Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Favorites on the Grill

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Please see my suggested resources.

April 29, 2024 By Jennifer Lambert 9 Comments

Growing up, my dad grilled only twice a year or so – burgers on the Fourth of July and steaks at the end of summer. I had burgers and hot dogs and grilled corn! at my aunt’s house on Easter. I remember my dad’s brother visited once and he grilled barbecue sauce chicken quarters and they were so delicious!

We grill year-round.

We own a nice propane grill, two charcoal Weber kettles, and a 7-in-1 dual fuel smoker grill.

We grill several times a week and it’s great to keep the kitchen cool in the summer. I prep salads and sides like rice or potatoes and steamed or roasted veggies.

Beef

Tritip is one of our favorite frugal meals and we even get leftovers! My kids prefer this on a gas grill.

Korean Steak is still a favorite and tastes best on charcoal.

Balsamic Steak – easy marinade with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic. I often use a London Broil for this.

Vietnamese Steak – delicious and complex flavors! soy sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, chopped fresh cilantro, basil, and mint

Round roast or tenderloin – I make a paste with Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and grill until rare to medium.

Greek Burgers – so delicious and a little different from traditional American burgers.

Chicken

Vinegar Chicken – My husband’s father used to make this! Bone-in chicken pieces grilled on charcoal, basted with apple cider vinegar and butter with salt and pepper until cooked to temperature

Zaatar chicken breasts are fun and different and great with rice pilaf

Teriyaki chicken thighs are always a favorite!

Our favorite fajita marinade – great on chicken, beef, shrimp, veggies, tempeh!

Monterey Chicken Breasts – super simple and delicious, better than a restaurant!

Tandoori Chicken – great served with rice and naan and veggies

Chicken Satay with The Best peanut sauce – also great with rice naan and veggies

Pork

Souvlaki pork chops – great for boneless loin chop! lemon juice, olive oil, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic, oregano, salt

Sage garlic pork chops – chopped fresh sage, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil. I prefer these on charcoal.

Pork tenderloin roast – I make a paste with Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and grill until medium. The heat holds over and then it’s just perfect after resting.

Lamb

Lamb chops – I make a paste with Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and grill until rare to medium. These are my favorite for Easter and Mother’s Day.

Lamb Burgers – these smell great and toppings like pickled onions and tzatziki are fun.

Seafood

I could eat seafood every single day, but it’s so expensive in landlocked Dayton, Ohio! We do purchase boxes from KnowSeafood every couple months and they have great quality! I eat seafood several times a week.

Plank Grilled Salmon – super easy and tasty and I could eat this every week.

Branzino – this might be my favorite meal! We also grill lemon pepper trout in a similar way.

Shrimp – I like to place these on metal skewers with lemon pepper and garlic. I use leftovers for shrimp and grits!

Lobster Tails – great butterflied and simply seasoned with garlic butter

Veggies

Tempeh – I love to marinate this in fajita seasoning!

Zucchini and Eggplant – sliced thinly and simply seasoned with salt and pepper and garlic with olive oil. Also great on pizza!

Corn – I love to marinade with olive oil and chili powder, but Italian dressing does great in a pinch!

Bread

Pizza – We often prep our pizza dough and do a parcook on the grill, then toppings, then grill a second time to melt the cheese. It’s so delicious!

Naan – It seems I can never make enough dough, even if I quadruple the recipe! So amazing with garlic butter. Goes great with Tandoori Chicken!

Also, a favorite appetizer is stuffed wrapped figs! I only get these maybe once or twice a year with the seasons. I stuff the figs with herbed goat cheese and wrap with proscuitto. After grilling to melt the cheese and fry up the ham, I drizzle with honey and sliced almonds.

Resources:

  • GrillGrates
  • Meater thermometers
  • Thermopro thermometers
  • Cedar Grilling Planks
  • Grill Dome Cover
  • OXO Grill Tools

I post lots of our cooking adventures on Instagram.

You might also like:

  • Cool Summer Foods
  • Easy Summer Meals
  • Homemade Pizza
  • Real Food Cooking During PCS
  • Frugal Birthday Celebration
  • What We Eat Every Week
  • Our Favorite Salads

What’s your favorite grilled recipe?

