Happy 4th of July!  This is a great summery dessert that I have been making for 5 years now.  I don't know why it wasn't one of the first things I posted, but anyway, better late than never.  I make it when we have friends over because it looks good, individual portions, and after eating and drinking a lot, it's not too too heavy in the whole spectrum of desserts.  

So, here it is:  

Step 1, fruit:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp real vanilla extract
4 cups of berries of your choice, washed and set aside in a bowl: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries...
 
Combine sugar, water and vanilla in small saucepan and cook on high.  Let boil only about 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Once cooled, add 1/2 amount to fruit and toss gently.  Set the rest aside to use in the parfait cream (Step 3), or another use.
***use extra syrup in your morning coffee or in whipped cream.  Keeps in fridge for about 5 days.

Step 2, oats:
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt 
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used a combo of sliced almonds and pecans, and smashed them up in a plastic bag first)
1 cup Quaker "Old Fashioned" oats (these are the big oats)

Preheat to 350'.  In a medium non-stick pan, mix all above ingredients together -EXCEPT OATS- over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Once this heats up and gets bubbly, add "old fashioned oats" and toss to coat thoroughly (I use two wooden spoons to toss).  Keep tossing as it continues to cook for another 2 minutes or so.  Then remove from heat, and spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes at 350', just until slightly browned.  Set aside to cool.  The oat topping will get crunchy once it cools.    

Step 3, parfait cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs simple syrup (you'll make this in Step 1)
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbs acacia honey (or a good honey.  plain honey is ok too but not quite as tasty)

Whip heavy cream, simple syrup and honey in the mixer with wire whisk attachment, on highest speed, about 3 minutes, until looking solid like whipped cream.  Then add the sour cream and whip for 30 seconds more on high.  

To Assemble:
Layer oats, berries, cream in a glass of some sort to see the layers.  Eat immediately, or within a couple hrs (not to be made ahead).  Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired.   

I absolutely love guacamole - good old fashioned guac with avocado, lime, red onion, and jalapenos.  But my whole avocado loving world changed when my friend brought over guacamole with FETA cheese in it.  Not normal, I know, but please trust me on this and try it out.  This "guacamole" recipe is so good you will probably want to eat the whole bowl yourself...oh wait, that's what my husband did with the bowl Kim brought over!  Ok, ok fine that also what I did when I made my own version the next day!  Point being, it's awesome.

This is what I came up with when I tried to re-invent Kim's awesome guac...

You will need:
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2-3 ripe avocados - chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced/pressed
1 Tbs parsley, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup feta cheese, chopped (I prefer to use the block of feta and cut it up yourself so you can control how large the chunks are)
S&P to taste

To Make:
Now here is the complicated part...but if I can do it, you can do it!  In a bowl, combine everything but the feta and toss.  Tough stuff, I know, I will try for something a little more challenging next time.

The avocado will break apart a bit but I think leaving it chunkier is better (as opposed to smooth creamy like in traditional guac).  Chop feta and add to bowl and toss.  

Serve with tortilla chips and be careful to not eat the whole bowl before your guests arrive (or just make a double batch so you can eat as much as you want).

And thanks Kim for the great idea!  Feta really does make everything BETTA! 

This potato salad was always a favorite of mine from the deli I worked at growing up.  I don't have their recipe but I think this is pretty close.  It's a great addition to any cookout - just brought this one to a party today and came home with an empty bowl.  You can make it creamier by adding more sourcream (duh) but I tend to make mine slightly dry.

You will need:
5 lb bag of redskin potatoes, washed and quartered
1 cup sourcream
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh dill, rinsed and chopped
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt plus 1 Tbsp for cooking potatoes
1/2 tsp white sugar
Pepper to taste

To make:
Place quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Add 1 Tbsp salt.  Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered for about 20 minutes or until tender.  Drain in a colander and immediately sprinkle 3 Tbsp white vinegar over hot potatoes (they absorb it more when hot/warm).  

While potatoes are cooling, mix together in a medium bowl the sourcream, mayo, dill, 1/4 tsp salt (more to taste), sugar and pepper.  Stir until combined.  (Taste this and add more salt if needed but remember that your potatoes will be
slightly salted from the cooking water).  

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into bitesize pieces (the pieces will get a bit smaller as you mix them too) and put them into a large bowl.  Gently fold the sourcream mixture into the potatoes just until potatoes are coated, being careful not to break down the potatoes too much. 

Enjoy!

I am not a huge carrot fan, but I was looking for something to do with a ton of carrots leftover from a batch of baby food for my 5 month old.  I found this idea from an old, old cookbook that I had dusted off from college days (which is funny, because who cooks in college, besides boiling water for Ramen noodles?).  Anyway, Matt called this "20/20 soup"; because it's pretty much all carrots.  I, however, like to think of it as  "complexion soup" : )  Somehow it's a really good and light, summery soup for dinner, or a tasty starter.  It's VERY easy too.

You'll Need:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp coriander seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground sea salt
Ground black pepper
3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into even chunks about 1-1 1/2" long
3 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 oz heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
A few sprigs of cilantro leaves, for garnish

To Make:
Preheat the oven to 400' F. Combine oil, honey, cumin, coriander, cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp sea salt and lots of ground pepper in a roasting pan.  Add the chunks of carrot and mix well to coat all pieces of carrot.  Roast for 1 hour until carrot is tender (toss the carrots once after 30 minutes or so).  

