Summer isn’t complete without having a really delicious corn on the cob.

Before its time to make corn, make sure you’ve brought home the best husks you can. Corn is best stored in a cool environment, so your local supermarket should be displaying corn in refrigerator bins. Great quality corn should have full, evenly formed ears, with straight rows of bright kernels. The husks should be bright green with the silk ends free from decay. There are so many great ways to enjoy corn, especially in the summer. You can make corn on the cob the traditional way by boiling it, or one of my family’s favorite ways is to make grilled corn on the cob. Drizzle each piece in olive oil, add salt and pepper, and wrap in tin foil. They will take 40 minutes to an hour on the grill, but when they are finished they are mouthwatering! You won’t even need butter. Enjoy some delicious corn today!

Over a year’s time, cutting just 100 calories from your daily diet can really add up and help you drop some of those unwanted pounds. The best part? You don’t need to deprive yourself. Cutting 100 calories from your diet is simple and nearly effortless–more than anything, it’s a matter of getting into the calorie-trimming habit! We have lots of great tips to share here, along with these 10 favorites:

• Wrap your taco in a lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla
• Eat only half–not a whole–bagel
• Enjoy the filling in pie, but skip the crust
• Make an open-face sandwich instead of using two slices of bread
• Skip the ice cream cone: savor your scoop in a cup
• Try a portabella mushroom burger instead of a beef burger.
• Dip a cup of fresh veggies into hummus instead of 2 ounces of tortilla chips
• Eat a handful of grapes instead of a handful of raisins
• Savor one (just one!) mini-size candy bar instead of eating a larger size bar.
• Top pasta with marinara sauce instead of creamy Alfredo sauce

What calorie-cutting tricks do you use?

My mom turned 70 a couple of months ago and since she and my sisters were out here to celebrate we decided to go “cake boss” and create something special. Since she had been hitting tennis balls on the driveway with the girls they decided on a tennis racquet so we set off to create it. Much simpler to create than I anticipated – 2 round cakes is all it takes – the ends of one round create the oval shape of the racquet head, slicing the reminder into long rectangles forms the handle.  Use some frosting and candy to create the grip and strings and voila! We had made an extra 9x13 just in case so we turned that into a mini tennis court. The girls were so proud and Nana loved it!

Summer is the best time of year, from picnics at the beach to hiking great trails or just enjoying the beautiful mountains!  What is your favorite lunch to pack for your adventure? For me, it has to be simple, easy to serve and easy to eat! Also, a little sweetness is also requirement, so pack a few outdoor friendly desserts in your cooler and let’s go!

Indoor S’mores – Pack these in advance, all you need is an oven, chocolate, gram crackers, and big puffy marshmallows!

Directions:  Take 8 squares of graham cracker and met them on a shallow metal pan.  Top each with a square of chocolate, add a slice of marshmallows!  Put the pan in the 400 degree oven for about 3 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.  Top each with another graham cracker square and the fun will begin after a game of Frisbee or your hike!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries:  These are great and nutritious, and will give you that kick of energy after a climb!

Ingredients:

1lb of strawberries, washed and dried

3 oz white chocolate, chopped

6oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Place semisweet and white chocolate into 2 separate heat safe bowls.  Fill 2 medium sauce pans with a couple of inches of water and bring to simmer over medium heat.  Turn off heat and place bowls over the water to melt.  Stir until smooth.
2. Remove chocolate from heat.  Line a sheet pan with waxed paper.  Take each strawberry by the stem and dip in semi-sweet chocolate, lift and twist slightly letting excess chocolate fall back in the bowl.
3. Next, if you prefer nuts, dip creation into a bowl of chopped nuts just on side of strawberry immediately.
4. Last, use a fork to dip in white chocolate and drizzle over the strawberries. 
5. Let dipped strawberries cool on waxed paper.

This is a really great and light recipe for summertime, especially with some juicy and ripe tomatoes.

Tomato Basil Chicken

**recipe courtesy of safeway.com**

Ingredients

• 4 frozen boned, skinned chicken breast halves
• 3 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• Salt
• 1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup shredded Lucerne Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken breast halves in a single layer in a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Bake until meat is no longer pink in center of thickest part; cut to test (25 to 30 minutes).
2. When chicken is nearly done, in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan combine tomatoes and capers; stir over medium heat until hot (about 3 minutes).
3. Transfer chicken to a platter and top with tomato mixture; season to taste with salt. Sprinkle with basil and cheese.

Hot Diggity Dog!!!  It's National Hot Dog Day! Every July 23rd, the hot dog is honored with lots of hoopla and fun facts about the wonderful wiener which has managed to capture America's hearts for well over a century and continues to gain popularity.

