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Want a filling meal for summer but don’t want to spend loads of time by a running stove after you have spent all day dodging the summer heat?  Consider making this Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad.  Put it together in under half an hour, with little stove heat required (just enough to cook a pound of cut-up skinless boneless chicken).  It makes a bunch and is great for a summer picnic or for those early football tailgates, when it is still rather warm outside.

There is plenty to love about good summer cooking.  After a while, though, you can get a little tired of standing by a hot oven or stove (or by a grill in the summer heat).  If you need something to cool you off a bit, a good cold salad does the job well.  (If you are looking for a main course, that is.  I love a bit of ice cream now and then, as I am sure y’all do.)  This recipe takes the basic pasta salad idea and kicks it up a notch, Southwestern-style.  It makes a bunch and is addictively tasty, so be warned!

Original recipe courtesy of Six Sisters’ Stuff

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Quick tip: This dish will taste even better the next day, so make sure you’ll have enough for leftovers!

Love barbecue ribs but don’t have the time to spend by the grill? Then consider trying these sweet and savory Sriracha-Cranberry Baby Back Ribs! Just a touch of heat without being overwhelming, and the best part: It’s a slow cooker recipe! This is great as part of an easy family meal or as finger food that everyone at your next party will eagerly devour.

I love my Southern barbecue ribs! You could say that living fairly close to Memphis has me a bit spoiled. I don’t always feel like spending a lot of time standing over a grill, though; sometimes, I love to focus on cooking up some fabulous sides! I was eager to break out the Crock-Pot and try these slow-cooked baby back ribs. They were easy to prepare, with little hassle (just a few minutes in the oven after their time in the Crock-Pot), and they were well worth the wait.

Original recipe courtesy of Recipe Girl

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Quick tip: This dish is perfect for a game night!

I Could Eat This Stuff For Dinner!

This Wild Southwest Dip is great for parties, tailgating, or private snacking. It is incredibly easy to make, good for making in advance or eating right away, and makes for a nice alternative to the usual tomato-based salsas out there.

I must make a confession:  I do love a good dip. It is one of my guilty pleasures. When I get the chance to relax, I love savoring a flavorful dip with some chips while watching my favorite shows. (Watching ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars is another one of my guilty pleasures. I’m probably not part of the target age group, but since discovering the show through Netflix a couple of years ago, I just can’t get enough of the mystery and drama.) Now, though I am a big fan of tomato-based creations and nachos with generous amounts of beef, sometimes, I get a bit overloaded with that, and my palate and stomach get a hankering for something a little lighter–something smooth and creamy.

This dip is the perfect answer for that. I’m not sure that living in the rural Southwest would be the ideal spot for me (I rather like the small-town Southern life; it is a nice blend of urban and country, old-timey and modern), but I do love some of the flavors that that part of the country has cultivated and made so famous. Here you can have that nice Southwestern ranch flavor in gourmet snack form in practically no time and with little effort at all!

Original recipe by Jen Nikolaus of  YummyHealthyEasy

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Quick tip: Make a double batch – leftovers taste even better the next day!

Hey, I am a meat eater. But I also love my veggies, and I like having a good go-to option that will satisfy me and my vegan or vegetarian friends (I have a few). This Ratatouille, Julia Child’s twist on a French culinary classic, fits the bill for a quiet home meal or a bustling event. It looks beautiful, tastes great, and cooks in record time!

Many masters of the kitchen have since followed in her footsteps, but Julia Child continues to inspire masters and aspiring amateurs alike. I loved how she honored age-old traditions while making gourmet, Cordon Bleu cooking readily accessible to the masses (as beautifully illustrated in the movie Julie & Julia). And she wasn’t afraid of admitting a mistake or popularizing a variation of a classic recipe when she thought that it would be better for most people, much to the chagrin of the culinary elite in her time.

I love the versatility of her version of ratatouille. It makes for a great meal by itself over a bed of rice or couscous, but it is also great as part of a multi-course vegetarian meal and pairs well with many popular meat dishes. Once the prep is finished, it takes only about 45 minutes worry-free minutes to bake. It doesn’t hurt, either, that it looks so beautiful once you pull it out of the oven.

Recipe adapted by 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: If you’re not worried about using dairy, sprinkle some delicious Parmesan cheese on top of the ratatouille!