Transfer half the carrot chunks (minus the coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks), 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, and 1 cup of water to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth.  

To get the carrots into the blender without the coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks, just use your fingers and brush them off.  It's pretty easy.  But you don't want the seeds or cinnamon in the blender because it doesn't ground up very well and then you'll have to pick them out of the soup as you eat (I did this the first time I made it and it got a little tedious).  

Transfer the pureed carrot mixture to a soup pot and put on Medium heat.  Then repeat pureeing the remainder of the roasted carrots, another 1 1/2 c. chicken stock and another 1 c. water.  Add this to soup pot too.  Simmer this for about 10 minutes.  Add the cream and season with salt & pepper as needed.  

Garnish with 1/4 tsp sour cream and a little cilantro sprig.     

I am way past Cinco de Mayo, but made these anyway and they were great.  You can
definitely taste the tequila and lime in them - but don't be scared, they are still sweet and delicious!  I made them with part butter and part vegetable oil because while I like the butter flavor, the oil helps them stay moist :) 

Makes about 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp soft butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 Tbsp tequila (for the batter)
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp tequila (to brush on after baking)

For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, soft
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp tequila
Large pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups confectioners sugar (perhaps more)

Cream butter and sugar then add oil and mix well.  Add eggs and lime and 2 Tbs of tequila.  (mixture will look curtled after this but keep going!) Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, then add vanilla.  

Bake at 325F for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (cupcakes will still look very light when done- dont overbake).  

Brush with 1-2 Tbsp tequila when they are warm.   Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then move to wire rack to cool completely.  

To make frosting, cream butter on high for about 5 minutes.  Add lime juice, tequila, salt and vanilla until smooth (scrape sides) then add confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.  Add sugar as needed until desired consistency.  
Olè!  Oops, I mean ENJOY!

NOTE: Make sure you use good tequila because you can definitely taste it!

Lately I have been making a lot of my own salad dressings...which I never before realized could be so simple and so delicious!  My new favorite go-to is a dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar vinaigrette.  It's a little sweet, got a bit of a kick from the dijon, and goes really well with a light, summery salad.

You will need:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil (this is what I used but I imagine any oil will do)
1 heaping Tbs good dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
S&P to taste

SO simple.  You just whisk all those ingredients together and voila!  I like to use fresh cracked pepper rather than all ready ground for a bit more flavor.  And I tend to like this dressing most on a salad with a little bit of sweetness to it (like fresh strawberries or candied walnuts or something).  

Note: You can make your own candied walnuts super easily by simply heating up granulated sugar in a saucepan.  As the sugar heats up, swirl it around until it's all melted and turning caramel colored.  Once all melted pour in a bunch of walnuts and stir to coat.  Turn the walnuts out onto a cutting board and cool.  As they cool they will harden and then you can chop them up and throw them on your salad.  YUM!

I made some summery cole slaw the other day to go with baked beans and Emily's pulled pork sandwiches - so good.  I normally would add just a titch of horseradish to give it a little zing but my Remy would have said "It's too picy" so I held off and tried to be happy that she even eats cole slaw.

You will need:
1.5 Tbs vinegar (cider or white)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste) 
black pepper
1/2 cup mayo
2 carrots, shredded
8 cups loosely packed, shredded or thin sliced cabbage
1/2 tsp celery seed

To make:
Toss together your carrots and cabbage together in a large bowl.  Whisk together the rest of the ingredients and then pour over cabbage mixture.  Toss to coat thoroughly and refridgerate until ready to eat.  Makes about 10 servings.

You gotta be careful with this - make sure you have company to share it with because its very easy to refill your glass and refill your glass and refill your glass and then you cant count anymore...  Also I should mention ahead of time that this takes a few days to make.  It tastes ok when just made, but a few days in the fridge makes a huge difference in the flavor.

You'll need:2 oranges
2 apples
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 bottles red wine (750 ml each)
2 Tbs brandy (optional)
Tonic or seltzer (optional)

To make:
Heat the water in the microwave and add the sugar - stir to dissolve then set aside to cool. 

Cut up the 2 apples and 1 of the oranges and drop them in a 1/2 gallon size (atleast) container.  Squeeze the remaining orange over the fruit, and also add the lime juice,
cinnamon, brandy and wine.  

Add in about 1/3 cup of the sugar/water mixture, stir then taste.  Add more of the sugar water (called simple syrup) to taste.  The mixture will sweeten over the next 2 days so make it just a tad less sweet than how you'd want it.  You could also save the rest of the simple syrup in the fridge to add later.  

Cover your container and place in fridge to let the sangria "brew" for at least 2 days before serving.  Can serve straight up or topped with a little seltzer or tonic.  Don't forget to eat your fruit too! 

Note: you can experiment with different red wines, but I like to add one darker wine like a burgundy and then one sweeter wine so i don't have to add as much sugar.   

I've been into making my own salad dressings lately.  We had a random few summery days here in NH in March so we made grilled chicken Caesar salads! 

You will need:
Scant 1/3 cup mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 cup shredded parmesean cheese *
pepper+ salt to taste

*I shred my own parm, so 1 cup might be different than if you use pre-grated instead.

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Makes about 1/2 cup.