Summer

lemoncake.jpg

Any way you slice it, this cake is the perfect dessert.   It's rustic and gets a zing from its tangy lemon glaze.  The blueberry sauce dresses it up for dessert and even brunch.

It's light and sweet and just has this overall yummy flavor with the perfect texture.  I love using cornmeal in cakes and have never been disappointed with the outcome.

As with any cake baked from scratch, a few tablespoons of flour can make the difference between a dry, dense cake and one with a fluffy, tender texture.  Make sure to use the scoop and sweep method when measuring your flour; scoop flour into a measuring cup with a spoon and level off with the straight edge of a knife.

You are going to love this and no mixer is needed!

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cornfritters.jpgIf there’s one thing I learned about food while living in North Carolina, it’s that anything can be battered and fried: steak, okra, pickles. Heck, even butter, as Paula Deen, proved, can be battered and fried.

It’s not just Southerners though. Americans love battering and frying all types of foods. New Englanders have fried clams. Midwesternerns have fried pork. Southwesterners have fried chiles. Texans have fried Coca-Cola. Seriously.

Yet, of all these devilishly fried, crispy treats, corn fritters may just be the best. Tender sweet corn is encased in a pillow of sweet batter and fried until doubled in size and tantalizingly golden and crunchy.

With sweet corn season upon us, there is no better time to make Crispy Corn Fritters with Chipotle Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce. They’re impossibly simple to make and impossible to resist.

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strawberrypieStrawberries, the most popular berry fruit, are in high season right now and I'm thoroughly enjoying eating them every which way. Strawberries have always been a special part of summer for me. I can hardly remember a summer that I didn't go strawberry picking with my family. At the pick-your-own farm we would eat them right off the bush. Their flavor is so concentrated when eaten warm, heated by the sunlight. Now I don't so much eat them off the bush, but instead try to come up with new ways to serve the fruit.

This summer I decided to make a tart instead of the traditional strawberry pie. This tart features a sweetened mascarpone cheese base, topped with macerated fresh strawberries, all glazed with a syrup of the reserved berry juices and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Except for the tart shell, there is no baking involved. So it's very easy to put together for a family party, picnic, or the upcoming fourth of July holiday. Celebrate summer with strawberries.

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Grilled-Buttery-ChickenSummer makes me want to grill everything, it makes dinner so simple to execute. Picking a protein is the biggest decision. Once that's settled it's easy street.

And I have been cheating a little. I have been using my new indoor grill, which I love. I mean I really love the thing. It's so easy to use and sits right on my counter top. I can't help but throw everything on there. My kids have been poking a little fun at my new grill obsession. I can't help it.

One of my favorite grill uses has been for appetizers. We had some friends over the other evening and I made these chicken skewers with my crazy sauce for dipping. I love everyone sitting at my kitchen bar, while I grill away. So easy and fun and feels very interactive. 

The chicken turned out great. I used tenderloins instead of breasts, they stay much juicier and are really easy to cut up into pieces. Have no fear if you don't own an indoor grill, you can easily make these on a grill pan made for the stove, or on a real outdoor grill.

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nancydrew.jpgI couldn’t possibly have known that the books I managed to read this summer, in some convoluted way, would all share a common thread: success.

In "The Hidden Staircase" by Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew, using her wits and intuition, solves the mystery of the old stone mansion successfully.

Splat, from Rob Scotton’s "Splat the Cat", has an anxious but ultimately very successful first day of school.

corduroy.jpgDon Freeman’s "Corduroy", a department store bear missing a button who yearns to find a home, does.

Stephanie Plum, not surprisingly, figures out in the nick of time who decapitated the celebrity chef in Janet Evanovitch’s "Finger Lickin' Fifteen".

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