It's been a VERY hot summer here in Minnesota and I've struggled with new recipe ideas. Most nights my husband and I are just too tired to make anything so we just grab something light. This fruit salad is one of our favorite dishes right now with such delicious fruit in the stores and at the farmers markets.

Makes 8-10 servings

2 lbs cherries, pitted and sliced
1 pint blueberries
4 mangos, peeled and sliced
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced

Glaze
2 T honey
1 lime

Combine the honey and the juice from the lime to create a glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the fruit, toss and serve. 

I picked these up at the store the other day and I am absolutely in love with them! They are multigrain and cholesterol free. They contain no MSG, are low in sodium, and have no trans fats! And as if that wasn't enough... they are gluten free too! Sounds like they wouldn't be very good right? Wrong, they are so delicious. Give 'em a try, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

For a different take on the classic Caesar Salad, try this mix of market purchased ingredients. Just combine and enjoy! We like the Caesar Cardini's brand dressing, either regular or lite. Add some yummy bread and you have a delicious summer supper, no stove required!

Serves 2-3

1 bag romaine salad mix
1 red skinned apple, chunked
1/2 cup french fried onions
1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1 whole chicken breast, grilled and chunked
Creamy caesar dressing
Fresh ground pepper

Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl, add desired amount of dressing and fresh ground pepper, toss and serve!

The fairy godmother, aka Mom, turned me on to this product a couple years ago and what a wonderful discovery! I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to make a recipe but it called for buttermilk and I had none in the house or what I had was already expired. You simply mix the dry buttermilk into your recipe, add the required water and you're ready to get cooking! It's that easy...just be sure to keep it in the fridge after opening and it will keep for a very long time.

You know it's summer in the Midwest when the rhubarb is ripe! I found this recipe online several years ago, but I made a few tweaks that I think have made these muffins even more delicious!

Makes 6 Jumbo Muffins (or 8 regular size)

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped rhubarb*
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325º.

Mix together all the dry ingredients. Stir in the oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla, only mixing until incorporated. Gently fold in the rhubarb and walnuts. Grease your muffin pans and fill each cup 1/2 full. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the muffins.

Bake for 25 min or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

*You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb. If using frozen, be sure to thaw and drain as much liquid off as possible.

I picked up this recipe years ago from my cousin in Nebraska. Each time I bring this dish to a get together, I get requests for the recipe. Make it a day ahead - it keeps well for several days.

16 oz can french style green beans, drained
16 oz can baby peas, drained
11 oz can mexicorn, drained
4 oz jar of diced pimentos, drained
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped onion

3/4 c vinegar
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 T water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix together the vinegar, sugar, veg oil, water, salt and pepper to form the marinade. Pour the marinade over all the vegetables and refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain well and serve chilled. You can store the leftovers, if there are any, in the fridge for several days.

This is a great salad for fans of the earthy taste of wild rice, and it's picnic friendly since it uses no mayonnaise. Make it the day before so the flavors have time to blend.

Serves 8-10

24 oz. chicken broth
1 1/2 c wild rice, rinsed and drained
1 c shredded carrots
1 c coarsely chopped pecans
3/4 c dried cherries or cranberries
1/3 c sliced green onions
4 T canola oil
4 T balsamic vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine chicken broth and uncooked wild rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Cover and cook about 40 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the white centers of the rice are showing. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour. Add the carrots, pecans, cherries and green onions.

Mix together; oil, vinegar, curry powder, dry mustard and garlic powder. Pour over rice and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

Packed with blueberries and a hint of lemon, this scone is great for breakfast, brunch or whenever.

Serves 8

1/2 c low fat buttermilk
1/4 c sugar
4 T chilled butter (I use a cheese grater to shred the butter so it incorporates easily)
1 T lemon zest
1 egg
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried blueberries*

1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T water

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Stir in the lemon zest, butter, and blueberries. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and egg, mix well and incorporate into the dry ingredients. Mix the batter gently as to not over work or the scones will be a bit tough.

On a lightly floured surface knead the dough carefully a few times so that you form a oblong shape(roughly 6" x10") about 1" thick. Place the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a knife to make 7 - 1/4" deep score marks. Bake for 15-18 min, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

In the meantime, combine the powdered sugar and water to create your glaze. Drizzle the glaze on top of the scones and you're done-ENJOY!

*dried cherries, cranberries can be substituted for the blueberries.

Note: You can certainly form this scone dough any way you want, sometimes I just drop heaping spoonfuls on to the parchment paper for a more rustic scone.

This BBQ sauce is packed with a potent punch of sweet heat! Pick up a pack of your favorite sandwich buns, a rotisserie chicken and some cole slaw...top if all off with this homemade Chipotle Honey BBQ sauce and you've got dinner.

Makes about 3 cups of sauce

1 large white onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 T finely chopped garlic
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c tomato paste
1 c cider vinegar
1 1/4 c honey
1/2 c Worcestershire sauce
1 c Dijon mustard
1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 T chili powder
2 T chipotle powder

In a large saucepan, heat oil and saute garlic and onion until onion is transparent. Stir in all the other ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes. Let the sauce cool to room temperature and serve on your sandwich or cover tightly and keep refrigerated until you're ready to use it.

To make the sandwich pictured, I simply shredded up a whole rotisserie chicken and mixed up a bag of cole slaw. Lay a nice bed of cole slaw on your bun, pile on some chicken and top with the BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, I've got an easy to make salsa that's packed full of flavor! Make it mild or kick it up with some spicy peppers!

1-24oz. jar of thick and chunky salsa
1 tsp. chili powder
1-15 oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes, chopped
2-15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 T honey
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
1 bunch of green onions- chopped
2 avocados, diced
1-11oz. can Mexi-Corn
1-3.8 oz. can sliced black olives, drained

Mix all the ingredients together and cover tightly. Chill for a minimum of 4 hours so that the flavors have time to circulate. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
 
Note: For some added heat, toss in some chopped jalapeno peppers