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Outdoor dining season has finally arrived, and with it, some nice melons in the markets. Whole melons by the pound are generally the most economical, but an entire watermelon can be overwhelming for one or two people. I recently created a recipe for a Watermelon Salsa that can be made with readily available ingredients. Previously I had seen several recipes calling for ethnic ingredients not available locally. This is a mild salsa, but adding additional jalapeños would increase the heat.

Watermelon Salsa

2 cups 1/4 inch dice watermelon

1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced

1 green onion including top, minced

2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp lime or lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl, cover and chill at least 2 hours. Serve with your favorite chips or as a burger topping. Yield: 2 1/2 cups salsa.

Speaking of burgers, here are a few tips about grilling great hamburgers. Most folks prefer crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, but we want our meat cooked well to avoid all those nasty,unappetizing unpleasantries health and safety articles warn us about.

First, use quality ground beef. Twenty percent fat content is best. Too much fat and you will have a lot of shrinkage during cooking and flare-ups from grease dripping. Too little fat will cause a tough, hard burger when cooked.

Second, add seasonings, mixing well to evenly combine, then add about 2 Tablespoons liquid per pound of meat and mix well. This can be water, broth or vegetable juice or my favorite, barbecue sauce. Chill at least 1 hour before forming into patties

Third, and most important is forming the patties. Press mixture into patties 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and about 1/2 inch bigger around than the hamburger buns. Then, make a slight depression at the center of the patty. This will allow the burger expansion room at the center during cooking, so you end up with a flat burger that condiments won’t slide off of as easily and cooks evenly.

Grill at medium-hot until desired doneness or 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Serve immediately.

Barbeque Sauce Burgers

1 pound 80% lean ground beef

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp Barbeque sauce, any flavor

Combine ground beef and seasonings, mixing well. Add barbeque sauce and mix until thoroughly combined. Chill at least 1 hour. Form into patties, evenly thick about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Make a slight depression at center of patty. Grill over medium-hot coals until internal temperature is 160 degrees. Yield: 3 burgers.

Kathie Donahue shared her recipe for Quick, Cool, Green Bean Salad, a perfect barbeque side dish. She said "This was the product of desperation the other day when I had no salad and no ambition to run to the store."

Quick, Cool,

Green Bean Salad

1 can (14.5 ounces) cut green beans, drained

4 radishes, sliced thin

1/2 sweet salad onion, chopped ( I used 1 cup chopped)

1/2 cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place the veggies in a small bowl and toss well. Mix sour cream, vinegar and seasonings together in a cup. Add this mixture to veggies. Mix well and serve immediately or chill for several hours before serving. Yield: 4 side servings.

Note: I made this salad in the morning to serve at lunch time and since I did not have a cucumber on hand, substituted a can of sliced water chestnuts, thoroughly drained. This salad lends itself well to improvisation. Fresh green beans, cooked, drained and cooled may also be used. Yellow wax beans could be substituted along with red onion for color.

Sharie Wilson of Davenport brought Cheese Cake Tarts to a recent quilters gathering. These easy, cool treats are excellent for a light finale to summer meals or a delicious refreshment for parties. The recipe was put out by the Duncan Hines Company.

Cheese Cake Tarts

24 paper cup cake liners

1 package white or yellowcake mix, 2 layer size

1/3 cup melted butter

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

1 cup sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sour cream

12 fresh strawberries, washed, dried and cut in half

Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix with melted butter. Beat one minute with mixer. Mixture will be crumbly. Divide mixture evenly into paper lined cups and fill about 1/3 full. Do Not press mixture down. You may have a little mixture left, don’t over fill.

In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, eggs , 3/4 cup of the sugar and vanilla. Beat until mixture is smooth. Spoon over crumbs in prepared cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is set.

Prepare topping by beating sour cream and remaining sugar together. Spoon evenly over cheese cakes when they come from the oven. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top each with a strawberry half. Cool before serving. Yield: 24 tarts.

Speaking of strawberries, it was brought to my attention that I did not report on the test of a vinegar bath for berries in the May 24th column. One part vinegar to 5 parts water does work to keep berries fresh longer. My test berry was in the refrigerator for 10 days and no mold or spoilage formed. Tasted good too. I am told this works well for grapes, also.

Share your favorite summer recipes and tips by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa WA 99159 or email them to: therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Calendula blossom petals add vibrant color to salads.