To ease the transition of summer into fall, this week's recipe takes something that's about to come into season -- pumpkins -- and mix it with the season's best fruit: apple slices. Or...serve it with ginger snaps or vanilla wafers. Sweet pumpkin dip comes from verybestbaking.com and takes only 5 minutes to make. Hollow out a little pumpkin to serve it in if you're feeling especially Martha Stewart-ish. Sweet Pumpkin Dip Ingredients 2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin 2 cups sifted powdered sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger Directions …

On the heels of last week's very successful recipe for baked zucchini chips -- and they were really, really good...anybody else try them? -- the Patch research team has found another summer recipe on which we are crushing heavily. Do you have a favorite cold soup or other summer recipe? Share it with us: email to mariella.savidge@patch.com tell us in the comments! This week, cool off with a bowl of soup. Yes, the same thing that keeps you warm in the winter can cool you off in the summer. While we have tried to keep most of the recipes pretty healthy, this is not a low-calorie idea, but it's …

My favorite zucchini story actually belongs to Garrison Keillor of "Prairie Home Companion" fame. He tells of a day set aside each year in Lake Wobegon on which neighbors blessed with bountiful zucchini crops "shared" with neighbors by leaving bags of it on doorsteps. If I recall, it's the only time the people of the mythical town locked their doors. Do you have a favorite zucchini or other summer recipe? Share it with us: email to mariella.savidge@patch.com tell us in the comments! So it's good to have a few zucchini recipes on hand for the harvest. Recipes for breads and muffins, a …

This week’s “Taste of Summer” recipe capitalizes on a vegetable that seems to be most abundant at this time of year, whether you grow your own, hit the farmer’s market or shop at the local grocery store. Enter the green zucchini. Add eggs and you have a healthy meal suitable for day or night. In my house, we call this one, “Green Eggs From Zucchini,” and it’s my husband’s go-to meal these days, since our zucchini plants are overtaking our entire garden and hence our diets. Ingredients Onion, 1 small Zucchini, 2 medium Eggs, 2 Oil, about 2 tablespoons Lemon, ½ Salt and Pepper White Wine (…

We're well into the dog days now, usually defined at July 15 - Aug. 15, so we'll take anything right now to make the days feel a little less like we're walking through the dense humidity. Vegetables are always good. And anything on the grill is good, so vegetables on the grill must be excellent, right? This week we don't even focus in on just one. From Taste of Home has a great recipe for a colorful bunch: Grilled Vegetable Platter Recipe Ingredients 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, divided 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon garlic …

It's too hot to cook. We really don't even need to say that. Ice cream is really the only food that makes sense this week, right? So here's more than a recipe for you: it's a memory maker. Kids love these and they actually remember them decades later. And when they have their own kids and pull out some of the things they liked as kids to share with their own, it won't be the whole grain bran muffins. Sorry, some things just need to be said. With thanks to delish.com, here's the one my kids remember in a good way: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches Ingredients 1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour, …

I know, we usually do food on Wednesday and save the drinks till Friday, but this was too good (and easy) to pass up for the Fourth of July! Is there a summer recipe you'd like to share? Email mariella.savidge@patch.com or Tell us in the comments. We thank Punchbowl.com for this really appealing Red, White and Blue Sangria: Ingredients: Strawberries, sliced Blueberries Pineapple, cut into star shapes 2 bottles dry white wine 1 cup Triple Sec 1/2 Cup berry-flavored vodka 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup simple syrup Combine the ingredients in a large pitcher and stir. Chill in the …

A cook -- or a dreamer -- can get lost in all the great recipes out there! This week, in anticipation of the biggest, most party-friendly holiday of the summer, we looked around for a great recipe to share on the 4th of July which is just a week away. Something about the stars on the American Flag Berry Pie just said "share me" so, with all credit and thanks to tasteofhome.com, here it is, and have a happy 4th of July! American Flag Berry Pie Recipe Ingredients Pastry for a double-crust pie (9 inches) 2-1/2 cups pitted dark sweet cherries 2-1/2 cups fresh blueberries 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup all…

Summer's here as of 7:09 p.m. today and few of us want to hang out in the kitchen when we can be outside doing any number of other, more fun things -- even if it's nothing. But we still have to eat, eat well and feed the family even when it's too hot to eat. The grill is a great place to start, and seasonal vegetables are always great on the grill. From Tasteofhome.com we have this yummy offering: Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Ingredients 10 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed 1/8 teaspoon pepper 5 bacon strips, halved lengthwise Directions Place asparagus on a sheet of waxed paper; coat with cooking …