MINI SHEEP-A-DOODLE PUPS

• Cook Out continued from page 11 and tangy maple-balsamic vinaigrette that has been blended into rich and slightly creamy goodness. This will be finished in a half hour and feeds 5-6 of you. This dressing alone will more than likely become a popular “go to” for many other salads. and then the rest of the arugula and followed by the burrata, mint and basil, and toasted walnuts. Season with flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Top with crispy prosciutto. Drizzle the salad with the desired amount of vinaigrette.

This Southern cornbread salad is the perfect dish for potlucks, neighborhood

5 cups baby arugula or spring mix

3 tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil

¾ cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts

Flaky sea salt, to taste

For Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp real maple syrup

1 clove garlic

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To start, prepare the prosciutto by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Place prosciutto pieces in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, just until crispy. For the vinaigrette, combine all 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until emulsified and creamy. For the salad, place ¾ of the arugula on a platter, top with the strawberries bread, but you can always use a boxed mix if preferred. This can feed a dozen of you and the total time is 90 minutes or so. This salad is chock full of Southern personality. This should feed8-10 or even more easily.

Southern Cornbread Salad

For The Cornbread

¼ cup unsalted butter

3 cups self-rising buttermilk cornmeal mix, about 14.4 oz

1 ½ cups whole buttermilk

2 large eggs

For The Salad

8-10 thick-cut bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1 ½ inch pieces

1 bottle refrigerated ranch dressing, 20 oz

½ cup mayo

½ cup whole buttermilk

• Cook Out continued on page 14 continued from page 12

1 cup chopped fresh herbs of choice, such as parsley, dill, chives, divided

4 tbsp white wine vinegar, divided

2 cans black-eyed peas, 15 ½ oz each, drained and rinsed

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

2 ½ cups halved multicolored cherry tomatoes, divided

2 cups fresh corn kernels from 3 ears, divided

1 large orange bell pepper, 8 oz, chopped, about ½ cup

1 cup finely chopped red onion

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Once the oven is preheated, remove skillet from oven. Add butter, and place skillet in oven. Heat in oven until butter is melted, about 3 minutes. While butter melts, whisk together cornmeal mix, buttermilk, and eggs in a medium bowl until combined. Carefully remove skillet from oven and pour melted butter from skillet into batter, stirring quickly. Immediately pour batter into hot skillet. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-28 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn cornbread out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Crumble cornbread. While cornbread cools, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Whisk together ranch dressing, mayo, buttermilk, ½ cup of the herbs, and 2 tbsp of the vinegar in a medium bowl until smooth and set aside. Next, toss together black-eyed peas, olive oil, salt, 1 ¾ cups of the tomatoes, ¼ cup of

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BUILDER APPRECIATION SUMMER EVENT SERIES the herbs, and remaining 2 tbsp vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside. Toss together remaining ¾ cup tomatoes, ½ cup of the corn kernels, and remaining ¼ cup herbs in a small bowl and set that aside. Spread about 2/3 cup of the ranch dressing mixture in bottom of a 12-cup trifle dish or large straight-sided glass bowl. Next, add about 1 cup of the cornbread mix and then drizzle about ½ cup of the dressing over that. With a spatula, lightly press down on things to compact it. Next, add half of the black-eyed pea mixture and again drizzle maybe ½ cup of the dressing. Add the remaining corn kernels, the bell pepper, and half of the red onion. Drizzle another ½ cup of dressing, about 1 cup of more cornbread and then another ½ cup of dressing, then the remaining black eyed pea combo. Add the remaining cornbread, another ½ - ¾ cup of dressing and remaining red onion. Arrange the bacon around the outside edges of the dish and arrange the remaining corn and tomato mixture in the center. Store covered in your fridge for up to 1 day before serving. Serve with the extra dressing for those who want a little more.

One of the most popular salads/ appetizers out there is the classic Caprese salad, consisting of fresh tomatoes, fresh sliced mozzarella and finished with a balsamic glaze, as well as lettuce of choice if making a salad. Hardly rocket science, but so good in its simplicity. The next two are great twists on that salad/app, and both are done by subbing for the tomatoes with something else, which is a plus for those who aren’t tomato fans, plus the dressings have great twists as well.

The first one uses strawberries, and it goes together quickly but needs to sit for 2 hours in the fridge until just before serving. This will serve 4-6 of you. This also works as an appetizer by eliminating the lettuce and then slicing a baguette, grilling them to toast and serving some of the Caprese mixture on top of the slices.

