Written by: Amanda Csolak for Spice Station Silverlake
When the sun begins to set a little earlier and there is a chill settling in the air you know that the end of Summer is near.
Summertime in America is a beloved season. Full of trips to beaches and pools, vacations abroad, parties and not to mention food. There is no denying that Americans love their food. Aside from hamburgers and hotdogs there are several foods that are time honored favorites that don’t get enough attention.
Here we will highlight those foods that help make the season of summer even better.
Serving the Classics
When it comes time to plan a get-together, whether it’s for a child’s birthday, family reunion, or just because, planning the meal should be the last thing you need to worry about. When it comes to summertime foods, you can’t go wrong. But if you want to really wow your guests with something other than a hamburger or hot dogs. You can offer up any one of these dishes that are sure to please your guests.
- Baby Back Ribs – These ribs can be marinated wet or seasoned with a dry rub and grilled to fall-off-the-bone perfection
- Crab Cakes – More well-known along the coasts and beaches of America, these little gems are worth trying at least once.
- Fish Tacos – Tacos are made with savory fish, typically a white fish like halibut, tilapia, mahi mahi, snapper, cod or catfish.
- Fried Catfish – More commonly seen in southern US kitchens, the fish is covered in a seasoned batter and then deep fried to a golden brown treat.
- Fried Green Tomatoes – green tomatoes are plucked from the plant before they have a chance to turn red. They are then sliced and covered with batter and seasonings before being fried. Serve warm with a side of ranch dressing.
- Pasta Salad – This cold pasta dish uses fusilli pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, diced onions and red bell peppers. Tossed in Italian dressing gives this dish a sweet kick you’ll love.
- Veggie & Meat Kabobs – Simply stated it’s veggies and meat all on a kabob stick. Common kabob veggies include onion and bell peppers, which tend to cook at the same rate as the chicken, beef or sausage they are paired with. The juice from the meat helps to keep the veggies from simply drying out over the flame of the grill.
Tasty Tradtional Favorites
Everyone loves the classics. From grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, to creamy potato salad, crispy fried chicken, and baked beans. These foods are all well known for there connection to Summer in America. But some just as delicious foods and drinks happen to fly under the radar of some foodies. These delicious treats are just as prized for there correlation to the warmest months of the year and happen to be my personal favorites.
My Top Five Summer Time Foods:
- Hobo Dinner Foil Packs: Traditionally, this meal was cooked over hot coals from a fire.
A simple and pleasing dish made with potatoes, carrots, onions and seasoned hamburger meat wrapped in foil and grilled or baked to perfection. - Pink Lemonade: A pink version of the classic. This popular summertime drink traditionally gets its pink hue from adding strawberries or another red fruit to the pitcher.
- Peach Cobbler: A deliciously warm, oven baked dessert consisting of southern yellow peaches topped with golden brown batter or biscuit mix. It resembles a pie with a bottom and top crust, but is typically made in a Pyrex dish instead of a pie plate.
- Pina Colada: A cocktail made using rum, cream of coconut, or coconut milk mixed with pineapple juice. It is commonly served shaken or blended with ice. Making it the perfect drink for summer!
- Grilled Corn on the Cob: Corn on the cob has always been a top favorite side dish to complement any grilled meat. What’s great about grilled corn on the cob, is that you can cook them simultaneously with your chicken, steak or BBQ. You can grill them with the corn husk on for a crispier cob or wrap them in foil with salt, pepper and butter for juicy perfectly seasoned corn.
Summer Time Seasoning
Whenever I’m on the hunt for spices, Spice Station Silverlake is always my go-to one stop shop. This isn’t just some random spice store; it’s like the ultimate spice playground for anyone who loves cooking. They’ve got everything — from the usual suspects you sprinkle every day to those rare gems you didn’t even know existed. Seriously, every time I pop in, I’m amazed by their selection. Need that everyday spice? They got it. Something super unique? Yep, they have that too. Whether I’ve got a specific dish in mind or I’m just feeling a bit experimental, Spice Station Silverlake never lets me down.
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Perfect for Summer, this corn on the cob is easy to make and so delicious you won’t want to make it any other way.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 ears of fresh yellow corn
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- Pacific blue kosher flake salt and freshly ground Smoked black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp. of butter
Instructions:
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Shuck the corn. Place each corn cob in a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Rub it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top it with a few thin pats of butter (½ tablespoon in each packet). Seal foil around corn, sealing the edges at the top but not making it too tight.
- Place the packets on the grill grates and grill for 20 to 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until corn is bright yellow and cooked.
Chef’s Notes:
- Be sure to use heavy duty aluminum foil or to double wrap your corn if using the thin kind, otherwise your corn will burn.
- Instead of using butter, you can substitute coconut oil or vegan butter.