Hi all,

I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast & easy
summer light menus.

What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?


Take care,
SPOONS
My photo food log http://www.fotolog.net/giggles

"SPOONS" > wrote in
ers.com:

> Hi all,
>
> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast &
> easy summer light menus.
>
> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
>
>
> Take care,
> SPOONS
> My photo food log http://www.fotolog.net/giggles
>
>
>
>


What you want is a cookbook that works with a grill or bbq.
And another that works with stir fries (probably just stir fry sauce ideas)


--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

SPOONS wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast
> & easy summer light menus.
>
> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
>
>
> Take care,
> SPOONS
> My photo food log http://www.fotolog.net/giggles

Oh, I don't worry much about time of year when it comes to cooking. I do
enjoy grilling and this time of year grilled bratwurst is a favourite. Also
grilled Italian sausage. Cornish hens.

Corn on the cob. Soak the ears in cold water for at least an hour. Then
peel back the husks and strip off as much of the silk as possible. Brush
the cob with butter and/or olive oil and lay springs of fresh herbs along
the cob. Basil, sage, like that. Fold the husks back over the corn and
roast indirectly for a little over an hour, until the kernels are tender,
turning periodically. The husks will blacken but because you've soaked the
corn they will not burn. Delicious!

Jill

"SPOONS" > wrote in message
ers.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast &
easy
> summer light menus.
>
> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
>

A cold vegetable soup with bread, cheeses, and a plate of sliced
tomatoes/cukes/etc is one of our favorites.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

SPOONS > wrote in message
ers.com...
> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?

Pho! Excellent light soup; filling
Spinach salad with sour dough
Grilled chicken with corn on the cob
Swordfish Kabobs

There's an EXCELLENT round of recipes in Food-and-Wine magazine this month.
We've been going through each. I've enjoyed them all but some have seriously
flopped with the tender-tongues in my clan. <shrug> There's a lot more --
with greater variation -- where those came from.

The Ranger

SPOONS wrote:

> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?

MENU #1
Caprese Salad: Fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil, drizzled
with best-quality extra-virgin olive oil and accompanied by crusty artisanal
Italian bread

Strawberries sprinkled with REAL balsamic vinegar (tradizionale)


MENU #2
Gazpacho with good bread
Assorted olives
Skewered shrimp
Skewered zucchini and mushrooms


MENU #3
Hummus with grilled pita bread
Tossed salad with grill-seared tuna


As others have mentioned, grilled food is a good choice because you're not
heating up the house. My patio has electrical outlets, so I can carry my
small cooking appliances out there and further conserve the interior
coolness. (I've got a steamer, rotisserie oven, toaster oven, and panini
grill, any two of which can be plugged in on the patio.)

Here's one of my favorite recipes for the grill, which I provide in
recognition of the upcoming cook-in (with wishes that I could attend):

SAN DIEGO CHICKEN (from _The New West Coast Cuisine_)

3 pounds chicken parts (see notes)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce (see notes)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons ground California chile pepper (see notes)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Wash and dry chicken parts, and put into big ziploc bag(s). Combine
remaining ingredients and pour over chicken, coating all surfaces. Close
bags, pressing out as much air as possible, and marinate in refrigerator at
least 2 hours.

2. Grill or broil chicken, turning frequently and brushing with marinade
each time you turn. You have to watch like a hawk, because the marinade has
sugar in it and it will burn.

Bob's Notes:
A. Here's how to tell when the chicken is done: Pierce part of the chicken
with a skewer or fork. If the juices are clear, the chicken is done.

B. The original recipe calls for chicken wings with the wing tips removed.
I always use chicken thighs, and it tastes fine to me. Chicken breasts, of
course, are more healthy, and you can use them also. If you use a mixture
of different parts, a good rule of thumb is that white meat will get done in
about 2/3 the time it takes to cook dark meat. Don't cook the chicken too
close to the heat, or the marinade will burn before the chicken gets done.

C. I use Tamari.

D. California chile pepper is found in cellophane packets near the produce
department. It's bright red in color and has a mild flavor. It's dried,
ground California chiles. "Chili Powder" is something different, it has
cumin, garlic, and other stuff in it.


Cherries are just now coming out, so I'll make a cherry clafouti sometime in
the next couple weeks. I also love peach shortcake, and I made a GREAT
peach-and-plum crostata last year (thanks to Kimberly, who posted the idea
here). Basically, summer is the time for wonderful fruits and vegetables;
you should plan your menus to take advantage of that.

Bob

"SPOONS" > wrote in message
ers.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast &
easy
> summer light menus.
>
> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
>
>
> Take care,
> SPOONS
> My photo food log http://www.fotolog.net/giggles
>
>
Home grown tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad

John

SPOONS wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast & easy
> summer light menus.
>
> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
>
> Take care,
> SPOONS
>

Skewered marinated pork, chicken or lamb. Grilled and served with cold
Japanese noodles (tossed in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil) with
sliced cucumbers or radishes and a dip for the meat.

