Some summer days it’s too hot to think about cooking. But for special days, like the 4th of July, you want to make your favorite holiday recipes even if it means firing up the stove or oven. I thought I would share a few of my summer recipes that you might tuck away for when your brain is fried and meal planning just ain’t happening. These are some that look forward to every year as I focus on enjoying everything in its season.
The Glory Of Summer Fruits
Watermelon, peaches, plums, berries, cherries – such a variety of juicy fruits to refresh you in the hot summer months. They’re a treat all on their own, or they can be the stars of your summer recipes. If you find yourself with an abundance of fresh blueberries (5 cups, to be exact), you should try this contest-winning fresh blueberry pie. Blueberries aren’t even at the top of my favorite summer fruits list, but I LOVE this pie!
Another great way to showcase summer fruits is in trifle recipes. Strawberry shortcake trifle is one I often take when we visit our friends at the lake. We never leave with leftovers, and sometimes a fight breaks out about who gets to lick the bowl clean! The original recipe is written to be Weight Watchers-friendly, but I use the regular Jello, pudding, and Cool Whip instead of sugar-free.
Ben’s Pasta Salad
My husband loves this simple pasta salad and he makes it for gatherings throughout the year. All you need is a box of rotini pasta (I like to use the tri-color variety), one cucumber and one to three tomatoes depending on the size, and bottled Italian dressing. Cook and rinse the pasta, chop the vegetables, and toss it all with the dressing. Refrigerate until serving, and you may want to add a little more dressing before serving. Right now in his garden the cucumbers are ripening in abundance and the tomatoes aren’t quite there yet. But hopefully before the summer is over we’ll be able to make his pasta salad with veggies he grew from seeds! This is a great side dish for a cookout, and if you love it as much as Ben does, you’ll eat it for dessert too!
Instant Pot Hits
If you’ve jumped on the digital pressure cooker bandwagon, you know that it’s a great gadget to cook meals without heating up the kitchen. Pizza Pasta is a kid-friendly family favorite at our house. It makes a big batch so it will satisfy your ravenous kids after a day of swimming or day camp.
Have you experimented with converting stovetop recipes to the Instant Pot? I found that this recipe for meatballs, rice, and peas was easily done in the IP. Start with the saute function for steps 1-5 (you do not need to thaw the meatballs). After adding the rice and broth, put on the lid and seal. Set the manual cook function for 3 minutes and allow the steam to release naturally. Once the pin drops, open the lid and continue with steps 10 and 11.
No Heat Required
Five summers ago, mason jar salads were very popular. I don’t hear much about them these days, but they’re a great way to enjoy salads often. Typically, I don’t like to make salads because you have to get out so many ingredients and sometimes you have to wash and cut vegetables, and I didn’t know how to make them ahead of time without them getting soggy. When I found this tutorial, it addressed all of my concerns. Salads can be prepped all at once, up to a week in advance. When you’re ready to eat, just shake it up and pour the salad into a bowl or plate or eat straight from the jar.
Chicken salad is another cool meal option for hot summer days. You can pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery to eliminate the need to cook the chicken in your own kitchen. I really like this savory loaded chicken salad recipe. Sour cream, bacon, onion, and cheddar bring the flavors of a loaded baked potato to the salad.
Summer Snacks
If you’ve got kiddos at home on summer break, you probably know that they’re professional snackers in this season! Put them to work in the kitchen one afternoon to make these no-cook snacks:
Frozen grapes – Nothing fancy, just wash a bunch of grapes and pluck them off the stems. Lay the grapes in a single layer on any pan that will fit in your freezer. It needs to have sides or a lip so that the grapes don’t roll off. Give them at least half an hour to freeze, and then enjoy!
Firecrackers – A perfect snack for the 4th of July! But you’ll want to prep them on the 3rd so they have time to marinate in the spices. With no cooking required, kids could easily make this snack. Try experimenting with different types of crackers to see what version you like best.
No-Bake Energy Bites – This is a basic recipe with lots of suggestions for variations depending on your preferences. Rolling the mixture into balls will keep kids busy for a little while! They can be refrigerated for up to a week or you can keep them in the freezer longer. Packed with protein and fiber, these make a great breakfast or snack on the go and works out to be a bit cheaper than buying boxes of granola bars.
