Something different for summer's last rite

Paper-wrapped chicken is simple to prepare

By Lauren Beale
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- Our Labor Day tradition is to have one last rite of summer over the long weekend as the days shorten to the return of school and regular schedules. Sometimes it's an outing to a baseball game, other years a city celebration at the park.

But by the time the Labor Day holiday rolls around, we've usually been through our barbecue rotation at least one too many times. And the picnic dinners packed for the beach or Shakespeare on the green are all starting to taste alike. So what do you feed a family that's already one burger over the line? How about something a little different and a lot of fun?

Here's a meal that can be eaten out on your deck or packed up to go to an outdoor concert. I got the inspiration for it when I was flipping through one of my husband's cookbooks and saw a recipe for Paper-Wrapped Chicken. Having tried this appetizer many times at Chinese restaurants, I had wondered how it was made and was surprised to see it's a relatively simple dish to prepare. For this meal I'm serving it as the entree.

Whether you eat it at home or take it to go, the chicken stays very hot in the foil packets. Serve it with white rice and steamed vegetables.

The Sumi Salad maintains the Asian theme of the meal, and with cabbage as its main ingredient it holds up well if you're eating in 10 minutes or an hour later. In fact, I've even taken the ingredients for this salad on camping trips and assembled it just before serving. Don't skip the step of toasting the ramen noodles and almonds, though, or you'll miss the nutty rich flavor that the heat releases.

The Chinese Almond Cookies amazed me. My mother had given me the recipe more than 20 years ago and raved about how good they were, but I had never made them. (So much for listening to your mother.) I just didn't believe homemade would be anything like the short, dense cookies I was accustomed to from restaurant dining.