Vacation blueberry corn salad

Since I was at the shore and on vacation with family I didn't have much of a chance to cook last week. While at the house all of the families take turns cooking for the days we are there, so apart from some help procuring knives I didn't have much to do in the afternoons and evenings. On the night that my family cooked, I did make one thing that I did I will share with you, and that is this blueberry corn salad that I made. It was easy to make and everyone really enjoyed it.

I will start with the basic recipe, because I expanded it by about 4 times so that I had enough to feed all of the mouths in our house:

• 6 ears of corn
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup red onion (minced)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6-8 leaves basil
• 1 tbsp honey
• salt and pepper to taste

Since I had a grill available I did grill the corn, though you could easily boil the corn if that is how you like it. This gives me the opportunity to share a great trick for getting the corn off the cob once you have it cooked and cooled enough to handle. Get a large bowl and invert a small bowl inside of it. Stand the ear of corn up on the bottom of the small bowl and slice down with a good knife. The corn will fall off into the large bowl and not go all over the place as it would if you just did it on a cutting board, and the inverted bowl keeps your hands and knife out of the large mass of corn that is already cut. It may not be super handy for one or two, but when you are cutting down 24 ears of corn like I was it is a necessary trick. 

Once you have the corn cut all that is left is some basic salad assembly. Put the cut corn, onion, and blueberries in a large bowl. Cut the basil into a chiffonade and add to the bowl. Next mix the honey, lime juice, and olive oil in a small bowl and whisk until combined, and pour over the salad to dress, and then salt and pepper to taste. 

If you're not sure about a chiffonade, it sounds fancy but is super easy. Take the basil (or mint or other large leaved herb) and make a small stack - no more than 6-8 leaves. Then take these leaves and roll them longwise into a tight roll, then run your knife through the roll. What you end up with is crosswise cuts of herb that make a great visual component to a salad, and a nice garnish too if you want to use the herb as a garnish. 

Cutting a basil chiffonade

Once you have all of that done all there is left to do is enjoy it! We served this as a salad to accompany our "seafood feast" of fresh fish and other seafood that is cooked by my family. My Dad does a wonderful job directing all of the cooking and everyone always looks forward to our meal each year. There really is nothing like fresh-caught seafood at the beach. What will you serve this salad with? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook!

Creative infusions

Summer is here and there is a danger lurking for all of us - dehydration. Many people probably are dehydrated most of the summer, but it is especially dangerous on those super hot days when you don't even have to move around outside to start sweating. If you are outside and you notice you are thirsty, you are probably already dehydrated. The best thing to drink for dehydration is water but let's face it - water is kind of boring. Thankfully there is a simple way to combat plain boring water if you plan ahead a little bit.

Mint-infused water

Infused water is a simple yet effective method of adding flavor to water without adding a lot of calories - if at all. All it takes is a little planning and some simple ingredients. Ultimately the limit to flavor is your imagination, but there are some things that work better than others. Using fresh ingredients is best, whether they be a fruit, a herb, or a vegetable. I also find that a combination of flavors produces the best results, and I find that the best ones are combinations of produce and herb. Some of my favorite pairings are blueberry-ginger, cucumber-mint, strawberry-basil, and blueberry-mint. Mint and basil work pretty well just on their own - the oils in the plant infuse into the water quite easily, and produce what basically amounts to a tea with no heat and minimal effort.

To infuse water, the method is simple. Just take the vessel of water, add the ingredients to be infused, and let the water sit in the fridge overnight. It really is just that simple. Some ingredients - like mint - can add a lot of flavor in a short time, so you may want to infuse the water and then strain it so that the flavor remains mild. If you are using a fruit or vegetable, make sure you cut it up to expose the flesh of the produce. If you are using a small fruit like blueberry you will want to mash them slightly to expose the flesh of the fruit. If you are using fresh herbs, make sure to mash them slightly, crush them, or tear them to start the infusion. 

Blueberry-ginger infused water

Aside from allowing you to be creative, this is a great way to make sure you and your family drink enough water. There is no size limit to your container, so you can infuse amounts of water starting as small as one glass to one gallon jugs to a whole multi-gallon serving vessel. Restaurants understand this principle - often times they will give you a glass of water with a lemon wedge in it! 

What do you infuse your water with? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook!