Summer Corn Cakes with Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients for the cakes:

3 ears of corn, shucked, and kernels cut off the cob

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs

2 TBSP buttermilk

2 TBSP melted butter

Instructions:

Place the corn, flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, powder, soda salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs slightly, mix with butter and buttermilk. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet, stirring only to combine, do not over stir.

In a large skillet, put enough canola oil in, just to cover the bottom. When it is hot, start to use your batter just like pancakes,  it the batter is thick, so you'll need to spread it out with the back of your spoon. Cook each side until golden brown.

Serve hot with the salsa on top. Recipe follows.

Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa:

Ingredients:

1 large tomato, cord and chopped

1 green onion, sliced 

1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro

1 TBSP chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 avocado, sliced into chunks

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients, except avocado and chill for at least an hour. Before serving, carefully stir in avocado.

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

---After trying this, Dee and I decided that next time we'll toast our sandwich buns with a little garlic butter---

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of your favorite Caesar salad dressing

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Romaine lettuce

Sandwich rolls or hamburger buns

Instructions:

Place chicken in slow cooker (crock pot) with 1-2 cups of water (or for added flavor chicken broth) and let cook for 4- hours on low heat.

Remove cooked chicken from pot and shred. (We found it super fast to add to the kitchen aid and let the beater do the hard work. Drain liquid from pot and add chicken back in. Mix in dressing, cheese, parsley, and pepper. Let cook on high for 30 minutes to become hot. (We did add a bit more dressing to help it be moist). Serve on buns with lettuce and additional cheese.

Raspberry Cream Pie

--- This recipe originally called for a regular pastry pie crust. However, it's such a hot summer that I didn't want to turn on the oven, so I substituted a graham crackled crust. I think it would be tasty whichever pie shell you use!

Ingredients:

One 9 inch pie crust

Filling:

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

Dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups Cool Whip

Topping:

1 TBSP cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1 heaping cup fresh raspberries

1 1/2 tsp water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TBSP butter

1 tsp vanilla

Dash of salt

Instructions:

Bake your pie crust according to directions or use pre-made graham crust.

In a medium saucepan, add berries, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and sugar. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil for a few minutes to let the berries break down and become the consistency of thin pudding. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and salt. Transfer to another bowl to cool.

In a mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth. Then add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix to combine. Finally, add cool whip and sour cream and beat until well combined, about two minutes.

Pour in cam mixture to pie shell and smooth out. Top with berry sauce and let refrigerate for at least an hour. Enjoy!