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Plank Grilled Salmon

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January 16, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We are super impressed with the quality – flavor, smell, and texture – of Sitka Salmon Shares.

It’s better than any storebought salmon we’ve ever had.

We all were delighted by the ocean smell of this flash frozen fresh sustainably caught wild coho salmon!

The color is bright and flesh is firm.

Soak a cedar plank in cold water for at least an hour. I cover the plank with water in the sink and place a heavy bowl on top to keep it covered. Otherwise, it will burn on the grill!

Season and marinate the salmon.

Heat up the charcoal or gas grill. Grill indirectly for about 20 minutes or until 145*.

You can also bake the plank on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325* for about 30-40 minutes.

It’s gorgeous!

We like to serve our salmon with rice pilaf and stir fried veggies.

Print

Plank Grilled Salmon

Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 T honey
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp lemon peel
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 T olive oil

Instructions

  1. Combine seasoning and spread on fish.

    Grill with indirect heat on top on plank, skin side down for about 20 minutes or until temperature to 145*

Sitka Salmon Shares delivers premium, sustainable, wild Alaskan seafood from the fishermen directly to members’ doorsteps! Shop Sitka Salmon Shares.

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Tritip Steak

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January 7, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

One of our favorite family meals is tritip steak.

It’s a simple and frugal cut of beef. Everyone likes it. It doesn’t take very long on the gas grill. We seldom have leftovers.

I rub spices and olive oil into the meat and let it marinate for at least an hour.

It takes about 20-30 minutes on the grill for medium rare.

Gorgeous thin slices against the grain for tenderness.

We serve tritip with rice or potatoes, salad, fried broccoli or grilled asparagus.

Print

Tritip Steak

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp sea or kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground coffee
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp raw sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Mix rub ingredients together in a bowl or jar.

  2. Massage rub into tritip steak on all sides.

  3. Pour olive oil over steak, turning to coat. Let sit for at least an hour in the fridge.

  4. Grill steak over medium heat on gas grill for about 20-30 minutes, or until thermometer reads about 120*

  5. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve with reserved juices.

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KaTom Cooking Thermometer Review

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February 10, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We love the features on this cooking thermometer from KaTom.

It has an on/off switch and handy dandy case so the therm stick doesn’t get bent or upset. It’s become our favorite!

We tested out the thermometer on this tasty Caribbean Chicken Recipe.

I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but thighs would work well too.

Fun spice combos

Mix with oil and honey. I added seeded chopped jalapenos later so it’s not too spicy.

I marinated the chicken almost all day.

Alex did great grilling the checking the temperature!

Easy to read!

I grilled jalapenos from the marinade and they turned all sweet and delicious.

I served the chicken with yellow rice and black beans.

We’re really happy with the thermometer and chicken recipe!

Get the KaTom thermometer and the Caribbean chicken recipe.

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: chicken, grilling, recipe, review

Flavor Your Life with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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March 9, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

We absolutely adore olive oil.

We are reminded of our trips to Italy and Greece with this delightful and rich-flavored European Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

This wonderful olive oil works well in salads, marinades, sautéing, roasting, and drizzled over cheese.

We had a lovely Greek-inspired feast featuring this oil in almost all the dishes!

The fresh olive flavor is perfect poured over feta cheese and sprinkled with dried oregano.

It was served this way alongside fresh Kalamata olives and darling little bread rolls all over Greece.

I also made a Greek salad dressing with red wine vinegar with oregano and basil.

Traditional Greek salads don’t always have lettuce.

It’s just good quality olive oil and oregano.

The olive oil roasted gorgeous my eggplant and zucchini for Briami, a Greek version of the French Ratatouille.

I used olive oil in a marinade for Za’atar grilled chicken.

I sauteed onions in olive oil for Lemon Rice Pilaf.

I probably use olive oil every single day.

Olive oil also a great substitute for butter when making scrambled eggs or omelets. It imparts a unique flavor and health benefits.

