Love the fresh flavor of corn on the cob but hate how it gets caught in your teeth? There are a few ways to cut a good kernel.

Yesterday, I mentioned the produce anxiety I face when the summer starts to head into fall. One way I combat the unrest I experience during the waning days of peaches and heirloom tomatoes is to eat meals that are simple, easy combinations of the best of the season. After I unpacked my farmers market haul yesterday, I made a very basic salad for lunch.

You can think of it as a very chunky guacamole, and if you were looking for a tasty dip, you could chop everything a bit finer and serve it with tortilla chips. I like eating more like a creamy salad, the corn kernels blending into the avocado chunks and hiding in the tomatoes. I made mine completely plain, seasoned with just with salt and pepper, although if you wanted a bit more acidity, you could dress it with a squeeze of lime juice. My basic recipe is after the jump.

Sure, you put butter and salt on your corn on the cob, but what about peanut butter?

When I was young and my family still lived in Los Angeles, we'd make the drive from Eagle Rock to Woodland Hills to visit my grandma Bunny about once a month. My dad's brothers would arrive with their families, filling the driveway with cars, dogs and kids. The musicians would settle down to the serious business of jamming, while Bunny listened, occasionally added a harmony line and took care of dinner. During the summer months, she would buy dozens of ears of corn and it would be my job to help her with the husking. We'd sit outside at a picnic table, a paper grocery bag from Ralph's between us and we shuck away. I can't make corn on the cob without thinking of her.

Over the weekend, I bought some corn at the farmers market and last night I gave it a quick steam. I was the only one eating, but I boiled all I had, because while I love it buttered and hot, straight off the cob, I also am a big fan of fresh corn on salads. What I couldn't eat was sliced off the cob and is now waiting in the fridge to be tossed with some arugula and Lancaster county tomatoes. Oh, but it was good on the cob. Sweet and crunchy and tasting of the essence of summer.

photo by Marisa McClellan

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• This couple collects old and rare cookbooks.
• Meals fit for a queen.
• A cool tool for your corn on the cob.
• This week's recipes: Mussels with Wine, Mussels with Saffron and Tomatoes, Oaxacan Potatoes, Plum Ketchup, Ballpark Mustard, and Peach-Cornmeal Muffins.

You know what we need more of in this world? Food on shirts. I don't mean the logos of food companies, I mean actual food. Hamburgers, popsicles, plates of macaroni and cheese, glasses of wine, whatever. LiquidBlue.com has some pretty wild designs at their site. You can get a giant slice of lime on a cool blue shirt. There's a shirt with an ear of corn around the neck. Or how about a grill filled with steak, shrimp, and hot dogs, since it is summer?

I like the watermelon shirt, since the design actual lends itself to a shirt, with the V-neck shape. Plus I love watermelon.

Corn on the cob is one of those foods I rarely have. It's really a seasonal thing, and considering that season is my least favorite by far (and I'm not a big cookout guy anyway) I never think of having it. But I'll try the following recipe the next time I have it.

It's for Griilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter. Grilling corn on the cob has become more and more popular the past several years and I think the butter in this recipe will give it a kick your family might not be expecting if you're having a Memorial Day cookout.

To quote Tom Cruise on The Today Show, "Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt..."

Matt Wilson over at Cracked.com gives his list of the Best and Worst Thanksgiving Food. I made a prediction before I even read the piece that turkey, stuffing, and pie would be in the "best" category, while green bean casseroles and yams would be in the "worst." Well, I was partly right. He actually lists turkey in the "worst" category!

Whaaaaa?

He gives big props to pie, corn on the cob, and yams though. He doesn't like the cranberry sauce in a can, and it makes me wonder if he even knows you don't have to have it in can, you can actually make fresh stuff yourself!

Matt, seriously, how can you not like turkey? Are you a Communist? (Funny part about the family awkwardness though.)

So what are your favorite ane least favorite Thanksgiving Day foods?

