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I’m spending part of my summer on Salt Spring Island and most of my dinner plans here have started with me visiting a few of the Island’s many farm stands to see what’s available.

If you need a side dish to serve with a Mediterranean-style grilled fish, chicken, pork, lamb or other entrée, my deluxe version of caprese salad would work well.

sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ sockeye salmon is in season and I have a very cool, perfect way to serve it in summer. Simply season the fillets, and then bake, chill and serve with a cool, creamy, tasty cucumber potato salad.

If you having a craving for a fast-food-chain burger, you know the type, with two patties, cheese, a middle layer of bun, sauce, pickles and onions, drive past the drive-thru.

If your partner and you are in the mood for a deluxe seafood dinner, I have a plan. Buy a fine selection of seafood, arrange them in a skillet, flavour them with a buttery mixture, set that skillet on a hot barbecue and start cooking.

One of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½â€™s most popular salads, and one of our favourite cocktails, have at least four things in common. Both are named Caesar, both have an Italian connection, both are highly seasoned, and both have a key ingredient made from a sea creature.

If you need a cake for a summer gathering, but don’t want to fire up the stove, make sure your freezer is functioning correctly. That’s because you’ll need it to make a dessert that requires no baking at all, an ice cream cake.

When dining on a very hot summer day, flavourful food served very cold is obviously well suited for that kind of weather.

If you’re planning to have friends over for tea, why not turn it into a summer meal by serving sandwiches. Tea sandwiches, of course. Daintily prepared bites you artfully arrange on plates or a platter.

Beef on a bun with jus for dipping is a popular dish served in pubs and diners. But I like to make it at home and when I do that in the summer, I take the cooking outdoors. I start by choosing my beef roast.