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Enjoy those wonderful summer vegetables from your garden, grocery store, or farmer’s market in delicious casseroles. Quick, easy, inexpensive and perfect for family reunions, picnics, pitch-in meals, etc. Choose from Zucchini Cheese Casserole, Shirley’s Asparagus Casserole, and Summer Squash Casserole.

ZUCCHINI CHEESE CASSEROLE

1 1/2 qts (6 cups) peeled, seeded, diced zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup Ritz style cracker crumbs
6 tbsp melted butter or margarine
8-oz pkg shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together all ingredients except one-half of the cheese. Pour mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish that has been lightly greased. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until zucchini is tender and casserole is bubbly.

SHIRLEY’S ASPARAGUS CASSEROLE

2 cans asparagus (or an equal amount of fresh, steamed)
2 tbsps milk
3/4 box cheese crackers or saltines
3 hard boiled eggs
1 or 2 pieces pimento, chopped
2 small cans English peas
2 cans mushroom soup
1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat mushroom soup and milk together in a medium saucepan. Crumble crackers into melted butter and mix well. Using half of each layer asparagus, sliced eggs, peas, soup mixture, sprinkle with pimento. Repeat with remaining items. Top with crackers. Bake at 325 degrees until browned and bubbly.

SUMMER SQUASH CASSEROLE

2 lbs. yellow squash, sliced (can mix yellow squash with zucchini if desired)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded carrots
1 pkg (8-oz) herb stuffing mix (I prefer Pepperridge Farms)
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, cook the squash and onion in boiling salted water for 5 minutes; drain. Combine cream of chicken soup with the sour cream. Stir in the carrots. Fold in squash and onion mixture. Combine stuffing mix and butter. Spray a 9 x 12-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half the stuffing mixture in bottom of dish. Spoon vegetable mixture over the stuffing. Top with the remaining stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Summer is coming and so is the hot weather. Nobody likes to cook in the heat of summer. A really hot meal on a hot day is almost as unpopular. It could be that a cool, easy to prepare summer soup is just what you need.

Below are 3 recipes for soups that can be made in your food processor or blender. If you have the ingredients on hand, none of them take more than 10 minutes to make. They are all delicious, nutritious, and really refreshing on a hot day. While the recipes all suggest you use a food processor, you can get very good results by using a blender or hand blender too.

These are all very simple recipes, so don’t be shy to modify them and get a taste that your whole family can enjoy.

Here are the recipes.

Summer Vegetarian soup
This is great tasting soup with a touch of Italy included. It is super easy to make and very healthy. It is particularly good on a hot summer day

an avocado – skin and pit removed of course
4 Roma tomatoes – they may not be quite juicy enough (see below)
Basil to taste (Thai basil is really good in this)
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Process
How easy is this soup? Simply throw everything into your food processor and mix until it is smooth. If you find that it is more like a smoothie than soup, simply add more liquid (or swap one of the Roma tomatoes for another more juicy variety). Pour into bowls, garnish as you wish (minced chives are nice) and enjoy.

Sensational Salsa & Black Bean

This soup is a very simple soup that takes just a few minutes to prepare. It can be served hot or cold, but always benefits from being heated.
Roughly 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 normal sized cans of black beans (any brand is OK, but try for low salt)
1 1/2 cups soup stock (Just use chicken, beef, or vegetable bullion)
1 cup of your favorite salsa (chunky makes a heartier soup)
1 teaspoon cumin (best to use fresh ground in the soup and you can sprinkle seeds on top too)
1/4 cup of sour cream
1-2 green onions chopped fine

Process:
Put the beans, salsa, cumin, and soup stock into a food processor (a blender is OK too). Puree the mixture until it is creamy in texture. Pour the mixture into a mid-sized pot and heat on low-medium until it is completely hot. This allows the flavours to merge. If you are going to serve it cold, move it to the fridge to cool off till it is time to eat. To eat it hot, simply serve into bowls and garnish with the onions and some of the sour cream.