A 13-year-old girl in the U.K. beat several grown men in a corn-on-the-cob eating contest this week, setting a British record in the process. Emily Cotterill consumed 26 ears of corn in 20 minutes, watching while "male opponents began vomiting and dropping out." Her parents seemed proud of their daughter's achievement, and her father even remarked that he considered entering the contest, but did not think he would stand a chance against Emily.

Emily said that she felt a little ill after the competition, but it soon passed. She also noted that she probably wouldn't be eating corn again anytime soon, but did not make a comment indicating whether or not she was interested in pursuing a career as a competitive eater in the future.

At least she was eating something relatively healthy, and not brats or hot dogs.

About a week ago, I posted a little guide on how to grill corn on the cob, which is my favorite way to cook corn. It is not, however, the only way to cook corn. The website How to Cook Corn on the Cob has photo guides to grilling, steaming, boiling and microwaving corn. It might not be headline news, since you have probably used at least one of the methods before, but all four are great guides for those who are new to corn cookery or simply want to give another method a try.

One other useful tip -although not necessarily for the health conscious - is to roll the hot corn along the long side of a stick of butter, which is the easiest and most thorough way to cover the corn before sprinkling it with salt, pepper and whatever other spices you like to use. Compound butter is also a great way to dress up corn.

One of the single best things about the summer - aside from fresh berries, tomatoes and peaches - is corn. Fresh sweet corn is so delicious that it can be eaten for any meal, though I prefer to have it with lunch or dinner. Grilling the corn seems to intensify the flavor and actually takes less time than boiling, and after I saw the technique on Good Eats a while back. The way it works is that the corn actually steams by leaving a few leaves of its husk on, making it not only sweet, but very juicy.

To grill the corn, simply shuck the corn until it is down to 2 or 3 layers of husk. Pull off any excess silk if it is in the way, but once the corn is grilled it will be very easy to remove. Place the corn on a hot grill and cook until the husk is dark, rotating the ear every 2-3 minutes. Over high heat, the corn should be done in about 10-12 minutes.

The corn also makes great leftovers, so cook extra!

While it may seem like a "duh" moment when you hear that there are a lot of veggies that taste great at room temperature, it's a good thing to keep in mind for a picnic. I know that I tend to think of sandwiches and salads, as well as cookies and other treats, all of which can pack up nicely, but not of things that are usually served hot. At home, I usually cook and serve vegetables right away, but as I noshed on a leftover ear of grilled corn on the cob, I realized that it would be perfect picnic fare. With corn, you can grill it or boil it, tuck it into a ziploc bag (once it is cool) and bring it along. Once you hit the picnic table, you can still butter and salt it or, better yet, use some lime juice to really bring out the flavor.

Other cooked veggies that I like at room temperature are artichokes, which require a little more preparation than corn on the cob since you'll need a spoon to remove the choke, but are excellent even when chilled (try lemon juice and salt to avoid bringing heat-sensitive dips outdoors), asparagus (if they still have it at the markets in your area), zucchini/summer squash and any kind of beans. Of course, you can always add in some raw veggies, like tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and carrots, but you'll probably want some hummus or other dressing to make them a little more interesting since they're not as easy to simply spice up as cooked vegetables are.

July 4th.  Surf and Stillwell Avenues.  The crowd, thousands strong,
bristles in the scorching heat, and the announcer hams it up.

"This, the hot dog, the symbol of patriotism!" he bellows; the crowd cheers.

It's the 91st annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and I stand in
the throngs to bear witness.  American Joey Chestnut keeps a one-to-two-dog
lead over five-time champion Takeru Kobayashi.  The mood tenses, tight
as a sausage skin.  The minutes tick by.  Kobayashi evens the score.
Then he steps ahead.  The clock winds to zero, and Kobayashi wins by a
dog and three quarters at 53.75.

The 12 minutes of the contest leave me breathless, and I marvel
at the notion of food as a patriotic symbol.  Is a hot dog patriotic? 
Do other foods share the honor?