Summer BBQ Ideas

If Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, then the 4th of July means summer is in full swing! When I think of the 4th of July I think about fireworks, ice cream, BBQs, and anything cooked on a grill. Although we are foregoing the fireworks on the National Mall this year (last year we watched them from a boat on the Potomac River-- not sure we'll be able to top that!), I think we've got everything else covered. I've got my eyes set on a David Lebovitz recipe for blueberry frozen yogurt (check back later in the week for that) and some friends have invited us to a BBQ on Monday that should be chock full of grilled deliciousness. I've been tapped to bring dessert for this shindig and I'm currently deciding between blackberry summer cake (a variation on that awesome strawberry summer cake I made last week) or berry crumb bars.

In case you too are trying to decide what to make for a BBQ, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Pulled brisket (we're making this tomorrow!)
• Salmon burgers 
• Chicken kebabs
• Caprese bites
• Gazpacho pasta salad
• Mango slaw
• Potato salad
• Corn salad
• Summer squash ribbons
• Pound cake (great with fresh berries!)
• Summer berry pie (with homemade crust)
• Summer berry cake

Whatever you do this weekend, I wish you all a safe and happy 4th!

It's All Greek to Me

Looking for a quick and easy summer salad that is perfect for throwing together in a hurry after work when you've got other things to do? Have I got the thing for you-- Greek salad! I made this for dinner a few weeks ago after a long day of work (and before I rolled up my sleeves to bake Jason's annual choice of birthday cake)-- it was light and delicious and had me in and out of the kitchen in no time flat.

The nice thing about salads is that it's all about assembly-- so easy, you don't need a recipe! Simply top your favorite salad greens with chopped tomatoes, red onion, olives, cucumber and feta and add a quick and easy balsamic vinaigrette.

And for fun...Jason's cake (this time I did a mini 6 inch cake since it was just the two of us)

In other news, we are having more problems with the US Postal Service. But that's a story for another day. And today we got to walk through our house for the first time-- it's looking more like a house on the outside but there is definitely a ways to go on the inside :)

Menu Monday

Another week, another week's worth of dinners to plan. Here is what we've got going on this week:

Monday: Chicken patty pockets

Tuesday: Asparagus and feta frittata
Wednesday: Leftover chicken patty pockets
Thursday: Linguine with shrimp,pesto and cherry tomatoes

What do you have planned for this week?

Menu Monday

Menu Monday is back! Here is what I've got planned for this week:

Monday: Salmon with a dill yogurt sauce and roasted asparagus
Tuesday: Thai beef salad (and oldie but goodie)

Wednesday: Spring veggie risotto
Thursday: leftover risotto
Friday: dinner out?

Hope you have a good week!

Key Lime Pie Redux

Another year, another key lime pie for my father-in-law's birthday! It's been such a hit I think it will be an annual event :)

Same recipe with a couple of tweaks-- 1) less sugar in the crust (2 TBL...down from 1/4 cup) and 2) served with whipped cream on the side instead of topped. (I actually broke out the food processor this year so the crust looks as it should!) Next time I make it I might use my fluted tart pan instead.

A good spring/summer treat if you are looking for a quick and easy crowdpleaser!

Menu Monday

Here's what is on tap for this week:

Monday: Peanut sesame noodles (from Smitten Kitchen)
Tuesday: Unclear (depends on whether my trip to Pittsburgh--which looked like it was going to be postponed as a result of the government shutdown-- is back on or not)
Wednesday: Spinach and mushroom quesadillas
Thursday: Deconstructed pear, cherry, and goat cheese salad

Here's hoping this week is a little less nuts than the last one!

Menu Monday

Here is what we've got going on this week:

Monday: leftover chicken tikka masala
Tuesday: Lemon and goat cheese pasta and mixed green salad

Wednesday: leftover pasta
Thursday: Book club (rescheduled from last week)-- I'll be bringing my toasted coconut shortbread cookies

Friday: TBD (Jason's planning to cook)

Hope you have a good week!

Menu Monday

My posting was seriously lacking last week, I know....epic fail. I'm going to try to do better this week if for no other reason than I have a bunch of post-ready pictures of the yummy recipes I made last week!

