets until just tender. Coarsely grate after peeling. Set aside.

1 bunch green onions, chopped with green tops
12 oz. sharp cheddar, grated
1 pint low-fat sour cream
3 tbsp. milk, low-fat or skim
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Fold all above ingredients together gently, then pour into 9x13 pan sprayed with vegetable oil.
Bake approximately 50 minutes. May top with 1/2c buttered fresh breadcrumbs, but I find this casserole so filling that the crumbs put it "over the top."

GREEN BEANS BY THE INCH

I was recently reading one of the cooking magazines I subscribe to and found a simple solution to that ugly gray tone fresh beans take on with cooking. The article suggested snapping/cutting the beans to about one inch in length to make for quick cooking, and, second, to fill the pan of beans nearly full of water, rather than a minimal amount as many recipes suggest. I cooked a bowlful of beans (about 3 cups) in 7 or 8 minutes. Great results! They cook quickly, are tender but still have a bite to them, and are beautifully green, without adding sodium via baking soda. A dab of unsalted butter, three grinds of pepper and bean heaven is yours.

BLUEBERRY CORN MUFFINS

The AMA published a terrific cookbook called Family Health Cookbook, and I stumbled upon this recipe in it. I found the secret is to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, heat the oven , prep the pan, and combine wet and dry only seconds before spooning it in and baking. My three sons and their friends feel these should be made by the dozens, but the recipe as I'll type it is only for 12.

Vegetable oil spray
1 1/3 cups white flour, unbleached
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup fresh blueberries (if you use frozen, don't thaw)
1 egg
4 tbsp oil, like canola
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 400F, and lightly coat 12 muffin cups with vegetable oil spray, or use paper liners. (Another great hint this month in the mags was to open your dishwasher door flat, place the pan to be sprayed on it, and spray as needed. No counter wipe-down or sink cleaning needed afterward!)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the berries and toss to coat.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the oil till smooth. Add the honey and milk, again whisking. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients at the very last moment, quickly spoon into the tin, sprinkle lightly with the sugar, and bake 18 to 22 minutes, until golden and well risen. Remove right away to cool on a rack. Best served warm with room temperature butter or margarine, and additional honey if desired.