Just as summer returns, so do favorite warm-weather foods. To make things simple yet delicious requires a little creativity—plus some versatile ingredients that play an essential role. Consider Georgiapecans, for example, which are one of the most all-purpose foods in the pantry. Crunchy, rich-tasting, and ready-to-use, pecans can add texture and flavor to sweet or savory dishes, hot or cold, vegetarian or meat, fish, and poultry dishes. Very few foods can boast of such compatibility in cooking—or availability. Georgia pecans are found in markets year-round, so cooks can count on having them for any dish, any time.

This summer, pecans will find their way into any number of fresh seasonal salads, as the world of the mixed salad continues to expand with an endless assortment of global tastes and textures. The American salad used to be little more than a toss of lettuce and tomato with some bottled dressing, but now, thanks to the development of salad bars and the creative example of many chefs, the possibilities of salad are unlimited.

If there’s any one feature that defines salads, it is that the mixture should be a well-crafted blend, with contrasting textures, compatible flavors, and appealing colors. A recipe for Grilled Chicken Sausage and Squash with Summer Greens and Pecans, for instance, is a meal-in-one salad that pairs hearty pre-cooked sausage and toasted pecans with lightly dressed greens and grilled summer squash. And though it looks and tastes substantial, the whole dish comes together in about 20 minutes.

Warm weather appetites also appreciate the easy-nibbling dish, the snack-by-the-pool or bite-before-the-ball game kind of savory. In a bow to culinary tradition and innovation, an appetizer of BLT and Georgia Pecans in Lettuce Wraps fits any of these occasions, as well as something more fancy. Taking the popular combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato, this recipe omits the usual bread, using the lettuce to enfold a filling of bacon, crisp toasted pecans, fresh parsley, and lemon juice, then blended with a little mayo and topped with fresh tomato. It’s at once classic and contemporary, relying on tried-and-true flavors presented in a stylish package.

A handful of Georgia pecans make all the difference with another summertime staple: fresh fruit desserts. In a recipe for Blueberry Pecan Shortbread Crisp, Georgia pecans are effortlessly worked into store-bought cookie dough to create a sweet, nutty crisp topping that is sprinkled over blueberries while their baking. Some of the dough also lines the bottom of the pan, to give the dessert a pie-like crust, without all the fuss of making pastry from scratch.

With such ideas, some culinary conveniences, and a handful of Georgia pecans, these basic dishes instantly become the next big thing at a summer bash or buffet. Mix a little creativity, some speed-scratch ingredients, and the ever-versatile pecan, and your table, like the garden, will be an earthly delight.

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