We don’t have air conditioning, and I don’t want to heat up the house, so I cook early in the morning, we do a while lot of quick stove-top cooking, lots of salads and pasta salads. I am especially partial to cold soups in the summer.
Chilled Chicken-Barley-Mint Soup...
Poach 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts in...
4 cups homemade chicken stock.
Let cool. Remove the breasts, chopp. Add to the stock. Chill.
Cook 1/2 cup barley (as directed). Add this to the stock, too.
Add, to taste...
Enough plain yogurt (at least 2 cups, maybe more) to get the soup to a cream-soup texture (taste as you're going along)
A handful of fresh mint leaves, washed and chopped.
Chill--overnight, or make early in the morning for an evening meal, 8 to 12 hours. Stir well before serving. Float a sprig of mint on the bowl. With a loaf of a good crusty french bread and a big green salad, this is the coundation for a very elegant summer meal.
This soup sounds weird, I know. But I have served it to countless people, and they ALWAYS ask for the recipe. It's delicious.
Orzo Salad with Fragrant Sesame Dressing
Dressing
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cups corn oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 TB rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 TB thinly sliced scallions
1 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. pepper
1 TB sugar
2 TB minced fresh coriander or parsley
(enough dressing for 2 Lbs of orzo)
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and set aside.
Salad:
1 LB uncooked orzo
1 TB sesame oil
3 cups julienned or shredded carrots
2 cups raisins
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts
Cook orzo as per directions until tender--7 to 10 minutes. Refresh under cold water, drain well and let rest 2-3 minutes to finish draining. Toss with the sesame oil. Cool completely. Combine with carrots, raisins, etc., and 1/2 the dressing.
Feel free to add other blanched vegetables to taste. The dressing would also be good on chicken and oriental vegetables. (Vidalia onion, fresh sweet corm, red, green or yellow peppers are good) If you're going to make it in advance (it will keep several days in the refrigerator) add the nuts separately, to keep them crunchy.
MARINATED VEGETABLES
Basic Marinade for about 3 lbs of steamed vegetables:
1 cup oil (use all or part Olive Oil)
3/4 cup cider or wine vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
Small amounts of herbs: Marjoram, thyme, basil, dill, tarragon, parsley, oregano, chives. (fresh is best, if available. Use several.)
Variations: Substitute part lemon juice or wine for the vinegar, but not for all.)
Combine all marinade ingredients & mix well.
Add freshly steamed veggies, steamed until just tender, cooked beans (chickpeas are good) & RAW salad stuff in amounts desired. Scallions, mushrooms, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes & peppers don’t need to be steamed.
This is good with crumbled feta cheese on top & some good bread. You can add the veggies to a leaf salad for a change. They’ll keep for up to a week, tightly covered in the refrigerator.
I personally use 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, a scant 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar & a good dollop of lemon juice, with parsley & basic & a little oregano. I also choose veggies on the basic of color as well as taste--I like steamed green beans paired with yellow & red peppers, red onions & mushrooms. As you can guess, this recipe shifts & changes easily from one cook & kitchen to the next.
Mueslix
3/4 cup of dry oats
1 cup non-fat yogurt in a flavor complimentary with your fresh fruit
2 tablespoons raisins
1 or 2 finely chopped apples
handful of chopped nuts or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or other fresh fruit in season
Mix the oats with the yogurt, and let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Add them all in, combine well. If it seems too thick, add a little milk. If it seems too thin, add a little more oatmeal. This makes a lovely fruit salad, a delicious breakfast, and I eat it all summer long.
BEST (AND FASTEST) AVOCADO SOUP IN THE WORLD
2 good-sized ripe avocados
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T. Victoria salsa
3 cups chicken soup (cubes dissolved in hot water work fine)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. dill
1/2 cup milk
Combine all ingredients (except herbs) in a blender jar, preferably the plastic type with the blades on the top. Blend until smooth and creamy. Chill. Serve in attractive cups or small bowls, garnished with herbs. Serves six.
It is everywhere the summer and I use it in a lot of my summer cooking. In pesto, I stuff it under the skin of chicken breasts with goat cheese. Shedded on top of a melon salad. What would a Caprese salad be without fresh basil?.jpg/398px-Bing_Cherries_(USDA_ARS).jpg)
Cherries, Sweet, Juicy, Wonderful Cherries. I can eat them all day long. My cat even likes cherries.
Oh my goodness!!!!
Ice cold Watermelon is a must at every gathering. 
I like white corn, because it has a sweeter taste than the yellow variety