A Taste of Summer

Corn, Tomato and Zucchini Relish 

Cook's Notes: A taste of pure juicy bliss eating tomatoes from your garden. Add in other fresh veggies and you have a taste of summer in a bowl. Recipe adapted Food and Wine Magazine.  A product called Ken's Light Northern Italian with Basil and Romano can be substituted for the dressing in this recipe, add right before serving.
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 TB. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp. minced ginger or 
• 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard 
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 3 large ears of corn 
• 2-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (1/2 inch pieces)
• 1 cup diced zucchini or yellow squash (1/2 inch pieces) 
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper (1/2 inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup diced red onion 
• 1 jalapeno, or to taste, minced 
• 3 TB. minced basil 

Directions:

•  In a small saucepan, boil vinegar, brown sugar and salt just until dissolved. Pour in a large bowl.
• In same saucepan heat olive oil on a medium heat, add in garlic, mustard, ginger, pepper and cumin. Saute about a 1 minute. 
• Slowly whisk oil mixture into vinegar mixture and mix well. 
• Blanch the corn in boiling water 2 minutes, place in an ice bath to cool, cut kernels off cob and add them to the bowl with oil and vinegar mixture.
• Add in tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, minced jalapeno, basil and red onion, gently stir mixture.
• Refrigerate 4 hours
  

Stuffed Mini Pepper Poppers

Cook's Notes: Recipe comes from Rosalba via Kathleen. We had a lovely platter with 15  Mini Pepper Poppers set out for a summer  appetizer. As we all  happily munched away suddenly I discovered we did not get a photo forcing a little creativity to rearrange another dish for a photo.  

Ingredients:

• 1 package multicolored mini peppers from produce section
• 1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 packet dry Fiesta Zesty Ranch Dressing Mix
• 3 TB. bacon bits

• 1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 TB. finely chopped red onion

Directions: 

Soften cream cheese and place in a large bowl. Use a mixer to blend in all other ingredients except peppers. 

Cut tops off peppers, scrape out seeds. Fill peppers and place on a platter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill a few hours before serving. 

Dip Into Summer Salsas