About Flavor Your Life

The Flavor Your Life campaign, supported by the European Union, Unaprol, and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, is dedicated to providing the latest in industry news on European Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The program aims to educate US consumers so they can make informed decisions when purchasing Extra Virgin Olive Oil. To learn more visit flavor-your-life.com.

About Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Olive oil comes from the fruit (known as a drupe) of the plant Olea europaea, or European olive. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made by pressing without heat or chemicals. It represents the freshest
and purest olive oil available.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil is virtually free of acidity—below 0.8%. This is to assure its quality rather than its taste, because overly processed and rancid oils contain higher levels of oleic acid.
• Olive oils are also tested for peroxide values. Lower values indicate fresher oil and more rapid processing, and are required for Extra Virgin designation. Each oil is judged by expert tasters,
who must agree that it meets the high flavor standards of an Extra Virgin rating.
• These experts also test for taste defects and the presence of positive attributes of fruitiness, bitterness and spiciness. If the oil doesn’t have the signature fruity taste and harmonious balance
it won’t receive an Extra Virgin rating.
• Olive oil has a high smoke point (400° F), so it can handle anything from a light sauté to a deep (and deeply flavorful) fry. You can bake with olive oil as well.
• Between uses, store your oil someplace dark and cool (around 57° F, if possible), not on a counter or near a stove, and never in the refrigerator. Keep the lid screwed on tight and use
your oil within 6 months of opening and within 18 months of purchasing.

Why Choose European?

• The olive tree has been revered in Europe since antiquity. Over thousands of years farmers have evolved hundreds of varieties of olive trees (cultivars) and optimized them for different
environment conditions and terrains to produce the most delicious yields.
• The result of this centuries old bond between the people and the land is the finest extra virgin olive in the world.
• The greatest impact on taste is the type of olive tree (cultivar), region (which affects climate and soil), and time of harvest. Europe offers a vast array of flavor profiles, so keep a variety of
oils in your pantry for different occasions.
• Olives harvested early in the season, late August (varies by region), are under-ripe and produce oils that are greener, more bitter and pungent.
• Olives harvested at the end of the season, late November into December, are overripe and tend to taste mild and buttery.
• Spanish oil is typically golden yellow with a fruity, nutty flavor.
• Italian olive oil is often dark green and has an herbal aroma and a grassy flavor.
• Greek olive oil packs a strong flavor and aroma and tends to be green.
• French oil is typically pale in color and has a milder flavor.

About Zucchi

Zucchi is a premier Italian Olive Oil Company delivering traceable and sustainable products that you can trust. You can find Zucchi at Big Y, HEB, King Kullen and Shaw’s.

Learn more online:

Connect with the Flavor Your Life campaign online to learn more about European Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
flavor-your-life.com
facebook.com/ FlavorYourLifeNA
twitter.com/Flavor_YourLife

Print

Za’atar grilled chicken

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts or thighs boneless, skinless
  • 1/4 c olive oil
  • 1/4 c lemon juice
  • 1/4 c Za'atar seasoning
  • 2 cloves garlic fresh, chopped or minced
  • 1 t salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Marinade chicken in all ingredients in plastic bag or bowl for at least one hour in the fridge.

  2. Grill chicken on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes per side. Don't flip often or push down or they will become dry. Grill until internal temperature reaches at least 155 degrees. (We think charcoal grills impart more flavor.)

  3. Serve with your favorite rice and salad!

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Real Food Cooking During PCS

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Please see my suggested resources.

August 2, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

When we PCS, everything gets packed up.

Sometimes, weeks, or even more than a month in advance of our actual move.

Our options are to stay in our current housing situation with air mattresses or borrowed furnishings or move into temporary housing which is like an extended-stay hotel.

It’s never convenient, and we don’t want to eat out or buy junk food.

Real Food Cooking During PCS

So, how do we still cook real food during PCS season?

We get creative.

We simplify.

We make it fun.

Usually, we clear out the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry as much as we can the weeks before a PCS. Then, we pack up the remains of the pantry, fridge, and freezer to eat in our TLF before our final out.

Another handy tip is to bake breads, muffins, cakes, and cookies ahead of time to have on hand before all that cookware is packed. Store the items in the freezer or even a freezer at church or a friend’s until TLF is ready.

