Spring-Summer

 

I have a deep sincere love for cast iron. 

During a recent camping trip a 10" skillet and I locked eyes and I just wasn't ready to stop cooking outside with it when we returned home. So this past week I have been making as many meals as possible on the grill.... with my lovely cast iron skillet. This is beautiful because it keeps the heat out of the house, it allows me to be outside with the kids when they are playing and it's time to cook dinner and most importantly I get to spend more time with my beloved cookware. Anything you have been making on the stove inside, can be made outside on the grill with a cast iron skillet. 

Also... it is STRAWBERRY season! My kids are in strawberry heaven right about now. Grandma has strawberries! We have strawberries! Monroe Orchard has lots and lots of strawberries! We picked a little over 10 pounds this morning.

I've already got them layered in some sugar in a huge stock pot ready for tomorrows preserve making/canning festivities. 

 

Hope your garden and kitchen are bringing you as much joy as ours is these days.

Summer

Summer is for grilling and fresh fruits and veggies... taking time to obsess over flavor and breath in all the smoky, minty, spicy flavors you can.

One new favorite and a household staple for us:

 

New Mint and Cilantro Melon Salad :I swapped out lime juice for lemon and added a touch of apple cider vinegar to the dressing. 

Staple Hummus : I double the garlic to 4 cloves, swap paprika for ground red pepper and replace parsley with an obscene amount of cilantro. 

 

Grilled Chicken & Strawberry Salad

Kid Version

(grilled chicken, carrots, strawberries & grapes)

In between the beautiful day and the frightening storms there was some time to grill and get some yard work finished up.


Sort of recipe:

I marinated 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts for about 3 hours before grilling: olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, crushed fresh garlic, black pepper

Salad: baby spring mix, a few strawberries, some grapes, cut up carrots, and a tiny bit of onion.

Serves 2 adults 2 kiddos. I separated things out for my little ones because they tend to just waste the salad part. 


That's it. If I were allowed to eat feta right now, believe me it would have joined this combination.... I just pretended it was there and I could almost taste its yummy saltiness.