Buttermilk, Patriots and Poppies

Only a few guidelines set the tone for this particular Memorial Day weekend...securing red poppies and perfecting my picnic fare. This year, buttermilk takes center stage as the headline ingredient in many of the courses. (Actually, I started pouring and it just kept going). Here I feature three of those items. Borrowing a recipe from @TheRunawaySpoon for Buttermilk Fried Chicken as the Southern experience mentioned in the recipe blog is one I can truly identify with. Also after diving into Chef Richard's blog post on the GastroPub of the modern I'm drawn back to his portfolio to indulge readers in another home grown recipe from Maggie's Pub for Local Beet and Buttermilk Blue Cheese Salad. And finally a Buttermilk Pie that is likened to creme brulee's culinary cousin. What is not included here, poppy seed dressing for fresh greens, marcaroni salad, coleslaw, biscuits, and Amish sugar cookies round out the experience. We will graze, yes, but no one will lose site of the intent to reflect and salute those that have made such leisure pleasures possible.