Although not an official holiday, National Hot Dog Day nevertheless recognizes one of the country's most popular street foods. And why not? This year the day will be especially observed to cheer lunch time crowds headed back to work on Monday, July 23, 2012. So don’t forget to celebrate with lunch and / or dinner! You can feel good about feeding your family Open Nature Uncured Beef Franks available only at Safeway. These Franks have no nitrates or nitrites, no antibiotics, are 100% all natural, and they taste delicious!

The origin of the hot dog: Historians
say the "little sausages" first appeared
in America when 19th century German
immigrants began selling them from
push carts in NYC. The nickname
‘dachshund dogs’ later evolved
into the beloved hot dog.

My family and I are lucky to live in beautiful Washington State, and have easy access to many short and spectacular family-friendly hikes. No matter where you live, getting out in the great outdoors is a fantastic way to spend time with your kids and get some exercise, too!  Since all that moving can make you hungry, here are some options for packing a nutritious and portable picnic to enjoy on the mountaintop, on a hillside, in the field or woods, or wherever you like to romp:

Beverage:

• Take plenty of water with you. If you want to spruce it up, add lemon or orange slices to your reusable bottles.

Snacks:

• Snack Artist Mountain Trail Mix (or any other of our delicious medleys and mixes)
• Turkey jerky
• Mini pretzel twists
• Open Nature Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Heaven Granola
• Sturdy fresh fruit like apples or oranges; wrap more fragile grapes, peaches, plums and nectarines in a cloth to protect from bruising

 Lunch:

• Pouched seasoned tuna or tuna salad with crackers kits
• Peanut or almond butter sandwiches with bananas or jam
• Fruit (see above)
• Baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, sugar snap peas and broccoli florets
• Sliced cheese and whole-grain crackers
• Pasta and veggie salad (toss leftover pasta with diced veggies and low-cal Italian dressing). Or try our Asian-style Noodle-About Salad (or one of our other picnic dinner ideas listed)
• Open Nature Original Hummus and pita bread triangles
• Frozen tubes of Lucerne Strawberry and Blueberry Yogurt (they’ll thaw by lunchtime and help keep other foods cold en route)

Remember the mantra “Leave No Trace”: pack out what you pack in, garbage, peels and all, to keep our parks and trails clean!  Where are some of your favorite places to walk or hike and picnic?

We love cherries, most of the time we’ll eat them as a snack and every once in a while we’ll make a pie or crisp.  This year a neighbor went cherry picking and brought over a few pounds and we found ourselves with more than we could reasonably eat in a few days so I made some freezer jam with the girls. I had never heard of this until we had received some as a gift – I love the fresh taste and how easy it is to make! I used a combination of Savory Sweet Life & David Lebovitz’ “No-Recipe Cherry Jam”, super easy!

Pit about 4lbs of cherries, cook in a non-reactive pot with the juice and zest of one or two fresh lemons (adds pectin) for about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups sugar and cook over medium-high heat until the bubbles subside and it starts to thicken; about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool and then place in a container in the freezer. Perfect on toast, pancakes and even ice cream – yum!

Summer is finally here – which means one thing: creating an outdoor living space. This the perfect time for entertaining outdoors, and I love a sunset lit evening with my family in our cozy urban garden.

I am so excited about the newest additions to the debi lilly design™ collection - they are oh so stylish, affordable and will effortlessly and instantly add ambiance to your backyard space.

First, is my favorite Nantucket Lantern Collection. These are perfect for a candlelit vignette on your patio. Fill lanterns a pillar candle, and surround it with clementines, limes, any favorite citrus or firm fruit works perfectly. The warmth of the candle heats the fruit and gives off a fresh citrus scent.

Tree branches and overhead garden trellis is another great detail to enhance outdoors.  Here I hung patio candles from branches around the perimeter of the patio. They glow so beautifully once dusk sets in.

The exclusive St. Tropez inspired metal lanterns come in bright, vivid hues, perfect for hanging overhead, or setting ontop tabletops. Fill them with a votive candle one day, and the next, pick fresh flowers from your backyard, turning them into a clever vase.

Similarly, the St. Tropez inspired bright metal candleholders fit votives or petite floral bouquets. Hang from branches, or set on a tablescape or place setting, and voila – summer has arrived!

Find the debi lilly design™ collection in the floral department.

