Favorite summer recipes

I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but here in North Carolina it's HOT! So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite hot-weather recipes.

First up is my restaurant-quality bruschetta. This is excellent made with grocery store tomatoes, and in a few weeks it will be even better made with homegrown tomatoes. The secret is using lots of fresh basil. Yum!

If you're in the mood for Mexican food rather than Italian, I highly recommend this recipe for fresh salsa. It's simple to make and absolutely delicious.

I love to bake, but right now I don't want to heat up the house. But sometimes I want a special dessert, and one of my absolute favorites is a homemade cookies and cream ice cream. I've been making this since I was in college, and we called it "Oreo Cream Delight." It's simple to make and I promise you it's better than any cookies and cream ice cream you can buy.

Sometimes we make a variation of this delicious dessert by using peanut butter sandwich cookies instead of Oreos. It's divine!

I hope these simple recipes will give you some fresh and cool ideas during these hot days! Do you have any favorite things to make in the summertime? I'd love to hear about them!