MANGO SOUP

Mangos are simply divine. They are great as a fruit, mixed into drinks, added to salads. They also make a really good cool summer soup which is explained below.

Ingredients:

1 large RIPE mango (it will be soft, no squishy, to touch)
2 cups chicken soup stock (make your own or use bullion if you must)
1 TBSP lemon grass (available in most Asian markets, it looks like long greenish reeds when you buy it)
1 TBSP ginger – Freshly chopped is best
Ground chili peppers to taste
1 cup yogurt (2% plain is best)
2 TBSP cilantro (chinese parsley) chopped fine

Process:
Chop mango and put in food processor. Mix briefly and then put in the ginger, lemon grass, chili and 1/2 cup of soup stock. Mix again till everything becomes very smooth. Move the soup into another bowl (be sure it is large enough) and mix in first the rest of the stock, and then the yogurt. This is best served cold, so put in fridge till you are ready to eat. Then put into bowls and serve with the cilantro as the garnish.

As the temperature starts to go up give these soups a try. They are all very simple and will add a new delicious and healthy dimension to your summer diet.

The temperature has been rising since the Fourth of July.  The hot months of summer are upon us.  The summer season offers blue sky and plenty of opportunities to play outdoors: in the park, on the beach, or in our own backyard. On the other hand, the hot weather should also play a role in our decison on the gifts we send to our friends and loved ones for their birthdays, anniversary, or other celebrations during the dog days of summer.  Gifts such as chocolates that are great during other seasons are not recommended for shipping during summer. There is no guarantee that the chocolates will not melt even with added ice and heat protectant in packaging. So instead of sending a gift of the recipient’s favorite food, it may be better to send a gift based on the favorite activities of the recipient. This article provides some summer gift ideas in accordance with the activities that the recipients enjoy.

summer is busy and enjoyable time for gardeners.  They are busy caring for and maintaining their garden in full bloom.  For the avid gardener in your life, you can send a gardening gift. Inside the basket are gardening tools, cloth gardening gloves for hand protection, foam kneepad for planting, packets of seeds, watering can, ice tea mix, and gourmet snacks. Some may even contain a wooden birdhouse, a ceramic decorative plaque, or a book of wisdom for the gardener.  Some gardening gifts have their contents filled in a tote instead of a basket, such that the gardener can carry all her tools in the tote while working in the garden.  The gardening gift will be a most welcomed gift for your mom, wife, sister, or other female recipient who are avid gardeners.  

Summer is time for picnic in the park, sitting on the green grass, listening to the birds, and watching the kids play.  Picnic basket filled with all the fine food one will need for picnic in the park would make a great gift. One such basket contains smoked salmon, summer sausage, wheat wafer, veggie dip, cheese spread with cheese knife, breadsticks, and short bread cookies. Your recipients will appreciate your great taste when this gift arrives.

Summer is also time for barbeque by the pool, in the park, or in the backyard.  Barbeque gift baskets are popular summer gifts, especially for men. Men are usually proud masters of the grill.  Send a bbq gift basket filled with barbeque utensils, sauce and seasonings, gourmet treats, and BBQ recipe cards.  Give him the opportunity to show off his mastery of the grill, and share the fun with the family.

Summer is time for outdoor activities such as golfing, fishing, motor cycling, camping, and hiking. There are gifts especially designed for these activities.  For example, for the golfer in your life, you can send a golf gift filled with treats for the golf course and treats to eat.  One of these gifts is filled with golf-theme treats including golf tees, birdie pack, greens keeper turf kit, golfers fortune cookies, golf ball magnet, golf coffee mug, summer sausage, hot pepper cheese and other snacks.  Your recipient will be delighted with this special golf-theme gift, both on and off the course.  Golf gifts for lady golfers are also available.  For the fisherman in your life, you can send a fishing gift box with a built-in compartment organizer and see-through lid.  Inside the box are items that can really be used for a fishing trip, including a safety key chain with compass, whistle, and flashlight, multi-function stainless steel pocket knife, fishing floats/bobbers, and fishing lures.  Some gourmet snacks are tucked inside the box for the avid fisherman to enjoy.  If your recipient enjoy these outdoor activities, you may want to consider selecting these gifts.

