Fresh Tomato Salsa

This is such a fantastic condiment. I use it on fajitas (recipe below), but also as a delicious addition to summer salads. Of course, my children and husband can't get enough of it with chips. This recipe will stay fresh 2-3 days in the refrigerator -- but mine never makes it that long!

Ingredients:
3 medium-sized round tomatoes (I like Early Girl, but use what you have)
or
6 Roma tomatoes
1 clove garlic, chopped and mashed
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup Bermuda onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Wash tomatoes and remove stems. Slice in half and gently squeeze over a bowl to remove seeds. Cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice. In a medium-sized bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, salt, lime juice, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Toss gently to evenly distribute ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to blend the flavors.

Enjoy!

Garden Green Beans with Onion

Fresh green beans from the garden are such a delight. Their flavor is buttery and their texture is perfect. Here's a simple preparation for one of Summer's perfect foods.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh green beans
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. minced white onion
2 slices bacon, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Wash beans and trim stems. Drain. In small saucepan, saute bacon and onion over medium-low heat until onion is translucent. Add water, beans, and salt. Turn up heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Stir once and cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Taste before serving and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

Perfect Corn on the Cob

This is the time of year when the farmer's market is starting to sell corn. And what goes better with any summer meal than fresh corn on the cob? The trick to good corn, though, is not to overcook. Here's a method that works every time.

Ingredients:

4 quarts water (or more, if you need it)
1 tbs. salt
6-8 ears of corn

Fill the largest pot you can find with water (be sure to leave room for the corn) and heat it over high heat on the stove. Shuck corn and remove all floss. When the water is warm, but not boiling, add salt and stir for 1 minute. Gently add corn, being careful not to splash. Bring water to a full boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover. Let the corn steep for 10 minutes longer. Serve hot with butter and salt.

Enjoy!

Sailing Club Soy-Lime Salmon

We learned this recipe from Al at the Ann Arbor Sailing Club. It's a place you have to drive miles of dirt road to get to, and Al doesn't do much but teach people to sail and cook good food. We haven't been back there in at least a decade, but every time we make this salmon, we think of that place. It's one of the great tastes of summer.

Ingredients:

4 fresh salmon steaks or fillets (with skin on)
2 limes, juiced
1 1/2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. soy sauce
3 tbs. butter, softened
2 tsp. snipped chives

In a gallon-size ziploc bag, combine lime juice, oil, and soy sauce. Shake to combine. Place salmon in bag and let marinade 1 hour on the counter or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

In small bowl, blend butter and chives with a fork. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fire up the grill, and place non-stick foil on the grill surface. Grill salmon just until flaky, but still moist. Serve with a small pat of chive butter on top.

Enjoy!

Cucumber Dill Salad

My friend Trish and I made this salad all the time when we lived overseas in Moscow. I used to buy fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and dill from a wonderful toothless old woman at a kiosk around the corner from my apartment. I make this every summer as the dill is ripening in my herb garden -- it brings back good memories.

Ingredients:

1 large, fresh cucumber
2 roma tomatoes
2 tbs. fresh dill, chopped
3 tbs. white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sour cream

Peel the cucumber and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Seed and dice the tomatoes. Toss lightly with chopped dill. In separate bowl, mix together vinegar, salt, and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Pour over vegetables and dill. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, to blend the flavors. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

Joe's Black Bean Salad

In the summer, we like to have vegetarian dishes with lots of flavor. This one certainly fits the bill, with a combination of tart and sweet that really works. I like the crunch of the celery, onion, and peppers, too!

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked black beans, rinsed
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup corn
1 medium vidalia onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 medium bell pepper, diced

For the Dressing,
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
2 tbs. salad oil (I use olive oil or canola)
1 tbs. white wine vinegar
1 tbs. sugar
salt to taste

Place soft, rinsed beans in large mixing bowl. Add chopped vegetable ingredients. Toss. In separate mixing bowl, combine herbs, oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix well until sugar has dissolved completely. Pour over bean/vegetable mixture. Toss again. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

Summer Squash Salad

In the summer, the best dishes are the fresh ones. This salad is beautiful to look at and even better to taste. It works just as well with a steak from the grill or poached salmon. This salad is also great for outdoor parties, because it can be served at room temperature. In our family, it is a summer favorite!

Ingredients:

2-3 medium yellow summer squash
2 medium zucchini
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbs. snipped scallions
10-12 fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 clove of garlic, minced
pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slice summer squash and zucchini in 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. In groups of 10-15, drop in water, boil for 45 seconds, remove, and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Once all are blanched and cooled, drain well. (I use a salad spinner.) In a large bowl, combine squash/zucchini slices, tomatoes, scallions, and fresh basil. In separate bowl, prepare dressing by whisking vinegar, oil, salt, garlic, and pepper. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss.

Enjoy!

Perfect Fried Eggplant

When the weather gets hot, I like to use a vegetable as the main course for supper, especially when you can get perfect fresh eggplant. Fried Eggplant is delicious on its own, or it can be used as an ingredient for Eggplant Parmesan or Eggplant Lasagna --just don't skip the pressing step. As an Italian grandmother will tell you, "Eggplant is like a woman -- it has to weep to let go of its bitterness."

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 cup water
2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I use Progresso)
1 medium eggplant
Canola oil
Lemon slices

At the grocery, choose an eggplant that is medium-sized and firm with a smooth, shiny skin. At home, peel off the skin and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Keep the slices as uniform as you can.

