Tag Archives: Summer

Roasted Plum and Ginger Pops

I’ve become pop obsessed.  I kicked off summer with the purchase of a Zoku quick pop maker and I’ve had frozen treats on my mind ever since.  My Pinterest board of “recipes to try” has been taken over by these frosty summery desserts and I found even more inspiration upon ordering the  People’s Pops cookbook after reading about it in the Wall Street Journal.

Yes, you read that right.  The venerable Wall Street Journal recommended a book on popsicles.  I’m patting myself on the back at the thought that I haven’t regressed to a 9-year old’s cravings for dessert on a stick, but instead am just swept up in a trend that even the suits that read the Wall Street Journal can’t resist.

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Summer Peach Salsa

This little salsa should be your go-to recipe for a simple condiment as long as peach season lasts. It takes minutes to prepare, requires no cooking, and is over the top, plate-scraping good on pork. Actually, it is over the top, plate-scraping good on its own, but peach salsa does not a dinner make.

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Chilled Cucumber and Dill Soup

It’s official.  I’m in summer-mode when it comes to the kitchen.  The thought of turning on my oven makes me pull back in disgust.  Heat?  In this heat?  Not a chance.

Surprisingly I found relief from the heat in this chilled cucumber and dill soup.  I tend to struggle with cold soup.  Gazpacho, with its chunks of vegetables, I’m ok with, but when it comes to pureed soups I sometimes feel like I’m eating spoonfuls of flavored milk or yogurt.  After a bowl of the stuff, I typically find myself agreeing with lactose expert Ron Burgundy.

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Farro Salad with Bell Peppers and Olives

Tis the season for outdoor entertaining and with it that dreaded request to “please bring a side dish.”  Maybe it’s just me, but I find being a guest in the winter is far easier than being a guest in the summer.  In the winter, a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of wine, makes any host happy.  In the summer, when I’d rather be reading a book in the hammock, it seems that hosts have the same idea and consequently, ask guests to get a little more involved.

I share this observation not to get myself scratched off from every guest list this summer (although after reading my first paragraph, I’m starting to get a little nervous), but instead to advise you to start thinking about a recipe or two that will be your go-to side dish over the next couple of months.

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Summer Corn Salad

Hot and busy are the two words that I would use to describe this summer.  I hear life slows down as the temperature goes up, but so far it hasn’t happened.  A packed calendar of weddings, family reunions, birthday parties, work, and all those wonderful activities that are just more fun in the sun has left me a little weary.  I’ve become nostalgic for a summer of lazy afternoons on a shady porch with a cool glass of lemonade.  And in the meantime, having had no success at simplifying life, I’ve decided to simplify my cooking.  Fortunately, summer produce makes this easy.

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