Back home...

...physically, that is. Mentally, I'm still trying to feel sand between my toes and pray my tan doesn't fade as quickly as it usually does.

While at the beach I tried a new recipe and (I think) perfected an old.

One night we were cooking dinner and I was dying for fresh vegetables. We passed so many farmer's markets and roadside stands on the way down I could hardly stand it. I remembered one recipe in particular I had been wanting to try and called mom for it.

Fresh Sauteed Corn*

• 6 ears of fresh corn, sliced off the cob
• one large Vidalia onion, diced
• six strips bacon
• 4 T. Butter
• 3 T. whipping cream
• 1 T. fresh basil
• fresh cracked pepper

1. Fry bacon in heavy skillet.
2. Remove cooked bacon and drain on paper towels.
3. Remove all but 3T. grease from skillet. (I said it was good, not healthy)
4. Add diced onion and saute until tender.
5. Add corn kernels and saute another five minutes.
6. When tender, add butter cream, pepper to taste and crumble bacon into dish.
7. Right before serving stir in fresh basil.

Serves 6-8.

*I made a few alterations to the original recipe and have yet to come up with a new name for it.

The other dish I'm quite proud is an incredible simple "salad." Simple as it is, I somehow can never make taste quite like my mother's. This time I got pretty close and it was so cool are refreshing after a day in the heat.

Summer Salad

You may laugh when you read this and think how could anyone mess this up. I think the key is the onion/tomato ratio and the type of dressing:

• two large cucumbers, sliced (I cut the seeds out of mine because I hate slimy things)
• two large tomatoes
• one Vidalia onion
• one purple onion (this is really for color)
• half a bottle of light Italian dressing

Chop/slice vegetables. Pour over half the bottle of dressing and let marinate in the fridge at least a few hours before serving.

Growing up this was a constant in our fridge for the entire summer. Everyday we would just slice a few more vegetables and add a bit more dressing.

*My mother and grandmother always added green bell peppers to theirs.