Recipes for summer ~

                                                                      
The fabulous, ad free, Cuisine at Home magazine arrived today and the recipes and pictures reminded me about the dishes that were especially popular at the large gathering we had in May.  There were a hundred guest that enjoyed the many and varied dishes and two of the favorites were the chicken or shrimp lettuce wraps.  I myself am not too enamored with these dishes but people who think about  saving calories and eating smart dived right in to the shrimp that favored fresh herbs, or the tiny chicken squares blessed with ginger, garlic, cilantro, mint, lemon and dry roasted peanuts. A scoop of the filling nested in bread and butter lettuce sent some into a swoon.  When asked for the shrimp recipe, which I made up, I could not produce the amounts or exactly what I put into the mix, so it will probably never happen that same way twice. That's the beauty and the curse of cooking without a recipe.

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Corn & Black Bean Salad Cups

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups and 2 lettuce leaves, each

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup organic frozen corn, thawed
• 1 large poblano pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• ¾ cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 12 Bibb lettuce leaves

Instructions

Combine red onion, beans, corn, pepper, and cheese in a large bowl.

Combine lime juice, mayonnaise, and paprika in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour dressing over corn mixture; toss gently to coat.

Serve about 2/3 cup salad over each lettuce leaf.

Mary Alice's pea salad was also a hit with the people who do not usually grace our events.  They had not had it before and the generous dish was empty before the party was half over, according to the servers. Glenda's deviled eggs flew off the plates and there were refills so no one was disappointed. By the end of the affair every dessert platter was empty. Ann, Beth's mother, prepared two onion pies that flew out the door, pralines that people squirreled away to enjoy at home, and crab and shrimp Alfredo--two large serving dishes...gone before I got a picture. I love it when the food is gone and guests go away happy and satisfied. Love it!

Mary's Pea Salad

4 cups peas
1  cup of mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 onion chopped
1 cup diced celery
1 can Spanish peanuts (but I have used cashews, or other salty nuts in this)
Mix and chill

I am sure she at least doubled it for this party.

Chicken lettuce wraps:

1 tbsp. peanut oil
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 pound minced or square cut chicken or turkey breast (cooked to your liking)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsps. light brown sugar
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh mint
minced zest of 1 lemon, Bibb lettuce leaves, chopped dry-roasted peanuts, lime wedges

Heat together the chicken ginger and garlic for a minute or so.Whisk together lime juice, brown sugar, chili garlic and cook til liquid is gone. Remove from stove and stir in onion. Stir in cilantro and mint and the zest. Serve in lettuce leaves topped with more cilantro and mint leaves, peanuts and a squeeze of lime.

Bella's recipe for summer is always take a nap after breakfast.

The boys of summer: Andy and his friends working at a summer job when in high school.  Andy's the cute one, right front.  (Really, they were all cute.)

Every Saturday in summer Andy stands in line for peaches from this particular farm.  This is the earliest arrival ever but  he took a chance that the farmer would bring peaches this Saturday for some reason.   Sure enough Andy brought home this small, juicy, delicious peach with a warning there would be no more until mid-July. We have already enjoyed some straight from the box. It's really summer now!