Anne McAlpine: July 11, 2019

I found this recipe for chickpea salad in a magazine in my dentist’s waiting room and no, I didn’t rip it out – I asked for a photocopy. I am glad I did! I have made it twice since it is one that I really like. The second time I made it I added 5 stalks of fresh asparagus that I simply chopped into small pieces and it certainly added flavour. It is delicious when eaten immediately, but I found it had even better flavour the following day. Be sure to rinse the chickpeas well after draining them. I patted them dry with paper towels so that the dressing would be better absorbed. If you use the unsalted chickpeas be sure to add more salt and pepper for good flavour. This recipe as I have shared it makes only 3 servings, but it can easily be doubled. You can use any colour bell pepper you prefer. I used both orange and yellow.

I had some peanuts left over from another recipe that I tried so I decided to make peanut brittle. I got this recipe many years ago from Scott Goodwin, formerly of Caledonia. It is very easy to make and always turns out well. Be sure to let it cool completely before breaking it up so that it snaps apart easily.

My grandma used maple syrup and apples when making pork chops, but I couldn’t find her recipe so I just tried what I thought she did and they were really delicious.