• 1 1/2   lb. ground pork

• 1/2  c. diced onion

• 1/4  c. chopped fresh sage, or 2 tsp. dried

• 1/2  c. mayonnaise•1/4 tsp. or more ground cayenne pepper (red pepper)

I’m a pretty major brownie freak. But sometimes I prefer its lighter cousin, the blondie, which relies on that magical butterscotch thing that happens when butter and brown sugar take center stage. I’ve been relying on this recipe - from a Cooks Illustrated cookbook - for several years, and it’s a gooey, buttery, chocolate-ey crowd-pleaser.

Even better, it’s an ideal cabin recipe in that it doesn’t require an electric mixer. I mean, who (with the possible exception of my friends Brad and Peter, who toss off six-course cabin meals without breaking a sweat) keeps a Kitchen Aid standing mixer at their cabin? Instead, the equipment requirements are very simple: A pair of bowls, a wire whisk, a rubber spatula, a few measuring tools and a 9×13 pan. Easy, right? The results also take to the freezer quite well, so they can be made in advance and yanked out when you’re ready to hit the road. They’ll thaw and be ready to eat by the time you get to the lake. Or while you’re on the road.

BLONDIES
Makes about 3 dozen.
Note: From “The Best New Recipe” by the editors of Cooks Illustrated ($35, America’s Test Kitchen). The original recipe calls for a 50-50 split between semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, but I’m not a white chocolate fan, so I make it 100 percent chocolate. I also double the amount of vanilla extract, because I like a bold vanilla flavor; those who don’t should use 1 1/2 teaspoons. One final note: “Most recipes suggest walnuts,” write the editors. “But tasters thought the pecans better complemented the butterscotch flavor.” I agree. To toast pecans, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

14 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions
Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat oven 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter across bottom of lined pan. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt and reserve. In a large bowl, whisk remaining 12 tablespoons melted butter and brown sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch. Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil handles, transfer to a cutting board, cut into 1 1/2-by-2-inch bars and serve.

It’s not fancy, but this chicken salad is a crowd-pleaser, and it makes for a terrific, easy-to-prepare cabin meal that comes together faster than you can say “Betty Crocker.” I make the dressing at home and toss it in our Coleman cooler, along with one of those ubiquitous supermarket roast chickens. It comes together in a snap, and no one needs to know that you’re cheating with a $6.99 staple from Cub or Rainbow, Lunds or Kowalski’s.

SHREDDED CHICKEN SALAD WITH SHERRY DRESSING
Serves 4.

Note: This salad is easy to alter, and works with whatever you’ve got on hand. Use arugula, frisee, curly endive or some other green in place of the watercress, switch out the walnuts for almonds. Add hard cooked eggs or bacon or cherry tomatoes or herbs that you’ve got in your refrigerator’s produce crisper, it’s all good. Serve it on salad plates or spoon it into bite-sized pastry cups for a fast appetizer. To toast walnuts, place nuts in a saute pan over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally, until they become fragrant, about 4 to 8 minutes. From Williams-Sonoma.

1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream
3 tbsp. dry sherry
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 green onions (including tender green tops), chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. frozen petite peas
1 roasted chicken, about 4 lbs.
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 bunch young, tender watercress, tough stems removed
1/3 c. walnut pieces

Directions
To prepare dressing: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, sherry, soy sauce and green onions. Pulse until smooth and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small airtight glass container until ready to serve (dressing can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to 24 hours).
To prepare salad: Bring a small saucepan half full of water to boil. Add peas and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain peas and shock them under cold running water. Set aside to drain completely. Remove skin from roasted chicken and discard. Using your fingers, pull meat from bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine chicken meat, celery, watercress, walnut pieces and peas. Add dressing and toss to coat salad evenly. To serve, divided salad among chilled individual plates or arrange on a chilled platter and serve immediately.

A little Ina Garten lovin’ from the oven.

I have a crush on Ina Garten, the self-proclaimed Barefoot Contessa. I have an affinity for the way she cooks (uncomplicated) and the way she eats (with relish). She knows how to write a recipe, too: no surprises, and they always work.

While I was paging through Garten’s latest title, “Back to Basics,” I had an ah-ha moment. When my partner and I are guests at our friends’ St. Croix River cabin, I like to demonstrate our gratitude for our hosts’ hospitality by making breakfast special, and to me that means baking. Sometimes it’s muffins or a coffee cake, other times it’s waffles, but what I’ve been on the lookout for, forever, is a sticky bun formula that doesn’t require the onerous task of making a yeasted dough.