This week I'm planning some old standbys with a new recipe or two thrown in for good measure:

Monday: Leftover pot roast with horseradish mashed potatoes from Sunday's dinner (a winter dish in honor of the dusting of snow we had Sunday morning)

 
Tuesday: Tomato avocado salad with cumin-lime dressing

Wednesday: A new recipe for spinach manicotti

Thursday: TBD (I hope to be attending this month's book club assuming I don't get sucked into a work event)

Menu Monday

Here's what we've got going on this week:

Monday: NY Strip Steak with cheese grits and roasted tomatoes and shallots
Tuesday: Brown-sugar glazed salmon with a spinach salad
Wednesday: Spinach and zucchini frittata
Thursday: TBD-- going to Baltimore for work that day so it will depend on what time I get home
Friday: dinner out somewhere

What's on your menu this week?

Menu Monday

I'm excited about this week's menu-- there are a number of new (and yummy sounding) recipes I'm going to give a try.

Check it:

-Monday: Chicken tortilla soup (from Pioneer Woman Cooks)
-Tuesday: leftover soup
-Wednesday: Beef with broccoli (from Cooking Light)
-Thursday: Pasta puttanesca (from SmittenKitchen/Ellie Krieger)
-Friday: leftovers

What's on your menu this week?

Menu Monday

My fingers are crossed that this week will actually allow me to spend some quality time in the kitchen. Assuming all goes as planned, here's what's on tap:

Monday: Chicken Salad with Pineapple Lime Dressing (new recipe from this month's Everyday Food)
Tuesday: Leftover Vegetarian Bean Chili (which I made for dinner last night)
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil (new recipe from SmittenKitchen)
Thursday: Baked Sweet Potatoes and Salad

Check back later this week!

Menu Monday

The good news is that it's Presidents Day and the federal government is closed! The bad news is I spent most of the day working from home anyway :(

Yep, it's shaping up to be that kind of week, y'all. As a result, the menu is pretty light on cooking (by me) this week:

Monday: my favorite three cheese macaroni with bacon (I need me some comfort food!)
Tuesday: leftover mac n'cheese
Wednesday: Seared salmon with a deconstructed goat cheese/pear/dried cherry salad (thanks to Jason who offered to step and help out this week--isn't he the best?!)
Thursday: Big day at work (which also happens to be taking place in Baltimore) so we'll either do our own thing for dinner or order pizza or something

Blogging may be even lighter than usual (hard to image, I know) but maybe by the weekend I'll be ready to talk about our efforts to find and buy a house without going broke in the process!

Menu Monday

Here's what we've got on tap for this week:

Monday: A Valentine's Day dinner to be prepared by Jason!
Tuesday: leftover chicken pot pie
Wednesday: Book Club night which means Jason is on his own and I'm making a honey vanilla pound cake to take for dessert
Thursday: Wild mushroom pasta (new recipe from a Cooking Light cookbook I got for Christmas)

Check back in this week to see how it all turns out!

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day :)

Jason's Simple Steps to Perfectly Seared Salmon

Jason doesn't do a ton of cooking, but he does have a few specialties. Pancakes. Waffles. He also makes a really good sandwich. The dish he is most proud of, however, is his seared salmon. The process is so simple, you don't need a recipe. You just follow these four steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly coat an oven-safe skillet with olive oil and heat over high. 
2. Rub a little olive oil over the salmon and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place salmon fillets, skin side up, into hot pan and leave there for exactly 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the salmon over.
4. Place skillet into oven and cook for exactly 10 minutes. Serve.

Moist and delicious salmon every.single. time.

Try it-- you'll like it!

Menu Monday

Work has been busy which means that I either haven't cooked much lately or I've gone for recipes that don't require much effort. This coming week is no exception-- on the menu are all things I've made (and blogged about) before. But rather than letting the cobwebs grow further on the ol' blog, I thought I'd shed some light on the recipes I've made that warrant repeat appearances.

So without further ado, I give you this week's meal plan:

Monday: Curry Squash and Carrot Soup

 
Tuesday: Chicken Patty Pitas

Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Roasted Beet Salad

Friday: Dinner out (I hope)

What's on tap for you meals this week?

