It’s not hard to put together a salad for summer, the time of year when produce is at its freshest and invitations for potluck barbecues, block parties and picnics beg for a dish to share.

Check out these summer recipes.

Each year, the Rochester (Ill.) Public Library sponsors a baking contest — inspired by a book — at the city’s Sparks in the Park Independence Day celebration. This year’s competition, which called for chocolate chip cookies, was based on Laura Joffe Numerof’s “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”

Red, white and blue food lends a dramatic touch to a July 4 buffet or party table. The flag colors also can be displayed through beverages.

With kids on the go and playing hard, they need snacks that taste good but are healthful as well. Instead of chips, cookies or an ice cream novelty, serve Peachsicles for a quick cold and nutritious treat.

It’s easy to find patriotic food recipes, but what about celebratory cocktails for the Fourth of July?

Looking for a red-white-and blue dessert for Independence Day? Here’s a patriotic treat that won’t make you feel like a traitor to your diet.

From Oconomowoc to Manitowoc, on any given summer weekend you’ll see clouds of smoke, as if whole towns are afire. They are. It’s grilling season in Wisconsin, and that means bratwurst on every grill. 

Penne with fresh herbs and cheese pesto. The dish takes just seven minutes to prepare and 11 minutes to cook. Suggested wine is white.

Need a quick appetizer for a Memorial Day fete? Try cherry tomatoes stuffed with a crispy bacon and Parmesan mixture.

With today's busy lifestyles, a time-saving trick is to make sure you have leftovers for the next day's meals. This means you can cook less often.

Rice is a blank slate that you can color or flavor according to your whim.

Add this to the ever-growing pile of proof that women are from Venus and men are from Mars: Even the way they cook differs. At least that’s the opinion expressed by some of the guys ready to show off their culinary skills in Saturday’s 100 Men Who Cook benefit.

For a memorable Cinco de Mayo celebration, you could prepare a multicourse Mexican meal, hire Mexican folk dancers and a mariachi band and, of course, hang a festive chili pepper piñata. You could do all that. But do you need to? Nah. All you really need is some tasty Mexican munchies.