Summer Recipes

Black Bean Dip (or Salsa or Salad)

Enjoy this easy, endlessly versatile recipe as a dip with chips, a salsa for fish or chicken, a super simple salad, or the foundation of a healthy, plant-based meal. Perfect for a potluck and can be prepared in advance! Amidst all my experimenting with new recipes, this simple combination of ingredients never grows old in…

Beer Margaritas

This unconventional recipe makes a large pitcherful and tastes like the best version of the classic drink. Leftovers freeze well and become slushy-like!   Cinco de Mayo is the perfect reason to enjoy a favorite Mexican meal, but what exactly is the holiday all about? Cinco de Mayo—the fifth of May—commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862…

5-Ingredient Tropical Green Smoothie

I was skeptical.  I purchase fresh spinach in a 5-ounce box, and the thought of putting all of it into a single smoothie recipe seemed…well…excessive. But in the name of helping a friend, I gamely tried this recipe.  Ally Phillips, cookbook author, blogger, and longtime friend in food, was looking for a little assistance as…

Blistered Green Beans

Cook green beans in a flash while bringing out their very best flavor with this minimalist but effective approach.   Need a 10-minute side dish that tastes great and goes with practically everything?  For years I steamed my green beans. Occasionally, I roasted them.   For the past year or two, however, broiling has been…

Greek-Style Grilled Chicken Dinner Salad

Last year, I shared a story about a friend of mine, Sarah Lanphier, whose successful college fundraiser led to a thriving granola company.  Nuts About Granola produces a variety of uniquely delicious flavors–think carrot cake and PB&J–as well as a grain-free Forager line. Recently, Sarah launched a line of savory granolas, fittingly named Sarah’s Savory…

5-Ingredient No-Churn Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Pure vanilla flavor shines in this no-churn ice cream recipe that’s as fun to make as it is to eat—and no fancy ice cream maker is required.   I can still picture my grandfather packing rock salt into the barrel of his old ice cream maker when I was a kid. My sister and I…

Peach Ginger Shrimp Kabobs

Pantry and refrigerator staples come together with ease to create tender, flavorful shrimp that are easy enough for busy weeknights yet special enough for company. For a great meal at a moment’s notice, keep a bag of frozen shrimp on hand.   I first shared this twist on my Apricot Ginger Shrimp in a Susquehanna…

Flounder with Bacony Corn

With the familiar flavors of bacon and corn, this wholesome, all-in-one meal might just make a fish lover out of the toughest critic!   At its best, summer cooking should be light yet satisfying, keep the heat to a minimum, and include lots of shortcuts. Realistically, we want to eat well without spending too much…

Summer of Kitchenaid Sweepstakes

Who doesn’t enjoy a cool, creamy summer treat…perhaps in a cone?  For many of us, some of our best summer memories involve regular trips to the ice cream parlor or chasing down an ice cream truck.  I have fond memories of turning the old crank on my grandmother’s ancient ice cream maker, eagerly awaiting the…

Peach Iced Tea

How do you make the quintessential summer drink even more refreshingly delicious? Add a sweet peach infusion of course!       Our love of peach tea began when I started canning peaches with a manageable small-batch recipe. There’s always some simple syrup leftover, but this leftover syrup is not just plain old simple syrup. No…

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Naturally gluten-free and full of deep chocolate flavor, this honey-sweetened loaf covers all the bases, from breakfast to dessert!   If I told you that I have a recipe for a baked good that omits dairy, gluten, and refined sugar, words like cardboard and yuck might come to mind.  Yet this mildly sweet, tender zucchini…

Small Batch Canned Peaches

Beginner’s guide to perfect Small Batch Canned Peaches every time -with lots of helpful hints and options.   “Putting up” food for the winter can seem like a daunting task.   had the benefit of watching my grandmother preserve jams, pickles, applesauce and more, and I still had questions when I began canning on my…

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