To prepare corn:

Peel back husks of 4 ears of corn, leaving them attached to the base of the ear. Remove and discard silk, pulls husks back over corn. Place several paper towels on the microwave and arrange ears side-by-side on top of towels. Microwave on high for 8-9 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Remove husks and serve with Basil Butter (see below).

From Everyday Food magazine, this bright and flavorful butter makes any vegetable tasty. The original recipe was for corn-on-the-cob, but this would be great on green beans, carrots, and baked potatoes.

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalter butter
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/8 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until well blended. Serve at room temperature. Can be refrigerated for about 2-3 days.

I used my mini-chopper to better blend the butter and chop the basil.

Here is another summer thirst-quencher, combining the seasonal flavors of blueberry and cucumber with orange juice and honey. This fresh and fruity recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine.

3 cups fresh orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 pint fresh blueberries (frozen can be substituted)
1 medium cucumber

Cut cucumber into chunks. Combine with blueberries, orange juice, and honey in a blender. Process until smooth. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a medium bowl, pressing solids with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to squeeze out juice. Discard solids.

Serve in tall glasses over ice. Makes 4 servings.

Here is a great dessert recipe from the Everyday Food book. It is listed in the “Fall” chapter, but I think it works better for spring or summer, when the stone fruits are more in season. The combination I used was peaches, plums, and apricots. Because the apricots were small, I used 4 instead of 2.

Pick 3 of the following:
2 apricots
2 nectarines
2 peaches
2 plums
Plus:
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 to 3 tbsp sugar (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 small)
Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, optional

Preheat oven to 400F

Prick the skins of the stone fruit. Halve each fruit and remove pits. Halve fruit again. Separate rosemary leaves and discard stems.

In a roasting pan, toss the fruit with rosemary, sugar, butter, and lime juice. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the fruit is fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve warm over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired, and drizzle the pan juices over the top.

A Jenn Original Recipe, using red potatoes and fresh rosemary tossed with garlic and Parmesan cheese. Adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes.

2-3 lbs red potatoes, washed and scrubbed
3 large sprigs rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400F

Cut potatoes into quarters and arrange in a single layer in a baking pan. Separate rosemary leaves from stems. Toss potatoes with rosemary, garlic, and Parmesan cheese with enough olive oil to coat potatoes (about 2-3 tbsp). Season with salt and pepper.

Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Rearrange potatoes ever 15-20 minutes to keep them from sticking to pan. Add more olive oil if needed.