Summer Fare

When the temperatures heat up outside, the last thing you want is to heat up the temperature inside by using your oven. We do tend to want to eat lighter fare on those warm days and not want something heavy like we do in the colder months.

How about cooking some corkscrew pasta (or the pasta you prefer). Drain, run cool water over pasta to stop the cooking process and to prevent pasta from sticking together. Cut up some veggies into bite size pieces, such as peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes or some of your favorite veggies you like to eat raw. 

Toss all together in a large bowl. Pour on your favorite Italian dressing (to taste). So light, refreshing and satisfying!!! Also, travels very well to bring to the beach, lake, camping, picnics and barbeques.

Options: Add some sliced black olives, cubed cheese, grated parmesan, etc. Serve as a main dish or as a side with your favorite grilled meat.

Making Iced Tea

(stock photo)

There are so many variations to making Iced Tea. Here's a very simple recipe that I think you'll enjoy.

Ingredients:

6 tea bags
4 cups water
4 cups cold water

In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil.

Add tea bags.

Remove from heat. Steep the teabags for 10 minutes only.

In a large pitcher, add 4 cups cold water. At the end of the 10 minutes, remove and discard the teabags. Pour hot water slowly into the cold water.

Allow tea to cool completely. Grab your favorite glass, add a couple of ice cubes, pour your iced tea over the ice, then add your favorite fixings. Consider using simple syrup instead of sugar. (Recipe can be found here.)

Some suggestions: Add lemon, blueberries, raspberries, or mint leaves. Sit back and enjoy!!!

How To Grill Corn

Ahhhh - grilled corn!!! True summer fare! Want to get that smoky sweet flavor that only fresh corn can get when it's grilled?

First, you will need to pull back the husks from the corn. (Make sure you leave them attached at the stem.) Remove and discard the silk.

Once the silk has been removed, pull the husks back up around the corn. After the husks are pulled back, you want to soak the corn in water for about 15 minutes to prevent the husks from burning on the grill. You can simply soak them in a roasting pan or a large bowl.

Have your grill preheated at medium heat. Put the ears on the grill, turn often about 8 to 10 minutes or until the kernels are tends and the husks are lightly charred.

Can't you just taste it?!?

Simple Syrup

'Tis the season for lemonade and iced tea!!! Yummy! When making homemade sweetened drinks, please do not just pour sugar directly into your drink. Make a simple syrup instead.

Simply combine 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir often, until the sugar has completely dissolved, 3-5 minutes. Let syrup cool.

To use: For every teaspoon of sugar you would normally use, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of simple syrup.

Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Wasn't that easy? And no yucky sugar granules left on the bottom of your glass!!!

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

We will be coming into grilling season soon and no one wants to be stuck in the kitchen on those nice, sunny days. Did you know that you can marinate in the freezer? Prepare your meat or poultry ahead of time, put into your freezer bags, mix up your marinade, add to the freezer bag, zip closed letting out as much air as possible and place in freezer. Not only will this save your meat or poultry from freezer burn, you will be ready to grill once thawed!!!

This also saves a lot of space in your freezer since you can lay the freezer bags flat on top of one another!!! (Leaves more room for ice cream ;-) !!!)

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

Here's another money saving tip!!!

Growing your own green onions is sooooo easy. Simply snip off the bulb end of the scallion, place in a jar of water, sit in a sunny window and watch your onions grow. You can almost see them grow a little every day!!!

Just snip off what you need and you'll have green onions indefinitely. Once in a while though you do want to remove the bulb, rinse it off and replace the water.

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

In today's economy, we need to learn how to stretch our money and our meals. And with so many two person income families or single working parent families, time is also not easy to come by. Today's tip: Buy larger quantities of ground beef when it is on sale. Since cooked ground beef freezes well, fry the ground beef and freeze in one pound portion sizes (or larger depending on the size of your family) in freezer safe containers or to save on freezer space, freezer safe Ziplock bags. So easy to thaw and add to your favorite recipes and a real time saver too!!!