READ EAT then REPEAT: 3 Great Summer Recipes That Will Be The Star Of The Cookout

Are you tired of bringing deviled eggs or baked beans to summer parties? With the 4th of July just around the corner, branch out and try these fun and beautiful recipes!

What's a summer barbecue without potato salad? This recipe is fresh take on the original by omitting mustard and opting instead for cucumber ranch. The result is a light and crisp flavor that perfectly complements good barbecue.

Dill Cucumber Potato Salad

5 lb. bag red potatoes
5 stalks celery, chopped
4 green onion stalks, sliced
2 T. fresh dill weed, chopped
1 c. mayonnaise
16 oz. cucumber ranch salad dressing

Place whole potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring pot to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and cool them completely. This method cooks the potatoes completely but maintains some degree of firmness so that your potato salad doesn't turn into cold mashed potatoes. After cooling, potatoes can be cubed to the size of your liking.

I prefer medium to large cubes, slightly larger than a game die.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, chopped celery, sliced green onions, and dill weed.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and cucumber ranch until fully incorporated. Pour sauce over potato mixture and fold mixture gently to coat completely. It's just that simple! This recipe is best after a few hours in the fridge to allow the flavors to blend achieve a thicker consistency. This yields a pretty large bowl, but it can be reduced proportionally for a small gathering.

Up next: Spinach Strawberry Salad

10 oz. bagged spinach

1 quart strawberries

Walnut halves or pieces

4 green onion stalks, sliced

Strawberry or Raspberry vinaigrette

18 Pint Jars (optional)

Balance out a grilled, juicy cheeseburger with this summery spinach salad! This is a quick, adorable, and kids-in-the-kitchen friendly recipe for your next cookout.

In each jar, layer 1/2 cup of washed spinach, sliced strawberries, walnuts, and onions. If serving within an hour dressing can be added at the time of assembaly. If not, bring your vinaigrette to the party and let guests dress their own jar salads. Seal the lids tight and shake to coat the entire salad with dressing.

To jar or not to jar? Of course this salad can be put together and served in large bowl with less prep time and zero chance of broken jars. I love serving this salad in jars for these few reasons:

Jars travel very well so you don't have to worry about bruised spinach or smooshed strawberries.

Individual jars are convenient for party guests and keep salad separate from other foods.

Individual servings mean the leftover salad is not dressed and salad without dressing will stay crisp and edible longer than dressed salad.

Jars can be reused again and again!

Lastly, OMG they're just cute. Okay? Don't fight me on this.

Looking to take something sweet to your next summer gathering? Look no further. Fruit Pizza Bites are simple to make and look like something from a bakery window.

Fruit Pizza Bites

Preportioned Sugar Cookie Dough (24 cookies)

16 oz. Neufchatel Cream Cheese

2/3 c. granulated sugar

Assorted fruit, washed, and sliced

Start by baking the cookies in a well greased miniature cupcake pan for the length directed on the box. Side Note: I love making things from scratch. Especially baked goods. But the amount of time you'd have to put in to mix, chill, and portion sugar cookie dough just isn't worth it for me in this recipe. On the 8th day, God said "Let there be proportioned cookie dough," and it was good. When they come out of the oven your cookies should look something like this:

To make room for the cream cheese filling and fruit, the cookies need to be compressed into more of a cup shape. Look around your kitchen for a rounded tool about the size of the mini cupcake wells. My tablespoon measuring spoon was perfect for the job, but a melon baller or coffee scoop would do the trick as well.

Press straight down into the center of each cookie to create a well. After you've compressed the whole pan, pop them back in the oven for an additional two to three minutes or until they're golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool a while then pinch the "rim" of the cookie cup and rotate to release the cookie from the pan instead of pulling straight up to keep the cookies from breaking.

While the cookies cool completely, you can mix the cream cheese filling. Beat 16 oz. of cream cheese with 2/3 c. of sugar until it's smooth and creamy.