It's summer time .. and the livin' is easy....

Ahh summer! BBQs.pools.sun tans.margaritas. Its my second favorite season. (Lets face it, I'm really a cold weather girl.) There is nothing better than the smell of a charcoal grill, a nice cool beverage in hand - hanging out with your best buds.

This is the season for our favorite potluck type dishes. When its hot, and we'd rather be socializing, slaving over a hot stove just isn't in our agenda. Fear not, my friends. You can still make fabulous dishes that take just  minutes of prep and will still wow your friends and family. A couple of my absolute summer favorites are potato salad and blackberry cobbler. Ooooh yum. And nothing beats fresh picked blackberries, if you are lucky enough to live somewhere where you have some. Sadly, I am not at the moment. But some day .. oh some day I'll send my darling cherubs out to the edge of the yard to prick their fingers and bring me back a basket of blackberries ... purple stained fingers and lips because they've snuck some on the way back. ;)

But first, lets cover potato salad. Generally, potato salad is that "obligatory" food at a cook out. No one really ENJOYS eating it, but it pairs decent with brats, burgers and 'dogs. Potato salad comes in two basic types: with mustard and without. I love mustard. So mine is a "with mustard" dish. But its so remarkably unforgettable your friends might actually eat it all and then beg you to tell them how you did it, or where you bought it. -- When that happens, smile to yourself. You've turned one boring side dish into a desirable event. And give them the recipe if you want, or hold onto it as a family secret. I won't tell. ;)

Potato Salad with Peas and Bacon

I don't usually have a preference for potatoes. All things being what they are I buy what gives me the most bang for my stretched buck these days -- which is almost always Russet potatoes. So that's what I used here -- but feel free to use your favorite!

2 pounds potatoes
1 Teaspoon salt
2 hard boiled eggs
1 Cup cooked frozen peas
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoons sour cream
3 Teaspoons yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons bacon bits

Step 1.

Peel and dice the potatoes. Add the teaspoon of salt to a saucepan filled with water and boil the potatoes, about 20 minutes or until tender.

Step 2.
Chop eggs and cook the frozen peas.

Step 3.
toss the eggs, peas and potatoes together and refrigerate until chilled.

Step 4.
Mix mayo, sour cream, bacon bits and mustard together in a small bowl.

Step 5.
Gently coat the potatoes with the mayo/mustard mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

*** WAIT! Lets cover one thing real fast : hard boiling eggs. Now, for years I've wondered HOW you go about hard-boiling an egg .. and everyone has a different theory. Start with the water cold, drop in eggs, and then simmer for X minutes ... bring water to boil THEN drop in eggs (this almost always results in cracking) ... and I always wonder whether or not they are actually done in the middle. -- Have you tried shaking it to see if you can hear sloshing? I have. Not an effective method. 

My 1000 Best Recipes cookbook from America's Test Kitchen solved my dilemma. I've made 2 batches of hard boiled eggs with their method and its been complete egg perfection. So here goes:

Put your eggs in a pot of cool water and bring to a boil. When the water starts to boil, take it off the heat, cover and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes.  TADA. That.easy.

Ok.. moving on. 

Blackberry Cobbler

This recipe comes from my favorite food blogger thepioneerwoman.com. Blackberries were on sale at my local grocer and I just LOVE blackberry cobbler. Its like biting into a tiny piece of my childhood. This recipe is more cake like and it should be noted that it does not keep well... so save this dish for a gathering ... unless you want to keep it all for yourself! 

1/2 Cups melted butter (I use salted butter, if you don't add 1/2 tsp of salt)
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 Cups sugar
1 Cup milk
2 Pints blackberries

Step 1.
Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Preheat oven to 350.

Step 2.
Pour 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. (if you are adding salt, do it here.)

Step3.
Pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together.

Step 4.
Butter a baking dish.

Step 5.
Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries.

Step 6.
Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.

Step7.
Bake 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly.

** for a little extra crunch to the top - sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

So there you have it!  Two classic summer dishes with slightly new twists. Give 'em a try, share them with friends, raise your glasses and embrace your lives -- you only get this one, so start now. Here's to an AWESOME time! <3