We try not to cut too many corners, but obviously, our cookware is packed up and on a boat and we’re ready to travel, so making smoothies or homemade bread aren’t usually an option. The facilities in temporary lodging aren’t ideal – with few amenities for cooking well.

Sometimes, we can borrow essential kitchen items from friends or the Airmen’s Closet until our household goods show up.

Thankfully, most TLF apartments have decent coffee makers, toasters, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a colander, utensils, and pots and pans.

We usually miss good tongs, clean baking pans with silpats, good knives, and some other items we deem “necessities.” I miss my sourdough and kombucha and options for healthy cooking fats.

I pack my favorite cooking utensil, one or two good knives, tongs, and several spices (like garlic, salt, pepper, Italian herbs) inside a plastic zip bag in my checked luggage. We’ve even packed up melamine plates and bowls before to make life easier.

I don’t even play. I need these things handy with a hungry family.

View this post on Instagram

Doesn’t everyone travel with their favorite kitchen spatula? #tlf #military #pcs #foodie

A post shared by Jennifer Lambert (@jenalambert) on Apr 29, 2014 at 8:42am PDT

While staying at TLF or hotels, we often purchase simple and easy to prepare foods at local grocery stores that can be grilled at a nearby park grill hut or a disposable hibachi grill. It’s not much different than what we do when we’re camping. We even eat outside if the weather’s agreeable.

When we have kitchen facilities, we make simple side dishes like rice, pasta, couscous, quinoa, potatoes, steamed veggies, or boil frozen beans. If ovens are available, casseroles are easy for any meal. We just buy disposable aluminum pans. We don’t ordinarily use aluminum for cooking, but it’s ok for occasional use. We simplify and cut corners where it’s not a big deal.

We don’t eat much differently in TLF than at home during summer: grilled meats, veggies either steamed or sauteed, a grain side like cous cous, potatoes, quinoa, rice.

View this post on Instagram

I can still rock a healthy home-cooked meal in #TLF

A post shared by Jennifer Lambert (@jenalambert) on Apr 27, 2014 at 5:05pm PDT

We try to use up everything so there’s no waste.

View this post on Instagram

Lat night in #tlf means we use up as much food as we can: roasted balsamic chicken thighs and wild rice with Parmesan, sautéed mushrooms, and steamed veggies.

A post shared by Jennifer Lambert (@jenalambert) on Apr 29, 2014 at 4:55pm PDT

We’ve even baked chocolate chip cookie bars and quick breads in TLF in disposable aluminum pans.

Picnics are easy and frugal for road trips or easy for lunches at any point during the PCS.

We packed up sandwiches, chips, and juice for our road trip from Utah to Georgia and stopped at rest stops to eat and play.

Picnic Pit Stop

My Top 12 Easy Dinners for PCS or Travel:

  1. Pizza. We love to make our own pizza.
  2. Hamburgers. These are always a favorite!
  3. Casseroles. Turkey Divan and Tuna Casserole are favorites.
  4. Grilled or Roasted Meat and easy sides. We love couscous or quinoa with a marinated meat and a veggie.
  5. Tacos. See our homemade taco seasoning.
  6. Stews. Beef stew and chili are easy stovetop or slow cooker meals.
  7. Roasts. I like to roast a beef chuck or pork loin or whole chicken and have leftovers the next day! I often throw some root veggies alongside.
  8. Slow cooker meals. We love Asian pork ribs and salsa chicken.
  9. Breakfast for dinner. My husband usually is in charge of this.
  10. Sandwiches. This is fun for picnics.
  11. Salads. We like to use leftovers for creative salads. See our fave salads.
  12. Soups. Here are a few of our favorite soups!

We have to make sure we use up leftovers creatively.

It’s stressful not having our kitchenware and having to eat on the run with little planning.

We stay flexible and look forward to learning our way around a new kitchen and organizing it the way we like it.

Do you have any PCS tips?

