“This makes a tasty picnic. Pack soup in thermos and rather than fries, buy a sack of olive oil and rosemary, garlic and onion or herb flavored specialty potato chips, such as Terra brand, from the snack aisle of market.”

This elegant appetizer takes a couple of hours to make, but you can do all the preparation ahead of time. Don’t fold triangles too tightly or the mixture will burst through the phyllo. Assemble and freeze up to two weeks before the party. Don’t thaw the triangles before baking; just add seven minutes to the baking time.

“In the Southern school of culinary thought, if something’s tasty as-is, it’s even better fried. That principle was what led chef Eric Reid to dish up “frickles,” the crispy fried pickle chips that are the top seller at Del Merei Grille, his restaurant in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.” Serve with Spiced Remoulade.

Makes about 2 pints. "You’ll want to prepare these in a stainless steel pot and use stainless steel tongs or a wooden spoon. Aluminum cookware can leave the onions with an off color and deny you the gorgeous hot pink hue that you want. "