Who doesn’t love a sweet juicy melon on a hot summer day? I especially love watermelon, there’s just no better flavor than a really ripe, sweet melon with the juices running down your hands and face. Did you know more watermelons are sold during Independence Day weekend than any other day of the year? When you pick them out at the store, turn the melon over and look for a yellow underside with a healthy sheen to it. If you see that and it passes the “thump” test, it’s ready to go home. Don't refrigerate melons unless they become too ripe or have been cut. Whole watermelons can be stored at room temperature for two weeks. Cut watermelons should be loosely covered in plastic wrap before refrigerating. Watermelon is the only melon that tastes better the colder they are- which only makes it that more refreshing! Pick up a juicy watermelon at your local Safeway today!

Responsible Choice Seafood: Healthy for You and Healthy for the Oceans

Seafood is not only delicious, but also one of the healthiest protein sources available, packed full of goodness that promotes heart health and also children’s growth and development. Now at Safeway, you can select seafood that is not only healthy for you and your family, but healthy for the oceans too. 

We have been working on improving the sustainability of our seafood offerings to help ensure the availability of healthy seafood for generations to come. Our ultimate goal is to have all of our fresh and frozen seafood come from responsible sources or be in a credible improvement project by 2015.

Today, much of our seafood is caught or farmed in responsible ways and we are happy to highlight some of our best options via our new ‘Responsible Choice’ labels – look out for them in your local Safeway seafood counter!  In the meantime, here are some crowd-pleasing options to get you started:

• Wild Alaskan Salmon
• Alaskan Halibut
• Alaska Cod
• Dungeness Crab
• U.S. Farmed Trout
• Farmed Shellfish

Since nothing says summer like ice cream, you may be standing in the frozen foods aisle wondering which to choose:  frozen yogurt or ice cream? Slow-churned or fat-free?  Strawberry or cookie dough? One of the best ways to spot the better-for-you choices is to use our SimpleNutrition tag as a guide–you’ll see it on products that meet our strict requirements. Along with our tags, this “scoop” on America’s favorite frozen treat may help you decide the best lick:

Ice Cream:  Its creamy texture and taste also come at a nutritional price: premium ice cream usually contains more fat and therefore, more calories than frozen yogurt.  But more nutrition-friendly options are available.  Many manufacturers, for example, are using new churning technologies to make products with less fat and calories using the same ingredients found in their regular ice creams. Light ice cream is a good option–it has at least 50% less fat and 1/3 fewer calories compared to regular varieties.  Low-fat ice cream is a good choice too, with 3 grams or less of fat per serving; fat-free ice cream has less than 0.5 gram. Be aware that candy, cookies and other mix-ins add calories, so opt for plain or fruit flavors most often.  Although mouth feel and flavor may be different, options for those with special dietary needs include “no sugar added” or “sugar free” ice creams, and for vegans, soy or non-dairy ice creams.

Frozen Yogurt:  Compared to ice cream, frozen yogurt usually has less fat (since it’s made with milk, not cream) but it sometimes contains more sugar.  Look for fat-free and low-fat varieties in plain or fruit flavors and skip the ones with high-calorie mix-ins. Another important fact about frozen yogurt:  yogurt and frozen yogurt are not the same.  Most frozen yogurts pale in comparison to their refrigerated counterparts in terms of nutrition–frozen yogurt typically contains more calories and fat, less calcium, and little of the digestive-friendly live and active cultures.  Happily, there are some exceptions to that rule, such as Open Nature Frozen Greek Yogurt.  It contains live and active cultures and has more protein than most regular frozen yogurts.  Honey is my favorite flavor–with blueberry a close second!

What’s your favorite frozen treat?

We entertain a lot in the summer – the girls’ end of school party (this year 25 kids!) kicks it off, we have a couple of other multiple family bbq’s, our block party, and peppered throughout the summer is the spontaneous get together with friends. While we love it sometimes it can feel like we're always getting ready for a party! So over the years we’ve started to simplify. Every once in a while I’ll build a new menu from scratch but otherwise we keep a few things on hand so we're ready for the “pop in” – bratwurst, beer, Skinny Girl Margaritas, pistachios & goldfish crackers for snacks, and ice cream bars and then we’ll fortify with some easy grilled vegetables (zucchini & squash w/herbs is a favorite) and a fruit salad.  Potluck for the larger BBQs and while sometimes I miss all the cooking I love being able to actually sit, relax and have a conversation outside! What are your favorite summer entertaining tips?

Who doesn’t love a sweet, juicy cherry? If you do, you should try my favorite, the Bing cherry. Known for their sweet, juicy flavor and vibrant red coloring, these cherries have been fan favorites for generations.  These cherries are large and firm, and have a beautiful crimson color. When you buy them, check for color and watch for any blemishes. Bing cherries should be stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them. All fresh cherries should still have their stems attached and be clean and dry. Avoid cherries that are hard, small, and/or lighter in color because they were probably picked before they were ripe.  Many cherry lovers enjoy eating Bings right out of hand. Cherries are also perfect for salads, preserves, pies and other fruit pastries, as well as some meat dishes, like with pork. On these hot summer days, cut up some cherries and top with some lemon Italian ice! So cool and refreshing! Cherries also have great nutritional value so pick up a bunch today and enjoy!

