Grilled Corn with Lime and Chili Powder

Grilled corn on the cob has become our go-to side dish this summer.  With burgers, chicken, shrimp - you name it - if we're grilling for dinner, then we are grilling corn.  

The flavor on this is just outstanding.  Butter, salt, fresh lime juice and a little kick from the chili powder.  So, so good.  So fresh! 

    2-4 servings

Grilled Corn with Lime and Chili Powder

4 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

butter

salt to taste

chili powder

2 limes, cut in wedges

Preheat grill on medium-high with the lid closed for a couple of minutes.  Brush the ears of corn with vegetable oil.  Place directly on the grill, turning frequently for about 10 minutes.  The kernels will brighten in color and char marks will appear.  Butter, salt, dust with chili powder and squeeze one wedge of lime on each one.

Brownie Bottom Pecan Pie Bars

Be warned...these will be gone before you know it.  In fact, I ended up making these twice in about a week because they were gone way too fast.  They are just that good.

And just when you thought they couldn't get any tastier - there are chocolate chips in the topping too!  Double the chocolate!  The edges get sort of crispy from the corn syrup and sugar, but the middle is all ooey gooey goodness.   

 Makes about 25 bars

Brownie Bottom Pecan Pie Bars

1 box of brownie mix
ingredients to make brownies - water, eggs, oil (according to directions on box)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/3 cup corn syrup, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 9-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Prepare brownie mix according to instruction and pour into greased pan.  Bake for about 20 minutes (about 1/2 the time it says on the box) and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs, melted butter, corn syrup and sugar until well combined.  Add the chocolate chips and pecans and spread over the brownies.  Bake until set, about 25 minutes.  Cool completely in pan before cutting.

Bacon and Tomato Quiche

This quiche would be an amazing brunch dish (breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - really any time of day!).   I chose to make it for our dinner a couple of nights ago - I had an extra pie shell and thought why not do something savory?  

I love the brown crispy edges.  This baked up so perfectly!  The tomatoes were a great addition and went really well with the swiss cheese - you can also add peppers, mushrooms, etc. and really make this how you like it.  

This was polished off in no time!  My husband had seconds and even pulled this out for breakfast the next morning!  I was shocked!  He's not a huge leftover person so I took that as a good sign that this quiche was a winner.

Serves 8

Bacon and Tomato Quiche

1 9-inch frozen pie shell

2 cups swiss cheese

2 tablespoons flour

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups half & half

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place frozen pie shell on 9 x 13-inch baking sheet.  In a small bowl, combine cheese and flour and mix well; set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs slightly, then add the half & half, tomato, bacon, salt and pepper and mix well.  Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

(Source:  Adapted from For the Love of Food) 

Spicy Turkey Burgers with Avocado-Ranch Dressing

My husband and I have been grilling fools lately.  Probably a combination of the awesome weather we've been having, a new grill and a fantastic new brick courtyard we built.  But we are spending more time than ever outside.  At any rate, we grilled these turkey burgers the other night and they are amazing.  The burger itself is very simply seasoned, but garnished with spicy cheese, avocado-ranch dressing and if you like, a tomato and more avocado (yes, please!) makes it pretty sensational. 

The avocado-ranch dressing really cools down the spiciness of the pepper jack cheese and the burger itself.   Such a great combination!!  I make this sauce often - it's also fantastic with Southwestern egg rolls. 

Makes 4 burgers and 1 1/2 cups dressing 

Spicy Turkey Burgers

1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon McCormick spicy grill seasoning
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 good rolls (I used ciabatta)

Avocado-Ranch Dressing
1 cup ranch dressing
1 avocado, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Divide the turkey into 4 equal parts and form each section into patties.  Make an indentation with your thumb in the middle of each patty to prevent the tops of the burgers from rounding.  Use the tablespoon of grill seasoning to sprinkle evenly over each one.  Place on grill and close lid, grilling for 4-5 minutes on each side or until they are cooked throughout (165 degrees using a meat thermometer).

Make the sauce: in a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mash with a fork (or I used my potato masher!).  Serve over the turkey burgers or as a dipping sauce or dressing.

Summertime Salsa

I know it's not the official start of summer yet, but it was just Memorial Day weekend, and that pretty much makes it feel like summer.  This salsa is the epitome of summer - fresh ingredients and the freshest of flavors.  

I'm trying to pay a lot more attention to my garden this year - as opposed to other years where I didn't really bother to prune, just kind of picked off what I needed.  It paid off!  I just picked my first (huge!) batch of cilantro.

This salsa is so easy - everything rough chopped, into the food processor, pulse and done. 

Puree it as smooth or chunky as you like it.  My husband and I have to compromise a little so I puree mine so everything is in teeny tiny dices.  You'll actually end up with more of a liquidy salsa the longer it's in the food processor. 

The colors are gorgeous and looks even prettier topped with a little more fresh cilantro as a garnish.  And by the way, I typically double this recipe, even if I'm making it just for our family.  If I don't, it's gone in one sitting.  We are addicted!

Makes about 2 cups

Summertime Salsa

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons diced jalapenos (from the jar)
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, leaves removed from stems
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and pulse until it's the consistency you prefer.  Serve with tortilla chips for a snack or as a garnish with tacos, nachos, etc.