Easy- does- it summer cooking!

I'm  doing a lot of cooking lately. Well. I have to - summer is officially here (the hot season is on! ) and my children get hungry very often (sigh!). I have to make sure there's always something to  chow down. Nothing really fancy, just simple and easy-to-whip-up dishes. No matter the heat, it's always an adventure to be cooking in summer and getting a little creative in this area..

Barbequed baby back ribs with homemade bbq sauce paired with fresh veggie salad and  corn & carrots

Hot spinach dip with melted mozzarella cheese

Fresh picks: marble potatoes from Baguio

Buttered marble potatoes and parmesan chicken lollipops & wings

Potato salad with mayo-dijon mustard dressing

Sharing with you two easy-to-follow recipes today.

Hot Spinach Dip 

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh spinach
1 small white onion, minced
 garlic, minced
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly -ground pepper
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
olive oil


Directions:
1. Wash and clean spinach thoroughly then boil in enough water. Drain and chop finely.
2. Saute finely minced onions and garlic in olive oil.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, soften cream cheese and whip together with mayonnaise.  
   Add minced onions and garlic then stir in finely-chopped spinach.
4. Add more olive oil.  Season with salt and freshly-ground pepper and add mozzarella  
    cheese.

To serve: put portions in a small bowl and top with more grated mozzarella cheese. Heat in microwave for about 20 seconds. Serve hot with simple crostini.

Potato Salad with Mayo-Dijon Mustard Dressing

Ingredients:
2 kls marble potatoes
3 medium-sized carrots
2 medium-sized apples
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
salt and freshly-ground  pepper to taste
parsley or chives

Directions:
1. Wash marble potatoes and carrots and boil. Drain then cut  potatoes in halves  and cube
    the carrots. Set aside.
2. Cook the eggs, let cool and mash. Set aside.
3. Wash the apples and slice in cubes the same size as the carrots.
4.  In a bowl, prepare the dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise and Dijon  
     mustard. Add salt and freshly-ground pepper  to taste. 
5. Mix the dressing in halved marble potatoes, cubed carrots and apples. 
6. Add chopped parsley and  half of the mashed hard boiled eggs. 
7. Chill before serving and garnish with chopped parsley and the remaining mashed  
    hard boiled eggs.

Happy cooking!