Fun & refreshing

July 7, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

5 things to add some variety to summer

McClatchy Newspapers

July Fourth has come and gone, school is out and the humidity is here.

If summertime is calling you, check out these five tasty, refreshing and just plain fun things for summer.

On the grill

For the past decade, the folks at McCormick have prepared an annual Flavor Forecast for what they predict as flavor trends. This year they fan the flames of flavor for backyard grilling.

Among the top trends identified by McCormick:

Layering flavors: Backyard cooks merge marinades, rubs, brines, mops and sauces.

Fired-up fruit: Grilled fruits are being skewered alongside meats, pure d to make tenderizing marinades and chopped for salsas and relishes.

Shaken, stirred and grilled: Flavorful spirits replace vinegar or other liquids for new combinations such as mojito marinades and bourbon-spiked pork tenderloin.

If you like to experiment with flavors, McCormick, of course, offers these suggestions:

Cilantro and lime: This zingy pair creates a refreshing taste of summer.

Chipotle and maple: An updated take on smoky, spicy and sweet.

Brown sugar and bourbon: A dose of Southern charm when dining alfresco.

Red chili sauce and mango: This sweet, spicy combination adds great flavor on the grill.

More grilling recipes are at flavorforecast.com.

On the side

What’s a summer cookout without potato salad?

Want to impress your guests or family with something new? Try a taste of the Mediterranean with quick, healthy and flavorful Greek potato salad featuring Kalamata olives, feta cheese, cucumbers and Greek yogurt.

With just two grams of fat per serving, you can still look fit in your summer swimwear.

Sizzling parties

Enjoy a laid-back party on your porch (or deck or patio or lawn) while sipping a cool drink from “Porch Parties” ($16.95, Chronicle Books).

Author Denise Gee offers more than 50 recipes for colorful, simple cocktails and nibbles — plus tips for planning and decorations — to make outdoor entertaining a breeze.

Try Luscious Lemonade, a Blackberry Smash or Tipsy Tea (6 ounces sweet tea mixed with 2 ounces chilled orange-flavored vodka and garnished with an orange slice.)

Summertime and watermelon go together like ... well, like summertime and watermelon.

Too cute to resist, a watermelon hedgehog will be a conversation starter when used as a centerpiece for your table or bar.

For more carving ideas and recipes for salads, beverages, desserts and side dishes, go to watermelon.org.

Chill it down

Summer brings an abundance of fresh juicy blueberries — whether you grow your own or buy them at a supermarket, roadside stand or farmers market. Use them in unexpected ways, and guests will think, “I wish I had thought of that.”

Try a blueberry mojito. In a tall 16-ounce glass, add 1 cup fresh mint leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mash the ingredients with the back of a spoon or a “muddler” until fragrant. Add 2 tablespoons blueberries and mash until juicy.

Fill the glass three-quarters with ice. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup lemonade until the glass is two-thirds full. Add a splash of soda, 1 ounce light rum and 2 more tablespoons blueberries; stir. Slowly pour 1/2 ounce dark rum into the drink so it floats on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint and slice of lime; serve immediately.

Still need to cool down? Whip up one of the spicy twists on ice cream from “Spice Dreams: Flavored Ice Creams and Other Frozen Treats” ($16, Andrew McMeel Publishing).

Authors Sara Engram and Katie Luber tap into the hot new trend of adding herbs and spices to ice cream.

How does chile-orange-chocolate sorbet, honey-mint ice cream with thyme, basil or brown sugar-ginger ice cream or a caramel-apple sundae sound?

With more than 50 recipes, this book is sure to spice up your favorite frozen creamy treat.

Don’t forget the flowers

From azaleas to zinnias, “Southern Bouquets” ($24.99, Gibbs Smith) will show you how to use fresh flowers from your yard or garden to take center stage on your table.

The book, by Charleston residents Melissa Bigner and Heather Barrie, includes gorgeous photos to demonstrate and inspire along with tips for growing, cutting and arranging flowers.

Take colorful and sturdy zinnias, for example. They are a no-brainer for zesting up a party. A tip from the book:

“With their long stalks, and compact heads, zinnias are dream flowers for simple bouquets. Just collect a rainbow and place them sparingly in containers [you can see the blooms better when you vary the height and split a dense harvest among containers].”

The authors show zinnias arranged in a dented tin can, a jelly jar (mixed with fresh herbs) and a galvanized bucket to add no-fuss, but festive, color to a patio party. Add a trio of zinnia bouquets in old milk bottles to perk up the guest bath.