By Karin Calloway

Karin Calloway is a working mom living in Augusta, Ga., with multiple freelance jobs and a ton of dirty dishes.

Summer Salad Supper

The lazy days of summer offer the perfect opportunity for casual entertaining. Leave the china in the cabinet, forget setting the dining room table and just head to the back porch for a cool meal of hearty summer salads.

Most of the dishes in this month's Summer Salad Supper menu can be prepared ahead, and the menu offers a nice balance of flavors and textures. The centerpiece salad is mixed greens with garnishes gone wild, including bourbon-marinated salmon, cherry tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and honey roasted cashews.

I'm passing by traditional potato salad by offering a delicious Grilled Two-Potato Salad that can be made several hours before serving. And, for a little something extra, I'm offering up my classic Tarragon Shrimp Salad that is a hit at cocktail parties year-round. Dessert keeps things cool, too, as a simple Orange Sabayon tops the season's juicy, fresh berries. These recipes go great together, but also can be served individually as part of your next summer cookout or quick weeknight supper.

Recipes:

Kofta "Burgers" with Raita
These Kofta “Burgers” are a simple version of a popular Indian skewered ground meat dish. Turning the mixture into burgers is an American twist, but using naan bread instead of buns and cooling things off with a classic cucumber Raita makes these fairly close to the classic.
Bourbon Salmon Salad
This salmon can be grilled or roasted, and is delicious paired with crisp greens, a honey-mustard dressing and some crunchy, sweet honey roasted cashews.
Fresh Berries with Simple Sabayon
Although I had already discovered a love for cooking, the idea of creating a sabayon of my own seemed out of reach.
Grilled Two-Potato Salad
I’ve played around with sweet potato salad recipes for some time, and am sharing my favorite version here. It includes both sweet and Yukon gold potatoes and instead of a cloying mayonnaise-based dressing, is tossed with a simple mixture of cider vinegar, olive oil, Creole mustard and honey.

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