Dinner

Summertime is the time for fun gatherings – from having the girls over for a fancy Happy Hour at Home, to casual grilling in the back yard with friends and family.

Our old house was the place to be when the temperatures would rise – some friends would say they’re spending the whole weekend at our place. Someone would text or call, if we’d say “come on over, bring your swimsuit” we’d joke that they drove over so fast they had already been on the way! Now that we are settling in to a new house, we no longer have the “instant party” pool, but we can throw a summer bash just the same.

grilling! I always like to come up with interesting and unusual dishes to go along with some of the mainstream grilling items. My grilled romaine is definitely one of those – simply split the bunches open a bit, drizzle with balsamic and olive oil, and place on the grill – indirect heat. We place ours on the very top ‘shelf’ of the grill.

It may not look great, but grilled romaine is always hugely popular – part wilty, part crunchy, and completely flavorful. We never make enough, and there are never leftovers. Add it to your burger, eat as a salad. My boss-Doc once walked around my deck with a large platter fresh off the grill, and within minutes came back empty handed.

More grilling recipes:

grilled potatoes – grilled potato salad

 

grilled fajita tacos

 

grilled jalapeno poppers

 

grilled polenta & portobello burger

 

beverages! Another important thing to stock up on. We have had parties large enough to order a keg (which my Dad and Jason have been known to enjoy the following day – making a valiant effort to finish it off), but generally we stick bottles of beer on ice. Soda, water, juice also, and if it’s that kind of party, mixers and spirits.

desserts! Last but definitely not least, summertime has some of the best fresh fruit that easily turn into sweets, or a simple fruit salad. One of my favorite summertime fruits? Strawberries!

strawberry basil fruit rolls

 

strawberry balsamic ice cream

Preparing as much in advance helps things run smoothly – prep all grill items, make lists to organize, always buy more ice than you think you need. Planning ahead and making lists help keep stress low – no matter the theme, reason for event or how many guests you have, the most important thing to remember is to have fun!

Cheers!

 

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{ 24 comments }

Cinco de Mayo!

by spabettie on May 4, 2012

in appetizers,cocktails,Dinner,grilling,summertime

Olé!

All I can think of right now is how much I would like to be here:

enjoying this:

to properly celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I don’t need a whole month like we did in December, just transport me there for the weekend? A long weekend? Dropping me back to reality mid week, just in time to coordinate the movers?

No? Okay, I’ll just be enjoying one of these then:

jalapeno margarita

 

with some of these:

seven layer tacos

 

and obviously, large quantities of this:

mango habanero guacamole

 

If we are going to just keep the party going, here are some other ways to do so:

homemade tamales!

 

grilled fajita tacos

 

spicy stuffed sweet peppers

 

For breakfast, lunch or dinner?

huevos a la Mexicana enchilada

I wish you all a fantastic weekend, whether it includes Cinco de Mayo festivities or not!

Are you celebrating?

 

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{ 21 comments }

garden fresh grilled cheese

by spabettie on April 28, 2012

in Dinner,Gluten Free,recipes,Vegan

Did you guys know April is National Grilled Cheese Month? I have been taking full advantage, while still trying to keep things relatively healthy.

Relative to what, I don’t know. I’m pretty sure italicizing it blurrs that line even more.

This is one of my new favorite sandwiches. I have had three this week. I am confident in saying it’s healthy – I stack it full of vegetables and use a fantastic sunflower seed bread. I feel great after eating this, and it tastes amazing.

Each sandwich has one half an avocado, one half of a red bell pepper, and one large roma tomato. Toasting the bread gives it that crunch I like, as does the iceberg.

This is a fresh and flavorful alternative to the sometimes heavy grilled cheese – crisp and cool while also warm and comforting. A perfect pairing in my opinion.

garden fresh grilled cheese

dairy and gluten free, vegan

serves one

2 slices gluten free bread
2-3 slices non dairy mozzarella (enough to cover one slice bread)
1-2 tablespoons homemade thousand island dressing
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 avocado, sliced thin
1 large roma tomato, sliced
2-3 leaves iceberg lettuce

Toast bread, place on baking sheet (preheat oven to 350). Spread one slice with 1 tablespoon thousand island dressing, arrange cheese slices on the other slice. Arrange bell pepper slices on one bread, tomato slices on the other. Warm in oven for 7-9 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, drizzle another tablespoon of thousand island (optional) onto the melted cheese. Top with avocado slices and lettuce, finishing with the other slice of bread. Enjoy!

Please, make one of these this weekend.

Celebrating the wonder that is grilled cheese:

jalapeno popper grilled cheese

 

red pepper grilled cheese

 

salsa cheddar grilled cheese

 

chipotle, pineapple and brie sandwich

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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{ 28 comments }

Big Night recipe round up {Food ‘n Flix}

April 27, 2012

I loved hosting Food ‘n Flix this month, and was happy to share one of my most favorite movies with several who had not seen it, and those who love it like I do. We had some delicious participation this month, great inspirations from the movie Big Night! First up, Tina from Life in the Slow [...]

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mini wedge salads

April 26, 2012

It is no secret that I love iceberg lettuce. It gets a bad rap for being void of nutrition and flavor, but I love its crunch in a salad or a sandwich. We stayed at our new place for the first time last night. As we are still in packing mode and haven’t yet scheduled [...]

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salsa cheddar grilled cheese

April 16, 2012

We have spent the last week in Missouri. We have seen bright sunshine, booming thunderstorms, sideways rains, and currently? A tornado watch for several areas, including BoCoMo (Boone County). Everyone around me is used to this sort of thing, and therefore calm. While I am comforted by the fact that there is a tornado shelter [...]

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Big Night Timpano

April 12, 2012

I have been wanting to make this masterpiece for years. When I first discovered Food ‘n Flix, it was like a tumble of dominoes – I decided to participate, I signed up to host a month, I knew I would pick one of my very favorites – Big Night, and there was no doubt I [...]

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perfect mashed potatoes

April 6, 2012

  I have taken advantage of my recent wisdom tooth surgery to eat mashed potatoes. A whole bunch of them. It’s been like Thanksgiving and Christmas over here. You know, napping on the couch all afternoon. I have been cooking for my dad lately, in my attempt to have him eating healthy and fairly low [...]

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black bean and plantain fritters

April 3, 2012

Ashley from The Unintentional Vegan has some of the best round up posts, which she calls Crowdsource Recipe Testing. She posts fabulous recipes from around the web. Remember the amazing caramelized onion bacon dip I raved about a while back? I discovered that through a Crowdsource post. Ashley recently asked me to participate in Crowdsource by making [...]

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chipotle, pineapple and brie sandwich

April 2, 2012

Today’s lunch was conjured in the Whole Foods aisles this morning. I found out some horrifying news today – I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled! (What, am I in middle school? Is chicken pox next?) Horrifying because I have an irrational fear of the dentist. Just put me out and clamp headphones over [...]

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