Tuna in oil and vinegar and herbs, on shredded lettuce, with tomatoes.

'Crystal' spring rolls made with rice flour sheets. Lined with lettuce
leaves and coriander sprigs, filled with assorted shreds of meats,
shrimp and vegetables plus dip.

Cold grilled chicken (or fish) and a couple of salads.

Platter of thinly-sliced hams with tomatoes, salad greens and fresh
basil in oil and vinegar.

Cold steamed soy chicken over hot rice, with stir-fried greens in oyster
sauce.

Any cold pasta with a good dressing: glass noodles with spinach and
shiitake mushrooms and slivers of meat etc

Arri wrote:

> Skewered marinated pork, chicken or lamb. Grilled and served with cold
> Japanese noodles (tossed in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil) with
> sliced cucumbers or radishes and a dip for the meat.
>
> Tuna in oil and vinegar and herbs, on shredded lettuce, with tomatoes.

These two together reminded me of another one of mine: I make sushi rice,
and form it into a pad. On top of the pad, I put a layer of cold steamed
spinach, and drizzle with sesame oil. Then I put on a layer of sliced
cucumbers and drizzle with a little bit of rice wine vinegar. Last, I put on
a layer of tuna (from the pouch), drizzle with soy, and sprinkle liberally
with toasted sesame seeds.

It's a great make-ahead lunch.

Bob

Bob wrote:
>
> Arri wrote:
>
> > Skewered marinated pork, chicken or lamb. Grilled and served with cold
> > Japanese noodles (tossed in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil) with
> > sliced cucumbers or radishes and a dip for the meat.
> >
> > Tuna in oil and vinegar and herbs, on shredded lettuce, with tomatoes.
>
> These two together reminded me of another one of mine: I make sushi rice,
> and form it into a pad. On top of the pad, I put a layer of cold steamed
> spinach, and drizzle with sesame oil. Then I put on a layer of sliced
> cucumbers and drizzle with a little bit of rice wine vinegar. Last, I put on
> a layer of tuna (from the pouch), drizzle with soy, and sprinkle liberally
> with toasted sesame seeds.
>
> It's a great make-ahead lunch.
>
> Bob


Sounds pretty good.

The Ranger wrote:

> There's an EXCELLENT round of recipes in Food-and-Wine magazine this
> month. We've been going through each. I've enjoyed them all but some
> have seriously flopped with the tender-tongues in my clan.

I just went by the store to check this out, and saw that the issue on the
shelf is the July issue. Is that the issue you're talking about, or did I
miss out? (The recipes in the July issue didn't seem all that praiseworthy.)

If you're talking about the June issue of Food & Wine, could you please post
a few of the EXCELLENT recipes?

Bob

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 17:35:20 -0600, Arri London >
wrote:

>
>
>SPOONS wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast & easy
>> summer light menus.
>>
>> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
>>
>> Take care,
>> SPOONS
>>
We take our cue from what comes to the greenmarket. This evening we
had 5 kinds of odd-looking tomatoes with basil and garlic chives fo
rsalad, sprinkled with oil and vinegar.

Then sauteed spring garlic, log-grown shiitakes, some pieces of
leftover smoked chicken, with a cut up avocado squash and some garlic
tops added at the end. Served with rice.

Rice and Rancho Abaco Dancing Bull Zinfandel were the only non-local
things.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


"Be careful. The toe you stepped on yesterday may be connected to the ass you have to kiss today." --Former mayor Ciancia

On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 00:15:12 -0400, Rodney Myrvaagnes
> wrote:

> On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 17:35:20 -0600, Arri London >
> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >SPOONS wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast & easy
> >> summer light menus.
> >>
> >> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?
> >>
> We take our cue from what comes to the greenmarket.

Although we're almost at summer solstice, the weather is
very cool here year 'round. In (rare) hot weather, my
favorite meal includes hot (or cold) bbq chicken and cold
potato salad. Yeah, not very light, but I crave both
if/when the temperature rises.


Practice safe eating - always use condiments

SPOONS > wrote:
> Hi all,

> I'm still in winter cooking mode & I want to get into some more fast & easy
> summer light menus.

> What are some of your favorite summer dinner meals?

My dinner menus do not change with the weather. If I want something
to eat, that's what I make. For example, I intended to barbecue some
chicken legs tonight, but the weather isn't cooperating. I won't be able
to cook the chicken tomorrow or Sunday because I already have dinner
plans both those nights so I am baking them in my oven, as I write this.
I spread a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of my baking dish.
Then I sprikled some garlic powder, freshly ground pepper, and some
dried oregano on top of the sauce. Then I added the chicken to the
dish, then I seasoned the chicken, and then pour more tomato sauce
on top of the chicken, them more seasoning. I intend to eat this
with steamed white rice.

Oops! Time to turn the chicken.