Summer is time for the man of the house to work on projects such as outdoor Painting, and other maintenance chores. If you want the to do list to be completed sooner, it will help to send him a men at work gift box along with yourto do list. Inside the paint bucket are packed with pistachios, jelly beans, cheese dips, cookies, along with a gift card from a home improvement company.  

Lastly, summer is the time for vacatons. If you are invited to stay in your friend’s house for a vacation, don’t forget to send a thank you gift to the host family afterwards. It makes good etiquette to send a thank you gift to show your appreciation of their thoughtfulness.  Some of these thank you gift basket have thank you imprinted on ribbon and on boxes of treats.  They will sure receive your message of appreciation clearly.

In summary, summer is time to enjoy favorite outdoor activities such as gardening, picnic, barbeque, golfing, fishing, camping and hiking.  There are gifts with special theme on these activities.  Send summer gifts accordingto your recipient’s favorite activity, and share the fun. 

Kate S. is the CEO of Gift Basket for All, LLC. You can visit her site, http://www.giftbasketforall.com, for gourmet gift basket, anniversary, new baby, birthday, corporate, get well gifts.

For product information on summer gifts, visit:
http://www.giftbasketforall.com/summer-gifts

Chef Joey Altman shows you how to make great summer sides like oven-baked fries, snappy apple slaw and grilled stuffed corn.

A study from Rasmussen Reports declared summer as the favorite season for 31% of people investigated. Is it really surprising to you? Picture this: days are longer to enjoy the warm weather; a long day on a beach smelling the ocean, the sweet air mixed with the hot sun on your skin. People around you are happy to enjoy a beautiful day.

Happiness is everywhere actually; because it’s been proven that the sun has positive effects on people’s mood. Can you still say that summer time is not one of the best seasons? If you are not convinced just take a second to think about your last summer break.  Summer is the season when you can do all you want and leave reality aside.

I would like to share with you my recipe for happiness as a holiday maker. The ingredients of my recipe are simple, and hopefully it will give you one of the best summer holidays.

Quite recently I succeeded in reuniting my family in a beautiful park for a picnic. Everybody was there with their own picnic hamper full of all kinds of food. I can still smell the lemon cake made by my aunt slowly warmed by the sun. From then on, every lemon or warm day reminds me of this gorgeous day, it’s my Madeleine Proust.

You may ask, why sharing a picnic basket is so exceptional?

The feeling I got sharing that moment  with all  the people I love; was not  only about sharing a picnic basket , but it was about sharing a beautiful day, a moment, a landscape, a pleasant weather, a meal, a  food hamper; a day, to share the happiness of being together.

To be honest, the fact that it was a picnic played an important role for me; I still consider this day as one of my best memories. Food hampers with all the bits I love…Crisps, biscuits, finest seasonal fruit hampers, non-alcoholic drinks; beers for my uncles and chocolates for the kids. Each picnic hamper was surprising and helped to create the perfect atmosphere of this awesome day.

Big, small, full of gourmet foods or gifts, hampers are always a pleasant gift for holiday makers because you can take it wherever you want and, if it’s for a gift, you can be sure that hampers gifts will always be a pleasant surprise and very useful too.

Summer is the best season to send gift baskets, if you want to take some things with you to go on the beach with friends, if you need a well presented meal to share with the one you love on a beautiful countryside landscape or if you had to bring food for a picnic with your family, hampers4you.com; hampers online specialist’s, can help you create beautiful memories with a huge range of specialty products.