Sunday dinner

I would love to have yesterday's simple dinner every Sunday in these warmer months; it was easy & everybody liked it: roast chicken from the store, garlic bread, a huge salad, veggies on the side to be added or not, plus strawberries & almond macaroons. You'd think garlic bread doesn't need a recipe, but I've settled on one from Epicurious, & I sprinkle a little real Parmesan between each slice. Yesterday I used parsley from a squeeze tube. Janice next door gave me the last of romaine from their garden, & I washed each leaf. It was worth the trouble. The NYTimes magazine had a funny piece on salads yesterday, so I used their recipe with the shallot, & added a little minced red onion too. On the side were little tomatoes with sherry vinegar & olive oil; steamed baby carrots with salt, oil & chopped mint that just popped up in the yard; & mushrooms sautéed in olive oil. And don't get me started on the almond macaroons. Making them intoxicates me. One night the aroma of toasting almonds moved me to write an ode. Lucky I can't find it. The recipe is poetry enough.

Almond Macaroons

1. Toast 1/2 pound blanched almonds (1 3/4 C.) until golden, about 5 minutes at 350°.
2. Grind fine. This is the part I love. I use that contraption with the red handle. Dale gave it to me. I think she got it at a second-hand store in Lyon. You probably don't have (or maybe even want) one. I guess you can grind almonds in a food processor.
3. Add 1 C. sugar.
4. Beat 2 egg whites stiff.
5. Mix all together. Make sure your almonds are cool first.
6. Drop by the teaspoon onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment. I flatten them a bit with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. If you like rounded macaroons, you don't have to do this.
7. Bake at 375° until delicately brown, 5-7 minutes. I cooked these too long, but it doesn't matter. They keep well, & are good for mailing away.