And yes, I know, I know, I should be using Zoe Francois’ and Jeff Hertzberg’s fabulous “Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day,” but I’m looking for an even bigger time-cut. The hammock awaits, right? Think a step above Pillsbury’s refrigerated Flaky Cinnamon Twists and you’re on the right track.

Rolled puff pastry, ready for the oven.

Garten has the perfect solution. Of course she does. Why didn’t I turn to her right off the bat? Her formula is a snap to prepare (it can even be assembled the night before, refrigerated and then popped into the oven an hour before breakfast) and the results are impressive. No one will ever know you cheated with Pepperidge Farm.

This weekend I’m going to pair them with Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s well-title Luxury Scrambled Eggs and thick, smoky slices of bacon from Tim Fischer’s Waseca, Minn. farm, a must-have staple that I’ll pick up at the Golden Fig on the way out of town. Thanks, guys, for having us.

One suggestion: Some might view the end results as overkilling on the sweet meter. To those folks I would say, cut the light brown sugar for the pan from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup, and cut the same ingredient in the filling from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup.

EASY STICKY BUNS

Makes 12 buns.

Note: “We used to make really delicious sticky buns at Barefoot Contessa, but they took two days to make because the yeast dough needed to rise overnight in the refrigerator, writes author Ina Garten. “I was dying to find a way to make them easier, so I decided to try baking them with Pepperidge Farm puff pastry dough instead. OMG are they good. . .and they’re really easy to make! Light, flaky dough, filled with brown sugar, toasted pecans and sweet raisins — my friends go crazy when I make these.” From “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics” by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35).

For pans:
12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 c. lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. pecans, chopped in very large pieces
For dough and filling:
Flour for rolling dough
1 package (17.3 oz./2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted and divided
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
2/3 c. lightly packed light brown sugar, divided
3 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1 c. raisins, divided

Directions
To prepare pans: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-cup standard muffin pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk together butter and light brown sugar until creamy. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of mixture in each of 12 muffin cups. Distribute pecans evenly among 12 muffin cups on top of butter-brown sugar mixture. Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with folds going left to right.
To prepare dough and filling: Brush whole sheet with half of melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of raisins. Starting with end nearest you, roll pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim ends of roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice roll into 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each roll, spiral side up in 6 of prepared muffin cups. Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns. Bake for 30 minutes, until sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert buns onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets (easing filling and buns out with a spoon) and cool completely.

Some people like to use their time at the cabin to putter around in the kitchen. I am not one of these people; I’d rather be swimming, napping in the hammock, reading a good book or, well, you get the idea. To maximum cabin leisure time, I try to prepare as much food as possible in my kitchen at home. I’ll freeze whatever I’ve made, toss it in our big Coleman cooler and re-heat it at the cabin.

One dish that works especially well within this framework is Sloppy Joes, in part because I think they taste even better when they’re reheated and also because everyone likes Sloppy Joes, don’t they?

I’ve been following this recipe ever since I interviewed New York Times food writer Marian Burros in 2003, in conjuction with the release of her “Cooking for Comfort.” The beer, the vinegar and the hot sauce add flavor layers that make this recipe stand out. If I’m feeling fancy I’ll toast the buns, but they’re just fine served straight. Lately I’ve been buying the slider-size buns at Lunds and Byerly’s and really filling them up, which makes the final sandwich more about the beef and less about the bread.

SLOPPY JOES
Serves 4.
Note: “These hot sandwiches appeal because they take no time to make at all and are a combination of what most of us love best - spaghetti sauce and barbecue sauce,” writes author Marian Burros in “Cooking for Comfort.” Another plus: They’re just as good, and perhaps even better, as leftovers, and can be frozen up to a month; just reheat and serve. It’s also a recipe that doubles, even triples, easily. From “Cooking for Comfort” (Simon & Schuster, $24).
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large garlic cloved, peeled and minced
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 c. beer
1/4 c. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 to 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toasted rolls, such as hamburger buns

Directions
In a large skillet on medium-high heat, heat olive oil and saute onion for about 3 minutes. Add celery and green pepper, and continuing sauteing until vegetables are soft and taking on color. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Push vegetables to side of pan and add beef, breaking it up with a fork until meat is crumbled. Cook until meat is cooked through and no pink remains. Add beer, Worchestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Stir, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes until flavors are blended and liquid is slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper and serve on rolls as open or closed sandwiches.