Broccoli Salad

This is a recipe from my mother-in-law. It's tried and true. In the Brindley family this is a summer staple. I hope your family enjoys it as much as our does.

INGREDIENTS:

2 bunches broccoli
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP white vinegar

1. Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. I a large bowl, mix broccoli, onions, raisins and bacon together gently. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Mix well. Fold dressing into broccoli mixture and refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

Guacamole

INGREDIENTS:
3 ripe (soft to the touch) avocados
1 lime
1 clove of garlic, pressed
a pinch of cumin
sea salt to taste
Tortilla chips to serve with

1. Slice the avocado in half lengthwise. Twist the two halves in opposite directions to open. Take the seed out and set aside. Make slices lengthwise and again horizontally. Take a large spoon and scoop the inside of the avocado into a bowl. (See picture.)

2. Once you've done that with all of the avocados, add remaining ingredients. Grab a chip and give it a taste; add more salt if needed. Serve immediately.

NOTE: If you put the seed in the guacamole and cover tightly with saran wrap it can stay remotely green for about 2 days. (Cover it tightly by pressing the saran wrap onto the guacamole so the saran wrap is touching the guacamole.)

Southern Peach Cobbler

This recipe is straight from the kitchen of a Georgian woman; so you know it's good. It's also one of the easiest things to throw together.

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups sliced peaches, fresh are best if you have them
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine peaches and 1/2 cup sugar. Let sit as you work on the rest of the recipe.
2. Melt butter in the dish you'll use. (I use an oval shaped corning ware dish.) Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine remaining sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and add milk; mix well again. Pour this mixture over the butter, DO NOT STIR. Put peaches over this, again do not mix or stir.
3. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown.

Boiling Corn 101 & Route 6

Dave and I were listening to NPR on our way to hang out with friends for happy hour at an amazing new Stephen Starr restaurant called Route 6. It's an outstanding new seafood restaurant with mouth-watering clam chowder. Go for happy hour, 4:30-6:30 when you won't pay a lot for amazing food and great drinks.
Anyway I was so intrigued by this guy Jack Bishop who was talking about corn. Bishop say, "The corn we eat now bears almost no resemblance to the corn we ate a long time ago," he says.  "Using an old recipe, it might say to cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, but that is way too long."He says this because corn used to be starchy, however now it is much more sweet. Bishop also recommends boiling corn for no longer than a minute or two, if you're going to go the non-grilling route.

Sweet Italian Sausage Kabob

I love the flavor the red onion brings to the kabob. It's so sweet against the flavor of the sausage that it's a beautiful masterpiece in your mouth!

INGREDIENTS:
1 package sweet italian sausage
1 red onion cut into large pieces
2 zucchini sliced 1/4in think
olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic, minced

1. At least 2 hours before cooking, slice everything up and place it in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and mince your garlic. Give it a good stir and let it sit all day or for at least 1-2 hours.
2. Layer your ingredients on a wooden skewer. Cook on medium heat for 12-14 minutes, turn the kabobs and cook an additional 10-12 minutes or until sausage is fully cooked. Serve hot.

Favorite Summer Potatoes

I was in need of some new recipes for summer. In the mail came my first issue of Everyday Food after cashing in my Stoneyfield Rewards for a subscription. As I flipped through the pages this recipe caught my eye. This recipe isn't new under the sun, but it's new in our house. We don't eat a lot of potatoes, but we do enjoy them.
Well we couldn't get enough!! They were so delicious! I set 3 aside from our dinner to turn into home fries for breakfast tomorrow.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb small (baby) red potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt
Light sour cream
Chives or green onions, diced

 1. Clean your potatoes well. I put them in a colandar, spray they with straight vinegar (I keep this in a spray bottle to clean all my produce) and let sit for 30 seconds. Rinse each one, scrubbing them with your hands or a brush.
2. Place potatoes on a large piece parchment lined foil. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and douse with sea salt. Grill them on medium-high heat until potatoes are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and chives.

Raspberry ice cubes

The kids and I were busy picking raspberries at Mood's Farm in NJ. Alex and I love them, but once you wash them they turn quickly. We couldn't eat them fast enough before mold spores began growing. That's when I got this idea...
Throw out the bad ones and place the good ones in an ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze. Once frozen store in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

Use these wonderful ice cubes in fun summer drinks such as, The Frenchy, which is 1 1/2 oz Pear Vodka, 3 oz Pineapple Juice, and 1 oz Cranberry Juice. Or you can try it in this, Summer Pineapple Strawberry Cooler (pictured below).