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Highlights: Hello, Summer!

Published on June 19, 2011 By Emily. Updated on June 19, 2011

Tomorrow is my last day of school until September.  And, since all my students have already taken their finals, it should be a pretty easy one.  Unlike most teachers, I’m not chomping at the bit for summer to start.  I had a really great year this year, my students were awesome and I’m finding it a little hard to believe that it really is late June.  Still, there are a lot of really wonderful things that come with summer.  I’m looking forward to a trip to the beach, taking my casual summer clothes out from storage, wearing flip-flops and sandals 90% of the time, fresh produce, farmer’s markets, and days with nothing to do.

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There are a lot of ways to welcome summer into your kitchen, but according to most of the posts I saw this week, summer is all about cold drinks, grilling, and refreshing meals:

Cold Drinks

Is there a better summer drink than sangria?  Try these 4 sangria recipes for summer entertaining posted on Serious Eats.  I’ve never made sangria, but this may be the summer that it actually happens!

If fruity wine isn’t your thing, Huffington Post has the casual drinker’s guide to summer beers.

I don’t drink coffee anymore, but I’ve never made a bad recipe from The Pioneer Woman.  So, if you like coffee, it’s probably worth it to check out Ree Drummond’s perfect iced coffee.

If you really want to keep cool, this minty green tea granita from Mark Bittman sounds delicious (and yes, I realize it’s not really a drink, but I had to include it somewhere).  Granita is another one of those things I keep thinking about making and then putting off.  Add that to the “summer to do” list as well.

Over on Healthy Tipping Point, Caitlin posted her secret to making creamy smoothies.  I guess Brian already figured this out, because he makes really great smoothies.  I’m kind of scared of the blender exploding, so I just enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Grilling

One of the many things on our ever-growing “when we get a house…” list is the purchase of a grill.  One of my co-workers was legitimately shocked recently when he discovered that we don’t have a grill.  Unfortunately, there just isn’t a place for one in our current living situation. 

Salon Food has an interesting history of the hot dog.  Hot dogs, by the way, are only really good when grilled – or covered with too many condiments.

If you want some grilling tips and ideas and you have a Kindle, Mark Bittman’s Grilling Kindle Single is only $0.99 for the rest of the summer.

There are some people in the food blog world that are much more creative than I could ever aim to be.  Evan’s grilled eggs, cooked inside halved bell peppers, is just one example of that creativity.

Public Radio Kitchen suggests making your own barbecue sauce.  If we did more barbecued foods around here, I’d probably try it.  Brian and I are currently obsessed with Naturally Delicious Original Barbecue Sauce, however.  I’m so happy with it that I’m not inclined to try making my own.

Refreshing Meals

It was so uncomfortably hot last summer that I dedicated an entire highlights post to no-cook meals.  This summer, Food52 has already posted 23 No-Cook Recipes on Huffington Post.  Hopefully that’s enough oven-free ideas to get you through the heat.

Lisa’s yummy looking Summer Mediterranean Salad will probably make an appearance in my apartment this summer.  Olives and chick peas?  Yes, please. 

I’ve never made a bread salad because I can never decide whether they look awesome or gross.  However, Georgia Pellegrini’s recipe for tomato-bread salad on The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a bit different than ones I’ve seen before and I may just have to try it out.

Obviously, there are a lot more awesome summer foods out there.  What summer meal or ingredient are  you most looking forward to?  I’m putting my vote in for tomatoes.

Related Posts

Highlights: Hot Drinks
Highlights: Spicy!
Highlights: Pumpkin Recipes (and More!)
Highlights: Valentine’s Day Desserts 2015
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Comments

  1. Lisa Fine says

    June 20, 2011 at 8:58 am

    Yay! Thanks for sharing the link to my salad – hope you like it when you make it. :)

    Have a great last day of school, and I’ll talk to you soon.

  2. Rachel (Olalliberry) says

    June 20, 2011 at 9:57 pm

    I love Mediterranean salads, CORN, and berries. I don’t have a grill either (small apartment, blah blah) so when it’s too hot to cook indoors I am a big fan of antipasti-type dinners with olives, some kind of prosciutto or salami, cheese, hummus, etc. I want to try pickling something this summer!

    • Emily says

      June 26, 2011 at 4:40 pm

      Antipasti-type dinners sound like the sort of thing my husband would love! Thanks for the suggestion, I’m trying to have some ideas on hand for when it gets really hot around here.

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Emily
Though it had been a few years since we'd visited, Though it had been a few years since we'd visited, @themountlenox is one of my favorite places in the Berkshires. In addition to Edith Wharton's incredible restored home, the estate features beautiful grounds and gardens. This year, The Mount was added to our summer bucket list when my daughter saw an ad for the @sculpture.now exhibit featuring a dragon sculpture. Today we ventured to Lenox to see the dragon, as well the 29 other fascinating pieces of large outdoor art. The Mount's grounds and gardens, including the SculptureNow exhibit, are always free and open dawn to dusk. All of the sculptures were accessible by stroller. The current sculptures are up through October 19.
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#igers413 #LenoxMA #TheMount #EdithWharton #SculptureNow #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
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