Sphere magazine from July of 1973 is all about summertime on land and sea. Even though I used to live very near a beach in California (Stinson Beach, Marin County) I never actually had breakfast on the beach. This Sphere issue has an entire breakfast menu to enjoy while making sand castles. Or if you prefer a boat, there are recipes for items such as “Salty Dogs,” which is mostly grapefruit juice with vodka; “Dinghy Dip and Oar d’oeuvres,” and “Captain’s Coffee,” which is basically coffee with Irish whiskey. Do people drink a lot on boats? There was one recipe that sounded like something I would like to have for lunch, cantaloupe halves filled with chicken salad.
It was nice and refreshing, although I would add some toasted almonds next time. It had celery, green onion, pimento, grapes, sour cream, lemon pepper, and a little ground ginger which was a nice subtle touch. I love any food that involves a cantaloupe. In the summer drinks that I mentioned, there is a “Frosty Cantaloupe” made with ice cream, sour cream, lemon juice, milk, and a little brown sugar that is blended and served in “short fat glasses with melon balls on skewers” that I must try.
“No-Trouble Summer Suppers” offers recipes using convenience products such as an easy paella recipe using frozen fried chicken pieces (yikes!), and a peach dessert using frozen pound cake and canned peach halves. Now why would anyone use canned peaches in the summer? I think of summer cooking as everything fresh and lots of grilling outside. Turns out there is a section on grilling, with a steak and a pork loin, and a couple fresh salads, along with a how-to on freezing summer produce to enjoy in the winter months.
Here is that easy chicken salad stuffed into a beautiful, ripe cantaloupe half. And if you go on a boat, don’t drink too many of those Salty Dogs or Captain’s Coffees. Otherwise you can’t get up the next day and enjoy making sand castles at breakfast.
- 3 cups cut-up cooked chicken
- ¾ cup thinly sliced celery
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions and tops
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimiento, drained
- ¾ cup seedless green grapes, halved
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 small cantaloupes
- 4 small bunches green grapes
- Mix all ingredients together except cantaloupes and green grape bunches; cover and chill. At serving time, cut melons in half (can do it straight across or zig-zag like I did in the photo) and scoop out the seeds. Cut a thin slice off the bottom so the melon will not roll around on the plates. Spoon salad into melon halves. Serve each with bunches of green grapes.
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