Aside from the rain, summer is making me happy. This is no surprise as summer has rarely failed at making me happy but still something about the warm mornings and the sunny afternoons make me sing. (Not literally because that would be very painful.) The only thing that I miss about summer—at least summer back home—is meeting up with friends for drinks at bar patio. Always a classic time-waster and one whose absence I lament. And now that my honey has bought me an online subscription to NYT crossword puzzle (squee!!), I expect my mornings to be pleasurable. I could still go for beer on a patio, though. Anyone?

This also means that my summer recipes are coming fast and furious (sorry). I think last night I made quite possibly the best pasta salad I have ever made and considering I’ve made my fair share, that says a lot. I most definitely detected a note of joy when the LSC had his first bite of it last night. I think this one is preferred over the dill-chickpea one a couple of weeks ago.

Paired with chicken burgers—actual ground chicken burgers because if you order anything sounds like “chicken burger” at a restaurant expecting something similiar to a turkey burger around these parts, you are rudely shocked when said burger is actually a chicken breast—this meal made for a very filling, yet light dinner. They were going to be grilled but the weather didn’t cooperate with us yesterday. Maybe tonight it will. I can’t wait to see how this pasta salad holds up after getting tastier and tastier overnight in the fridge. I think the only way it could more delicious if you added cheese to it, but then I am of the opinion that most things taste better with cheese anyway.

*sigh* I almost lost my deviled egg mojo today.

Yes, yes, we will get to the recipes shortly, but I feel as though I should share about the near-miss of my deviled egg skills. As per the advice of some of my favorite chefs, I bring a small pot of water to boil, add eggs, clamp on the lid, remove from heat and then let sit for about 12 minutes. Today I did it twice and the initial test egg was, shall we say, underdone.

I adjusted the time of the eggs in the water and it worked. Just a couple more minutes, not enough time for the nasty ashy outside to the yolk. These are pretty good and they will lovely for snacking for tomorrow when the LSC has the day off.

Corn, Orzo and Basil Salad

from “The Herbal Kitchen”, Jerry Traunfeld (William Morrow)

1/2 medium red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 tbl. fresh lime juice (about 2 limes or 1 really juicy sucker)

2 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 ears sweet corn, shucked

8 oz. orzo pasta

1/4 cup plus 2 tbl. extra-virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups torn leaves of sweet basil or lemon basil

Stir onion, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper together in a large mixing bowl. Let it sit while you continue with the recipe, allowing the acidic ingredients to mellow the raw bite of the onion.

Use knife to remove kernels of corn off the cob. You should get about 5 cups. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and cook 3 minutes. Add corn kernels to pot. Cook until the water boils again, or no more than 3 minutes. Drain in colander immediately and rinse with cold water.

Stir the olive oil into the bowl with the dressed onion. Toss in the pasta, corn, red bell pepper and basil until evenly combined. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. The orzo will absorb the excess vinaigrette.

Stuffed Eggs with Capers

6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

2 tbl. or more mayonnaise

1 tbl. softened butter

1 tsp. chopped fresh chives, parsley or both

2 tsp. capers, chopped if large

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

dash of dry mustard

salt and pepper to taste

paprika, optional

small sprigs of parsely, optional

Cut eggs in half, reserving whites. Place yolks in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, butter, chives, capers and juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Combine thoroughly and spoon or pipe into whites. Garnish with paprika or small sprigs of fresh parsley. Chill.