Memorial Day weekend is the official summer kick-off. Every year, this weekend marks the calendar with family picnics, backyard BBQs and of course pool parties. In our neck of the woods, it inevitably rains. But that never stop us from celebrating like it's sunny outside! Grab a pitcher and join me in turning summer's favorite staple — lemonade! — into the perfect cocktail for happy hour.

I read a very interesting article this morning in Modern Farmer. Apparently Greek yogurt's ascendant popularity in recent years has created a not-so-insignificant problem: acid whey waste. Acid, or sour, whey — the liquid that runs off when you strain yogurt or cottage cheese — is a troublesome byproduct: it's toxic to the natural environment, yet not easy to integrate back into the workings of a factory or farm. So what can big food companies do with the acid whey?

Chicken salad is a favorite treat in my household.  Even though it's a simple recipe with easy to find ingredients, there's still something fancy about it.  So while it makes a nice lunch for guests — either in a sandwich or served on a bed of lettuce — I sometimes make up a batch for when it's just me and I need a pick-me-up.  This recipe is an old favorite, a real a classic that can easily be adapted to all manner of delicious variations and additions.  Perfect for picnics and pot lucks, too!

Homemade donut holes, smoked mackerel toast, and a cake made with cookie butter in today's Delicious Links...

Q: I'm in the process of starting a food blog and was wondering if I can publish adaptations of recipes I find online, as long as I credit the original author and link back to the original recipe?

Sent by Tracy

If you're an animal lover, you've no doubt shared morsels of "people" food with your furry and feathered friends. Feeding table scraps to animals can even be a good way to prevent food waste. But before you give in to those imploring eyes, it's important to consider safety. 

Elizabeth Apron from Marcy Butler Designs

• $88

My husband calls me the "full contact chef." In other words, I don't just need an apron, but a full-body drape. So I'm drawn to aprons that are more full-coverage, like a smock. Marcy Butler sent me one of her new aprons to check out and I really fell in love with it. This apron is heavy and substantial, made of real linen. It has buttons in the back that let you adjust the size and make it stay put. It's a beautiful apron, but also practical for real work in the kitchen. I also love how they have a matching kids' apron, called The Lulu.

I live in Los Angeles, which means I'm always hearing about other people's diets. Raw food, $75-per-day juice cleanses, space food, the cookie diet...you name it, and there is a good chance I know someone who has tried it. When the paleo diet swept through my circle of friends, I felt a little like an outcast, still hanging onto my whole grains and legumes. I know I am a healthy eater — yet it was hard to resist the judgement that I was somehow eating a "bad" diet. 

So it was a relief to read a thoughtful, honest article by food writer and former naturopathic doctor Winnie Abramson on why the paleo diet — and diets in general — don't work for her.

Angela and Tania's clever space saving idea not only serves as a dining table for five, but when closed also allows for a visual extension of the kitchen as well as much needed storage. 

• Space Saver: A Murphy Table
  Apartment Therapy

Who: Leicht  
What We Noticed: We hit up KBB London, a kitchen trade show, this week, to take a look at what's fresh and new in European kitchen design. This is a small detail that has been around for a little while in high-end kitchens, but I really like: LED strips inside drawers, that light up when the drawer is opened. 

One of the dangers of cooking a meal for just yourself is the Why Bother Syndrome. This usually happens on a weeknight when you arrive home from work, exhausted and depleted, and the idea of rustling up a nice, hot, nutritious meal just for you seems like way too much effort. So out come the chips and salsa, and before you know it, you're brushing your teeth before bed without having ingested much more than cornmeal, tomato puree and salt for dinner. Does this sound familiar? More