20 Fresh Summer Recipes to Add to Your August Menu

By Southern Living Editors

Just because summer is slowly coming to a close doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy the tastes of the season. How do Southerners combat dwindling farmers’ market stock? By pickling any and everything we can, of course. Start with our master pickling brine, and make one (or all five!) of our colorful pickled vegetables, including zesty okra, spicy beans, Tuscan-style cherry tomatoes, turmeric-dill cucumbers, and easy red onions. It’s the tastiest way to preserve summertime.

But what to serve all those pickles with…how about a set of five-ingredient supper recipes that make use of fresh summer produce and quick pantry staples? We suggest starting with a classic sandwich with a twist, our Smoky Grilled BLTs. This recipe gives your basic tomato sandwich a run for its money.

And to cap off every late-summer cookout, we’re going old-school—super old-school. Southerners have always known that soft drinks can serve as the ultimate secret ingredient, and we’re bringing back vintage favorites with updated recipes: 7UP Bundt Cake, Coca Cola Layer Cake, and Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes, to name a few. There’s no better way to send off summer than with these 20 delicious new recipes.

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1 of 21

Easy Steak Fajitas

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Easy Steak Fajitas

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2 of 21

Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Creamy Pesto-and-Shrimp Penne with Peas

3 of 21

Smoky Grilled BLTs

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Smoky Grilled BLTs

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4 of 21

Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes

5 of 21

Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad

6 of 21

Crispy Chicken-and-Broccoli Salad

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Crispy Chicken-and-Broccoli Salad

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7 of 21

Tomato-Basil Couscous with Chicken and Smoked Sausage

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Tomato-Basil Couscous with Chicken and Smoked Sausage

8 of 21

Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Any-Berry Muffins with Cornmeal Streusel

9 of 21

Creamy Peach Icebox Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Creamy Peach Icebox Cake

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10 of 21

Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

11 of 21

Zesty Pickled Okra

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Zesty Pickled Okra

12 of 21

Turmeric-Dill Cucumbers

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Turmeric-Dill Cucumbers

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13 of 21

Pickled Red Onions

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Pickled Red Onions

14 of 21

Spicy Pickled Green and Yellow Beans

Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Spicy Pickled Green and Yellow Beans

15 of 21

Master Pickling Brine

Anna Theoktisto

Recipe: Master Pickling Brine

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16 of 21

7-UP Bundt Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: 7-UP Bundt Cake
Recipe: Lemon-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe: Sugared Lemon-Lime Zest

17 of 21

Coca Cola Chocolate Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Coca Cola Chocolate Cake
Recipe: Fudgy Coca Cola Cake Frosting

18 of 21

Nehi Orange Poke Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Nehi Orange Poke Cake

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19 of 21

Dr Pepper Texas Sheet Cake

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Dr Pepper Texas Sheet Cake

20 of 21

Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting
Recipe: Cherry-Swirl Frosting

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