We’re headed to Eastern Washington this weekend for a baseball tournament and the team is camping out together. I often make Camping Stew for trips like these, a tasty one-pan meal that always wins raves.  But this time, I decided on an old favorite:  Hobo Packs.  You might remember them from your Boy or Girl Scout days.  Hobo packs are foil-wrapped packets filled with seasoned meat and veggies.  They’re a great camping meal, especially for a crowd:

• Cut and slice veggies and meat at home, to simplify campsite prep. Set up an ingredient station of meat, veggies and seasonings so kids can pick and choose favorite fillings. 
• Use heavy-duty foil as the wrapping for packets.
  • Assemble packets by layering veggies on the bottom, then meat, then seasonings.  Loosely fold foil around food and seal the packet tightly by folding the edges together. 
  • Spread out and stack ingredients no more than 2 inches high or they’ll take too long to cook. 
  • Cook hobo packs in a campfire or on the grill.  In the campfire, nestle packets into the hot coals along the edges of the fire (using long-handle tongs).  Cooking time varies a bit, but plan on about 30 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and reaches 165°F.  On a gas grill, cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes.   
  • Be careful opening the packs to prevent burns.

Ingredient ideas:

Have fun creating the packs with your kids and tell me about your favorites!

One of our favorite goat cheese is made right here in Sonoma since 1979 - Laura Chenel’s Chevre. Laura studied the craft of making traditional fresh chevre in France. Once Laura returned to the US, she began making fresh chevre well before it became trendy. She was the first commercial producer of goat cheese in the US. Laura had her own goat farm where she raised and cared for the goats herself. These days Laura Chenel Chevre works with a co-op of local goats milk producers throughout Northern California that deliver fresh milk every day. All the curd is fresh, never frozen which accounts for the clean, distinct taste of Laura Chenel’s Chevre.

Goat cheese goes great in salads, especially with beets, and it makes a creative topping for pizzas.

We carry the Laura Chenel Chabis in plain and garlic herb, along with the 8-oz plain fresh chevre log and will be featuring these on promotion throughout July.

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Many of you are likely getting ready to BBQ or just relax outside. The mid-week holiday always creates a bit of an odd week so we actually went to our friend’s annual 4th of July Crab Boil last night and were on to the county fair today. We’ll head over early to avoid the heat and crowds. The girls love the rides, we enjoy seeing them run around and having fun (and Max looks forward to some decadent, usually fried, treat). Enjoy the holiday!

July is National Blueberry Month! Blueberries have been enjoyed for centuries, and rightfully so. These plump little berries were even used for medicinal reasons by Native Americans! Nowadays they serve a different purpose- mostly just to be enjoyed!

When you select a basket of blueberries, make sure they are firm and plump, and don’t have any perspiration because that can lead to decay. They should be a vivid purple-blue to blue-black color (stay away from any green ones because that means they were picked too early). Once you bring them home, blot any moisture away and put them on a plate covered with plastic. They can last like that in the refrigerator up to 10 days! Remember not to wash them until you’re ready to eat them.

Banana Blueberry Maple Crepes 

**recipe from safeway.com**

Ingredients

3 medium bananas, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or O Organics Frozen Wild Blueberries, partially thawed

3 tablespoons O Organics Sweet Cream Butter

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 cup O Organics 100% Pure Maple Syrup

12 crepes

2 (6 ounce) containers O Organics Nonfat Maple Blended Yogurt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside a few banana slices and about 1/2 cup fresh or thawed blueberries for garnish.

2. In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add almonds and stir until slightly darker, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and with a slotted spoon, lift out almonds, draining melted butter into pan, and transfer to a small bowl.

3.  Add maple syrup to browned butter in pan. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining bananas and blueberries to syrup and mix gently.

4. Lay crepes on a counter in a single layer with speckled sides up. With a slotted spoon, lift fruit from syrup, drain, and divide fruit evenly among crepes, spooning onto a quarter-section of each. Fold each crepe in half over filling, then fold again to make a triangle. Using a wide spatula, set filled crepes in a single layer on a baking sheet with filling sides up.

5. Bake until crepes are warm, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the syrup to a boil.

6. With wide spatula, put 3 filled crepes on each plate. Moisten crepes with a little hot syrup. Spoon about 2 tablespoons yogurt onto each portion. Sprinkle crepes with toasted almonds and reserved fruit. Add remaining yogurt and syrup to taste.