There is so much to love about summer meals — savoring the abundance of fresh seasonal produce, grilling on the deck at the end of the day, dining al fresco and lingering at the table, sipping crisp whites and rosés. We spent this weekend at the lake so I stopped at Josh’s Farmers Market on my way out of Mooresville yesterday and bought bags of (mostly) local fruits and vegetables — strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, new potatoes, summer squash and zucchini. I’ve planned my meals for the week around those bags!
My new grill is going to get a workout this week. I’m encouraging the boys to learn to grill but lately the weather has been so lovely that I’ve done it myself — relaxing on the deck with a glass of wine while I wait for the grill to heat up, then another while I cook. With the long days this time of year, we eat a little later. The early evening light is my favorite of the day and I relish being outside to enjoy it. Its been a little cooler than usual lately so we sometimes need our hoodies to be comfortable eating outside, but I pretty much insist unless it is pouring down rain!
On Friday night, I’m hosting my first dinner party in ages. I’m taking a chance on a new grilled chicken recipe from this month’s Food and Wine — Five-herb Grilled Chicken with Green Aioli. I used to make new recipes for dinner guests all the time, but haven’t in quite a while now. The rest of the meal includes all long-standing summertime favorites so if the chicken isn’t fabulous, it should still be a great meal.
My plans are to use up all that great produce and grill every night:
Monday – grilled chicken and summer vegetable tostadas, black beans, guacamole
Tuesday – grilled salmon with herbed butter compound, basmati rice, zucchini and tomato gratin
Wednesday- bacon avocado burgers, baked beans, grilled corn on the cob
Thursday – caesar salad with grilled shrimp
Friday – five-herb grilled chicken with green aioli, minty roasted potatoes, marinated tomato salad, white chocolate blueberry bread pudding
Later this week I’ll be posting about some of my favorite rosés — perfect wine for the season!
Carolina Bon Vivant 