Fun recipes for summer

Party Chicken Salad

The juice from the peaches adds a sweet note to this luncheon favorite. Serve on a bed of baby lettuces tossed with blackberries.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 4 small fresh, firm, ripe peaches, peeled and diced
• Garnishes: fresh basil sprigs, fresh blackberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 15 minutes).

2. Stir together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in pecans, chicken, and peaches; cover and chill 2 hours. Garnish, if desired.

Blackberry-Peach Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• Streusel topping (find ingredients at bottom)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled and sliced fresh firm, ripe peaches (about 2 large peaches, 7 oz. each)
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• Powdered sugar
• Garnishes: fresh blackberries, sliced peaches

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare Streusel Topping.
2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan; top with sliced peaches and blackberries. Pinch off 1-inch pieces of Streusel Topping, and drop over fruit.
4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until center of cake is set. (A wooden pick inserted in center will not come out clean.) Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours). Dust with powdered sugar. Garnish, if desired.

Note: We found that using a shiny or light-colored pan gave us the best results. If you have a dark pan, wrap the outside of the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil to get a similar result.

Peach Coffee Cake: Omit blackberries. Increase peaches to 3 cups sliced (about 3 large peaches, 7 oz. each). Proceed with recipe as directed.

How to make Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, beating well. Add flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; beat just until blended.