Good Summertime Food

For Katya and I, summer is over. Brent has gone back to school and it's just me and her again. We miss him!! But before the warm weather slips away I had to blog some recipes. This has been one hot summer and I was constantly searching for recipes that kept the kitchen cool.
These are some dishes that we especially enjoyed. I won't copy down all the recipes but give some descriptions and I'll add the recipe if you're interested. Most of the recipes are from Taste of Home's 2001 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes.

• grilled hamburgers; grilled zucchini, summer squash & mushrooms brushed with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, basil, parsley flakes, garlic powder and salt & pepper

• Mushroom Steak Hoagies and Basque Salad: the Basque Salad's taste reminds me of Three Bean salad but is made with red, yellow and green peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. It's good. Here's the link Allrecipes.com

• Red Potatoes on the Grill: first microwave the potatoes in a water, mayonnaise, chicken broth dressing with oregano, garlic salt and onion powder.

Sweet Spinach Salad

a bunch of fresh spinach

11oz. mandarin oranges, drained

cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup sliced mushrooms

sm. can french-fried onions

Dressing:

1/3 cup sugar

3T cider vinegar

1T honey

1/2 tsp dried minced onion

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp gr. mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup veg. oil

In large bowl, toss spinach, oranges, tomatoes and mushrooms; set aside. Microwave first 8 dressing ingredients in separate bowl on high for 1 1/2 min. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in oil. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with onions.

• Turkey Divan Croissants: this has a mayo, Dijon, lemon juice, and dill weed thin spread. You saute broccoli, onion and mushrooms in butter and layer the mixture on thin sliced turkey, topped with swiss cheese. Wrap in foil and heat on the grill.

• Tortellini Caesar Salad: made with cheese tortellini, romaine, seasoned croutons and cherry tomatoes and a light dressing.

• BLT Chicken Salad: I didn't think this sounded as good but a barbecue dressing ties it all together, somehow.

Berry-Mandarin Tossed Salad: this is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh strawberries. It's so good, I'll copy the whole recipe!

1/4 cup sugar

2 T cider vinegar

2 T honey

1 1/4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp gr. mustard

1/2 tsp grated onion

1/4 tsp celery seed

dash salt

1/3 cup veg. oil

a bunch of torn mixed salad greens

2 heaping cups sliced fresh strawberries

11 oz mandarin orange, drained

1 med. sweet onion, sliced into rings

1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In small bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 1/2 to 2 min.; stir until sugar dissolved. Whisk in oil. Cover and refrigerate until serving. In a salad bowl, combine the greens, strawberries, oranges, onion, almonds and bacon. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.