Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips 10 Easy Recipes You Absolutely Must Try Before The End Of Summer Perfect for parties or weeknights, these make-ahead dishes show off your farmers’ market haul. By Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist who has been writing about Southern food and working in the publishing industry for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Taste of the South, and Southern Cast Iron magazines. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 18, 2024 Close Photo: Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Summer is my absolute favorite time to entertain. Everything I love is at its peak. Tomatoes, peaches, blackberries, watermelon, squash, corn—they fill the stalls at the farmers’ market, all but batting their eyelashes at me. Powerless to resist their charms, I head home with bags almost too heavy to carry—every single time. That summer bounty inspired the recipes below, plucked right from the pages of our August 2023 issue. I sat down with my friend, Test Kitchen Professional Melissa Gray, and we brainstormed our hearts out. For every dish, we committed to three guiding principles: 1. Keep it Southern. 2. Make it simple. 3. Offer make-ahead options. While these recipes join forces to create the Ultimate End-of-Summer Party Menu, there’s no reason you must make all of them yourself. Pick a couple of the appetizers, and farm out the sides to friends. It makes folks feel better to take some of the burden of hosting a party off your shoulders, so by all means, let them. I’ve learned it the hard way—nobody loves a party martyr! Alright, I don’t know about you, but I’m HUNGRY! Let’s dig into these recipes and why I sincerely believe you’ll love every one of them—trust me, I’ve tasted them all at least twice! 01 of 10 Tomato Sandwich Toasts Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray We had you at tomato, right? Even if you’re like my mom and don’t love them, you’ll fall for these adorable tomato toasts (she’s a huge fan). They’re dead simple, but surprisingly good. This party-perfect twist on our beloved classic tomato sandwich uses buttery brioche bread for a rich upgrade. Trust me—it’s a small touch that makes a big difference. get the recipe 02 of 10 Pepper Sauce Watermelon Wedges Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Southerners fall into two camps—those who salt their watermelon, and those who don’t. If you’re on team salty, I’m willing to bet money you’ll love these easy, tangy watermelon wedges. A drizzle of pepper sauce and a sprinkle of sliced peppers (usually reserved for jazzing up greens) really wake up the sweetness of summer melon. get the recipe 03 of 10 Pimiento Cheese Stuffed Peppers Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray I’m almost embarrassed about how easy this recipe is. But when it comes to entertaining, a recipe that is mostly store-bought and extremely low-lift like this one is a godsend. Just spoon store-bought or homemade pimiento cheese into a ziplock bag, snip the corner, and pipe it into pickled peppadew or cherry peppers (look for them in the pickle aisle). So easy, so good. get the recipe 04 of 10 Cucumber-Onion Dip Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Every party needs a good dip, and this tasty mashup of sour cream and onion dip with Southerners’ beloved cucumber-onion salad is a total crowd pleaser. It holds in the fridge beautifully, so make it ahead of time—and pretty please serve it with plenty of Ruffles! get the recipe 05 of 10 Blackberry-Lime Porch Punch Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray It’s a bell I keep ringing, but nothing cranks up a party like a good punch! This refreshing, purple-hued beauty is built on a backbone of fresh blackberry juice, sweet tea, ginger ale, and lime juice. Leave it as-is for a kid-friendly party drink, or add a little bourbon for a Southern twist on a Dark ‘N’ Stormy cocktail. get the recipe 06 of 10 Zesty Corn-and-Squash Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m personally proud of the make-ahead magic we worked on this side dish. We wanted this to be make-ahead, but squash gets weepy if you even whisper the word “dressing” to it. Our solution: Mix up the dressing with the corn (which holds its crunch), then layer the squash and zucchini on top and pop it in the fridge. The corn serves as a life raft for the squash, keeping it dry and safe until you toss it together just before serving. get the recipe 07 of 10 Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad With Crispy Black-Eyed Peas Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray There’s nothing in the world wrong with a “plain” heirloom tomato salad—it’s one of summer’s ultimate pleasures. But if you’re in the mood to jazz it up a bit, this twist is the ticket. Roasted red peppers add smoky sweetness, and you make the dressing right in the jar! But the real kicker are these crispy black-eyed peas—you’re going to want to put them on EVERYTHING. get the recipe 08 of 10 Three-Pickle Potato Salad Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray If you’re thinking, “Does the world really need another potato salad,” I’m telling you, the answer is YES—THIS ONE. I think the best part of any potato salad are the punchy pickles, and this recipe is packed with three kinds—pickle relish, chopped pickle chips, and sliced pickled okra. And just like you’d expect, it gets better the longer it sits, so we’ve got another make-ahead winner! get the recipe 09 of 10 Grilled Kebabs With Pickled Peach Marinade Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray I love a good marinade, but it’s darn near impossible to find one that will work for shrimp, chicken, steak, AND pork. Oh wait—this one does! Not only does this pickled peach marinade add a sweet and vinegary kick to all the meats it meets, the recipe also provides specific marinating and cooking times for each one, so you can grill with confidence. get the recipe 10 of 10 Peaches and Cream Icebox Pies with Warm Bourbon Caramel Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Entertaining can be hard work—it’s easy to “phone it in” and just make a batch of brownies. But these adorable, individual peach icebox pies are even easier and way more impressive. You don’t even need a jumbo muffin pan—just double up jumbo muffin liners on a cookie sheet, fill then with the crust and cheesecake filling, and chill until you’re ready to serve. And then there’s the big finish—this warm, buttery, bourbon-caramel sauce. Heat it up just before you’re ready to serve and spoon it right over each guest’s personal peach pie. It’s a super-easy wow moment your party guests won’t soon forget! get the recipe What are you waiting for—there's plenty of summer left! Call you friends, hand out recipe assignments, and get ready to throw the easiest party you've hosted all summer! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit