We have been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time to do any real entertaining, and this weekend I was reminded of how much I miss it! I spent the better part of the weekend perusing cooking magazines, planning my menu, grocery shopping, and cooking, and I loved it! I also love that I made a few discoveries to add to my arsenal of cooking ideas. Here, a couple of my favorite:
1. Granitas are super-simple and so chic. For today’s cookout and pool party, I made two different granitas: espresso and almond. I served them together, topped with a little sweetened whipped cream. So easy, and so refreshing.
2. It’s okay to relax a little in the summertime: I stuck with foods that would taste good at room temperature, so we could graze all afternoon while we play.
3. If the corn is sweet, it’s not necessary to cook it. Thanks to Bon Appetit (June issue, with Gwyneth on the cover), I learned that the fresh corn I just got from Front Porch Pickings can be served uncooked. I simply cut it off the cob, tossed it with lime, salt, olive oil and cilantro, and served it as a yummy salsa/side. It was the most popular dish at the party!
4. A dry rub makes all the difference: To keep things simple, I bought a few 2-pound flank steaks, treated them to a dry rub (Kevin did the messy part) recipe that I found in Bon Appetit, and then we grilled them whole instead of doing individual steaks. Afterwards, we sliced it fairly thin so that everyone could take just what they wanted.
5. Add some flair: Even though I usually use my favorite French Bull melamine plates and accessories for outdoor use, they didn’t lend themselves to this patriotic occasion, so I picked up some paper plates, napkins and some cute little flags at Target.
Here’s what I had on the menu:
Flank Steak with Smoky Dry Rub (Bon Appetit, June 2011, p. 107)
Spiced Rice with Grilled Nectarines (from Food Network magazine July/August 2011, p. 126)
Sweet Corn Salsa (Bon Appetit, June 2011, p. 106)
Egyptian Potato Salad (Boiled, peeled, chopped potatoes with lemon juice, olive or vegetable oil, salt, and minced curly parsley – so simple and so amazingly good – it’s the only potato salad I will eat)
Cucumber Tomato and feta salad (Bon Appétit June p. 50)
Edamame salad (from Publix – love this stuff)
Tortilla chips and organic salsa (boring, but a staple – my family loves it)
Sliced figs with prosciutto
Clean mocktails from Clean Eating magazine: A variation on their Tea-Killa sunrise (July 2011, page 60) and Muddle Up, lime, basil, and mint muddled together and topped with sparkling water.
Almond and Espresso Granitas (Bon Appetit, June 2011, p. 82)
Sunny Anderson’s Open Faced Plum Tart with Fig Jam (Food Network mag, July/August, p. 178 – I used my mother’s homemade fig jam for this!)
I hope you get a chance to try one of these simple, light, summer-ready recipes for your next cookout. Happy Fourth of July!
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