Welcome to the July/August 2021 edition of RecipeLion Magazine! This issue is a celebration of summer and all those fresh fruits and vegetables from your garden or local farm stand.

We tried to go easy on anything that involved turning on the oven for too long, so you’ll find lots of chilled soups, quick recipes, slow cooker meals,  no-bake desserts, and refreshing beverages!

Best of all, many of these recipes are ideal for slow afternoons in the backyard, spending time enjoying the sounds of birds, the neighborhood kids playing in the water, and the distant sound of someone with their windows open, singing along to the newest Adele album. Lucky for me, whoever this person is has a good singing voice!

Here are some of the dishes we’re enjoying on these warm summer days.

Cold Soups & Cold Salads

Winter calls for hot soups. They warm and nourish you on those frigid days when you don’t want to leave your house. Summer, though, is all about chilled soups and salads. As nourishing as a winter soup is, these are refreshing and cool. The perfect antidote for those long, hot days of mid-summer.

• Chilled Strawberry & Orange Soup: Lighter than a smoothie but thicker than juice, this soup is best served extra cold with a strawberry garnish and a dollop of crème fraîche. Hints of mint, orange zest and almonds round out the flavors nicely.
• Chilled Cucumber Soup: Refreshing and delightful, this combination of yogurt and cucumbers is a must-try recipe during the hottest days of summer, especially when your garden cukes are ready to harvest. Featuring a hint of lemon and topped with a sprinkle of fresh dill, this soup is full of light flavors.
• Marinated Mozzarella Antipasti: This is a quick appetizer is tangy and packed with flavor. Roasted red peppers, mozzarella balls and olives soak up the lemon and basil while it marinates for a refreshing combination.

Recipes for the 4th of July  

July 4th cuisine is all about the easy, hand-held goodies. You want something you can eat while your standing around talking to your friends while a warm summer breeze drifts lazily through the trees.

• Easy Spinach Pie: Buttery phyllo dough, creamy spinach and rich ricotta, feta, and Parmesan cheese come together in an appetizer that’s sure to delight. Scoring the squares into the top layer of the dough before baking ensures even portions so everyone will get to enjoy.
• Pecan Party Cheese Ball: Is it a party without a cheese ball? This fan-favorite has sharp cheddar, goat cheese, dijon mustard and more. Packed with flavor, cheese balls are easily customizable, so we encourage adjusting this recipe to your liking!
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos: The last thing you want to do in the summer heat is turn your oven on for hours at a time. This slow cooker pulled pork recipe is great to throw together in the morning without heating your whole house all the while making a delicious main course. Serve with corn tortillas and your favorite side dishes.

Forgotten Recipes

Feeling a little nostalgic? These recipes will take you back in time to that little house on Maple Street with linoleum floors and formica table tops.

• Vintage Peas Juliette: This recipe is a forgotten treasure and a great way to use up an abundance of fresh garden peas. Using a bundt pan to mold the rice, tuna and parmesan cheese as the base for this dish, the flavors combine nicely in an elegant presentation.
• 30-Minute Chicken à la King: A hearty and creamy dish, this retro recipe has veggies, chicken, and toasted baguettes. This is a crowd-pleasing favorite from days gone by.

Say Cheese!  

No, no. Not that kind of cheese. The recipes in this section are all about dessert cheese! Cream cheese stuffed strawberries, raspberry cheesecake, and this delightful classic.

• Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bundt Cake: It’s the rich red velvet cake we know and love with a surprise swirl of cream cheese filling. Topped with a delicious glaze, this cake is a favorite and easier to make than you think!

The Summer Scoop

Is there anything better to end a summer day than a delicious, cold ice cream? It’s possible, I suppose, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

• 2-Ingredient Raspberry Sorbet: Fresh raspberries and sweetened condensed milk are all you need to make your very own sorbet. It’s easy for kids to help and they’ll be so excited to have their delicious treat later in the day after playing in the summer heat.
• Spumoni Ice Cream Terrine: Make your own spumoni ice cream with this easy recipe. Adding layers of traditional spumoni flavors and refreezing to create these slices, you’ll create a photo-worthy presentation.

Classic Cocktails

You don’t need a bar to make drinks worthy of your favorite speakeasy. You’ll find some classic summer cocktails here that are a lot easier to make than most people realize.

• Traditional Mint Julep: On a hot summer day, when the mint is about to overwhelm your garden, grab a few handfuls and make this classic summer day drink. Fresh mint leaves infuse the simple syrup which perfectly pairs with the bourbon.
• Classic Shirley Temple Cocktail: You may remember ordering this classic as a child but if you’ve never made one yourself this is the recipe for you! Orange juice, grenadine, ginger ale and lime soda are the main ingredients and it’s a winning combination.

I hope you enjoy the latest issue of RecipeLion Magazine as much as we’ve enjoyed creating it. We’re so happy to be here cooking with you and we’re looking forward to many more recipes, dishes, and meals to share. 

Happy cooking—and happy eating!

Kim Mateus

Editor & Publisher

P.S. Please enjoy this issue of RecipeLion Magazine, and let me know what you think about it by commenting below with your feedback! Your input is valuable to us and can help us make improvements.