Resources

  • Third Culture Kids 3rd Edition: Growing up among worlds by Ruth E. Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock, David C. Pollock
  • This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick 
  • Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
  • God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
  • Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
  • Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
  • Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
  • Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
  • Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray
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Filed Under: Military Tagged With: food, grilling, military, milspouse, PCS

Frugal Birthday Celebration

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March 13, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

I’m decorationally challenged.

I loathe kids’ birthday parties. I am always stressed.

Some of the stress is from growing up, surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins and having rather large gatherings for my birthdays, along with kids from my class at school.

We just don’t have any of that.

I tried. I wasted time and money on Liz’s birthdays for years. Some were rather successful and others flopped miserable, with no one even RSVPing or showing.

My husband didn’t grow up with big birthdays so he didn’t understand any of this.

So we discussed downsizing our idea of birthday expectations.

We’ve been having simple family dinners at home for a few years now.

No pressure. Teaching our kids that they’re special to us and we don’t have to blow a lot of money or impress people to show that.

So I’ve had to dig deep to find ways to make birthdays specials, frugally and without stressing out about it.

Because it’s not about things. I want my kids to learn that and honestly, they’re teaching me that too. They’re better at contentment than I am. And I love this post by my friend, Amber: When You Can’t Give Your Kids Disneyland.

Here is what I did for Tori’s 8th birthday.

I scored this rustic burlap pennant banner at Hobby Lobby.

I printed the letters on teal paper. I found the printable banner letters. I’m not really a fan, but Google to the rescue!

Birthday Banner

I used the same letters on skewers to decorate the cake with some long skinny blue candles and a cocktail umbrella Kate found in our cupcake drawer.

Tori wanted a white cake with chocolate frosting. This is my grandma’s recipe and it turned out amazing. Is it me, or is there just never enough frosting? I have bald spots on my cake!

Birthday Cake

What do you think?

I’ve also used this recipe to make 24 cupcakes and I’ve also thrown a half cup of cocoa powder into the cake batter to make a chocolate cake.

It’s almost time to blow the candles out! Dad picked up a lovely bouquet of flowers from the store on his way home from work.

Chocolate Cake with Blue Decorations

Tori’s favorite meal is Korean BBQ. Now, she’s never actually actually been to a Korean restaurant. She loves the Korean BBQ sauce flavor.

Which is basically a type of teriyaki sauce.

So we buy some nice strip steaks (no bony, fatty kalbi short ribs for her!). The kids don’t like to work for their food.

I plated it rather pretty on our Celebrate plate:

Celebration Dinner

Here’s our happy birthday girl. Eight years old!

Birthday Girl

I scored a Marie-Grace American Girl doll back in November for $40 on sale on their website and kept it hidden in my closet until now. It’s not the one she was wishing for (Caroline looks more like her and is into fishing!), but it is her first American Girl doll and she’s happy.

Whew!

One birthday down, two more to go this spring. Then Liz’s in the fall.

A great steak marinade:

Print

Korean BBQ Sauce

Cuisine Asian
Servings 1 cups

Ingredients

  • 4 T ground sesame seeds We use a coffee grinder
  • 8 cloves garlic pressed
  • 1.5 c soy sauce We like gluten-free Tamari
  • 4 T sherry
  • 6 T honey
  • 4 T sesame oil
  • 4 T water
  • 4 t fresh ginger grated
  • 4 t red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  1. Whisk ingredients together in a bowl and store in a plastic squeeze bottle in the fridge for when needed. I like to garnish meat with more sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

 Our favorite cake:

Print

Easy White Cake

Cuisine cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 2 layers

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1/2 t almond extract
  • 3 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 3 c cake flour
  • 1 c milk room temperature

Instructions

  1. Cream butter and sugar.

  2. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extract.

  3. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in another bowl.

  4. Alternate milk and flour into butter mixture until just mixed.

  5. Pour evenly into cake pans.

  6. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350*

Print

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Cuisine cake
Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1.5 c butter (3 sticks), softened  or 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening
  • 1 c cocoa powder
  • 5 c powdered sugar
  • 1/2 c milk
  • 1-2 t vanilla
  • 1/4 t espresso powder optional

Instructions

  1. Whisk cocoa to remove lumps.
  2. Cream butter.
  3. Add vanilla and espresso (optional).
  4. Gradually add sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping bowl often.
  5. Add milk until desired consistency.

