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Hey friends❣️

​Summer inspires me to get creative in the kitchen. The colors of the tomatoes, the melons, the berries ~ it's a palette I can use to create visually stunning dishes that are equally delicious.

Here are some show-stopping ideas (along with more restrained alternatives if you aren't feeling so ambitious.)

​Cucumber Melon Salad​

Not sure I've ever made a prettier salad...it's basically a checkerboard made with melon cubes, cuke slices, cherry tomatoes and cheese! It's a cheffy salad anyone can make.

Here's your less ambitious version:

​Four Simple Melon Salads​

​Summer Salmon Salad Platter​

Basically you bake a side of salmon (Costco sells them) and place it on a bed of fresh greens surrounded by colorful veggies. Add dressing and it's done!

And the not so fancy:

​Smoked Salmon Salad​

​Grand Aioli Platter​

Show off French style with probably the most gorgeously refreshing meal on the planet. Swap out the mussels and shrimp for sliced steak ~ or how about chicken tenders? Get your creative juices flowing!

The stripped down alternative:

​The Classic Relish Tray​

​Heirloom Gazpacho​

Every heirloom tomato makes a unique gazpacho (a refreshing Spanish style cold soup.) I love to play with the colors of the soup and the toppings to create these beautiful summer starters.

A simplified choice:

​Fire Roasted Tomato Soup​

​Almond Pavlova with Summer Berries​

The base of this show-off dessert is honestly one of the most dead easy recipes ever. It's got a thin crisp crust with a pillowy almond-scented marshmallowy center. It's pure yum.

All you need is some beautiful fruit to pull this off!

The lazier choice:

​Creme Anglaise​

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Sue Moran I love to make delicious food, photograph it, and write about it, but mostly, I just love to EAT. Isn’t that what it’s all about? My recipes are bold and vibrant, but totally approachable ~ and my philosophy? We should all have the tools to feed ourselves well, and the confidence to cut loose a little in the kitchen. Food should be fun!