It’s Memorial Day Weekend! Hurrah! We can all use a three-day weekend to signal summer. We’ve got flag bunting draping the window boxes out front and I’ve strung lights along the back porch. We’ve already seen some fireflies return the compliment. Summer is almost upon us! Can grilled burgers be far off?
How will you be spending your Memorial Day weekend? As the COVID19 Pandemic seems to be winding down, we can look forward to some traditional Memorial Day activities roaring back, next year. Fingers are crossed that the annual Chestertown Tea Party will be flinging tea into the Chester River then.
This year we can take some time at the Chestertown Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning, stocking up on celebratory fruits and veggies for our homemade picnics and cookouts. https://townofchestertown.com/event/chestertown-farmers-market/2021-05-29/
And Saturday afternoon also brings the debut of the new mobile stage in downtown Chestertown. It’s going to be an event! https://townofchestertown.com/event/street-party-and-stage-debut/
If you are in Cambridge this weekend, the Pride of Baltimore will be dockside as part of its Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. It’s a free event. https://www.dorchesterchamber.org/events/details/pride-of-baltimore-ii-in-cambridge-6949
Easton will be holding its annual Memorial Day Parade and Celebration. Get out there and wave! At a safe, social distance, of course. https://www.eastonmemorialdaycelebration.com/parade-maps.html
There are so many possibilities for this upcoming weekend, especially now that many of us have gotten the vaccine.
I love ritual celebrations. I love small town parades. Once, back in our misspent youth, Mr. Sanders and his chums had a martini stand at the annual Memorial Day Parade. And in those days, when one could drink with impunity before noon, we sat in lawn chairs with martinis in hand, cheering as the Scouts, the school marching bands, the firefighters, some antique cars, town officials and proud veterans paraded past us. Then we went to a Memorial Day cookout in a park, under the trees, on the river. It was a warm and sunny day, as most happy hazy events tend to be remembered.
For this year’s Memorial Day cookout I suggest taking the easy route – we have spent a long time indoors, after all, and we aren’t used to all that cooking, apart from honing our pandemic sour dough baking skills. There is no need to get fussy as we start to socialize again: strawberries and ice cream, hot dogs and hamburgers are swell American foods, and are appropriate for any Memorial Day picnic. I usually whip up a batch of potato salad, but a bag of Utz sour cream and onion potato chips is never out of place.
Let’s find some more delicious hamburgers to cook. Hamburgers never grow old. Cook Out Season from Bon Appétit: https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/grilling-best-burgers
For our pescatarians, or the earnest folks worried about their carbon footprint, there are always tasty substitutions available: https://food52.com/recipes/83281-best-black-bean-burger-recipe or this from Martha: https://www.marthastewart.com/1043207/shrimp-burgers
Memorial Day is the tempting reminder that summer is within reach. That we will soon be able to enjoy the great outdoors, and this year, almost mask-free. There are waves to catch, baseball to watch, hikes to undertake, vistas to appreciate, and the wicker chair in a corner of the cool, dark, screened-in porch with a good book, are all calling out to you! Get out and enjoy yourself.
This is my Tried and True Potato Salad
This is a recipe that people actually ask for – and not just because they are my in-laws and trying hard to be polite! It that constantly evolves and adapts, and each summer brings a new twist. I don’t always have green onions – Vidalias work just fine. No red potatoes? Go for Russets. A little fresh thyme? Why not? It is dependable, tasty and can be adapted and stretched to feed the masses. Just add more potatoes and more mayonnaise. Particularly fine for large picnic gatherings, it tastes best if it has a little time to sit and mellow, so if you can make it in the morning, it is just right by suppertime.
Many, many servings…
2 pounds little new, red potatoes
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise thinned with milk
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes until tender. While warm (but not still steaming hot) slice potatoes and begin to layer them in a large bowl – 1 layer potatoes, then a handful of green onions and salt and pepper. Pour on some of the mayonnaise mixture. Repeat. Gently stir until all the potatoes are coated. You may need to add more mayonnaise mixture when you are ready to serve, as the potatoes absorb the mayo.
Enjoy your weekend!
“I’m still passionately interested in what my fellow humans are up to. For me, a day spent monitoring the passing parade is a day well-spent.”
– Garry Trudeau
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