By Cheryle Finley

Globe columnist

What beautiful weather we are having. And I love getting home before the sun goes down each evening. Before Daylight Savings Time, it felt too late to worry about dinner when it was already dark at dinnertime. But now, I worry about dinner. Not fixing it, just eating it.

We grill outside year-round, but the thought of grilling becomes even more attractive when you don't have to try and cook with heavy gloves and a ski mask. I have some great grilling recipes to share in the coming months as well as some recipes for those fresh garden vegetables we all can't wait for.

While I'm very careful about almost everything I do, there's probably not anyone out there who does this but me. When I get something out of a kitchen drawer, I never immediately close the drawer. I measure right over the open drawer, usually making a mess and having to clean out the drawers, rewashing everything every month or so or having to wash something before I use it. It's not like I'm going to use the measuring cup or spoon then return it to the drawer, so why leave the drawer open and continue to make a mess each time? And why am I worried about it now? You can tell I'm not a big worrier if a little salt in the kitchen drawers is all I have to worry about, but I have decided I have better things to do than clean out drawers. About time, right?

And speaking of salt, when I went to lunch recently with my co-worker, Julie Gray, she had a great tip for those cold drinks that always stick to the napkin you are using as a coaster. Sprinkle a little salt on the napkin and the glass won't stick. No more drinking from a glass with a big wet napkin attached to the bottom. I thought she was a tad loony when she started with the sprinkling of the salt but it really works.

And thanks to Julie for entering Liberty Bank in the Lite Rock 93.9 Lunch Bunch contest. She won lunch at the Redings Mill Inn for us last week. We met Jeff Allen from Lite Rock at noon and everything was very good. I ordered a sampler of chicken, beef and polish sausage and would order it again anytime. Thanks to Lite Rock and Redings Mill Inn for a great lunch hour. I enjoyed the company and the food.

We had taken two cars from the bank to the restaurant and when we left I apparently got into the wrong car. While we headed north and back to work, the other car headed south and stopped at the Candy House. Somehow, Julie, unlike what I would have done, was able to get back to work with a couple pieces of candy left. I acted very pitiful and was able to get my hands on a piece of toffee dipped in dark chocolate. Yum.

I met some friends at Pizza By Stout last week and I bypassed the salad and pizza first thing for a cinnamon roll. I wanted to make sure I had room for one. A few days later, That Joplin Woman and I had lunch at Backyard Burgers and I waited until after I ate lunch for the hand-dipped chocolate malt. I still had room for it.

Don't forget to celebrate National Licorice Day today. We will be offering red and black licorice and I will have to be kept away from the red. I'm not sure they could pay me enough to eat black licorice. I'm not a big fan. April is National Smile Month, National Kite Month, National Soft Pretzel Month and more importantly, National Child Abuse Prevention Month. It's also National Pecan Month. So in honor of that, we have a recipe for one of my favorite cookies - sandies. The recipe is from the "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook" and is a really easy one.

The last two recipes come from The "Dinner Doctor." The mini cheese calzones are a great snack that kids of all ages will like. They can also be used as an appetizer.

Sandies

1 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Confectioners' sugar

Cream butter and sugar; add water and vanilla.; mix well. Blend in flour and nuts; chill 4 hours. Shape into balls or fingers. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cool slightly. Roll in confectioners' sugar. Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Mini cheese calzones

6 (1-ounce) sticks string cheese

1 (11-ounce) package refrigerated bread-stick dough

1 cup jarred marinara sauce or pizza sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap string cheese and cut in half crosswise. Open or unroll the dough and separate into 12 rectangles. Coil a rectangle of dough around a piece of cheese stick as if you were wrapping it with yarn. Completely cover the cheese, tucking the dough ends under and pinching them to seal closed. Place dough-covered cheese on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and serve at once with sauce for dunking. Yields 6 servings.

Banana bread pie

2 very ripe medium-sized bananas, sliced

1/2 cup biscuit mix, such as Bisquick

2 large eggs

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9-inch pie pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the bananas in a large mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer on low until smooth, 1 minute. Add biscuit mix, eggs, condensed milk, butter and vanilla. Beat on low until ingredients are well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape batter into prepared pie pan and smooth the top. Bake until well caramelized on top and firm around the edge but still a little soft in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.