Place 6-8 slices in a single layer on a dinner plate, salt lightly, and cover with a paper towel. Layer again and repeat until all slices are stacked with paper towel between them. Cover with a dinner plate of the same size and weigh it down (I use a 2-3 cans of vegetables as a weight.) Let the eggplant "weep" for about 1 hour.

After the eggplant has released it's juice, prepare 3 bowls for breading. In the first, place seasoned flour. The second should have the egg and water beaten together. The third should have the breadcrumbs. Heat Canola oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Dip each slice of eggplant in flour, egg mixture, and crumbs. Allow to fry 2-3 minutes, turn. When browned on both sides, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve warm with slices of lemon.

Enjoy!

World's Best Dad Brats

When we have a get-together, my husband always wants brats. The trouble is, I don't want him to have to spend the entire party standing over a grill. So, this is my solution. At our last outdoor party, I had one of the grandmothers say, "I love these! I can't believe I ate two!" Another friend, famous for buying only 'specialty' sausage from New York, asked me for the recipe. I was supremely complimented.

Ingredients:

6-20 Uncooked brats from the meat section of the grocery (I use Johnsonville)
1 Sam Adams Boston Lager
1 White onion

The morning of the party (or the night before), preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the brats and lay on cookie sheets in a single layer, making sure they are not touching each other. Bake 20 minutes, turn over and return to oven for another 15 minutes. Heat your slow cooker or crockpot on the low setting. Slice the onion into 1/4 inch rings. Scatter them on the bottom of insert. Pour in beer. I use half a bottle (the rest is good drinkin' for Dad!) Lay pre-cooked brats in slow cooker on top of onion layer. (For lots of brats, place them standing up-and-down -- I have fit as many as 36 in a standard crock pot.) Cover and cook on Low setting until the party. They are easy to transport and keep warm.

Enjoy! And Happy Father's Day!

Quick Strawberry Preserves

This is the time of year to pick strawberries. And if you're like my family, no matter how many you eat, there are always tons left. This is a great way to preserve that flavor, so you can enjoy berries for weeks and months to come.

Ingredients:

20 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. powdered fruit pectin
2 cups sugar

In a medium saucepan, cook fruit and lemon juice, covered, over high heat for 2 minutes. Stir in pectin and heat to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add sugar and boil again. Whatever you do, keep stirring! Let the mixture stay at a full boil for one minute. Take your saucepan off the heat and start skimming off the foam. (Tastes yummy on toast!) Pour into airtight containers. Preserves will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months, in the freezer for a year.

Enjoy!

Minted Cucumber Yogurt

This side has an Indian flavor because of the cumin. If you prefer more of a Greek twist, skip the cumin and add some fresh lemon juice. I like the mint to be fresh from the garden. It cools you down instantly in hot weather.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
1 cucumber with skin
6 mint leaves, plus garnish
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Heat small frypan over medium heat. Place cumin seed in dry pan to toast, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. In medium mixing bowl, shred cucumber, being sure to catch the juice in the bowl. Roll the mint leaves together and cut into slivers. Place in bowl with cucumbers. Add toasted cumin, yogurt, cayenne and salt (I use about 1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp each). Mix well and refrigerate. Garnish with fresh mint for serving, if desired.

Enjoy!

Nathaniel's Tasty Cilantro Chicken

The marinade for this chicken tenderizes the meat. It has a beautiful green color, so I usually reserve about 1/4 cup to pour over the meat when it is served. For a summer meal with lots of color, this is great to serve with a plate of fresh cherry tomatoes and yellow peppers.

Ingredients:

3-5 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

For the marinade,

4 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. olive oil
2 med. cloves of garlic
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup plain yogurt

Place marinade ingredients in blender. Process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup to use at service, if desired. Place diced chicken into gallon size ziploc bag and pour remaining marinade overtop. Remove excess air from bag and seal. Marinate on countertop 30 minutes or in refrigerator 1-2 hours. Thread onto skewers and grill or cook on the stovetop, 8-10 minutes over med-high heat.

Enjoy!

Michigan Cherry Pecan Salad

I first had a salad like this at Seva, a vegetarian restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is such a simple treat, named after the state that is the largest producer of cherries in the U.S. The Traverse City Cherry Festival every June is fun for the whole family! Whether you get your cherries there or at your local market, be sure to try this tasty salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup Pecan halves
Red leaf lettuce
Spinach
Parsley
One scallion
Two Roma tomatoes
1 cup Dried cherries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecan halves on a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Wash and dry the lettuce and spinach. Tear into salad-size pieces. Snip the green portion of one scallion into the lettuce. Toss. Dice the tomatoes and give one handful of parsley a rough chop. Sprinkle tomato and parsley on top of the tossed lettuce. Top with cherries and pecans. Serve with your favorite viniagrette.

Fresh Tomato-Basil bites

Every time I serve this appetizer at a get-together of family and friends, I get so many compliments. It is simple to prepare and serve. And as always, it is best with fresh ingredients!

Ingredients:

Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Basil leaves

Thoroughly wash the tomatoes and dry completely. Cut the mozzarella into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes. Wash, dry, and trim basil leaves into squares slightly larger than your cheese cubes. Using toothpicks, skewer ingredients with tomato on top, basil in the middle, and cheese on the bottom. Using the cheese as a base keeps the appetizers from shifting on the platter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.