Linking up: Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, The Life of Jennifer Dawn,  3 Boys and a Dog, Our 4 Kiddos, Kiddie Foodies, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Boys, The Jenny Evolution, Crafty Moms Share, 

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Cool Summer Foods

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August 20, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

When it’s hot, I don’t know about you, but I don’t even really feel like eating, much less cooking or even meal planning.

I try not to use the oven in summer to further heat up our poorly insulated house. Our kitchen and adjacent dining-living room are like greenhouses, and in the warmer months, I have to shut all the blinds and curtains to maintain a semblance of coolness.

Once our garden kicks off, we eat from that often. Tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, lettuces. We eat steamed or sautéed or grilled – or just raw.

Some of my favorite summer recipes:

Grilled Romaine Lettuce. Who’d ’a thunk it?

Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise. Spritz with EVOO. Lightly grill the lettuce for just a little char. Plate it up warm with some crumbled cheese (blue is good!), balsamic or flavored vinegar, bacon bits, candied nuts, dried fruit bits. Ah-may-zing!

grilled-lettuce.png

Caprese salad.

So simple and pow! flavor. Tomatoes. Fresh mozzarella. Basil. EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper. Slice it up. Cube it. Make it pretty. Mix it up. Try different colored tomatoes and flavored oils and vinegars for something special.

Ratatouille medley.

Slice or cube veggies: yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers of any color, sweet onions, eggplant. Grill or sauté with EVOO or coconut oil to desired doneness. Serve up with a spritz of lemon, and a pinch of “house” seasoning – salt, pepper, garlic powder.

garden-bounty.jpg

Grilled pizza.

1. Any veggies of choice. I love the Ratatouille ones above on pizza! Grill veggies and then top a par-cooked pizza crust. Add goat cheese and/or sauce. Grill with indirect heat until cheese melts a bit. Voilà!

2. My kids love grilled pizza too. They don’t care for many veggies on their pizza, but prefer meat. So, just sauté up some sausage or slice up some pepperoni. Top with bacon bits or ham. Sauce and cheese. Grill with indirect heat until cheese melts. Happy kids!

3. Fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese pizza. Insanity. Seriously. Use blackberry jam for “sauce.” I also love the figs scored, stuffed with herb goat cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, grilled just a bit, then drizzled with honey and almonds. Yum!

grilled-pizza.png

Jalapeno Poppers.

I suggest wearing gloves or being very, very careful. Cut the stems off and halve jalapenos. Scrape out seeds (I use a grapefruit spoon). Add a little scoop of a cream cheese. Slap a lil smoky on there. Wrap it in bacon. Put ‘em in a smoker for a couple hours or grill over indirect heat. Make lots of new friends. These are insanely good and not that spicy.

jalapeno-poppers.png

Veggie Boats.

For kid snacks or to impress a dinner party! Hollow out cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, you name it…mix a cream cheese with fresh dill and top with bacon bits. You’re welcome. It’s amazing. Set out pita or tortilla chips and cut up fresh veggies for dipping.

You can also make a healthy homemade ranch dressing: plain Greek yogurt (or a mix of buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon, EVOO), dill, parsley, chives, minced fresh garlic, minced shallot or sweet onion, salt and pepper.

Ices, Smoothies, Milkshakes.

On a super hot day, we love making our own slushy drinks. So much healthier than that colorful chemical snow cone hut on the corner in town!

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Add 1 cup ice to blender. sweetener of choice (we just like a simple syrup or honey). choice of fruit: watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, any citrus juices. Try mixing new and fun flavors!

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You could add kefir or yogurt for a different texture and flavor.

We love making milkshakes too! My personal favorite is leftover coffee, homemade ice cream, a few ice cubes, homemade chocolate syrup, cinnamon. Frothy and delicious. Kate likes plain vanilla, so I just leave out the coffee and chocolate syrup. Add some milk or cream to make it go farther.

You can also freeze the mix in some fun silicone push ups for homemade popsicles!

What are some of your favorite summer recipes?

Check out some more!

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: grilling, recipe, summer

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