Hot fun in the summertime ...

"End of the spring and here she comes back
Hi, hi, hi, hi there
Them summer days, those summer days"















My brother and sister-in-law celebrated their mutual retirement and 60th birthdays with an impressive picnic last Saturday. Of course it was hot but that didn't seem to bother anyone. I think all us Minnesotans are used to being hot and sticky this summer. Mike and Sharon set up an inflatable-bounce-fun-house for the little kids and a live band played sixties-style music. They served keg beer, keg root beer, wine and pitchers of margaritas along with delicious pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches. The dining room table was piled high with an amazing array of salads and a nearby counter groaned from the weight of cookies, cherry pie and bars of every description. Life doesn't get any better and I hope the two of them enjoy many happy years of retirement.

I was especially inspired by a unique salad one of the party guests, Kathy, brought. It's gorgeous to look at and features some truly interesting ingredients: sweet corn and blueberries! I would never think of putting corn and blueberries together in a salad, and when you read the other ingredients, you'll be even more surprised!

Kathy got the recipe from TV's KARE 11 News@4. Local chef Amy Shipshock, from Le Cordon Bleu, prepared the salad on the KARE 11 program. I also found it on the Better Homes and Gardens site. The photo below is from Better Homes and Gardens as well:



















(Photo from Better Homes and Gardens)

Summer Salad with Blueberries and Fresh Sweet Corn
Prepare ahead, chill overnight
Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh sweet corn, husked
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1//4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 Tsp. ground cumin
Directions:
In a dutch oven bring salted water to a boil. Add corn. Cook, covered 5 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cobs. Combine lime juice, oil, honey, cuming, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Shake well to blend. In a serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno. Pour dressing over all; toss.
Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 24hrs). Serves 6-8.