An ode to summer.

I am of the belief that you can summon beach days and warm weather by cooking the right food. Bring out those summer flavors in the kitchen and everything else will follow. But, if it's raining (like it was when I made this), you can turn all the lights on inside and at least pretend you're eating a mid-summer meal out on your porch.

That, and you're going to want to make all of this on the grill at least half a dozen times this summer. I made all of this inside, which will suffice, but all of this tastes immensely better on the grill.

I will forever be reminded of hazy summer Sundays with my family with this kind of food. Mom and I prepping in the kitchen, dad out on the deck grilling - and the rest of the family comes flooding in because everything smells so darn good.

The Meal: Orange Teriyaki Chicken will Veggie Packets and Corn Salad

I am perpetually in search of new chicken recipes - have been since I can remember. We always did that at home as a kid. Mix up the way you prep the chicken for the grill and you've basically got an entirely new meal.

The Ingredients: 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders

                               Zest of one orange

                               1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

                               3 cloves garlic, minced

                               Pepper, to taste

                               Veggie Packets:

                               Olive Oil

                               4 large russet or red potatoes, sliced thinly

                               1/2 red onion, diced

                               1 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

                               4 oz. baby carrots

                               2 tsp. parsley

                               Salt and pepper, to taste

                               Corn Salad:

                               6 ears sweet corn

                               1/2 red onion, diced

                               3 tbsp. olive oil

                               3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

                               Salt and pepper, to taste

                               1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

The Directions: Start by marinating the chicken. Put the chicken into a large Ziploc bag and add the teriyaki sauce, orange zest, garlic and pepper. Seal the bag and shake until everything is mixed and the chicken is covered. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and let marinate about 20-30 minutes.

Think of it as a grown-up Shake and Bake.

While the chicken marinates, you can prep the veggie packets. Tear two pieces of aluminum foil about 1 1/2 feet long. Drizzle just a touch of olive oil on each piece. Toss the veggies together and place in the center of the aluminum foil. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top, and season with salt, pepper, and parsley. 

Fold the foil up on both sides and roll the end in to create a packet. Don't completely seal it - leave a little vent in the top for some of the steam to escape. Roast the veggies at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they begin caramelize and are tender.

And the beauty is - the easiest clean-up for a side dish you'll ever have.

Now, for the corn salad. I promise you that you'll want to make this all summer long, and you'll be craving it in the off-season. It's no good with canned corn, so don't even try it. You NEED the fresh sweet corn to get that light, summery taste. I got this recipe from dear old Ina Garten via my boss, Ken.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Shuck the corn and remove the silk. Shucking the corn used to be my job as a kid, so I consider myself somewhat of a master. Place the shucked ears of corn into the water and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the pot and allow to cool.

While the corn cools, prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the onion, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Whisk together.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off of the cob.

Place the kernels in the bowl. Toss until well-combined.

This salad is one of those things that gets better as it sits and the flavors have a change to combine and develop. My suggestion would be to make this a day ahead of time and let those flavors develop in the refrigerator. This isn't necessary, but highly encouraged. If you don't, you can refrigerate the leftovers and they will be that much better the next day.

Preheat a large pan with 2 tbsp. of olive oil. When the pan is hot, remove the chicken from the Ziploc bag and place in the pan. Cook on medium-high heat about 5-6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is browned well and caramelized.

Plate everything up, and enjoy dinner outside if you can.