Summer Recipes

In need of a different ribs recipe? How about this interesting technique that marinades the ribs in a classic cocktail? That's right, rum and coke are combined with ketchup, Tabasco, and hoisin sauce to create a flavorful marinade for ribs. While the pork cooks on the grill, the marinade is boiled until it's thick like barbecue sauce. The resulting ribs are sweet and salty with just a hint of heat. Be sure to serve with lots of napkins; these saucy ribs are delectable, but messy! Here's the recipe.

Unlike the martini or daiquiri, the rickey is a lesser-known classic cocktail with origins that date back to the 1880s. A traditional rickey consists of spirit (bourbon or gin), half of a lime squeezed and dropped into the glass, and carbonated water. This modernization of the rickey adds a delightful seasonal element to the drink: cherries. Although you could make it with bourbon, I used gin because it's lighter and more refreshing. This concoction is fruity, tart, and absolutely wonderful. Gin lovers will enjoy the perfect balance of sweet cherries, sour limes, and botanical spirit. Want to give it a try? Get the recipe.

Recently I was in need of a seasonal appetizer that would satiate both vegetarians and carnivores alike. After watching an episode of Giada at Home, I decided to try her grilled corn and cheese cakes. Instead of using frozen corn, I substituted fresh corn cut off the cob.

The recipe has mixed reviews, and I was a little worried that the resulting bite wouldn't be embraced by my all-female guests. However, these cakes blew my friends and I away! They were amazing.

The corn flavor is enhanced by spicy pepper Jack cheese, and the panko provides a perfectly crisp crust. Although they are rich, they're not heavy; they are satisfying and filling but still light. These cakes pair perfectly with a glass of sparkling wine! I highly recommend you make this hors d'oeuvre. Get the recipe here.

Sometimes when making a salad, it's refreshing to think less is more. Instead of combining a million different ingredients, select two perfect fruits, say tomatoes and avocados, and let them be the stars of a simple but satisfying salad. Throw in some quick-pickled shallots and a tangy basil-laced vinaigrette, and you've got a dish that screams Summer. This perfect salad goes with anything, from burgers to tacos to grilled fish. You've got to make it! The easy recipe right this way.

When the weather is hot, I crave salads. Potato salads, pasta salads, green salads, veggie salads, and chopped salads — like this version of a Greek salad. Although there's nothing special about this recipe — it's a pretty standard Greek salad — it's absolutely delicious and the perfect salad to enjoy on a warm day.

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red pepper, black olives, and feta cheese with the lemon herb vinaigrette a couple of hours before you plan to serve the salad. Keep it chilled in the fridge and the flavors will have time to blend together. For a light meal, offer it with grilled hearty bread. Add the recipe to your collection now.

There are thousands of potato salad variations out there, but sometimes nothing beats good, old-fashioned classic potato salad. You know what kind I'm talking about: the potato salad that's coated in a creamy mayonnaise dressing and dotted with hard-boiled eggs.

Sure, you can pick it up at every grocery store and deli in America, but why not whip up a large batch of it at home? This recipe is straightforward: you boil some potatoes and toss them with a bunch of chopped veggies and a mayo-mustard sauce.

Although capers aren't a traditional ingredient, their salty, briny quality is welcomed in this salad. Prepare it a day in advance, so the potato salad has plenty of time to chill. For my favorite recipe, keep reading.

Everyone has culinary issues and one that I'm constantly working on is my fear of dough. Pizza dough, bread dough, pasta dough, pie dough — I'm totally intimidated by it all. However, last Summer, in an attempt to face my (irrational) fear, I started making pies. Peach pie, blueberry pie, cherry pie, raspberry pie. With each pie I made, it became a little easier.

It's been months since I made a pie, but with the bounty of ripe fruit at the market calling to me, I was inspired to try this chocolate raspberry pie. From the ultimate pie queens at Martha Stewart Living, this pie is divine. The dough is chocolate pate sucree and the filling is a layer of chocolate ganache covered with a luscious raspberry topping.

Although I ran into a little difficulty with the dough, it was rewarding to slice into the finished pie. Want to show off your pie-making skills with this decadent dessert? Check out the recipe.

Savory peach dishes are a Summer favorite, and if peaches can pair well with pancetta and basil as an appetizer, why not throw them all into a grilled cheese sandwich? I did just that on a recent warm evening. The resulting sandwich was absolutely scrumptious! It's a great combination of flavors (salty and sweet) and textures (crispy and gooey). Putting peaches in a grilled cheese sandwich may sound crazy, but trust me, it really works! To give this quick and easy recipe a try, read on for the technique.

Sometimes plain old corn on the cob can be boring. You have it over and over again during the Summer, and it's always the same. However, this July I've decided to remake corn on the cob, starting with this delicious recipe. The corn is grilled with the husks on, and then it's coated with a spicy-sweet glaze. The glaze is a mixture of butter, maple syrup, garlic, and chipotle chiles.

It's an easy recipe with extraordinary results. This corn is amazing and unlike any corn I've had before! The combination of maple syrup and chipotle chiles is perfect; the two ingredients balance each other out, so the glaze isn't too sweet or too spicy. It's a classic side with a modern twist, and it pairs well with everything from barbecued chicken to Cuban-style pork. Here's the recipe.