Diverse appetizers served as dinner are a great fit with the sweltering temps and an easy way to use summer's raw materials. And think of the range of flavors and textures in dishes like grilled vegetable salads, skewers of marinated and grilled beef and chicken and Gulf shrimp, antipasti with homemade squash pickles, bruschetta with Creole tomatoes and figs or peaches stuffed with chevre and topped with crispy prosciutto. The list of tasty, easy and diverse small plates is endless.

Chips and dips are a core participant in spreads like these, and this summer, I've had great luck with my own fresh corn salsa, heirloom tomato salsa, homemade baba ganoush and Giada di Laurentiis' reliable eggplant caponata. They make fast work of an ear of corn or a stray eggplant, and if you double the batch you can munch on them all week.

Fresh Corn Salsa
One small onion, or half of one medium onion, diced
One red pepper, diced
One jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
One garlic clove, minced
One can black beans, drained and rinsed
Two ears fresh corn, shucked, cleaned and shaved from cob
One lime
Handful of chopped basil

In a large pan, saute the onion in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil about three minutes or until until translucent. Add peppers and garlic and sauté about three more minutes. Add black beans and sauté one minute. Add corn and sauté two minutes. Remove from heat. Toss with the juice of the lime, the chopped basil and salt and pepper to taste.