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TOMATOES

As an appetizer, Joel used tomato and pesto. She says they're really easy appetizers that look elegant. You take a paring knife and take out the center. The pesto goes into a pastry baggy, snip off the end, and squeeze the pesto into the hollow tomato. It's a great cocktail dish that can be done in advance. It's better cold, anyway.

The main dish is tomatoes with pasta -- a no-cook tomato and basil. While the pasta is cooking in the water, chop up your tomato. You can use any -- make sure they're ripe. Cut up the tomatoes , basil, garlic, and put in the bottom of the pasta bowl and add cooked pasta. You can have a hot dinner in eight to ten minutes. It's also cooked served at room temperature.

Bite-Size Pesto Cherry Tomatoes

2 dozen cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup prepared pesto

Use a pairing knife to remove divot from each tomato. Place pesto in a zip-top plastic bag. Use scissors to snip the corner from the bag. Fill each tomato by squeezing pesto from plastic bag.

Pasta with No-Cook Tomato Basil Sauce

1/2 pound fusilli, penne, or bow-tie pasta (any pasta works)
3/4 pound ripe tomatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons Parmesan, grated
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Handful fresh basil, chiffonaded
Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)

Cook pasta in salted water. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add pasta and pasta water and toss to combine. Serve with additional Parmesan, if desired.

CORN

As an appetizer, Joel has corn chowder. You can serve it with a salad. Or put it in an espresso cup and people can take one and sip it. Don't over boil the corn -- cook it for about two-to-three minutes.

The main dish is Southwestern Corn and Bean Stuffed Peppers. It's a real crowd pleaser. You can make these peppers up until the point of baking them. It's a pretty hearty meal, since it has rice, the bean protein. Kids tend to love it. You don't have to have a lot of fancy spices -- just a packet of taco seasoning is enough. You can play around with it and even add guacamole and chips. The whole is inside that pepper.

Corn Chowder

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
One 14-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
2 cups milk
Crumbled cooked bacon and sliced scallions, optional

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, chicken broth, and 2 cups of the corn. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a blender combine the remaining 2 cups corn and the milk. Add to the soup. Let simmer about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stem. Garnish with bacon and scallions, if desired, and serve immediately.

Southwestern Corn and Bean Stuffed Peppers

4 large red or green bell peppers, cored
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package taco seasoning
3 ears of corn, cut from the cob
1 cup canned black beans, drained
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons water. Cook until water is absorbed, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, combine corn, black beans, rice, onions, sour cream and cheese. Mix well. Spoon mixture into peppers and bake until tender, about 30 minutes.

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