Quick Treat Tip

Hot chocolate + roasted marshmallow =

Best Sunday night treat ever!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving Eve which means I've spent a good portion of my evening prepping for tomorrow's big event. Jason's mom is providing the majority of our Thanksgiving feast, but I'm contributing three items as well. After a month of research, here's what I've come up with to supplement the usual turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole (Jason's family is into all the traditional dishes as you can tell):

• Cranberry chutney with ginger and orange
• Spinach gratin
• Pumpkin creme brulee

I wish I could tell you that all of these recipes came from the many holiday issues I amassed during the Great Thanksgiving Recipe Search 2010...but the truth is, not a single one did! Can you believe it?! FIVE magazines and I end up going with three internet/blog recipes instead. Sigh. I really do have a problem.

Stay tuned this weekend for recipes and reviews. In the meantime, I leave you with an awesome example of how the holidays can bring out the worst in those of us with Type A personalities: Awkward Family Photo's infamous Thanksgiving letter....hopefully I never get this bad!

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Wedding Shower Brunch, Part 4 (Putting It All Together)

In addition to the breakfast and lunch items, we had a few sweet treats to round out the menu. Given Lauren’s love for shortbread (and how easy it is to make), I chose my toasted coconut shortbread cookies. Lauren’s younger sister also helped out by bringing cupcakes up from a Richmond bakery.

With the menu all set, the next hurdle was how to decorate the space. As I previously mentioned, we used the community room in my apartment which had recently been renovated. As luck would have it the room’s décor was mainly blues and greens….which just so happen to be Lauren’s wedding colors! That made decorating a whole lot easier. Green and blue balloons helped create a festive atmosphere and I decorated the small tables where we’d be eating with green and white votive candles I just so happened to have at home. A vase of white tulips helped pull it all together.

For the buffet, I kept it simple. A blue table cloth helped make clean up a breeze and white and glass platters kept things simple. To help ensure that everyone knew what they were eating, I used green and white placecards (leftover from my own wedding) to make signs describing each dish. Finally, to make it easier for attendees to carry everything, I  pre-wrapped the silverware in napkins and tied with ribbon I already had (I got this idea from my friend Stephanie who did something similar for my wedding shower last year).

Lauren and her guests really seemed to enjoy themselves which made all the planning and work worth it! Now I’ve got to start working on that Matron of Honor speech for the wedding….

Wedding Shower Brunch, Part 1

I am sorry that I have been more MIA than usual this week. But I have a good reason this time! I’ve spent much of the week finalizing details and cooking for my friend Lauren’s wedding shower. As Matron (ugh—makes me sound so old!) of Honor, I am hosting her friends and family for a bridal brunch today.  I’ll provide all kinds of details over the next few days. In the meantime, here is what is on the menu:

• Assorted quiches (purchased from Whole Foods—I can’t do everything!)
• Pumpkin Bread
• Raspberry-topped Lemon Muffins
• Gazpacho Pasta Salad
• Fruit Salad
• Ham Rolls
• Toasted Coconut Shortbread
• Cupcakes (provided by Lauren’s sister)

Recipes and pictures of all the little details coming over the next week—stay tuned!

Me and the bride-to-be, circa 2006

I Heart the Weekend

This weekend more than made up for the less than stellar way my work week ended, in large part because of this:

Yep...Jason's replacement ring finally came in!

I celebrated the return of the ring by making a lovely dinner tonight of salmon kebabs, corn on the cob, and that awesome summer squash ribbon salad recipe I shared with you a little while back. You guys, this salad is SO GOOD. You need to make it…..like, right now. I'm kicking myself for not having made it more often this summer.

Another thing that helped—the Arcade Fire concert Friday night. What a great show—I always love watching insanely talented people doing what they so clearly love to do. How can you not have a good time watching performers who themselves look like they are having a good time?! If you don’t know Arcade Fire, you should definitely check them out!

Even though I felt like we were busy getting things done this weekend, I do feel like I had a chance to recharge a little bit. Which is good since I’ll be tackling the Northern Virginia-Baltimore commute for the next five days! Think good thoughts for me