Strawberry Caprese Salad

3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp light brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tub fresh small mozzarella cheese balls, 8 oz

4 cups halved fresh strawberries

Fresh arugula, optional

Garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil

Whisk together white balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, brown sugar, salt, and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Add 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil and mozzarella cheese balls and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Once you pull from the fridge, stir in strawberries, and let stand at room for temp 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over fresh arugula, or as an appetizer with toasted French bread baguette slices. Garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil.

The last salad of the day is a caprese that again can be used as a salad or an app. This one utilizes grilled bell pep-

• Cook Out continued on page 15 continued from page 14 pers as the tomato replacement is much more based on the caprese appetizer that’s been around using no lettuce. If you choose to make a salad, grab some of your lettuce of choice and use the dressing from the last recipe, or any other, including a balsamic glaze. As a simple appetizer, this feeds 4 but is so easy to double or triple this as needed. For an actual salad, you will want to at least double up on this recipe to join up with your lettuce. As an app, I suggest again slicing a baguette roll and grilling to serve this on.

Grilled Bell Pepper Caprese

5 large multicolored bell peppers

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tub fresh small mozzarella cheese balls, 8 oz, ideally pearl sized

2 tbsp fresh lime juice from 1 lime

½ cup torn fresh basil leaves

Preheat grill to medium. Cut bell peppers in half and remove and discard seeds and white membranes using a paring knife. Slice each bell pepper half in half lengthwise. Brush evenly with 2 tbsp of the oil. Place bell peppers, skin sides down, on oiled grates of your medium temp grill. Cook, uncovered, until charred, about 7 minutes. Turn bell peppers and grill until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large heavy-duty zip lock plastic bag and seal and let stand 10 minutes to make them sweat. Remove bell peppers from bag and peel off/discard skins. Cut the bell peppers into ¾- 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Top peppers with mozzarella, drizzle with lime juice and remaining 2 tbsp oil. Sprinkle with basil before serving.

The last two recipes today are grilled veggies side dishes. First off, I think most of us have grilled zucchini before, but very likely not like these. If you own one, I strongly suggest busting out your mandolin as you want the zucchini slices thin enough to turn into rollups. The appearance alone will become a topic of conversation with your guests as they are kind of cute and very colorful and will go great with any grilled entrée. If you use zucchini, you can cut, prep and grill in very little time as these should be cooked right after prepping. If you want to make it with yellow squash, they can be prepped the day before if covered under refrigeration as their make-up is much sturdier than zucchini. This will make enough 30 rollups, so depending on if using a side dish or an appetizer will dictate how many people you serve with these as they are 1-2 bite-sized flavor bursts.

Grilled Zucchini or Yellow Squash

Roll-Ups

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 1 pound

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp black pepper

1 ¼ tsp kosher salt, divided

6 oz goat cheese

4 tsp lemon zest from 1 lemon

4 tsp chopped fresh tarragon

30 fresh basil leaves, about 1 cup loosely packed

Preheat your grill to medium-high. Cut squash lengthwise into 30 slices, ¼-inch-thick, using a mandolin or a sharp knife. If you have extra squash, reserve for another use, or make more rollups and add more of all ingredients. Brush squash slices evenly with oil on both sides and sprinkle both sides with pepper and 1 tsp of salt. Place slices on oiled grates and grill, uncovered, until slices are tender and grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Stir together goat cheese, lemon zest, tarragon, and remaining ¼ tsp salt in a small bowl. Spoon ½ tsp cheese mixture onto 1 grilled squash slice about ½ inch from 1 end. Top the cheese with 1 basil leaf and roll up the squash slice. Place roll-up, seam side down, on a serving platter. Repeat the process with remaining cheese mixture, squash slices, and basil leaves. Serve chilled or at room temperature. If using as an app, I suggest sticking a toothpick in each one of them.

Lastly, today, let’s have some fun with what my favorite veggie off the grill is maybe, that being corn on the cob, this one with a great southwestern flare to them. This recipe is for 8 ears of corn and can be done in a half hour.

Grilled Jalapeño-Lime

Corn on the Cob

8 ears fresh corn, husks removed

Vegetable cooking spray

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup butter, softened

2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 small garlic cloves, pressed

2 tbsp lime zest

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

4 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

Lime zest for garnish keep your taste buds happy and if you care to touch base w/ any questions or feedback, please reach at fenwaysox10@gmail.com

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Coat corn lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Grill corn, with the grill lid down, for 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, stir together butter and the next 5 ingredients. Remove corn from grill and cut into thirds. Serve corn with butter mixture. Garnish with the lime zest.

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