Fresh Corn & Tomato Salsa

This salsa tastes like summer. The lime juice is wonderful and brings together these fresh ingredients into a delicious salsa. I used a homegrown jalapeno which is always fun to do. The salsa is jam packed with flavor, crunch, and goes very well with tortilla chips! Cheers!

1 cup fresh yellow sweet corn (cut off the cob)
2 roma tomatoes
1 small jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 cup red onion
2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt

Chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and garlic. Add to corn in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and salt. Stir and put in the fridge for a bit to chill.

Cold Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is good for you. Cut off about a cup of lemon balm and put it in a medium bowl, boil some water, pour it over the lemon balm, and let steep for 30 minutes. Pour liquid in pitcher & refrigerate. Add lemon balm leaf to garnish.

Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Chicken & Peanut Butter

It always feels wonderful to eat homegrown vegetables. I grew the buttercrunch lettuce for these wraps which is a good lettuce to use for wraps, and you can experiment with different lettuce types. There is a recipe on this blog for a lettuce wrap and I used it and another one I found to come up with this version. Peanut butter in the sauce? Yes, please! The ingredient amounts are an estimate. I only measured the sesame oil because a little goes a long way, am I right? And the chili sauce--go more if you like it hot but the called for 2 teaspoons gives it a medium spice and will make your nose run.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. ground chicken

1/3 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 water chestnuts, chopped

1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced (I keep some in the freezer)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons cilantro for topping

1 green onion for topping

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Let the oil heat up and cook the chicken, onions, garlic, water chestnuts, ginger, and salt. Turn the heat to low and add the remaining 5 ingredients, one by one, stirring after each is added. Cook on low for 15 minutes and then serve on top of lettuce, add toppings, and -- wrap it up because it will be messy!

Fresh Blueberry-Strawberry Trifle

Fresh summer fruit--the best. Homemade whipped cream feels like a cloud in your mouth and this trifle is bursting with the sweet fruit of summer. The pound cake adds texture and soaks up the yummy juices from the mascerated strawberries and blueberries. Other types of berries can be used if it suits your fancy. Click here for my whipped cream recipe.

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh strawberries, tops cut off & sliced thinly lengthwise

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

2 slices pound cake, cut into cubes

Mix the fruit and sugar. Stir, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours until juice is created. Add pound cake to a martini glass and layer with fruit and whipped cream. Cheers!